Syosset Advance (3/1/24)

Nassau County Legislature

Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) joined forces with District 16 students of all ages to help hundreds of local seniors celebrate Valentines Day.

The second annual “From Your Heart to Our Seniors” project sought to harness the artistic and creative talents of local youngsters – and they came through in a big way. Deputy Minority Leader

Drucker’s office received hundreds of cards from the Plainview and Syosset elementary schools, which were later given out during Valentines Day breakfasts at The Residences at Plainview and Orchard Estate of Woodbury.

“Love was certainly in the air this Valentines Day, and it’s all thanks to the small army of crafty Cupids from our local elementary that put so much care into their

creations,” Deputy Minority Leader Drucker said. “The thoughtfulness and kindness practically jumped off the page and into our seniors’ hearts, and it was truly a joy to help deliver these messages to our community. I’m already looking forward to making next year’s event even bigger and better!”

“From leading the charge to clean up the Grumman Navy Plume of dangerous chemicals seeping into drinking water to opening a new shellfish hatchery that improves water filtration, I’ve been a strong advocate for protecting our water quality,” Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said. “This grant represents a significant investment in the future of Oyster Bay Harbor – which was rated the best regional harbor in America – and sets a precedent for sustainable water management practices that can be replicated across the region. I thank Friends of the Bay, the Waterfront Center, and Oyster Bay Community Rowing for their continued support of our environmental initiatives.”

The project aims to address water quality issues in Oyster Bay Harbor by implementing comprehensive green infrastructure improvements at Beekman Beach and the Mill River Outfall. It includes the installation of nine floating wetlands, 1200 linear feet of wetland restoration, and oyster reefs to mitigate stormwater runoff from a multi-jurisdictional watershed covering approximately 1850 acres. Additionally, this project will advance plans at the 2-acre impervious Beach Parking Lot for porous pavers, street trees, and bioswales from community-created concept plans to a final design package.

Oyster Bay Harbor, known for its diverse marine life and ecological significance, has faced challenges due to stormwater runoff, leading to closures of shellfish harvesting and swimming areas. The project's focus on natural filtration systems, such as floating wetlands and oyster reefs, demonstrates a commitment to restoring and preserving the health of the harbor ecosystem.

For more information on the project, please visit oysterbaytown.com.

Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview), standing, with seniors at The Residences at Plainvew and Orchard Estate of Woodbury. Photo courtesy of the Office of Leg. Arnold W. Drucker

Two Bethpage seniors selected for exhibition

Tax grievance deadline extended to March 18

Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) reminds residents that the deadline for Nassau County property owners to grieve the assessed value of their home has been extended to Monday, March 18.

Anyone who has not yet filed a grievance can learn how to do so by visiting Deputy Minority Leader Drucker’s website at www.nassaucountyny.gov/LD16 and viewing an archived assessment grievance workshop online. Deputy Minority Leader Drucker’s office hosted their own online assessment grievance workshops in partnership with Nassau’s Assessment Review Commission on Jan. 25 and Feb. 22.

“In the wake of Newsday’s recent

report about the Blakeman administration freezing Nassau’s assessment rolls for the fourth consecutive year, it is more important than ever for homeowners to grieve their assessed value and protect themselves from the further degradation of the tax rolls,” Deputy Minority Leader Drucker said. “Grieving is simple and you can do it yourself - you do not have to pay a politically connected tax outside firm. If you have not already filed a challenge, visit my website today and learn, step by step, how to exercise your rights.”

For additional information, please contact Deputy Minority Leader Drucker at 516-571-6216 or adrucker@ nassaucountyny.gov.

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Seniors Caitlyn Filardi and Parisa Pitiranggon from Bethpage High School’s Advanced Placement Studio Art class recently had their artwork selected by the Art League of Long Island to be exhibited at the 17th annual “Go APE” Advanced Placement Student Exhibition. Filardi’s artwork, “Untitled” and Pitiranggon’s artwork, “To Be Feared Over Loved,” stood out to their art teacher Courtney Young and she nominated them for the exhibit.

“Go APE” celebrates the exceptional artwork of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or equivalent art students from high schools across Long Island. The exhibit will be held in the Art League of Long Island’s Strolling Gallery in Dix Hills and will be on display from Feb. 24 to March 9. Students will attend an Artists’ Reception and Awards Presentation on the final day.

Bethpage High School seniors Caitlyn Filardi (right) and Parisa Pitiranggon (left) will have their artwork displayed in the 17th annual “Go APE” Advanced Placement Student Exhibition from Feb. 24 to March 9.

Photo courtesy of the Bethpage Union Free School District

Scholarships available for high school seniors

New York State Senator Steve Rhoads announced that the New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators is accepting applications for four $3,000 scholarships, two academic and two athletic.

Scholarships are available to residents of the 5th Senate District who are current college students or high school seniors entering college. Students can access and complete the application by visiting: https://www.nyiacsl.org/ apply-for-scholarship-form.

The application deadline is Friday, March 15.

“This is an excellent scholarship opportunity for high school seniors and college students in the 5th Senate District who have worked hard, distinguished themselves from their peers and intend to pursue higher education,”

said Senator Rhoads. “With college costs continually rising, this is a chance to lessen the financial burden that is a concern for so many young people and their families. I encourage eligible students in my district to apply.”

Applicants should have a grade point average of 85 or higher; be active in community service and extracurricular activities and demonstrate financial need. In addition to these qualifications, students applying for an athletic scholarship must also be involved in an organized sport(s).

Applicants need not be of Italian American heritage to apply.

Scholarship recipients will be announced in April, and the winners will be honored at a ceremony in Albany.

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Elementary schools celebrate Year of the Dragon

First grade students at Old Country Road School in Hicksville recently celebrated this year’s Lunar New Year, Year of the Dragon, with a parade around the school. Students also enjoyed making hats, masks and lanterns to celebrate the occasion.

