It's back to school for East Rockaway, Lynbrook students

Kayla and Amanda were excited to be going to Rhame Avenue School in E. Rockaway.

Courtesy Laura Guggino/East Rockaway Schools

Our Lady of Peace students ready for their first day.

Miss Dooley with her first-grade class at Centre Avenue Elementary School in East Rockaway.

Courtesy Claire Maini/East Rockaway Schools

Ciara O’Connell and Isabella DiGregorio are all set for their first day of second grade at Our Lady of Peace School in Lynbrook.

Courtesy Rosemary Leonetti/Syntax

Jack Haberman was happy to have his mother, Tricia, beside him as he rides the bus to his first day of school at the Lynbrook Kindergarten Center.

Courtesy Rosemary Leonetti/Syntax

As classes got underway in Lynbrook Public Schools, Marion Street second-graders practice counting with their teacher Anne Conway.

Courtesy Rosemary Leonetti/Syntax

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With the sound of torrential rain pouring outside, East Rockaway and Lynbrook schools opened their doors to hundreds of smiling, bright-eyed students on Sept. 6 and 7.

Children sported their new backpacks, lunchboxes, clothes, and footwear on opening day. The halls were buzzing with lively voices and laughter, said several administrators. “Opening day is always exciting,” said East Rockaway Schools Superintendent Dr. Roseanne Melucci. “It’s a new beginning, a fresh start, and new opportunities for learning.” Melucci had visited and met with students, sharing in their enthusiasm for the new school year and building a culture of learning, she said.

Over at Rhame Avenue School, children read stories, played learning games on the SMART Board, and began working with letters and numbers in teacher Karen Callaghan’s Kindergarten classroom on their first day of school on Sept. 6. She was ready to teach her students how to read and work on the SMART Board. “I am looking forward to encouraging them to become independent learners and thinkers who question the world around them,” she said.

Centre Avenue Principal Tim Silk said the school had a very “smooth” opening, and students were excited to start the new academic year. He was looking forward to preparing for the state tests that would be administered to students in grades 3-6 later this school year.

In Lynbrook, opening day was also exciting for parents, administrators, and students on Sept. 7. Barbara Moore, principal at Marion Street School, offered a first day perspective: “Our first day was wonderful,” she said. “Children came back very excited and ready to learn…there were no gloomy spirits.” In fact, the children came in with new clothes, haircuts, and some were even a little taller, she said. “I want to help the children feel self-confident,” she said, “and build on the feeling of community.”

And the rain could not dampen the high spirits at Our Lady of Peace School in Lynbrook on Sept. 7. The school’s nursery and pre-k programs later began on Sept. 12. Administrators said that OLP was not just a school, but a family.