Sharon Dickstein, Principal

929 Rt. 209

Cuddebackville, NY 12729

(845) 754-8314

Elementary
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Latest news and information about our school... 

»HBE Summer Reading List
Summer is a great time for a good book
During the summer, books might be the last thing on your child's mind. Most kids are ready for a break and happy to trade in reading, writing, and math for summer camp, family vacations and lazy beach days. But many studies have shown that children who read when they're away from school perform better academically than those who don't. If you're looking for a book that will spark your child's interest in reading this summer, check out the HBE Summer Reading Lists.
• Summer Reading List - Gr. K-3 
• Summer Reading List - Gr. 4-6
• Click here to download Port Jervis Free Library
  Summer Reading Program flyer

»Back-to-school supply lists

  • Hamilton Bicentennial Elementary List



»Fourth Marking Period Honor Roll 
HBE Principal Sharon Dickstein is pleased to recognize all of the students who qualified for the Fourth Marking Period Honor Roll. Congratulations to all! Click here to view the Honor Roll.  

»Fourth & sixth graders shine at Lip Sync Concert 

HBE fourth and sixth graders entertained their peers June 6 at the school's first Lip Sync. Prior to the show, students spent days after school practicing their routines...All of their hard work paid off. The show was fantastic and a great time was had by all! Special thanks to HBE teachers Michael Connolly, Doreen Semerano, and Shannon Vicchiariello for coordinating the event. The third & fifth graders are performing June 20.

»Young authors read literary works to their families

The stories were about everything from reptiles and guinea pigs to family vacations and Webkinz. But they all had one important element in common. All of the poetry and prose read at the June 10 Author's Teas were written by the first grade students at Bicentennial Elementary School. The Author's Teas are held annually at each grade level - generally in the last few weeks of the school year. The culminating activity for the HBE writer workshops, the teas provide every student in the school the opportunity to share one of his or her favorite literary works with family and friends. Following the student readings, the young writers enjoy refreshments with their teachers and guests. MORE  
    
»Police K-9s demonstrate skills for students

The Orange County Sheriff's Department K-9 Unit came to HBE recently to show students how the officers and their dogs work together to keep us safe.
MORE PHOTOS
 

»Budding journalists publish sports magazine

Three ambitious young writers in Claire Dillon's class have taken a language arts assignment to the next level - creating their own sports magazine. On May 20, fifth graders Hunter Storms, Josh Conklin, and Noah Knesel published the first edition of their sports publication, Major League Magazine. The four-page magazine features "inside" stories about the Port Jervis Little League, along with interviews, photos, and baseball tips. The fifth graders write, edit, and distribute the publication, which they hope to continue to publish through the end of the school year. Click here to view the magazine.
The magazine requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to download and print. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat on your computer, you can get a free copy from the Adobe web site.
     
»Fifth graders celebrate Cinco de Mayo 

Kara Raap and Cori Jashembowski's fifth grade class kicked off its unit on Mexico with a Cinco de Mayo celebration in which the students tasted a variety of different Mexican foods.


 

»K-3 students enjoy Ratatouille at Fun Night 

Bicentennial Elementary School held a Fun Night for grades K-3 on Friday, May 2. The theme was Ratatouille. The kids watched a presentation on rats by our special guest, Ms. Berlin. They also played fun games such as "Pin the Nose on the Rat" or "Guess that Food." The night ended with the students watching the feature film Ratatouille.

»Miss Sayer's class creates school's first eBook 
Miss Sayer's reading class is one of the first classes in the district to use new technology to create its very own eBook. Thanks to a grant received by technology integration instructor Scott Reichert, elementary students now have the digital voice recorders and illustration software needed to digitize their stories and then share their electronic books with the community on the district Web site. Unlike traditional pen and paper books, the new technology allows students to embellish their stories with audio and video, providing unlimited possibilities for creativity. Working with Reichert, Miss Sayer's students wrote, illustrated, and edited a book about their favorite things that begin with the letter "L." Click here to view the eBook created by Forest, Hank, Marissa, Robert, and Trinity.
Please Note: Adobe Flash Player is needed to view the eBook. If you do not have Flash Player on your computer, you can get a free copy from the Adobe Web site.  

