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Charles Campagne Elementary School

601 Plainview Road
Bethpage, NY 11714

PRINCIPAL: Mrs. Erin Lindsay-DiFiglia

(elindsay-difiglia@bethpage.ws)

Main Office:
516-644-4400 (Phone)
516-827-5486 (Fax)

In the News

Long Island Recorder Festival

On Saturday, March 16, 2019, select students in Grades 3-5 from Central Boulevard Elementary School, Charles Campagne Elementary School, and Kramer Lane Elementary School performed at the SCMEA Long Island Recorder Festival. Led by Mr. Wibben and Mr. O'Connor, our students joined over 150 students from schools across Long Island in a fun-filled day of recorder, culminating in a concert that afternoon for their parents and the Long Island community.

Students in a Tizzy for Author Visit

The three elementary schools in the District were treated with a special visit from author Sarah Weeks from March 13-15.

Ms. Weeks visited one school per day and spoke to students about the writing process, the fun of writing and her collection of books. She also previewed her upcoming book, “Lizzy McTizzy and the Busy Dizzy Day,” to be released on Apr. 2. Additionally, she discussed the differences between an author and an illustrator, her inspirations for writing and her growth into a writer.

Ms. Week has written 59 books to this point in her career and is currently developing the next one. Her book “So B. It” won the 2006 Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award as well as the 2007 Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Book Award and the William Allen White Children’s Book Award.

The district thanks Ms. Weeks for visiting Bethpage as the entire community looks forward to her next release!

Heroes Collecting Pennies for Patients

Students at Charles Campagne Elementary School kicked off their Pennies for Patients campaign, held in association with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, with a special assembly on February 28, 2019.

LLS campaign manager, Kerianne Stein spoke to students about the campaign and how they can be “superheroes” by fundraising for the charity and its patients. She inspired the students by saying how their efforts, no matter how small, can be impactful.

Pennies for Patients is a science-based, service learning program that allows schools to work together as a class, grade, and building to reach goals of fundraising. LLS connects schools with local blood cancer patients in addition to providing tangible life skills to participants and allowing students to see the impact they’re making in the lives of others.

Charles Campagne looks forward to seeing the results of this program as students and staff members dedicate themselves to making a difference!

Shooting Star

Student Hannah Diamond of Charles Campagne Elementary School represented the district during the recent Elks National Hoop Shoot. The contest is a free throw program for children between the age of 8-13.

Sponsored by the Hicksville Elks Club, Hannah participated in three rounds that resulted in her claiming second place at the regional final on Feb. 9 at West Haverstraw City Hall. The first round was held on Jan. 12 at the district’s John F. Kennedy Middle School and was followed by the division finals at Valley Stream High School on Jan. 26.

“Congratulations to Hannah on her success and for representing Bethpage with pride,” said physical education teacher Betty Bohringer.

Heroes Against Bullying

Students from John F. Kennedy Middle School visited classrooms at Charles Campagne Elementary School on Feb. 27 to give an anti-bullying presentation.

The JFK students split into groups to visit third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms to spotlight anti-bullying. The presentations concentrated on defining bullying, which was followed by discussions about examples of superheroes. The latter component was used to show how students can stand up to bullies in positive and impactful ways and help prevent negative behaviors.

The superhero analogy was also used to show how students can use “super powers” for the good of standing up to a bully. Younger students engaged in an exercise in which they identified super powers that they would use to help stop or prevent bullying. The lesson concluded with students illustrating what they would look like as a superhero standing up to bullying.

The district thanks the JFK students for taking the time to present a very important message on anti-bullying to our younger students.

Heartful Jumping

In honor of American Heart Month, Charles Campagne Elementary School participated in the American Heart Association’s annual Jump Rope for Heart Fundraiser on Feb. 15.

According to the Association’s website, Jump Rope for Heart assists in the battle of against heart disease and stroke by promoting physical activity, heart-healthy living and community service.

Organized by physical education teacher Betty Bohringer, students exercised during their recess time by participating in various jump rope stations while enjoying popular music. Other activities such as basketball and hula-hooping were also available for students waiting to jump.

