West Islip Students Go ‘Under the Sea’ In Summer Program

WEST ISLIP, NY —West Islip Union Free School District wrapped up its second week of the elementary summer investigations program on July 12. The program, which is for students entering grades one through five, takes place at Paul J. Bellew Elementary School.

The theme for week two was “Under the Sea,” featuring lessons in all subject areas that centered on marine life. They researched different ocean animals using PebbleGo on their Chromebooks. During their math lessons, students “fished for facts,” and played bingo.

In the STEM lab, students learned about coral reefs and how they could do their part to keep the oceans clean. Using a repurposed plastic cup and markers, students created a sun catcher. Showing off their art skills, they also made pufferfish using a plastic fork. They designed one-of-a-kind paper plate fish tanks with representatives from the West Islip Public Library.

The first week was themed, “America the Beautiful,” to celebrate the country. Students researched famous American symbols and landmarks during their visits to the library with library media specialist Ms. Blaise.

In the STEM lab, students learned about space and astronauts. Using their engineering skills, students built their own rockets and launched them to see how far they could fly.

Representatives from West Islip Public Library visited the school to share a patriotic book about the Fourth of July. Students learned about some of the American traditions shared on July 4 across the nation and crafted a tissue paper American flag.