»Marketing 101
Students develop products and marketing campaigns 
Look out Madison Avenue. Marketing has taken on a whole new meaning at Hamilton Bicentennial Elementary School. Working in teams of two, the fourth graders in Megan Bonney and Carrie Sarbello's class recently created an assortment of innovative products and then developed an advertising campaign to market the new merchandise. A class commercial was made of the teams presenting their product ads. Click here to view the commercial.
Please Note: Apple QuickTime is needed to view the video. If you do not have QuickTime on your computer, you can get a free copy from the Apple Web site.     

»A busy month for Mrs. Polanis' Kindergarten Class
Young authors pen their first book 

The students in Beth Polanis' kindergarten class wrote their own book, which they titled The Read Book. The book is an adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Foot Book. The idea for this book came from a professional development class attended by Mrs. Polanis. Offered to all district employees, the technology classes are taught by technology integration teacher Scott Reichert. The kindergarten class is now planning to read their book to other classes at Bicentennial Elementary School.

Pennies for Port Jervis/Deerpark Humane Society

Beth Polanis' kindergarten class collected $30 in pennies for a good cause. The class used the pennies to help develop math skills and then donated the money to the Port Jervis/Deerpark Humane Society.



 

»School-wide Read Across America celebration  

Family Pizza Dinner
Hamilton Bicentennial held an evening of fun, food, and reading for our families at the annual Read Across America Pizza Dinner March 18. Every family that attended received a book. Following dinner, a guest reader read students a story while parents enjoyed coffee.

Reading celebration continued in school March 19
The school's annual Read Across American Day festivities continued March 19 with a fun day of reading activities. HBE was proud to have children's author Robert W. Kurkela and illustrator Sean Addy present their works to the students. Mr. Addy has illustrated such books as Amelia to Zora: 26 Women Who Changed The World, and Trains: Steaming! Pulling! Huffing! Mr. Kurkela wrote the poetry book, Lilies on the Moon, which was available for purchase along with other merchandise.

»Students invited to participate in Read-a-thon
We are very excited at Hamilton Bicentennial to hold our seventh annual Pennies a Page Read-a-Thon. The Read-a-thon will be held from Friday, April 11 to Monday, April 28. The money your child collects will go toward the Betty Morgan Scholarship Fund. Two Port Jervis High School graduates, a boy and a girl, who attended HBE, will receive the scholarships. Prizes will be awarded to the top participants. A gift certificate will be awarded to one student from every grade who raises the most money. The class with the most participants will receive a pizza party. Together, let’s enjoy good books and make this year’s Pennies a Page Read-a-Thon a huge success! Click here for Read-a-thon guidelines.

»Thank you Mrs. Lamb for the bike helmets!!
Generous donation will help keep HBE students safe

Thanks to a generous donation by Theresa Lamb every student at Hamilton Bicentennial Elementary School now has his or her own bicycle helmet. The parent of a former Bicentennial School graduate, Mrs. Lamb donated the helmets in memory of a family member who was fatally injured in a bicycle accident.

Students from Shannon Vicchiariello's third grade class are pictured wearing their new helmets. The students received their gifts just in time for Spring when the days will start to get longer and children will be outside riding their bicycles. We are delighted that all of our students will now enjoy the safety of a bicycle helmet!

»Students caught being good, qualify for gift raffle

Each month, HBE students receive coupons when they are "Caught Being Good." Student can receive coupons in their classrooms, as they walk through the building, attend special subject classes, and when they are at lunch. For each group of five coupons students acquire, they are entered into a raffle drawing.

The students pictured had their names drawn from the raffle barrel. They are recipients of 5 and 10 dollar gift cards to WalMart. Congratulations to this month's winners: Hana Ryerson, Faith Hart, Jasmine Schreiber, Evelia Rodriguez, Cady Robles, Selena Moreno, Rheanna LeFlair, and Doreen Rodriguez.