Photo courtesy of Hicksville Public Schools

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Bethpage elementary students display positive messages

Office door and windows decorated with "snowflakes" created by the students of Central Boulevard Elementary School. The snowflakes have words of encouragement written on them.

BY GARY SIMEONE

Students at Central Boulevard Elementary School recently decorated the school with paper snowflakes with special messages written on them as part of the schools annual “Thoughtful Thursday” activity.

Central Boulevard students and staff participate in community and school based activities revolving around giving back and spreading kindness,” said Julianne Inghilterra, assistant principal at Central Boulevard. “Our Thoughtful Thursday campaign is one of those activities. It usually takes place the third Thursday of every month and we have an array of different activities for students.”

She said this was the first time that students created snowflakes with positive messages written on them.

“We always try to think of new activities for the students. Some of our Thoughtful Thursday examples in the past included Valentines for Vets, making New Year’s placemats for the elderly and now the attached kindness snowflakes, which we have donated to the surrounding community.”

Students from each grade level created their own snowflakes and wrote positive, affirming messages on top of them. They were very excited that their artwork would adorn the walls of the school as well as be displayed in busi-

nesses in the community.

Avery Roth, a first grader, said she was glad that her snowflake would inspire acts of kindness in our school and community.

“Thoughtful Thursday is a great way to keep everyone thinking of others,” said Roth. “It shows how to care for one another and to be kind to each other.”

Rylan Moran, a fifth grader, said “Thoughtful Thursday is all about being kind to others.  It’s a good day to be really nice and also respectful.  I love being thoughtful to everyone.”

During each Thoughtful Thursday, the students and staff wear colorful shirts with the “Thoughtful Thursday “ slogan emblazoned on them.

“The kids really get into it and what they were the most excited about is having their artwork on display at several establishment in Bethpage,” said Inghilterra. “The kindness snowflakes were distributed to several businesses including the Bethpage Public Library, Broadway Stage Door Dance Studio, Central Avenue Deli, Ciminelli’s Pizzeria, Moscato Bakery and Norma’s School of Dance.”

Several teachers at Central Boulevard are instrumental in putting together these types of positive activities for the students. Those teachers include Christine Kennedy, Karissa Mutch and Ally Mevo.

Bethpage students earn spots in art show

Five talented seniors in Bethpage High School’s College Pottery and Sculpture class recently had their 3-D artwork selected by The Atelier at Flowerfield to be exhibited at the Third Annual Middle and High School Student Artists Juried Show. Students include Rachel Cohen for her piece, “Vinny”; Emily Kossman for her piece, “Where the Gnomes Live”; Evanthia Panagos for her piece, “Vase”; Faye Watson for her piece, “Medusa” and Minno Yip

for her piece, “Strarkny.” The students were nominated by their art teacher, Elena Cardo.

This special exhibition encourages the work of middle and high school student artists in all visual arts, minus photography and video. The exhibition will be held from Feb. 29 to March 29 in The Atelier’s 2,000 square-foot gallery in Saint James, with a closing reception on March 23.

Photos courtesy of the Bethpage Union Free School District

Rachel Cohen’s piece, “Vinny,” will be on display at the exhibit.

Faye Watson’s piece entitled, “Medusa” will be on display at the exhibit.

Evanthia Panagos’ piece entitled, “Vase” will be on display at the exhibit.

Bethpage High School seniors Faye Watson, Minno Yip, Rachel Cohen, Emily Kossman and Evanthia Panagos will have their artwork on display at The Atelier at Flowerfield’s Third Annual Middle and High School Student Artists Juried Show.

Emily Kossman’s piece, “Where the Gnomes Live,” will be on display at the exhibit.

Minno Yip’s piece entitled “Strarkny” will be on display at the exhibit.

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Levittown Chamber of Commerce Spotlight on Business

Robert Ryan

The Levittown Chamber of Commerce would like to introduce Robert L. Ryan, Jr (a/k/a “Bob”) who has been a Board member of the Chamber for more than 10 years.  He is active on a number of Committees including the Scholarship Committee which awards money for college or trade school to  a  graduating senior from each of the 3 local high schools.

Ryan has lived in Levittown for 38 years. He was very happily married to Debbie Ryan until she passed away in 2020. Their son & daughter, who went to Levittown schools, have graduated college, obtained masters degrees and are supporting themselves. Robert is a high school math teacher in Ohio. Kelly is a women’s lacrosse coach at a Division I college in PA.

A practicing attorney since 1985, Ryan now specializes in real estate transactions and personal injury litigation. In Syosset high school, Ryan became interested in the law while taking a Business Law class. One of his professors at Nassau Community College and another one at C.W. Post College were practicing attorneys who  inspired Ryan to become an attorney. His first job as a lawyer was in civil

litigation firm. Within 5 years he left to start his own firm, Ryan & Henderson. He managed the firm and helped it grow over 25 years to about 20 employees. For the bulk of his career, Ryan was a trial attorney. Now, he is “of counsel” and self-employed at the law firm where he first started; and, enjoying the benefits that come along with that arrangement. He only answers to myself.

Ryan says he currently has a  personal mission statement: To live life responsibly; to do what makes him happy which means to spend time with family; watch his kids continue to thrive in careers they love; support them emotionally and try to be a good role model for them. The next stage of his life will involve retirement and volunteer work.

Ryan’s business goals include: mentoring young attorneys where his office is located and keeping in touch with attorneys who used to work for him that are now out on their own; and, growing his practice by being selective when taking on new clients.

What makes Ryan’s law practice different from others is — his attention to details and he makes himself accessible to his clients — they all get his personal cell phone number and email — Ryan is reachable evenings and weekends and he really care about what he does for them.  Ryan knows very few attorneys who give their clients the access that he gives them.

When he has the opportunity, Ryan likes to spend time fishing; playing guitar with his classic rock band, Alter Ego (who by the way won the Battle of the Bands at the Good Sam Hospital Charity Jam for pediatrics); taking sports photography; watching live music performed; traveling to watch  local professional sports team play in other cities; watching  his daughter coach her college lacrosse team; and he still reads at least one newspaper every  day.

