WantaghElementary School

It’s never too soon to start thinking about how to make your school a better place and the new Student Council Club ambassadors are already preparing to do just that. Over 24 fifth grade students arrived at Wantagh Elementary 45 minutes before school began on a Monday morning in October before school began to create colorful flyers for their first community service project.

Children practice fire safety in school with multiple fire drills each year. At home, there are also safety precautions they need to know, and that’s why Wantagh Elementary School recently welcomed local volunteer firefighters to give some tips.

If students at Wantagh Elementary School have the itch to create, they can just head on down to the STEAM classroom during lunch time. Teacher Kaitlin Humphrey has brought back STEAM recess, a popular vestige of the past that gives students an alternative activity during their mid-day break.

Although they will work across all five buildings, the 22 new teachers who gathered in the Wantagh Middle School library on Aug. 28 will always share a special bond. Their careers in the Wantagh School District began together in 2023.

The legacy of Wantagh Elementary School’s Class of 2023 will be long-lasting. Just like the classes before them, the departing fifth graders left their mark with the completion of a hallway mural.

Fifth grade moving-up ceremonies were held at Wantagh High School from June 20 to 22, during which more than 200 students were recognized for their successful completion of elementary school.

Wantagh Elementary School fifth graders could actually call themselves rocket scientists as a popular end-of-year tradition continued with the rocket launch on June 15 and 16. Students constructed their rockets from kits and then gave them custom designs.

Dressed from head to toe in red, white and blue, students and teachers at Wantagh Elementary School showed off their moves in a flash mob-style dance on June 14. The choreographed routine was the culmination of the annual Flag Day program and awards presentation.

A musical based on the books of noted children’s author Dr. Seuss was the premier production for Wantagh Elementary School’s Musical Theater Club. The cast of 42 students showcased their talents during four performances of “Seussical Kids” on March 28 and 30.

Wantagh Elementary School fifth graders became the designers for a game they are likely familiar with from their family vacations. In the collaborative physical education and STEAM class project, students created a miniature golf course, then invited their families to come play.

On April 25, 2023, Mandalay Elementary School will be hosting a Mental Health Summit for all Wantagh parents at the Elementary level. Our program will feature a keynote speaker, information tables, and an additional session of your choice.

Where else besides Wantagh Elementary School can you find the first, 16th, 18th and 35th presidents of the United States at the same time? Together, they stood, along with dozens of other famous figures at the fifth grade’s annual living wax museum on March 10.

Whether they were preparing for a future career or just looking to take a trip down memory lane, it was a successful day for Wantagh High School students who participated in Shadow Day on Feb. 2.

They may have been taking part in the Hour of Code initiative, but students at Wantagh Elementary School have been doing way more than an hour of computer programming. STEAM teacher Kaitlin Humphrey said students in kindergarten through fifth grade are doing coding activities throughout January and February.

The most anticipated moment of the week for kindergartners and fifth graders at Wantagh Elementary School is the time they get to spend together. Students in Patricia Magoloff’s class are regularly visited by their older peers from Traci Weiss’s class.

Trial and error was a practice used by many famous inventors, so that’s the model that students are following at Wantagh Elementary School. Children in grades 3-5 are immersed in an inventions unit in STEAM classes with teacher Kaitlin Humphrey.

Young artists are adding their creative touch to Wantagh’s schools with the addition of new several new murals. Wantagh Elementary School and Wantagh Middle School are both being beautified with student masterpieces.

Former Wantagh Elementary School teacher Karen Kerge couldn’t stay away for too long. After retiring in June following a 33-year career as an educator, she returned as a published author for a series of assemblies on Feb. 28 and March 1.

Wantagh Elementary School STEAM teacher Kaitlin Humphrey has been accepted into the New York State Master Teacher program, which will provide her with additional professional development opportunities as well as connections with educators across the state.

Fifth graders at Wantagh Elementary School gained insight into the valuable support that canines provide humans during a visit from the Guide Dog Foundation on Oct. 8. On the back blacktop, students met with Tracey McCarthy and Emily Tullo, as well as guide dog ambassador Harper and guide dog-in-training Lola.

To show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, students at Wantagh Elementary School wore pink to school on Oct. 12. They incorporated the color into their wardrobes in many different ways including pink shirts, shorts, socks and face masks.

After eight years as a special education teacher in New York City, Rachel Dender is on the move to both the suburbs and to administration, as she was recently named the new assistant principal of Wantagh Elementary School.

The Wantagh School District’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts is pleased to announce that 24 students represented the district in the annual Art Supervisors Association All-County Art Exhibit from their respective schools. Additionally, Wantagh High School senior Francis Peretti was selected as one of 42 ASA All-County Senior Scholarship winners.

With museums closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, art museums throughout the world are providing opportunities for patrons to browse their collections online. The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles went one step further by asking viewers to choose a masterpiece and to re-enact the work at home in an activity called the Getty Challenge.

Words of thanks can go a long way, as Wantagh Elementary School fourth graders in Samantha Barrett’s class have learned. The community conscience students joined their teacher in a campaign called Project Thank You, demonstrating their appreciation to local firefighters and healthcare workers at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and Elmhurst Hospital, who have served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic each day.

Elizabeth Shevlin’s second grade class at Wantagh Elementary knows that kind words can make the difference in their overall outlook. In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, the students participated in a joint art and English language arts activity writing compliments to one another.