About Our School

First Day of School:

The first day of school will be Tuesday, September 3rd. This will be a full day. Link to District Calendar:

2024-2025 One Page Calendar.

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures:

Our school hours are 8:15 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. Students may enter the building at 8:05 a.m., after the first bell. A second bell at 8:15 a.m. will signify that instruction will begin with morning announcements. It is imperative for students to be in their classrooms and ready to learn at 8:15 a.m. I strongly urge all parents to make sure your child is on time each day. We understand that at the start of this school year entering and exiting the building will take a bit longer than in the past.

We have designated (3) three doors for students to use during arrival. There is a very detailed map of the school labeling where each teacher’s students should enter in the morning. We use more doors for dismissal and have provided a map to inform you where your child’s teacher will dismiss daily. All of our entrances will be monitored by School #3 staff members for security purposes. If you have more than one child, please have all your children use your YOUNGEST child’s entrance/exit.

We will stagger dismissal SLIGHTLY:

2:59 P.M. FIRST GRADE
3:02 P.M. SECOND GRADE
3:05 P.M. THIRD through SIXTH

If you have more than one child, your oldest will come to your YOUNGEST child’s dismissal door. Do not ask for your older child to be released early, we will not allow it.

Due to safety concerns parents will not be permitted to walk their children to their classrooms.

First and Second Grade Students:

Our first and second grade teachers will be greeting all of their students in the gymnasium the first day of school. This will ensure all first and second grade students know how to get to their classrooms. We will have many additional staff members at each entrance able to assist children in finding their classrooms. No parents will be allowed in the building.

Parents/Visitors to the Building:

Any person visiting School #3 must enter through our main entrance by using the buzzer and showing ID. No visitors will be allowed to enter the building without proper identification.

We will continue to significantly limit the reasons for dropped items by parents at school, we will only be accepting glasses and lunch left at home. Homework, instruments and other school related items will not be accepted. With a little help, organization, and working together, we can teach all students to be responsible for remembering their important items from home. Please remember to send students with water bottles for drinking throughout the day.

Traffic & Parking:

Please be aware that pedestrian and automobile traffic surrounding School #3 can be difficult during drop-off and dismissal. I recommend that you use our PTA sponsored Valet during arrival and to park on a side street and walk to the building for dismissal. Please read the included documents about the PTA sponsored Valet, we definitely need volunteers to make this service successful. This service will begin on the morning of September 9th. Following all traffic and parking rules is essential for our students’ safety. We ask that you continue to instill in your children the importance of crossing the streets in designated crosswalks with the assistance of our crossing guards.

Valet Volunteers Needed- Please Complete This Form if you are able to help. Without your help, our valet would not be possible.

Early Pick-Up:

If you need to pick your child up from school early at any time, you MUST provide us with a note in the morning stating the time of pick-up. If you forget to send in a note, you MUST call the main office before you arrive at the school. Classroom teachers will have your child ready for you when you arrive at our front entrance. The front door monitor will bring your child to the door and have you sign your child out.

CARES:

Our CARES program will continue to operate daily after school in School #3. For more information on this program please visit CARES Information

Supply Lists/Chromebooks:

Each grade level has a general list of supplies necessary. Some classroom teachers may ask for some additions but that is usually limited. There will be times throughout the year that supplies will need to be replenished. Teachers will reach out if/when that is necessary. Please review with your child the importance of taking care of their things. All students are provided with a Chromebook. First grade students will receive their device at the beginning of school. Students are expected to come to school daily with their device charged. Any and all issues with the device should be reported immediately to the classroom teacher.

Meals Procedures:

BREAKFAST- STARTS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

We are excited to be able to continue to offer our breakfast program at our elementary schools starting at 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. daily. Our breakfast program is open to all students and there is no need to preregister. Students may come as often as needed. The cost of our breakfast program is $2.25 per day.

LUNCH:

Lunch is available for purchase and costs $2.60. The students will have an option of either a hot lunch, pizza, sandwich or yogurt. Monthly menus are posted on the district website. All lunches include a drink and fruit or vegetable. Snacks are available for purchase during lunch as well.

Free and reduced price meals: Children in households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible for free or reduced price meals. To apply for free or reduced price meals, you must complete an application. These applications will be distributed on the first day of school and are also available in the main office. Completed, signed applications, are to be returned to the main office.

● Click here to visit the district’s Food Service and Menu website: Link

● Click here to visit MySchoolBucks website to set up/load money onto your child’s account: Link

Questions can be directed to Jennifer Kelly, Operations Manager, at 678-7548. Please be advised that the cafeteria will NOT be supervised before 7:30 a.m. and therefore children will not be permitted to enter prior to that time.

RECESS:

Students will have the opportunity to participate in daily recess with their classmates with our lunch monitors and Mrs. Galletta, our administrative assistant. During times of inclement weather, recess will take place in the classroom.