Ryan can be reached at:

Phone: 516-857-1181;

Email: rryan@mmlaw.com;

Facebook: Bob Ryan;

LinkedIn:  Robert Ryan of Counsel to Mulholland Minion.

Commercial burglary in Levittown

A Levittown business was burglarized on Saturday, February 24, at 2:51 a.m. in Levittown.

According to Nassau County Police, an unknown male subject entered the Dairy Mart located at 100 Division Avenue through a rooftop entry. Once inside, police say the burglar took multiple cartons of cigarettes and an

undetermined amount of U.S. currency before fleeing  in an unknown direction. No description was available. The investigation is ongoing.

Detectives request anyone with information regarding the above listed incident to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or to call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.

Bethpage students participate in nutrition outreach project

Bethpage students from Kramer Lane Elementary School celebrated Nutrition Month in art class by decorating paper bags with drawings and nutritional facts. The paper bags will be distributed as “lunch bags” to patients at Syosset Hospital and Plainview Hospital.

Photo courtesy of the Bethpage Union Free School District

Casino bus trip

Joseph Barry Columbiettes will be hosting a bus trip to the Wind Creek Bethlehem (formerly Sands) Casino Bethlehem, PA on Tuesday, March 19.

The cost of $55 per person, includes the driver’s tip and $35 slots play giveback. Please arrive at 8:30 a.m. Return is at

approx. 8:30 p.m.

Parking: 999 So. Oyster Bay Road (dead end);

For reservations please call call Barbara at (516) 935-5576. Please make checks payable to Joseph Barry Columbiettes.

Bethpage community rallies behind local family

Members of Bethpage High School’s Students Putting an End to Cancer Club (SPEC), recently raised approximately $1,400 to give back to a family from Charles Campagne Elementary School that unfortunately knows childhood cancer too well.

Led by advisor Chris DeStefano, the club not only wanted to raise awareness but also wanted to help someone in their own community who has been impacted by cancer. They orga-

nized an online apparel fundraiser where they sold T-shirts, crewnecks, long sleeve shirts and hoodies to support Lia Esposito, a first grader from Charles Campagne Elementary School who recently battled kidney cancer and underwent six months of chemotherapy.

The SPEC Club, along with Superintendent of Schools Dave Schneider, Bethpage High School Principal Nicholas Jantz and Charles

Campagne Elementary School Principal Erin Lindsay-DiFiglia, met with Lia and her family on Feb. 15 in the Bethpage High School auditorium to present a $1,000 check to Lia in her name.

“We are so grateful to be part of such an amazing community,” Lia’s mother Giuseppina Esposito said. “Everyone has been so amazing and supportive to my daughter during this time. It feels really good.”

Aside from the $1,000 that went directly to Lia, the SPEC Club donated the remaining proceeds from the fundraiser to Cohen Children’s Hospital in Lia’s name and to the American Cancer Society. The club members strive to continue supporting those who have been impacted by cancer and look forward to holding more fundraisers in the future.

Photos courtesy of the Bethpage Union Free School District

Charles Campagne first grader Lia Esposito (third from right) with her family, Charles Campagne Principal Erin Lindsay-DiFiglia (second from right), Superintendent of Schools Dave Schneider (right), SPEC Club advisor Chris DeStefano (third from left) and Bethpage High School Principal Nicholas Jantz (second from left).

Bethpage High School’s SPEC Club raised money for a local first grade student who battled kidney cancer. They presented her with a $1,000 check on Feb. 15.

Charles Campagne first grader Lia Esposito (middle) with her mother Giuseppina Esposito (right) and sister Giana Esposito (left) with a check from Bethpage High School’s SPEC Club.

NASSAU COUNTY

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Town of Oyster Bay   Zoning Board of Appeals

TOWN HALL, AUDREY AVENUE, OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK  11771-1592

TELEPHONE:  (516) 624-6232 – FAX:  (516) 624-6149

RITA BYRNE, Chairwoman  –  LOIS SCHMITT, Vice Chairwoman   –  LEWIS J. YEVOLI KATHLEEN MULLIGAN –REBECCA M. ALESIA –ANDREW MONTELEONE – LISA CICCOLELLA

PUBLIC HEARING CALENDAR

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING BY THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 246, Section 246-12 of the Code of the Town of Oyster Bay, notice is hereby given that the Zoning Board of Appeals has scheduled a public meeting, which will take place in the Town Hall Meeting Room, Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, New York, on MARCH 7, 2024, at 7:00 P. M., to consider the following appeals:

BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

APPEAL NO. 23-739       SYOSSET

SAWMILL CONSTRUCTION, CORP.:  (A) Variance to construct new dwelling on vacant lot having less width of lot at front property line, width of lot from front property line to required rear yard, lot area and exceeding maximum gross floor area than permitted by Ordinance.  (B) Variance to construct driveway having less side yard setback than permitted by Ordinance.  (C) Amend Specific Plan as presented for Appeal No. 80-329 and granted by Decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals, dated January 8, 1981.

S/s/o Dawes Ave., 350 ft. W/o Jackson Ave., a/k/a Dawes Avenue, Syosset, NY

APPEAL NO. 24-32        SYOSSET

DINO DORIA:  (A) Variance to allow existing 16 ft. by 12 ft. metal gazebo having less rear yard setback than permitted by Ordinance.  (B) Variance to allow existing 9.8 ft. by 9.8 ft. metal gazebo having less front yard setback and side yard setback than permitted by Ordinance.  (C)  Variance to allow existing 9.8 ft. by 9.8 ft. metal gazebo and 16 ft. by 12 ft. metal gazebo exceeding maximum building coverage and gross floor area than permitted by Ordinance.