The district congratulates Charles Campagne for raising $1,005 for the American Heart Association!

Parading Around With 100th Day Excitement

With Charles Campagne Elementary School celebrating 100 days of school on Feb. 13, kindergarten students paraded through the hallways and classrooms with projects based on the theme.

Leading up to the 100th day of school, kindergarten classrooms created “100 something” projects that included pennies, Skittles, logos, stickers, cotton balls and many other imaginative ideas. The four kindergarten classes brought their projects around the building and into all of the classrooms to help boost excitement for 100 days of school.

In addition to the kindergarten projects, students throughout first- and second-grade classrooms dressed in clothes they would wear if they were 100 years old as a symbol of being 100 days smarter. Classes also focused on lessons they have learned at this point in the school year to demonstrate their growth while also incorporating the number 100 into activities.

Celebrating the Pig

Kindergarten students at Charles Campagne Elementary School were treated to a special assembly on Jan.23, thanks to a parent volunteer that shared details about the upcoming Chinese New Year.

The Chinese New Year officially begins on Feb. 5 to symbolize the change to the Year of the Pig, one of the 12 zodiac animals celebrated in the Chinese culture.

District parent Anna Chan along with her daughters, kindergarten student Lauren and second-grader Alanna, led the kindergarten classes in lessons and activities surrounding the celebration. Mrs. Chan showcased various decorations and common attire worn during the traditional ceremonies and activities.

Following a discussion about the different ways to celebrate, Mrs. Chan and her daughters taught the students how to create a paper fish with a red envelope. The color red symbolizes good luck and the evenlopes are presented at social and family gatherings.

The assembly concluded with the explanation of the 12 zodiac animals and the order in which they are celebrated.

Principal Erin Lindsay-DiFiglia thanks Mrs. Chan and her daughters for educating the kindergarten students on the culture of the Chinese New Year!

Special Night at December Board Meeting

The Dec. 18 Board of Education meeting featured a pair of special presentations.

The Bethpage Education Foundation presented a donation of $10,000 to the Board that will be used towards STEM projects and equipment in the district. The Educational Foundation is an organization that seeks to provide meaningful assistance to the educational program in the district.

“The support from the Educational Foundation is unmatched,” said Superintendent of Schools David Schneider. “This donation will help to further the growing STEM program in our district for our students and teachers.”

Author and Charles Campagne Elementary School fourth-grader Sophia Marullo also sat in front of the Board to speak about her recently published book “Sophia N.R. Marullo and the Crazy Days.” Sophia started writing the book when she was seven years old and was published when she was eight years old and in third grade at Charles Campagne.

The book is written and illustrated to describe the zany adventures of Sophia’s imagination! Inspired by the Junie B. Jones series, Sophia chronicles her crazy days at home and school.
Sophia was generous enough to sign a book for each Board member that was distributed by Schneider at the end of her presentation.

“We look forward to reading Sophia’s first book and look forward to her next adventures,” said Schneider.

Constructing Holiday Homes

First-grade students at Bethpage Union Free School District’s Charles Campagne Elementary School welcomed special guests on Dec. 14 during a gingerbread house-making activity.

Each student had the opportunity to invite an adult in their life to join them for the seasonal gathering. The pairs were given their own gingerbread house kit along with glue, scissors and decorations. Superintendent of Schools David Schneider, Director of Technology Andrew Choi and Principal Erin Lindsay-DiFiglia were all on hand to see the holiday-themed creations and welcome the visitors to Charles Campagne.

The district thanks the adults for taking the time out of their schedules to participate in this holiday activity, which also served as a lesson in architecture and engineering for the students!

A Teamwork Lesson from Sparky

The New York Islanders’ mascot Sparky was on hand to give a lesson in teamwork at Charles Campagne Elementary School during an Islanders’ sponsored school assembly program On Dec. 5.

Coding with the Grinch

Third- through fifth-grade students across the Bethpage Union Free District’s elementary schools displayed their computer science skills during the Hour of Code on Dec. 4.

The lesson was introduced through a live broadcast from the Bethpage High School television studio by Superintendent of Schools David Schneider, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Michael Spence and Director of Technology Andrew Choi. The three administrators explained the purpose of the Hour of Code and described what the students would be doing on their school-issued Google Chromebooks.