»Kindergarten classes celebrate the 100th day of school

Kindergarten classes held a special celebration Feb. 21 to mark one of the most anticipated school days - the 100th Day of school. Celebrated in elementary classes around the country, the 100th Day of school provides teachers with a fun way to engage students in counting, sorting, graphing, sequencing, and other hands-on math activities.

While the activities vary from class to class, all activities are based on the number 100.  Elizabeth Polanis' class is pictured wearing their 100th Day t-shirts and hand-strung necklaces. Melissa Haight (left) helps her students count the dots on the lady bug's back.

 

»Students in grade 2-8 read 10,000 books!

Reading is on the rise in the Port Jervis School District. District officials are proud to announce that students in grades 2-8 have read 10,000 books since the beginning of the school year. Motivated by the fun and easy-to-use Accelerated Reading (AR) program, students at Hamilton Bicentennial Elementary School, Anna S. Kuhl Elementary School, and Port Jervis Middle School are reading more often and at a higher level. Computer records generated by the web-based reading system show the students reached the 10,000 mark on Jan. 31.  MORE  

Congratulations AR Basket Winners!
On the same day students district-wide reached the 10,000 mark in the Accelerated Reading program, Bicentennial Elementary School awarded gift baskets to six of its AR Reading Club members. The winners were selected randomly from the growing list of students who qualify for the AR Reading Club by earning 10 reading points. The baskets - filled with pencils, notepads, small books, and other fun activity items - were donated by the HBE School Store.

» HBE February newsletter is online
Looking for the latest information about school events and programs...Click here to download a copy of the February newsletter.

»My Socks Hurt - a story written by Pat Demono

Teacher aide Pat Demono is shown reading My Socks Hurt to Suzanne Vicchiariello's first grade class. Mrs. Demono wrote the story, which was then illustrated by the students.

»Second graders learn first hand about life in Africa

Kate Palermo was a guest speaker in JoEllen DeGraw and Bonnie Schatteman's second grade class. Kate presented a power point presentation on her four-month stay in Kenya, Africa. A volunteer teacher, Kate taught students in a primary school (grades 1-8) and lived with a host family. During her visit to Bicentennial, Kate shared what she learned about Kenya's customs and traditions with the students.

»Ceremony DAREs students to be themselves

Equipped with the skills needed to resist drugs and alcohol, the district's fifth grade  students graduated from the D.A.R.E. Program Jan. 24 in a motivational ceremony at Port Jervis High School. The primary mission of the D.A.R.E. program, which is taught by Port Jervis police officer Kelly Decker, is to provide students with the information and tools they need to live drug-and-violence-free lives. Full Story

»Students worked hard to prepare for ELA exams

Michelle Thiele's 4th grade class made thinking caps to wear during the ELA State Exams.

Elementary students in grades 3 to 6 took the New York State English/ Language Arts (ELA) Assessment tests in January. Students at each grade level worked very hard to prepare for the annual assessment. More information about the tests is available on the Department of Education web site. Parents who need more information about the tests can download the New York State Testing Guide for Parents, Grades 3-8

»Student Salvation Army fundraiser huge success

Hamilton Bicentennial Elementary School recently collected change for the Salvation Army Needy Fund. The theme for the collection was "Giving during the Holidays." In all, more than $600 was raised over a two week period. First grade students contributed to the cause by making and selling chocolate covered pretzels. The Bicentennial students were so thrilled with the success of the holiday fundraiser that they want to make this a yearly event.

»Dobbs helps secure ExxonMobil Grant 
Hamilton Bicentennial Elementary School has received a $500 grant from the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program. Jason Dobbs, owner of J’s Mobil station in Port Jervis, once again secured the educational grant which is one of 4,000 available to schools across the country. These grants were made possible by funding from the Exxon Mobil Corporation. the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program is designed to provide Exxon and Mobil retailers with an opportunity to invest in the future of their communities through educational grants to neighborhood schools. Full story

» Third graders present The First Thanksgiving

The third graders in Nicole DiCostanzo's class brought history to life by presenting their own rendition of The First Thanksgiving. Dressed as Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe, the Bicentennial Elementary students entertained their parents and family members with the story of the feast the Pilgrims held in the fall of 1621 to celebrate their first successful harvest. MORE     

»Perry's Pancake House serves breakfast

Shannon Vicchiariello and Jen Kowal's 3rd grade classes held a special celebration to mark the completion of the book Nate The Great, San Francisco Detective. Since much of Nate's investigation takes place at Perry's Pancake House, the highlight of the celebration was a pancake breakfast. Additionally, the students made detective hats, menus and placemats.