NE/ cor. of Stuart Dr. & Woodland Gate, a/k/a 6 Stuart Drive, Syosset, NY

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

TOWN OF OYSTER BAY, OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK

NASSAU COUNTY LEGAL NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that a license, number 6008430 for

Model Train Show

La Bottega Syosset NY Inc. d/b/a La Bottega

NASSAU COUNTY LEGAL NOTICE SYOSSET CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOTICE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET INFORMATION AND MONTHLY MEETING

Monday, March 11, 2024

There will be a meeting of the Board of Education on Monday, March 11, 2024, at approximately 6:00 p.m. in South Woods Middle School, 99 Pell Lane, Syosset, New York.

At that time, the Board of Education will determine whether to go into Executive Session. If there is a need for an Executive Session, the Board will vote to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing matters regarding collective bargaining negotiations, school security, the medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person and to obtain legal advice regarding proposed, pending or current litigation. If no Executive Session is needed, the Board will recess until the public portion of the Budget Information and Monthly Board of Education Meeting at 8:00 p.m. at South Woods Middle School, 99 Pell Lane, Syosset, New York.

The Syosset Board of Education and Administration welcome you to observe the Board of Education Meeting via livestream broadcast on the District website.

Dated: February 16, 2024 Syosset, NY

Trainville Hobby Depot will host a Model Train Show on Saturday, March 9, and Sunday, March 10, from

at the Hicksville Community Center, located at 28 West Carl Street in Hicksville. The Model Train Show includes operating model layouts coordinated by Trainville Hobby Depot. Charitable donations are being accepted at the exhibit to support the Hicksville Boys and Girls Club.

“We’re proud to partner with Trainville Hobby Depot to offer this model train show while raising charitable funds for the Hicksville Boys and Girls Club,” said Oyster Bay Town Councilwoman Laura Maier. “Assisting groups that not only bring a fun and educational experience to residents of all ages, but also help preserve our history in understanding the railroad’s role in our heritage, is a great cause.”

Area train club are invited to display operating model layouts, including N, O, HO, On30, and G scales.

Admission in to the exhibit is $7, children ages 4–11 years are $4 and entry for children under the age of 4 is free.  For further information, please visit www.trainville.com or call (516) 433-4444.

Upcoming Events at the Jericho Public Library Events for Readers at the Syosset Public Library

Tuesday, March 5

7 p.m.:  Stemtastic (Grades 3 to 6)Learn and have fun while exploring a hands-on STEM experience. Come and learn while having fun!

Wednesday, March 6

10:30 a.m.: 1, 2, 3, Full Steam Ahead (18 Months–5 Years) - This preschool STEAM program includes music movement, fine and gross motor development and storytelling followed by a craft!

2 p.m.: Hybrid: Art Lecture - The Anxious Eye: German Expressionism and Its Legacy with Professor Thomas Germano - This presentation, like the exhibition on view in Washington, D.C.

through July 2024, looks at the work of early 20th-century artists and demonstrates their continuing impact a century later. Important prints and drawings by German expressionists interpreted the dramatic changes in the world around them during the historical upheaval of the Great War and multiple revolutions. Professor Thomas Germano will discuss German Expressionism and the artists who produced it in the context of the history that inspired it.

Register for all events at https://www. jericholibrary.org/events/month

Non-residents may register beginning 2 weeks before each program.

Tuesday, March 19, at 11 a.m.

Morning Mystery Book Discussion

Join Sonia Grgas, Reference Librarian, for a Morning Mystery Book Discussion of the New York Times bestselling novel “Magpie Murders” by Anthony Horowitz. Books will be available at the Circulation Desk one month before the discussion. No registration.

Tuesday, March 26, at 2 p.m.

SPL’s 2024 Long Island Reads Book Discussion

Join Jackie Ranaldo, Head of

Readers’ Services, for an in-person discussion of the 2024 Long Island Reads selection “Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World” by Christian Cooper. Copies of the book will be available at the Circulation Desk one month before the program. No registration.

The library is located at 225 South Oyster Bay Road, Syosset.

*All events are wheelchair accessible

**Books will be available at the Circulation Desk one month before each program.

This Week at the Syosset Public Library Free music concerts planned for libraries

Friday, March 1, at 1:00 p.m.

Irish Molasses

Raisin Bread (IN-PERSON)

Presenter: Chef Rob Scott

Learn how to make this delicious bread which can be eaten anytime.  Patrons will need to bring in a 9x5 loaf pan, medium and large bowls, a whisk and rubber spatula. Registration required. Register at syossetlibrary.org.

Fee: $5.

Saturday, March 2, 10:00 am – 4:00 p.m.

Driver’s Safety Course (IN-PERSON)

For drivers of all ages. Completion entitles you to a NYS insurance discount and to a point reduction. Bring your NYS Driver's License and a pen. In-person registration ONLY. Fee: $33, check payable to “Empire Safety Council.” Includes a 30-minute break for lunch.

Sunday, March 3, at 1:00 p.m.

Carlson & Grant (IN-PERSON)

Samantha Carlson and Peter Grant perform standards from the Great American Songbook, jazz, swing, and more. The duo sings in a stylized fashion that will bring the audience back to an authentic time. Registration required. Register at syossetlibrary.org. Concert is co-sponsored with The Town of Oyster Bay’s 2023–2024 Distinguished Artists Concert Series.

Do

Thursday, March 7, at 2:00 p.m.

Can the Government Tell You What to Wear? Compelled Speech & The Constitution (IN-PERSON)

Presenter: James Coll, adjunct professor of American and Constitutional history, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University, and retired NYPD detective

Most of our understanding of free speech rights come from when the government is attempting to prevent someone from expressing themselves in the way they choose. In this lecture we will analyze recent Supreme Court decisions that have evaluated the role of government mandating speech and an individual or a group of individuals resisting the compulsion. No registration needed.

Friday, March 8, at 2:00 p.m.