Students logged on to Code.org to complete missions with the Grinch. Each student programed the Grinch and his dog Max through coding on the site to collect gifts, throw snowballs and operate a sleigh.

Hour of Code is a global movement presented by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org, according to its website. The program reaches millions of students in more than 180 countries through a one-hour introduction to computer science and computer programming.

Through the district’s Hour of Code, students were able to ask questions to Mr. Schneider, Mr. Spence and Mr. Choi via Google Classroom. Prior to Dec. 4, students completed lead-in activities surrounding computer science topics and skills.

“We hope the students enjoyed the Hour of Code and were as excited to collaborate as a district as the administrators were,” said Mr. Schneider. “Helping the Grinch was educational while combining the fun of the holidays!”

Archive of Hour of Code Broadcast on December 4, 2018

Tradition of Read to Achieve Continues at Bethpage

Third-grade students from all three elementary schools in the Bethpage Union Free District gathered in the gymnasium at Bethpage High School on Nov. 20 for the annual Read to Achieve program. The annual program is geared towards stressing the importance of reading and sparking the interest of young students with fun activities.

Superintendent of Schools David Schneider opened the event by thanking all who helped coordinate this year’s assembly, including the senior leaders, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Michael Spence, fellow administrators and Plainview-Bethpage Lions Club President George Hannau. Schneider followed by walking around to see the unique and creative books the third-graders brought with them.

Senior leaders split up and guided eight to ten third-graders throughout the gym floor, and each group held interactive dialogues regarding the books brought in. As discussions started to conclude, each student wrote the title of their book, the name of their favorite character and that character’s special traits on paper. The pages were glued to their respective group’s poster boards, which were then hung together on the gymnasium wall to show the variety of characters that interest students.

To conclude the event, the senior leaders introduced themselves as well as illustrations of their favorite pieces of literature. Each attendee received a gift bags containing a dictionary/almanac for their participation, compliments of the Lions Club.

The district thanks all of those that put together this enriching event every year, particularly the Lions Club and President Hannau, for supporting reading and showing why it is important on the road to success.

Proactive Superintendent’s Day

The District gathered on Nov. 6 for it’s fall Superintendent’s Conference Day, during which the various staff departments participated in presentations, workshops and activities to continue proactive learning and development as educators.

Staff members from the high school and JFK middle school along with Superintendent of School David Schneider attended morning sessions that focused on dynamic issues, led by Lauren Marra and Romila “Dr. Romie” Mushtaq, MD. Marra, a behaviorist who specializes on the topic of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, presented on proactive discipline approaches with students. Dr. Romie is a renowned neurologist that stressed the importance and techniques of mindfulness in education for both students and faculty.

The afternoon was a time of collaboration as departments at both secondary schools traveled to the Island Trees School District and met with educators in their corresponding building and subject areas. They had opportunities to share ideas and broaden their instructional practices.

At the elementary level, faculty members from Kramer Lane, Charles Campagne and Central Boulevard broke into grade-specific groups to gain training in STEM and other pertinent topics. Led by district administrators and teachers, the STEM workshop demonstrated assorted grade-specific lessons and activities. The journeys session covered content requested by teachers and also provided time for them to discuss and navigate digital tools.

Other aspects of the day included CPR training for nurses and building monitors and the Hofstra Mental Health Conference, which was attended by guidance counselors and social workers.

The district thanks Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Michael Spence and all that helped to coordinate and facilitate an educational day for district educators.

Field Day 2018

Despite the weather, we had an exciting day at Charles Campagne Elementary School! All grades participated in Field Day related activities followed by a trivia game show after lunch!

Photo Gallery (courtesy of Ms. Blake and Ms. Higgins)

Argonauts Visit Long Island Aquarium

Students in the Argonauts program from Central Boulevard Elementary School, Charles Campagne Elementary School, and Kramer Lane Elementary School visited the Long Island Aquarium. During their visit, they saw the Butterfly Exhibit, watched a Sea Lion Show, and explored an Estuary. Special thanks to Science Enrichment Teacher, Mrs. Marcis for organizing this educational and fun trip!

