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11/05/2026

A Love of Books Brews for McKenna First Graders

There were great stories to read tasty drinks to sip as students in Nicole Romeo’s first grade class at McKenna Elementary School recently enjoyed Starbooks Day.

A play on the well-known coffee shop, Ms. Romeo transformed her classroom into a café for the reading-focused celebration. Students reviewed their Geode decodable books with buddies, which merge content knowledge with literacy development. They read engaging fables while building English language arts skills such as capitalization, punctation, sentence structure and story sequencing.

At their tables, students rolled dice featuring prompts about various story elements and engaged in lively discussions about characters, emotions, settings and other aspects of the fables they had just read.

As a reward for their hard work, children got to visit the barista table. Ms. Romeo prepared beverages – chocolate milk and strawberry lemonade - named for popular Starbucks drinks.

11/04/2026

Berner Leaders Tackle Adventure Through Teamwork

Student leaders from Berner Middle School in the Massapequa School District were soaring to new heights as they visited The Adventure Park at Long Island on Oct. 28. The experience, which included climbing and ziplining courses, was about fostering kindness, compassion and respect, and bringing those values back to school.

The experience built upon last year's Rachel's Challenge program. After grade-level assemblies, student leaders took part in a workshop to develop initiatives at Berner that foster kindness, compassion and inclusion.

About 115 students from the Builders Club, Chiefs Challenge, Environmental Club, student government and yearbook attended, along with a dozen chaperones. Teresa Ferreira, adviser of the student council, said the goal was for participants to develop leadership skills through team-building and collaboration. She explained that they had different experience levels with the activities and their mission was to help and encourage each other as they went through the course.

Earlier in the week, students took part in leadership sessions in the library to prepare them for the trip. They each received a blue and gold “Berner Leaders, Making a Difference, Kindness, Compassion, Respect” T-shirt to wear at the adventure park. It also helped them to understand the purpose of their trip.

“This trip is about much more than just going and having fun,” Ms. Ferreira said. “It’s helping them understand their responsibilities as leaders. We want them to bring these leadership skills and values back to Berner and model what we need to be doing in the classroom, in the hallway, in the cafeteria.”

11/03/2026

We are pleased to share that the Massapequa School District will again be the host for the Special Olympics New York Long Island Region Spring Games! The competition will be held at Berner Middle School on Saturday, May 8, 2027. We hope to see you at this incredibly special event!

11/03/2026

Special Olympics New York Spring Games Returning to Massapequa on May 8, 2027

The Massapequa School District will once again welcome the Special Olympics New York Long Island Region Spring Games, one of the region’s premier celebrations of athletic achievement and inclusion. The event, which draws thousands of athletes, coaches, volunteers and spectators from across Long Island, will take place on Saturday, May 8, 2027.

As host of the regional competition, the district will serve as the centerpiece of a day dedicated to sportsmanship, perseverance and community spirit. Opening ceremonies, track and field events, powerlifting competitions and an Olympic Village will be held at Berner Middle School.

“Following last year’s successful Special Olympics New York Long Island Region Spring Games, we are thrilled to welcome the competition back to Massapequa for 2027,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Brennan said. “This event is truly inspiring, from the determination of the athletes to the meaningful contributions of our student and community volunteers. It is an honor for Massapequa to again host this remarkable showcase of inclusion, unity and heart.”

Massapequa will also continue its partnership with the Town of Oyster Bay and Farmingdale School District to provide facilities for two additional events. Tennis competitions will take place at Town of Oyster Bay courts, while swimming events will be hosted by the Farmingdale School District.

“The Special Olympics provide a wonderful opportunity to showcase the hard work, dedication, talents and tremendous athletic achievements of these special athletes while also paving the way to eliminate social barriers and stereotypes differently-abled individuals face,” said Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino. “The Town of Oyster Bay is very proud to be a partner with Special Olympics New York and thanks the Massapequa School District for their assistance in making this important event a reality.”

Additional information about sponsorship opportunities, volunteer registration and ways to support the games will be available in the coming months.

“We are so excited to continue our partnership with the Massapequa School District for our 2027 Spring Games this coming May,” said Stacey Hengsterman, president and CEO of Special Olympics New York. “We are looking forward to another amazing day filled with competition, inclusion, and support of our Special Olympics New York athletes.”