A Night at the Oscars: Academy Awards History (VIRTUAL)

Presenter: Annette Bochenek, Ph.D., assistant professor and business information specialist at Purdue University, archivist, and film historian of Hollywood’s Golden Age It’s time to get red carpet-ready! Join film historian Dr. Annette Bochenek as she presents the history of the Academy Awards and some of its memorable moments, while also showcasing previous Best Picture winners and this year’s Best Picture nominees. No registration needed. For Zoom link, go to syossetlibrary.org.

The Town of Oyster Bay ’ s Distinguished Artists Concert Series will continue through May 2024 with free performances at local libraries throughout the Town.

“The Distinguished Artists Concert Series provides free musical and dance programs for the enjoyment of our residents,” said Councilman Hand. “I encourage residents to take advantage of these wonderful performances offered by the Town for free at local libraries.”

Scheduled performances for February and March include:

• Carlson & Grant on Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. at the Syosset Public Library – Performing solos and duets from the nostalgic past. Registration is free and required. Visit: https://syosset.librarycalendar.com/ events/month and select the date of the concert and register. Registration starts February 9.

• Mambo Loco on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at the Jericho Public Library – Performing the best of Old-school Latin and Latin jazz. All welcome/free tickets required, tickets available at library on February

22. For more information, call Jericho Public Library, (516) 935-6790.

• One More Once Jazz Ensemble on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. at the Farmingdale Public Library – Performing all genres of big band music.

• Danny Kean & Friends on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library – Performing blues, jazz, R&B rock & everything in between. All welcome/free tickets required, tickets available at library on March 11. For more information, call Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library, (516) 938-0077.

• The Brooklyn Bards on Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at the Bethpage Public Library –Experience the deep lyrics and rich melodies of traditional Irish music.

The Distinguished Artists Concert Series is sponsored by the Cultural and Performing Arts (CAPA) Division of the Town of Oyster Bay’s Department of Community & Youth Services. For the full concert schedule and further information, please call (516) 797-7900 or visit www.oysterbaytown.com/CAPA.

March 1, 2024

4 Days in Paris: Musee D’Orsay Highlights Day 1

BY KAREN RUBIN TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

On my first morning in Paris, as I set out from the Hotel Napoleon just across from the Arc de Triomphe in the tony 8th Arrondisement, at 10 am for a beautiful walk down ChampsElysee to Place de la Concorde, passed the Grand Palais, across the Seine, passed the National Assembly to my destination, the Musee d’Orsay, I am immediately under the city’s spell.

Paris is regal. Majestic. Monumental. The scale of the boulevards, the buildings, the structures. It is big and bustling, but curiously, you don’t feel choked or overwhelmed – probably because no structure is taller than the Eiffel Tower and you can see out, and because the city is designed around open spaces –the wide boulevards, gigantic plazas, parks, the Seine flowing through. There are places to sit, even water fountains and misting stations, while the smaller neighborhoods, with their narrow twisting roads, are quaint and quiet (little traffic).

The level of grandeur is breathtaking, and for a moment I am thinking that only a monarchy could have built this, a democracy never would have. But in the next, I am reminded that only the Revolution opened them for public purpose.

It is essential to plan your visit to Paris’ top museums and attractions in advance, and pre-purchase timed ticket, or book a time if you have the Paris Museum Pass (http:// en.parismuseumpass.com/) or Paris Pass (parispass.com), and try to book as early a time as possible, or evening hours.

And though it is better to try to visit on weekdays, considering that

The grand Musee D’Orsay, one of the most important museums in the world, famous for its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists including Van Gogh, is housed in a magnificent Beaux-Arts train station built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

the Musee D’Orsay is closed on Monday (I book my Le Louvre visit for that day), I pre-booked my visit for Sunday.

Musee d’Orsay

The Musee d’Orsay is housed in what had been a truly grand train station, a Beaux-Arts jewel built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. It is famous for its fabulous collection of French art from 1848 to 1914 – paintings, sculpture, furniture, photography - including the largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world.

Here you can experience for yourself (in relative peace, mind you) the exquisite works of Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gaugain and Berthe Morisot – actually it seems just about

all my favorite paintings by my favorite artists, as well as being introduced to outstanding works I am unfamiliar with.

The layout of the galleries is exquisite, and the views from the fifth floor gallery where the Van Goghs are displayed and from the Restaurant (you look through the massive clock to Sacre Coeur on Montmartre, like those scenes in the movie, “Hugo”) take your breath away.

Though the Musee D’Orsay is one of the largest museums in the world and the second most popular to visit in France after Le Louvre, it doesn’t feel large or crowded or intimidating. The clever layout – a warren of smaller galleries off a main, open hall – makes it feel more intimate and calm, even as I stand in front of such a popular painting as Van

Gogh’s “Starry Night”. The way you realize just how vast the museum is - at any time about 3,000 art pieces are on display – is by realizing you’ve been there for four hours. Time melts away, like the humongous clocks you get to see through to Paris’ magnificent skyscape.

The museum has 24 Van Goghs including such renowned works as L’Arlésienne,  Bedroom in Arles,  Self Portrait,  Starry Night,  Portrait of Dr. Gachet,  Doctor Gachet’s Garden in Auvers,  Saint-Paul Asylum, SaintRémy,  Self Portrait.

The Van Gogh gallery on Level 5 has an added attraction: the most magnificent views across the Seine of Le Louvre to Montmartre from one set of windows, the Eiffel Tower from another.

There are 81 Renoirs including “The Swing” (significant when I visit the Musee de Montmartre and see the spot where he painted it!), and 18 by Toulouse-Lautrec, plus James McNeill Whistler’s famous “The Artist’s Mother’, better known as “Whistler’s Mother.”

Thank goodness, the really excellent notes are presented in French and English (not so in many other places).

Besides the full-service restaurant, there is an absolutely delightful café in the lower level – reasonably priced and very comfortable, where I get refueled.

Open from 9.30am to 6pm daily, except Mondays; late night on Thursdays until 9.45pm

Musee D’Orsay, Esplanade Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, 75007 Paris, https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/

Ile de la Cite

From the Musee D’Orsay, I stroll down the quai along the Seine, with

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GOING PLACES, NEAR & FAR....