Fun in the Sun

Kindergarten students at Charles Campagne Elementary School learned how to fish, crab, camp, and kayak as well as about life jacket safety and fire safety during their Physical Education classes on Thursday, May 17, 2018. Special thanks to Physical Education teachers, Mr. Posch and Mrs. Bohringer for facilitating this fun and interactive lesson!

Mystery Place Group Finds Hidden Locations

Several Grade 5 students at Charles Campagne Elementary School participated in a Mystery Place Contest through the Journey North website. A few students were selected from each Grade 5 class to work with Librarian, Ms. Ivers, on this project. These students made up the Mystery Place team.

Since February, these students with the help of Ms. Ivers, have been recording sunrise and sunset times for the ten hidden places around the world. They also used a difficult formula to figure out the longitude of the places and mapped this information. Starting at the end of March, they began to receive clues about the history, government, and culture of these ten secret places. They used the Internet, encyclopedia, and atlases to solve the mysteries.

The group correctly guessed all ten of the mysteries! The students were gold medal winners! They worked very hard and should be proud of themselves for solving all of the Mystery Places! The places were located in: Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina; Montevideo, Uruguay; Neenah, Wisconsin; Toamasina, Madasgascar; Bonn, Germany; Port Lincoln, Australia; Kolkata, India; Toll Research Base in Antarctica; Tokyo, Japan; and Dili, East Timor. In the next few weeks, students will find out more about the people and culture of these places. The students' medal can be found at: LINK.

[Pictures Coming Soon!]

Pen Pals Unite and Participate in STEM Activities

Ms. Rochford's Grade 1 class has been collaborating with Mrs. Holkhamp's Kindergarten class from West Hempstead as Flipgrid pen pals! In the Fall, both Ms. Rochford and Mrs. Holkhamp decided to use Flipgrid as a way to open up classroom walls and connect students together virtually as pen pals. Both classes were working on a persuasive writing unit as a part of Writer's Workshop. The students have been able to connect through content but also build a relationship at the same time.

After the holiday break, students have been paired up and have written letters to each other. The classrooms conducted virtual introduction videos on Flipgrid so that the students could connect face-to-face. Both classes also taught an opinion Writer's Workshop mini-lesson on 'Which is better, an ice cream party or a pizza party?' to practice their opinion writing skills.

On Tuesday, April 10, 2018, both Ms. Rochford and Ms. Holkhamp's class met at Molloy College and united in person! The classes participated in a collaborative STEM activity, Lego WeDo 2.0, with the help of a Molloy College undergraduate class. Both classes had an absolute blast and are looking forward to more collaboration in the future!

Jumping To The Heartbeat

In honor of American Heart Month, students of Central Boulevard and Charles Campagne elementary schools participated in the American Heart Association’s annual Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser.

According to the AHA’s website, Jump Rope for Heart assists in the battle against heart disease and stroke by promoting physical activity, heart healthy living and community service.

Divided into groups during their gym classes, students exercised their heart muscles by jumping rope to popular pop music. They also hula-hooped, played basketball and learned about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, all while raising money for the community.

Collectively, the two schools raised more than $7,000 to assist in heart disease research.

Photo Gallery

Author Visit

On Wednesday, March 7, 2018, author and illustrator John Steven Gurney visited Charles Campagne Elementary School. Mr. Gurney is the author and illustrator of the picture book series, Dinosaur Train and the graphic novel, Fuzzy Baseball. In addition, Mr. Gurney is the illustrator for the Bailey School Kids series, A-Z Mysteries series, and the Calendar Mysteries. Students created projects during their Library Media Center time with Ms. Ivers and during Art with Ms. Hermann that were displayed throughout the school.

Reading Day at Charles Campagne

On Friday, March 2, 2018, the students and teachers at Charles Campagne celebrated Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Reading Day! School events, planned by Ms. Ivers, included Buddy Reading by the older students to the younger children as well as building-wide "Drop Everything and Read" time in the hallways. Students also participated in activities in their classrooms and the Library. Special thanks to Ms. Ivers as well as Ms. Hermann for decorating the building for this special day!

