Dear Nassau Families,

November came and went and was highlighted with our second Turkey Trot! As you will see in the pictures, it was an exciting and exhausting day filled with many smiles and heavy breathing. I was especially impressed with the support that our students gave each other as they cheered their classmates through the finish line. Thank you to all of the faculty, staff, and parents who made this event possible.

In November, students from each class were “Caught Using Character” as their teachers tagged our November character traits (Gratitude, Bravery, and Words and Actions Affecting Others) with specific actions that their students were “caught” doing. We also had Mr. Dougherty, Mr. Shanks, and Todd Middle School students at Nassau taking part in our P2 Assembly. They played the first ever Gratitude Games with our students and gave lots of high fives. We are excited to continue our partnership with them this month!

In the spirit of gratitude, I want to give a special thank you to all of our SRPs (School Related Professionals) at Nassau. SRP day was on November 15, however, this group of people I am thankful for every day. Without these staff members and their hard work, loving nature, and dedication, we would not be able to provide the education for our students that Spackenkill prides itself on.

On behalf of the faculty and staff at Nassau Elementary School, I would like to wish each of you a very happy and healthy holiday season! We look forward to seeing everyone return in the New Year!

Best,

Erik Lynch

Principal

Hi! My name is Aurora Kurtz. I have been lucky enough to have been crowned as Little Miss New York 2023 with Princess of America! I’m so proud to be representing my hometown of

Poughkeepsie this year and at the national pageant in July. “A Crown with a Cause” is the motto for the Princess of America pageant. We are a community service-based pageant that

believes that a crown and a banner should be used in the service of others. With my title, I have the opportunity to put my voice behind causes that mean a lot to me. My platform for this year is to help kids establish healthy habits that will become the foundation for lifelong heart health. This past summer, I suddenly lost my father to undiagnosed heart disease. In his memory, I will be working on several events with the American Heart Association to raise money and awareness. I want to encourage kids (and adults) to get out and exercise for at least 30 minutes a day and to eat healthy food and snacks. My favorite ways of staying active are playing on the playground with my friends, running, dancing and doing gymnastics. One of my favorite snacks is to eat the rainbow! It’s fun to put together a colorful plate of fruits and veggies with hummus. I hope you will all join me this year in focusing on establishing these habits.

If you are interested in joining their team for the heart walk, please follow this link.

On Monday, November 28th, second grade students listened to Andi Woung, the manager of Macy's Flagship Window Designs from Herald Square in New York City. This was a kick off event as students prepare to design their own homemade windows highlighting what they do for the holidays.

Mr. Woung spoke on a Google Meet about how hundreds of people work together to design and build the windows for the holidays. Dating back to 1889, the Macy's windows have brought our community together. They have featured many themes of friendship and love.

This year in particular there is a window that showcases polar bears that wear sweaters. Each sweater was created by hand from artists from all over the world. It demonstrates a true team effort.

We also learned that one window provides an opportunity for you to take a selfie which will allow you to look like you are part of the fox animal family featured in the window.

Students asked a ton of great questions and were excited to glimpse at parts of the city. In the next two weeks, they will be writing about their own traditions and designing their own model windows. This will dovetail with their social studies unit on communities. (Rural, Suburban, and Urban)