(JUNE 2022)—Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School held an orientation for incoming third-graders from Northwest Elementary School to familiarize the students with the campus prior to the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Park Avenue School Counselor Kimberly Balducci presented a slide show about the school. The slide show introduced students to school programs, events, and what to expect next year.

“Transitioning into a new school can be really challenging for students,” said Ms. Balducci. “Orientations like this allow the incoming students to become familiar with the school and hopefully lessen some of the stress they might be feeling about entering a new environment.”

The soon-to-be Memorial students were able to meet some of the current Memorial third graders who spoke about their favorite activities and gave them some words of wisdom. The second-graders were then allowed to ask questions. Their trip ended with a school tour guided by Park Avenue students.

(MAY 2022)—Students in Amityville’s Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School learned all about fossils including prehistoric dinosaur skeletal fossils, Woolly’s Mammoth’s tooth, and saber-tooth tiger fangs from a presentation given by Donald (Jerry Pollack, a former teacher at Edmund W. Miles Middle School and a lifelong Amityville resident.

“It was a wonderful experience for the kids to learn about fossils,” said, Dr. Shirley Martin, Principal of Park Avenue Memorial School. “The students had a great time, learned information they had never been exposed to before, and were able to share in the excitement and enthusiasm Mr. Pollock brings to his teachings to our students.”

Mr. Pollock taught for 33 years at Edmund W. Miles Middle School and coached for 50 years in the district. Mr. Pollock displayed his fossils along with images of the animals they came from and gave the students the opportunity to hold the fossils and pass them around the classroom. Mr. Pollock has volunteered and has continued to teach the Amityville students frequently since his retirement.