Seuss Centers!

Students at Charles Campagne Elementary School had the opportunity to work in Seuss Centers, which consisted of various STEM activities and photo props in the Library Media Center. Special thanks to Ms. Ivers to organizing the Seuss Centers and the activities!

Celebrating 100 Days of Learning in Bethpage

Kindergartners throughout the district commemorated their 100th day of learning by participating in a day full of activities on Feb. 13.

To prepare for the day, students created eclectic projects based on the theme of “100.” They fashioned plants using 100 lollipops, glued 100 items – including crayons, stickers and Band-Aids – to T-shirts, and made a large Hershey’s Kiss out of 100 of the bite-sized chocolate candies.

During the celebration, the young students engaged in lessons that incorporated math, literacy and creativity. They practiced counting by tens to craft a monster with 10 different body parts, made necklaces with 100 Froot Loops as beads and built a tower out of 100 plastic cups, among other activities. They also designed “100 Days Smarter” crowns and medals and used their sight words to write about what they have learned in their first 100 days of school.

Carrying the theme over to their wardrobe, the kindergartners paraded through the hallways sporting clothing and accessories that represented the milestone number and dressed as centenarians complete with canes, hair rollers and glasses.

Charles Campagne Celebrates the 100th Day of School

Students at staff members at Charles Campagne Elementary School celebrated their 100th Day of School -- in style!

Cracking the Code

Across the district, students in grades 3-5 practiced their computer science skills by participating in an Hour of Code on Dec. 6.

According to its website, Hour of Code is a global movement presented by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org that reaches millions of students in more than 180 countries through a one-hour introduction to computer science and computer programming.

David Schneider, the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Technology, and Andrew Choi, Director of Technology, broadcast live to each third-, fourth- and fifth-grade elementary classroom from the Bethpage High School television studio, where they explained the purpose of the Hour of Code and described the coding students would be doing.

Using their school-issued Chromebooks, students logged on to Code.org to complete missions in Minecraft, programming characters with coding blocks to move through mazes.

Charles Campagne Students Construct Cornhusk Dolls

Under the guidance of Nassau BOCES instructors, second-graders at Charles Campagne Elementary School learned about the history and craftsmanship of early American settlers during the Colonial Era by making their own cornhusk dolls.

Naturalists Bette Bass and Mary Watros explained how early settlers utilized resources from the land to survive, describing how they made clothing, fashioned pots and utensils, and built their homes.

Working in pairs, the students created cornhusk dolls, a common toy from the era. After tying string around layers of cornhusk to construct a head, body and limbs, they dressed the dolls in fabric, creating ponchos, shirts and dresses.

Photo Gallery

Star Wars MakerSpace

Students in Grades K-5 and ABA got to participate in a Star Wars themed MakerSpace during their Art and Library classes. All of the students used their "force" to make various creations! Special thanks to Ms. Ivers and Mrs. Hermann for planning this themed event!

21st Century: Origami Basics

On December 4, 2017 and December 6, 2017, students in Grades 4 & 5 from across the district's elementary schools participated in an Origami Basics activity after school under the direction of Mr. Zabell, our district's very own "Origami Swami". Students learned about different types of folding techniques and created models such as a cup, pinwheel, paper balloon, and crane! Students enjoyed their time creating the various models while learning a bit about the history and fine art of Origami.

Parent's Night Out

On Friday, December 1, 2017, Bethpage Schools hosted our first ever "Parent's Night Out". Parents were welcome to drop off their elementary school children to Bethpage High School for an evening of fun activities, board games, karaoke, movies, sports, and of course, pizza! All funds raised will support the Bethpage High School Girl's Softball team. The event could not have run without the organization of Ms. Tierney, several other colleagues, and members of the Girl's Softball team.

Read to Achieve

On Monday, November 20, 2017, Bethpage Schools held its annual Read to Achieve program where all of the Grade 3 students in the school district visit Bethpage High School to listen to our scholar-athlete captains talk about the importance of sportsmanship, doing well in school, and READING! After a demonstration by the Kickline and Cheerleaders and a visit by our Golden Eagle himself, the Grade 3 students got to shoot hoops with the captains! It was a spectacular day! Thanks to everyone involved!

