It was a special day this past October 24th, as a big red fire truck from the Hicksville Fire Department pulled into the school parking lot. Firefighter Joe came to visit the children and teach them about fire safety. He showed all the children the firefighter’s gear and tools that he uses when he responds to a call. All the children got to climb aboard the truck, and as a special treat, each child took a turn holding the hose as water sprayed out. It was an educational and fun experience. Each child took home a souvenir fire helmet and coloring activity book.

Students at the Hicksville Nursery School had fun this October with their annual pumpkin picking trip to Martin Viette Nurseries in Brookville. Children were able to feed the farm animals, pick their own pumpkins and play among the festive displays. They were also given a lesson about different types of squash, pumpkins and apples. They learned about seeds as they were able to see inside pumpkins and apples. They also got to take a turn holding a big (and heavy!) squash. Everyone had a great time!

             

Each September, to start off the new year, all the children in the school are invited to bring their favorite stuffed animal/toy for show and tell. This is a good opportunity for them to share something about themselves, make new friends, and get to know the teachers.

On June 16th, the children of the Class of 2011, their families and friends gathered in the Social Hall for the school's annual Graduation Ceremony. The children sang some songs and acted out the book "Going on a Bear Hunt". Miss Terry and Miss Ramona congratulated each child as they presented the diplomas. Miss Gina, from Playgroup, who helped with the 4 year old class this year as well, was also there to offer her congratulations to the children. Everyone at the school is very happy and proud of the children and we wish them well as they begin their new adventures in Kindergarten next September!

Once again this Spring Miss Terry's 4 year old class and Miss Loraine's 3 year old class got to experience the wonders of nature by observing caterpillars. Each class had a jar containing several baby caterpillars. The children were able to watch each day as the capterpillars ate and ate and ate, and grew and grew, until they formed their chrysalis to begin the transformation into butterflies. They were moved to the butterfly keeper net where the 3 year old children were actually able to watch some of the butterflies emerge and spread their wings! The butterfiles were fed fruit and sugar water until the day came for them to be released outside. Each class accompanied their teachers to wave "Bye, Bye Butterflies!"

Miss Loraine's class also had a "Ladybug Land". Tiny larvae were in the container and after a few days they formed little balls to begin their transformation. The children learned that the Ladybugs are "born" with soft white shells, which harden and change color to red, yellow or orange. Ladybugs like to eat soft sugary raisins. After about a week, we said goodbye to our Ladybugs and released them outside.

Little marchers, their parents and other family members came out on a rainy/cloudy Memorial Day morning to take part in Hicksville’s Memorial Day parade. Families from the school walked the route from Sears down Rte. 107 to the Middle School on Jerusalem Avenue. Everyone wore their school colors (red) and had a great time. And thankfully the sun came out as the morning went on! This was the first time our school was represented in the parade so we look forward to marching again next year.

On April 11, the school staff and the children and their families met at Bouncers and Slydos in Farmingdale for a fun-filled outing. Everyone (parents included!) had a great time, running, jumping, sliding, and of course, bouncing on all the fun inflatable play areas. After playing for a while, the children enjoyed a snack in the party room. It was a fun time for all!

As they do every year, families and friends came together for the school's biggest fundraiser, Family Night. The event this year was held on March 19th at Levittown Hall. Families filled the hall to dance and play games led by the DJ,  to try to win the many raffle prizes up for grabs, and of course, enjoy the delicious food. It was fun for all who attended.

Every year the school holds a food drive during the month of March in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Children who bring in non-perishable food items are given shamrock stickers in return for their donations. The donated items are given to the food pantry of the United Methodist Church. The school holds this food drive in March since most food donations are given during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and the pantry is low on items during other months. We hope to teach the children about helping those in need.

We had two silly days in March! Children came to school in their pajamas (the teachers did too!). We certainly saw some silly hats on Sillly Hat Day!

One of the great things about our school being a cooperative school is that our parents are very involved with the children's education. We experienced this involvement twice in February when some parents shared with the children what they do at their jobs. It was a fun learning experience for all!

It was a special visit from some furry, fluffy, and sometimes scaly friends on a recent Monday. All the children in attendance that day were treated to a visit by the mom of one of our students. She works in a pet store and brought a few friends to teach the children about animals and their environments. From a fluffy guinea pig, to a hedgehog, a tiny possum,  baby chameleons and tortoises and a bearded dragon, the children oohed and ahhed as they got to see and touch the animals. The teachers and assistants helped play a guessing game to figure out where each animal would live in the wild. Each child received a safari hat and a goody bag to take home.

Another special parent visit came from Broadway Dental, where a student's mom works. Dr. Jeff came in to visit the children from the 3 and 4 year old classes. He and his assistant explained to the children the importance of taking good care of their teeth and which foods and drinks are good and which are bad for teeth. Everyone got a chance to practice brushing and Dr. Jeff entertained the children with a game to guess the good foods and drinks. Each child received a goody bag with a toothbrush.

It was time for science experiments at school recently as the children worked on a special project. Miss Anna spent time with both the 3 and 4 year old classes during their art time. Each class had the opportunity to construct a working volcano. Using simple ingredients, she led the class step by step as they put clay over a bottle to decorate it, added baking soda, and watched with excitement when vinegar was poured in to make the volcano "erupt"! Both classes had a great time and enjoyed making the volcano erupt over and over again!

The children from the classes at the Hicksville Nursery School recently participated in a very special Valentine’s Day project. Each class created unique Valentine’s Day cards for military personnel stationed in Afghanistan. Their pictures and kind words are sure to bring a smile to our soldiers. Care packages of candy and other goodies as well as practical personal items were included in the shipment. 

The Hicksville Nursery School held its annual book fair during the week of January 24th. Each class had its own designated time to shop, and children and their parents were able to choose from numerous age-appropriate Scholastic books. Everyone was excited to take home their purchases, and spend quality time reading together, all while helping to support their school.

All the children from the school participated in the annual Thanksgiving Feast. To prepare for the festive day, each class made handprint placemats and headpieces to represent the Pilgrims and Native Americans. Special foods were also prepared. The Playgroup supplied cornbread. The 3-year old class helped make fresh applesauce by cutting up apples using plastic knives. Miss Loraine chopped and mixed the apples with sugar and cinnamon in a blender and the children were delighted to see the finished product. The 4-year old class children got to use their muscles by helping Miss Terry  and Miss Ramona "churn" butter. Cream was placed in small containers and everyone took a turn shaking, shaking, shaking, until the cream turned to butter. All the foods were brought to the Thanksgiving table for everyone to share along with all the other yummy foods and goodies!

Every Halloween all the classes come together for a special Halloween parade and games, followed by snack-time parties in the classroom.

The classes traveled to Martin Viette Nurseries in Brookville this year for their annual pumpkin picking triip. The children were able to feed the farm animals, pick their own pumpkins, and play among the festive fall displays. They were also given a lesson on fall foods such as different types of squash and apples. The children were able to see the seeds inside a pumpkin and an apple. It was a fun day for all!

In addition to the fire drills that the school conducts, the children were taught about fire safety with a visit from firefighters of the Hicksville Fire Department. First they were able to see and climb aboard a fire truck. Inside the school, they were given an important lesson on fire safety and learned the techinique of "stop, drop, and roll". All children were given fire hats and coloring books to remind them of their special visit.

Hicksville Nursery School participated in a Trike-A-Thon to raise money for St. Jude's Hospital.  All the children in our school participated in this event and together they raised $4,300!  In addition to riding their bikes, they learned about bike safety and helping others in their community.  We are so proud of all of them and the excellent job they did!