11/03/2026

Culinary Students Earn Food Handler Certification

Nearly 200 students in culinary arts courses at Massapequa High School recently earned food handler certifications. The national accreditation from the Always Food Safe Company makes students more marketable for jobs in the food service industry.

Students in College Art of Baking, College Food and Nutrition and Cooking for Today completed the industry certification. Participants completed a one-week online program, that included readings and instructional videos before demonstrating their understanding by answering questions. They received certificates of completion.

Teachers Courtney Puricelli and Christina Sabbiondo said that the food handler certification has been an option for students for the past three years, but this was their first time having all culinary arts students take part in it. The requirements of the certification align with the food safety and preparation skills they are already learning in their Family and Consumer Sciences classes.

11/02/2026

Reading Under the Lights, Homecoming, the Voices of 9/11 assembly at Ames, breast cancer awareness fundraisers, Halloween fun and Board of Education recognition were among many of the meaningful and special moments throughout the district in October! We invite you to take a few minutes to watch our latest monthly news recap and enjoy a glimpse of all the wonderful things happening across Massapequa!

Massapequa Moment - October 2026
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zT8ERcjZpnpCuwr-E4fxTqJUoRbWcf_u/view

Massapequa Minute - October 2026
youtube.com/shorts/BMHUW1lude8?feature=share

11/02/2026

Congratulations to Massapequa High School varsity football coach Kevin Shippos on being named the New York Jets High School Coach of the Week! Coach Shippos has guided the Chiefs since 2011 and led them to an undefeated season and another playoff berth for the 2026 season.

11/02/2026

Two Educators Step Into New Leadership Posts at Berner

A pair of experienced educators are taking on new administrative roles at Berner Middle School in the Massapequa School District. Kristen Meoli was appointed as supervisor for special education and Michael Lisa is the new dean of students.

Ms. Meoli is in her 12th year in the district, beginning as a speech language pathologist assigned to multiple schools. She moved to Berner full time in 2017 and served as co-adviser of student council. In 2022, she was appointed dean of students. Ms. Meoli holds a bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology from LIU Post, a master’s degree from Adelphi University and her administrative certification from Stony Brook University.

In her new role, she will oversee special education programs and related support staff for grades 6-8. Her goal is to ensure that all students have accessible learning opportunities in their classrooms and throughout the Berner community.

“I am excited to get back to my roots and my passion of supporting special education students, along with their families,” Ms. Meoli said. “I look to connect my goals to the district’s vision and mission of empowering learners and creating leaders.”

Mr. Lisa steps into Ms. Meoli’s former role of dean of students. He has worked in the district for 29 years including as a social studies teacher at Berner Middle School and Massapequa High School, and, most recently, as the part-time attendance officer at the high school. Additionally, he spent 17 years as the girls varsity track and field coach. Mr. Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in social studies education from SUNY Albany, a master’s degree in educational technology from New York Institute of Technology and his administrative certification form Touro College.

In his role, Mr. Lisa aims to guide students to ensure they are making good choices and fostering their success in middle school, high school and beyond. Building strong relationships with staff and parents, he added, is essential to promoting a culture of responsibility and leadership.

“I look forward to collaborating with the Berner Middle School administrative team,” he said, “to create a safe, supportive and accountable school environment where students are encouraged to make good choices, demonstrate respect and achieve success.”

11/01/2026

Happy November! Here's a look at the month ahead in the Massapequa School District:
Nov. 3 - Schools Closed for Election Day
Nov. 9 - "Blueprint for Your Future" Special Education Resource Fair
Nov. 11 - Schools Closed for Veterans Day
Nov. 12 - Board of Education Meeting
Nov. 20-21 - Berner Middle School musical production
Nov. 25-27 - Thanksgiving Recess

10/31/2026

This week we hit 10,000 followers on Instagram! Thank you students, staff, parents, alumni and community members for your support of Massapequa schools and your interest in learning about The Massapequa Experience through our social media platforms. Bill Brennan

Address

4925 Merrick Road
Massapequa, NY
11758

Telephone

+15163085000

Website

http://www.msd.k12.ny.us/

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