»Cuddebackville Fire Safety Contest winners

Members of the Cuddebackville Fire Department congratulate the winners of this year's Fire Prevention Contest. Pictured with the winners are (from left) Frank Werlitz, Marian Conklin, Ian Hicks, Kyle Gilbert, Abam Scapino, Chris Sibilia, Joyce Cirulli, and Assistant Fire Chief Chris Parliman.
 

»Honoring those who served our country

In honor of Veterans Day, students in Meredith Burns' fourth grade class brought in pictures of their family members who have served or are continuing to serve in the U. S. Armed Forces.

The class created a bulletin board to show their pride and appreciation to their relatives and all veterans.

»Costume parade highlights Halloween festivities

Port Jervis elementary schools celebrated Halloween with traditional classroom parties and their annual costume parades. Click here to see more pictures of the HBE Halloween parade.

»Class makes innovative use of new computers

Megan Bonney and Carrie Sarbello's fourth grade class created "I Am" poems, using their new classroom computers. Students enjoyed writing about themselves and publishing the information in a creative and colorful way.
 

» A fun way to learn "All about me"

Beth Polanis' HBE Kindergarten Class painted t-shirts with the words "It's All About Me!" It was a fun way to complete their "All About Me" unit.
 

» Plan for early dismissals/closings
Announcements: During the school year, early dismissals & school closings are reported on this web site, and on local radio and television stations.
E-mail alerts: Parents can sign-up to have the school district send alerts to their home and/or work email addresses. 
Make arrangements for after-school care     

» Froozer - Just really cool fruit!
The HBE school cafeteria is now offering a new Ala carte product called Froozer. Port Jervis School District is proud to be the first school district in New York State to offer this new frozen dessert treat. Froozer has the appearance and taste of ice cream, yet it is:
  • Made of 100 percent fruit
  • Contains no fat or cholesterol
  • Contains no dairy, no added sugar, and no artificial ingredients. have this available.

The cost for a 3 oz. serving is 85 cents. For more information, visit the company's web site: www.froozer.com which offers a lot of information about the product.  

» New school year off to a good start

There's something special about the first day of a school year. On Sept. 5, Port Jervis schools welcomed back more than 2,800 students. The day was marked with excitement as students - particularly those in the elementary schools - checked out their new classrooms, found their cubbies, and got reacquainted with friends. More first day photos  

» HBE ready for first day of school

After a much-needed facelift, HBE was ready to welcome students back to school, Sept. 5. Students and staff are benefiting from extensive renovations that took place over the summer. The deteriorating roof was replaced.  New tiles and carpeting were installed. And, a vestibule was added to the front of the school building to provide better access and enhance building security. For more information on the district's Capital Projects, follow the links listed below: 
• Project overview with construction photos
• Construction safety measures 
• Asbestos removal notice 

» IMPORTANT HEALTH NOTICE
Chicken Pox vaccine now required for sixth graders
Students entering grade 6 in September 2007 must receive the chicken pox vaccine or provide a doctor's note stating when or at what age they had the chicken pox disease. A copy of a blood test showing a positive titer for the chicken pox is also acceptable. Parental recall of the disease is NOT acceptable.

As of September 1, 2007, students born on or after January 1, 1994 who are entering, repeating or transferring into sixth grade must receive the Tdap vaccine. Students who enter grade 6 at age 10 will not be excluded from school, but MUST be immunized with the Tdap vaccine when they turn 11 years old. Parents are asked to have their doctor fax an updated copy of their child’s immunization records to HBE School at 754-7355.

Accelerated Reader