4 Days in Paris: Musee D’Orsay Highlights Day 1

Continued from previous page

the marvelous book/magazine sellers, to the Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris) to Île de la Cité, a small island in the center of Paris where Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle are found. It is the historic heart of Paris.

I am really interested to see the progress on the restoration of NotreDame Cathedral, after that devastating fire of April 15, 2019.

There is an excellent photo exhibit by photographer Tomas van Houtryve with notes documenting the dramatic story of the restoration.

A short walk from Notre-Dame, in a small park, I come upon Holocaust Memorial to the 31,000 Parisians sent to Auschwitz.

Also close to Notre Dame on the Ile de Cite is Sainte-Chappelle, famous for its stained glass windows.

Sainte-Chapelle is considered one of the finest examples of Rayonnant period of Gothic architecture. Built between 1238-1248, the royal chapel was commissioned by King Louis IX to house his collection of Passion relics, including Christ’s Crown of Thorns – one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom. It served as the residence of France’s kings until the 14th century.

Adjacent to Sainte-Chapelle is La Conciergerie, the palace where MarieAntoinette was held before her execution (it’s closed by the time I arrive).

La Sainte Chapelle, https://www. sainte-chapelle.fr

Walking back to the Hotel Napoleon, I stroll alongside the full length of Le Louvre museum – once a palace –stunned by how large, and how exquisitely ordained it is (I will be visiting the next day), through Tuileries Garden to the Place de la Concorde, the larg-

est square in Paris, where King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and Robespierre were executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. I walk by the Petit Palais (where there is a Sarah Bernhardt exhibit I wish I could have seen; free admission to the collections!), to the Champs-Élysées.

Eiffel Tower

I get back to the Hotel Napoleon and rest awhile before heading out again to see the Eiffel Tower at night.

The Eiffel Tower is one of most beautiful structures in world – so elegant, so graceful, seemingly as light, delicate and intricate as filigree. I am surprised to learn that the design was criticized, even ridiculed when Gustave Eiffel, the engineer whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889, proposed it.

Nicknamed “La dame de fer” (“Iron Lady”), it was constructed as the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair, and to crown the centennial anniversary of the French Revolution. (The tower also was supposed to be a temporary installation, but Eiffel pushed to have its lease extended and ultimately, became a permanent fixture of the city.)

We marvel at its beauty but in 1889, the tower was celebrated more as a historic feat of engineering: the first structure in the world to surpass both the 200-meter and 300-meter marks in height. At 330 meters (1,083 ft.) high, the Eiffel Tower is equivalent to an 81-storey building, and still is the tallest structure in Paris, dominating the skyline from wherever you are. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until dethroned by New York City’s Chrysler Building in 1930.

NUTRITION NEWS

Strong Bones

The tower has three levels that visitors can reach, with restaurants on the first two. The top level’s upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground – the highest observation deck accessible to the public in the European Union.

It is fascinating to learn that the top level was actually a private apartment built for Gustave Eiffel’s personal use, which he decorated with furniture by Jean Lachaise and invited friends such as American inventor Thomas Edison. Today, you can’t visit the entire apartment, but there is a reconstruction of Gustave Eiffel’s office. Through the windows, you can see wax figures of Gustave Eiffel and his daughter Claire being visited by Edison.

There is also a new immersive experience that takes you inside Gustave Eiffel’s office (accessed by scanning a QR code on the first floor). While waiting for the lift on the first floor, you can also peruse historical documents with monitors, tactile screens, display cases, digital albums and photocopies of objects.

There are also new  guided tours which must be booked online

The Eiffel Tower is one of the highlights of visiting Paris – in fact, one of the most-visited pay-to-enter monuments in the world, with almost 6 million visitors a year. It is almost essential to book a timed ticket ahead of time.

The wait for tickets – if they are not totally sold out – can be long. If you have interest in going to the top, book your tickets as soon as you know your dates for Paris. (Online tickets go on sale 60 days in advance for the elevator.)

https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/ rates-opening-times

But for a completely different experience (and if tickets for the elevator are sold out), you can also climb the stairs

– from ground level to the first level is over 374 steps, and 300 more to the second, making the entire ascent 674 steps – about 20 minutes per level.

Stairway tickets for the second floor are sold online (up to 10 days in advance) or sold on-site. If you want to go to the top, you would need to purchase “stairway + lift” tickets.

Other experiences: Madame Brasserie offers a lunch and dinner menu on the first floor (reservations strongly advised; the reservation includes the ascent to the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower, but not to visit to the 2nd floor or to the top).

Reservations for dining or eating at the Jules Verne (2nd floor) must be made on  the dedicated website. (The visit of the Eiffel tower is not included.)

You can book your ticket for the top of the Eiffel Tower and add a glass of champagne at the  champagne bar. The champagne bar at the top is open every day, from 10.30 am to 10.30 pm.

I would say the most enchanting time to experience the Eiffel Tower is at night.

Eiffel Tour, Champ de Mars, 5 Av. Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France, https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/planning-smooth-visit

I stand in a park at the tower’s base, where there is a festive atmosphere among the throngs of people gathered –but for the Olympics, there will be a stadium built in front of the tower, before walking back to the Hotel Napoleon.

More planning help from the Paris Tourist Office, https://parisjetaime.com/ eng/. Online ticketing at https://parisjetaime.com/eng/tickets

Next: Day2 Highlighted by Le Louvre

© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear. com

BY CHARLYN FARGO

No matter what age, we need strong bones. And building strong bones starts early in life. We continue to build bone

until the age of 30, and then we strive to maintain that strong foundation. That’s why calcium -- and other nutrients -- are so important to kids and teens.

Calcium is a key component to healthy bones, but it can’t act alone. It takes a village of nutrients all working together to help your body maintain or retain its healthy structure, according to Mayo Clinic.

