4 Photos
Sag Harbor Elementary School fourth grade students Evelyn Rizzo and Teagan Mott, in Jeff Reed’s class sport their wigs and continental hats as part of their mock trial against Peter Stuyvesant. COURTESY SAG HARBOR SCHOOL DISTRICT
Springs School's Lightning Bots won the "Rising All-Stars" award at the FIRST Lego League Long Island Championship event on March 5 at Hicksville High School. It earns the robotics team an invitation to the next level of competition, where it will go up against other teams from around the nation. The Rising All-Stars award celebrates a team that the judges notice and expect great things from in the future. COURTESY LAURA FOTI
Springs School's Lightning Bots won the "Rising All-Stars" award at the FIRST Lego League Long Island Championship event on March 5 at Hicksville High School. It earns the robotics team an invitation to the next level of competition, where it will go up against other teams from around the nation. The Rising All-Stars award celebrates a team that the judges notice and expect great things from in the future. COURTESY LAURA FOTI
Ginta Genender, the children's librarian at John Jermain Memorial Library, recently visited the pre-K classroom of Mindy Reyer at Sag Harbor Elementary School. Genender read Bethanie Deeney Murguia’s book “We Disagree,” a picture book about acceptance and friendship. While reading the book, Genender took time to have the students share their own likes and dislikes and decide whether any of their classmates agreed or not. In turn, students had the opportunity to learn more about their classmates. COURTESY SAG HARBOR SCHOOL DISTRICT
In Jeff Reed’s fourth grade class at Sag Harbor Elementary School, students traveled back in time to the early 1600s through the demonstration of a mock trial. The classroom was transformed into a courtroom with defined spaces for councilmen, jurors and a judge. Most students dressed in white wigs while others wore suits and continental hats as they read their scripts to authentically portray the trial.
Peter Stuyvesant was the defendant at hand charged with dereliction of duty and endangering the lives of colonists, among other things. Stuyvesant, known as the director general of New Amsterdam, is most praised for his work making New Amsterdam more orderly and economically successful. While on trial, however, Stuyvesant was questioned on his acts of slavery, betrayal and stealing.
During the final closing statements where the good from his time in office was highlighted, such as allowing freedom of religion, paving roads, cleaning New Amsterdam and starting the first fire department in his community, the jury came to a unanimous decision that despite this, Stuyvesant was found guilty on all charges.
“The purpose of this trial was to understand and experience civics and participatory democracy,” said Reed. “The students researched and wrote the entire trial and governed the entire process through authentic role play.”
With words like hearsay and objection commonly used, the students experienced a full, mock trial against the historic Dutch leader who started the work of governing what is known today as New York City.
The school is currently accepting applications for prekindergarten, kindergarten and through grade three for both in and out of district families for the 2023-24 school year. For more information or to schedule a school building tour, contact 631-537-0651 or email Jeanette Krempler, clerk@sagaponackschool.com.
Students in kindergarten and first grade continue to work with digraphs and reading stories from the unit reader. They are also working on their Budding Author stories, which will be on display at the Hampton Library next month.
Second grade students will begin a fiction-based unit reader called “The Job Hunt.” They are also working on their Budding Author stories. Recently they finished a unit on weather and developed a weather forecast that they performed for their classmates. In social studies, they will begin learning about Greek mythology.
Parent/teacher conferences will be held on Friday, March 24.
Staff Writer on Mar 20, 2023