Should your child be involved in a recess incident, a behavior reflection form will be sent home with your child for parental signature. This form should be returned signed the next school day to the main office. The purpose of the form is for each child to have a conversation with their parent/guardian about being their best self.

You may also receive a phone call from staff to continue a positive partnership.

If you would like to be notified each time your child attends the school nurse during this time for any reason, please contact Mrs. Driggers directly.

Reporting Student Absences:

In the event your child is going to be absent from school, please call Mrs. Kelly Driggers, our nurse, on the day of the absence at 678-7566. All homework and classwork can be found within the classroom teacher’s Google Classroom pages.

Allergies:

For the safety of our students, all classrooms have been designated “NUT FREE”. It is imperative that nothing is brought into the classroom containing these ingredients for individual SNACKS OR LUNCH. No sharing of any foods is permitted. In order to ensure each child’s safety, please check your labels carefully before sending anything into the classroom. Please also note that anything that is not labeled correctly will not be permitted. Please do not send in any item that was processed in a facility with nuts. If you have any questions about certain foods your child eats, please contact Mrs. Driggers, our nurse.

Birthdays are a happy occasion and children like to celebrate but we will not be allowing any food to be shared at all. Our classroom teachers will find ways to make sure their students feel special on their birthdays. I promise!

Cell Phone Policy:

Students are only permitted to have cell phones in their possession during the school day if they are powered off and kept in their backpacks. Once dismissed and outside of the building, students may utilize their devices to contact their parents/guardians as needed.

In the event of an emergency, parents/guardians will be notified via School Messenger or the main office. If your child is sick, Mrs. Hughes, our school nurse, will reach out to you if your child needs to be picked up to go home. Furthermore, if you need to get a message to your child, you are welcome to call the main office. The message will be delivered to the student as soon as possible in a manner that will not disrupt the learning environment.

Back to School Night:

Our Elementary Back to School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 19th. You will receive a detailed letter highlighting the time for each grade level. Please mark your calendars.

Field Trips and Assemblies:

This year we will be collaborating with the PTA and the other elementary schools in the district to identify and bring back valuable field trips and assemblies for our students. As we schedule these events, we will share them with our families.

Back to School Social:

Our PTA is thrilled to host our Annual Back to School Social on Friday, September 13th 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. on our blacktop. It is a great opportunity to get together with old and new friends. There will be a DJ, snacks, and crafts. We are looking forward to a wonderful evening! Information can be found HERE

School #3 Faculty Members

Grade/Teacher	Location
1-Combs	A2
1-Kiel (Tricarico)	A3
1- Welner	A13
2-Finkelstein	A12
2-Rafter	A14
2-Rossberg	A9
3-Bargiel	18
3-Pekor	13
3-Reilly	12
3-Sharpe	17
4-Sellitto	15
4-Weinstein	14
4-Stark	10
5-Olson (Math)	5
5-Stubbs (ELA)	2
5-Oliviero (Sci/SS)	3
6-Appel (Team A ELA/SS)	A11
6-Pumo (Team A Math/Sci)	A10
6-Palermo (Team B Math/Sci)	A7
6-Ryan (Team B ELA/SS)	A8
Mrs. Cibirka	Teaching and Learning Coach
Mr. Bonin, Tom Maloney	PE
Mrs. Milkins, Mrs. Sullivan	Art
Ms. Walker, TBD	Music
Mrs. Greenfield	Project Extra/Makerspace
Ms. Mayo	Health & Wellness
Ms. Monks	ENL
Mrs. Munro, Mrs. Bresnak, Mrs. Walsh, Ms. McCormick, Mrs. Klotz	AIS Teachers
Senor Maroudas	FLES
Mrs. Panebianco (on leave until end of November)Ms. Adams- interim psychologist Mrs. Randazzo (on leave until end of November) Ms. Insinna- interim social worker	Social Emotional Staff
Mrs. Healey, Mrs. DiNolfo, Mrs. Morris	Service Providers
Mrs. LaVigna	Library Media Specialist
Mr. Campanelli, Ms. Tropeano, Ms. Walker	Band/Orchestra/Chorus
Mrs. Driggers	Nurse
Mrs. McCarthy & Mrs. Caputo	Main Office Staff
Ms. Lari	Instructional Assistant (Tech Support)
Mrs. Galletta	Administrative Assistant

Important Contact Information:

When emailing staff, please allow time for an appropriate response and discuss concerns with your child’s teachers first. For friendship/conflict concerns, please reach out directly to our social worker, Mrs. Randazzo, after speaking with the classroom teacher.

Ms. Beth Castiello, Principal

● bcastiello@oceansideschools.org

● 516-678-7564

Mrs. Galletta, Administrative Assistant

● cgalletta@oceansideschools.org

● 516-678-7564

Main Office, Mrs. McCarthy/Mrs. Caputo, Clerical

● 516-678-7564

Mrs. Driggers, School Nurse

● kdriggers@oceansideschools.org

● 516-678-7565

Mrs. Randazzo, Social Worker