STEAM-ed Thanksgiving Pattern Blocks

During Library with Ms. Ivers, Charles Campagne Elementary School students in Grades K & 1 used pattern blocks to create different symbols for Thanksgiving. In student pairs, the students created turkeys, pilgrims, Native Americans, the Mayflower, and more! The students also worked on a challenging turkey symbol! Happy Thanksgiving!

STEAM-ed Turkeys

During Library with Ms. Ivers, students at Charles Campagne Elementary School worked together in groups to design turkeys using pattern blocks. As a group, they developed a plan, discussed options, and designed their turkey. The students enjoyed this fun activity!

21st Century: Mathematics and Music

In the second week of the Math Fun 1 with Crazy 8's, students used math to talk about and create music. Ms. Lukasik and Ms. Ivers helped participants to learn about pitch and decibels. Students used colored straws to create sounds and then measured and cut the straws to make their own instruments. We also used a decibel app to record sound and watch the sound decibels go up as the students got progressively louder!

Buddy Reading for Book Character Dress-Up Day

Students at Charles Campagne Elementary School celebrated Halloween with Book Character Dress-Up Day which was planned by Ms. Ivers, Librarian. As a part of this day, students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 buddy read to the students in Grades K, 1, and 2 and the ABA programs.

21st Century: Glow Geometry

Students in Grades 4 and 5 at Charles Campagne Elementary School participated in Glow-in-the-Dark Glow Geometry as a part of the 21st Century Crazy 8's Fun with Math 1 activity. This was the first week of a three-week mathematics program taught by Ms. Ivers and Ms. Lukasik. Students created individual shapes as well as shapes as a team. The activity got 'glowing' reviews! Stay tuned for additional 21st Century Crazy 8's Fun activities in the future!

Student Architects

Students in Grades 4 and 5 read Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty in the Library. Under the guidance of Ms. Ivers, the students showed off their architectural skills to create ways for Iggy and his classmates to get off the island.

Symbolic Butterflies Fly to Mexico

The Grade 3 students at Charles Campagne Elementary School are observing the migration of butterflies going south. With the help of Ms. Ivers, the librarian, the children are following the fall migration of monarch butterflies to Mexico. The students are using the Journey North website to learn about butterfly migration. As part of this project, students have participated in a "symbolic" migration of paper butterflies. During Art, Mrs. Hermann worked with the Grade 3 students to create symmetrical paper butterflies. In early October, the paper butterflies began their migration to Mexico. They were mailed to Journey North. From there, they will be sent to the children in Mexico who live near to where the real butterflies migrate. In the Spring, new paper butterflies will "migrate" to us.

Fire Safety

On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, Lt. Tierney and Lt. McGoldrick paid a visit to Charles Campagne Elementary School to give a presentation on fire safety to Ms. Tierney and Ms. Gonyon's class and Mrs. Vollmuth's class from Bethpage High School. Lt. McGoldrick spoke to the students about the importance of fire safety and Lt. Tierney put the uniform on and showed the students how the equipment works. Students had the opportunity to look through the Thermal Imaging Camera, use the radio, and spray the fire extinguisher. The lieutenants brought the students their own hats, bracelets, and FDNY activity books. Special thanks to Lt. Tierney and Lt. McGoldrick for visiting Bethpage for the third year in a row and sharing their knowledge on fire safety!

21st Century MakerFaire New York

On Saturday, September 23, 2017, students from Grade 5 across the district's elementary schools and John F. Kennedy Middle School accompanied Mr. Zabell and Mr. Choi to the 8th Annual MakerFaire New York held at the New York Hall of Science. A MakerFaire is "an all ages gathering of technology enthusiasts, artists, authors, crafters, do-it-yourselfers, educators, engineers, exhibitors, hobbyists, science clubs, students, and tinkerers." At the MakerFaire, the students got to see various exhibits, ask questions to the exhibitors, and engage in hands-on activities. We hope that the students left with seeing firsthand the many innovative creations that were at one point an idea and see how it has developed and they too, can be "makers"!

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