It may surprise you to know your bones are always changing. Old bone is broken down and replaced by new bone until that magic age of 30, when bone mass is at its peak. After that, while bone replacement continues, new bone doesn’t keep up, and we begin to lose bone mass.

We can keep bone loss minimized by eating a “healthy bone diet,” doing weight-bearing exercise, limiting alcohol

and not smoking.

What are the best foods to eat? Milk, cheese and yogurt, of course, because they are good sources of calcium. And calcium absorption is aided by vitamin D (fortified in milk and yogurt) and magnesium (needed to properly regulate calcium and vitamin D). Our bones also need phosphorus (to neutralize acidic foods that could be harmful to bones), potassium (also helpful in neutralizing acids) and vitamin A (essential for cells that build bone).

Here are some good sources of those nutrients:

Magnesium: green vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes, whole grains and avocado.

Vitamin D: fatty fish (such as swordfish, salmon or sardines) and egg yolks.

Continued on page 5

Crossword Answers

Women’s History Month: Honoring Jane Goodall

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

March is Women’s History Month and as I did my research I had the chance to read about the accomplishments of women in the U.S. and around the world.

Many people consider Jane Goodall to be the world’s #1 expert in chimpanzees. She was only the second researcher to attempt to study chimps in the wild. Through nearly 60 years of groundbreaking work, Dr. Jane Goodall has shown us the urgent need to protect chimpanzees from extinction.

Born on April 3, 1934, in London, England, she spent 45 years studying wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. Honored as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Goodall was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2002. She has received many awards including the French Legion of Honor, the Medal of Tanzania, the Kyoto Prize and the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. Goodall made many contributions to science and environmentalism plus she led a fascinating life.

Always an animal lover, Goodall wanted to study animals in Africa. When a close friend invited her on a trip to Kenya, Goodall worked hard as a waitress to pay for her journey. When she arrived in Kenya in 1957, she met anthropologist and archaeologist Louis Leakey. He hired Goodall as a secretary but later invited her to study chimpanzees in Tanzania. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for Goodall. She accepted Leakey’s invitation in July 1960 and at the age of 26 Jane Goodall traveled from England to what is now Tanzania and ventured into the little-known world of wild chimpanzees.

To begin her studies, Goodall observed chimpanzees for days at a time in the great forests of Gombe from a hilltop she called “The Peak.” Gradually earning the trust of one of the chimpanzees, Goodall unconventionally named her new animal friends rather than assign them numbers. David Greybeard became Goodall’s first chimp friend and she gave the other chimpanzees names as well including Fifi, Goliath and Flint.

Living among the chimps, Goodall observed their human-like behaviors and personalities. She saw that chimps can be bold, friendly and mischievous. Where many researchers saw “prim-

itive” apes living a simple existence, Goodall found highly intelligent, emotional creatures living in complex social groups. She saw the chimpanzees hug and kiss each other, forming family and community bonds that could last through their entire lives according to a writeup in lifesciences.byu.edu.

Goodall realized what she was observing challenged almost every conventional notion about chimpanzees. Before Goodall published her work many people believed that only humans could make and use tools and the belief that chimps were passive vegetarians. Goodall also noted the difference between chimps and humans is our sophisticated language. The idea that we have much in common with chimps, including more than 98 percent of our genetic code, is now widely accepted. Chimp life was still a mystery 60 years ago and we can thank Dr. Jane Goodall for studying them up close and documenting what she observed.

For safety reasons Goodall was accompanied by her mother. Goodall credits her mother with encouraging her to pursue a career in primatology which was a male-dominated field at the time.

Goodall has said that women weren’t accepted in the field when she started her research in the late 1950s. As of 2019, the field of primatology is made up almost evenly of men and women, in part thanks to Goodall’s trailblazing.

Dr. Leakey sent Goodall to the University of Cambridge in 1962. She had no degree but Goodall was the eighth person to be allowed to study for a Ph.D. at Cambridge without first having obtained a bachelor’s degree. She went to Newnham College, Cambridge, where she received her B.A. in natural sciences by 1964, which is when she went to Darwin College, Cambridge, for a Ph.D. in ethology. Her thesis was completed in 1966 on the “Behaviour of free-living chimpanzees” which described her first five years of study at the Gombe Reserve in Tanzania.

In 1977 she established the Jane Goodall Institute which is a global community-centered conservation organization, and JGI’s program Roots & Shoots in 1991, which encourages young people around the world to be agents of change by participating in projects that protect the environment, wildlife

or their communities.

Jane Goodall retired from her research in 1986 and summarized her 25 years of work in her book “The Chimpanzees of Gombe.” Since then she has been an activist. Today Dr. Jane Goodall is widely recognized for being a British primatologist, ethologist and anthropologist. Goodall was married, divorced then widowed at age 46. She has a son, Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick and three grandchildren.

About her life and career Goodall has said, “When I look back over my life it’s almost as if there was a plan laid out for me - from the little girl who was so passionate about animals who longed to go to Africa and whose family couldn’t afford to put her through college. Everyone laughed at my dreams. I was supposed to be a secretary in Bournemouth, England.”

“A sense of calm came over me. More and more often I found myself thinking, ‘This is where I belong. This is what I came into this world to do.’”

“Even as a child, I was utterly in love with the wonder of nature, the miracle

of life, the infinite variety of species and the mystery of the universe.”

“When I was 10 years old, I loved - I loved books, and I used to haunt the secondhand bookshop. And I found a little book I could just afford, and I bought it, and I took it home. And I climbed up my favorite tree, and I read that book from cover to cover. And that was ‘Tarzan of the Apes.’ I immediately fell in love with Tarzan.”

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

BY TOM MARGENAU

I’ve always taken pride in the fact that I do a pretty good job of explaining Social Security rules in simple and easy-to-understand language. But every once in a while, I’m reminded that something I say or write that I think is pretty clear and simple can be misinterpreted. Here are some examples.

