Mulvey PTA, in collaboration with the Central Islip Teacher’s Association, hosted a Family Curriculum Night to familiarize parents with the new Common Core Standards and rising student expectations. There were over 40 families in attendance. Translation ear buds were used to facilitate the flow of important information. Mrs. Jen Goncalves, 2nd grade teacher and PTA President, served as translator. Presenters included teachers Ms. Michele Celenza 3rd grade, Mrs. Jodi Failla, 4th grade, Ms. Christine Wesnofske, 1st grade, and Mulvey Principal Mrs. Iafrate. There were also volunteers in attendance including Mr. James Mazza 3rd grade, Mrs. Elaine Yatsko 3rd grade and Mr. Brendan McCarthy 4th grade. Parents were introduced to the 6 curriculum shifts for ELA and Mathematics which are being implemented district-wide. The presentation included first through fourth grade expectations and exit outcomes. Parents experienced what their children do on a daily basis in the classroom. The event culminated in a question and answer session that will enable parents to be better prepared to assist their children at home and ensure academic success.

The CITA Presents Movie NightOn Friday, April 19th, the Central Islip Teachers Association hosted “Movie Night” in the High School Auditorium. This was a time for all Central Islip students, grades Pre-K through 6, and their families to come together and enjoy a night at the movies for free. Over 600 people came to watch the movie “Wreck-It Ralph” and they loved it. After the movie, the CITA raffled off 2 copies of the movie and an activity book for the children and a $50 gift card to TGIFriday's for the adults. When leaving, everyone received a free gift complements of the CITA. Everyone had a wonderful time and the movie was enjoyed by all.

CITA Awards Nights On April 2nd, students from grades 1, 3, 7, 9, and 11 were awarded at the second CITA Awards night. The Awards are held in the High School Auditorium and the children come to the Awards Night to proudly receive this prestigious award in front of their families, friends and teachers. Afterwards, we moved to the cafeteria for some refreshments, pictures and a lot of congratulating! If you have not witnessed one of these meetings, you are definitely missing out. Our last one is on May 20th at 7pm in the High School Auditorium and we will be honoring Kindergarteners, 4th, 6th and 8th grades while the seniors will be receiving scholarships. The look of joy on the student’s faces when they receive their award is priceless and should not be missed. Hope to see you there!

On Friday, March 22nd at the O'Neill School, Central Islip students, parents, teachers and guests attended the First Book program at the Center of Hope Before and After School Program. Cheers were heard when Michael Romano, President of the Central Islip Teacher’s Association, asked the students, “WHO LIKES TO READ?” and “WHO WANTS BOOKS TO READ?,” as he presented the students and the Center of Hope with a “Book Nook” containing over two hundred books. Each student also left that day with at least 2 books of their very own. This was the kickoff event to a program called “Frist Book” that the Central Islip Teachers’ Association was selected to pilot. First Book is an award winning nonprofit program that gets high-quality, brand new books in the hands of children. This is the first of many events, throughout the district, that the Central Islip Teachers’ Association will be having.

The Sundae ChallengeThe Mulvey School took on the Sundae Challenge in math recently. This event included the 3rd and 4th grade students and teachers. Students were challenged to memorize and learn the times tables and division table facts. Each week they were able to earn a new part of the Sundae. Students earned spoons, napkins, bowls, toppings and up to three scoops of ice cream. In order to help make this day possible, the local business, Sysco, sponsored the event by supplying tubs of ice cream for the sundaes. Students were filled with pride, as they dug into their cold, sweet treat. Congratulations to the students for a job well done! Thanks to Jodi Failla for sharing!

The CITA is again proud to showcase the work of our fine teachers. This year the teachers at Mulvey were very fortunate to have the portable smart board available for their February Fitness Unit. The children spent approximately 3 minutes at a station performing the prescribed fitness activity. The children, and even a few teachers, really enjoyed the "Dance Dance Revolution" station, proving fitness can be really fun! Thank you to Carol Cinelli for sharing this worthwhile unit.

Every year the CITA awards the top performing students in each grade level at three different awards nights. The first of those nights was held on Thursday, January 31st in the High School Auditorium. The grades that were awarded were Pre-Kindergarten, second, fifth and tenth. Students came dressed in their Sunday bests and when they were called by name, they came up to receive their award from CITA President, Michael Romano and Vice-President, Tom Kuhn in front of more than 100 people. The students were proud to be receiving the awards and they should be. Their parents were beaming with pride and joy. Afterwards, refreshments were served in the cafeteria by the many members who came out to help. Parents and relatives left that night feeling proud of their children for their accomplishments and happy that so many teachers came to congratulate them! We will be conducting two more Awards Nights this year. They will be held on April 2nd and May 20th at 7pm in the High School Auditorium. We will also be having Movie Night on April 19th. Please mark your calendars.

On October 24th, the CITA donated two truck fulls of food to the CI Civic Council Betty Ford's Food Pantry. Thanks to everyone who participated.

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