Q: I am 62 and have spent most of my life as a homemaker and mother. So I don’t have my own Social Security. My husband is 68 and just filed for his Social Security last week. In a recent column, you wrote that before a wife can claim benefits on her husband’s record, he has to be getting benefits himself. So do I have to wait until his checks start coming in before I can file on his account?

A: No, you don’t. If I previously wrote that the husband “has to be getting benefits” before his wife can file on his account, then that was a poor choice of words. Or rather, not enough words. What I should have said is that he has to be getting benefits or have filed an application for benefits. So you can and should file a claim for spousal benefits right now.

I make these points because many women are always asking me if they can file for spousal benefits before their husband files for his retirement benefits. And again, the answer is no. He has to have filed his own Social Security claim before any dependents can get benefits on his account.

Q: In a prior column, you wrote that a husband has to have filed a claim for Social Security before his wife can get benefits on his record. My husband died at age 63 before he ever filed for his Social Security. I am just turning 60. So does that mean I won’t be able to get widow’s benefits on his record because he never filed for his own Social Security?

A: No, it doesn’t mean that. In that prior column you are referring to, I was answering a question from a woman whose husband was still alive and who was wondering if she could claim spousal benefits even though her husband hadn’t filed for benefits yet. But it is a whole different story for widows. There is absolutely no rule that says a husband must have filed a Social Security claim before his wife can get widow’s benefits on his record. In fact, there are millions of women, especially younger women, getting widow’s benefits on the records of husbands who died before reaching Social Security age, or who were over the minimum Social Security age (usually 62) but had not yet filed for benefits.

And now let me tell you about the options you have as a widow -- if you also are due benefits on your own Social Security account. For example, if you are not working now, you could take reduced widow’s benefits at age 60. And then at your full retirement age, you could switch to 100% of

That’s Not What I Meant To Say

your own retirement benefit. Or you could wait until 70 and get an extra 30% added to your benefit. Or, if your husband’s rate is much higher than yours, you could wait until age 62 and file for reduced retirement benefits on your own account (62 is the earliest you can do that) -- and then at your full retirement age, switch to a 100% widow’s rate. Or if your own benefit is so small as to not really be a part of your Social Security picture, then you can simply file for widow’s benefits at whatever age you choose. You would get about 70% at age 60, or up to 100% if you wait until your full retirement age to file.

Q: In a prior column, you said a man has to be getting Social Security before his wife can file on his record. Well, my husband is 60 and has been getting SSDI for about five years. I am turning 62, not working, and I will have a very small Social Security check on my own. But does my husband have to be getting real Social Security before I can file for spousal benefits on his record?

A: Your husband is already getting “real Social Security,” so you can file for spousal benefits at the same time you file for your own Social Security.

You said your husband is getting “SSDI.” That stands for Social Security disability insurance. In other words, he is getting Social Security disability benefits. And so many people think that disability benefits are somehow just not “real Social Security.” But they are. They are just as “real” as retirement benefits. So your husband is getting the same kind of Social Security as a retiree gets. He’s just getting those benefits a little earlier because of his disability.

Q: In a prior column, you said that a person must have worked in five out of the last 10 years to qualify for Social Security. But that can’t be true. My wife worked from age 18 until age 50. Then she stopped working to concentrate on taking care of her aging parents. When she filed for her Social Security at age 62, she was granted benefits even though she hadn’t worked in the past 12 years. What’s going on?

A. What’s going on is that in that prior column, I was explaining the eligibility rules for disability benefits. And those rules include the “five out of the last 10” requirement. But to get Social Security retirement benefits, the rules simply say you must have 40 Social Security credits (sometimes called “quarters of coverage”) to qualify. Because you can only earn four Social Security credits per year, that essentially means if you’ve worked 10 years, anytime in your life, you are “insured” and eligible for Social Security retirement benefits.

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called “Social Security -Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand

Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon. com or other book outlets. (If ordering the “Simple and Smart” book from Amazon,

click on “See all formats and editions” to make sure you are getting the 2024 edition.) Or you can send him an email at thomas. margenau@comcast.net.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

If you don’t know or are aware of it by now, our housing inventory is as low as I can ever remember going back 50+ years. That and our higher interest rates compared to our lowest 2.50% rates back in 2020-2021 have drastically altered the purchasing and selling decisions of many over the last 4 years. Moreover, prices have been another major stumbling point for the majority of purchasers in being able to find their, “next place to call home.”

Once a home, HOA, condo, or coop is found, there is no time to waste in securing an inspection and the most crucial contract to be signed and executed by both parties. Having your commitment letter will also be critical in proving your qualifications and capability in making sure you can complete and finalize the transaction; especially in the purchase of a coop, when one must get approved by a coop board.

The speed, in which you or you and your significant other make a decision, whether a purchase or even a rental in our current market, will many times determine the success and outcome of whether or not you will take possession of the property.

In this still frenzied and the strong demand in the market, one cannot vacillate or hesitate in making that important decision. For most, it is one of the most important decisions that you will ever make in your lifetime. Moreover, time is of the essence in our current housing market which necessitates and dictates a very quick decision especially when an offer is accepted.

What is worse is when a bidding war occurs, which seems to be the norm lately on Long Island, you must be ready, as they say, to “do or die” to be able to come out the triumphant winner. Unfortunately, after the price, then your emotions set in and this can be a very scary, worrisome, and devastating situation. Some need a home and can surely afford the cost of ownership. Then some want to buy a home,

The Need for Speed

BY PHILIP A. RAICES

and when reality sets in, it’s called “champagne tastes and beer pockets” as they are potentially going overboard in what their budget realistically says that they can qualify for as per their lender. Banks are being much more conservative in their decision-making and no longer provide financing just because you are breathing and have a pulse as they did before the implosion of our market in 2008.

I will provide weekly stats for the previous month with a different town throughout Nassau County so my readers will be aware and updated as to how their market is progressing. This week I will highlight Great Neck where I reside.

you still using your passé paper card? Do still use a rotary dial phone, of course not. So get on board in 2024 and order your digital card by scrolling all the way down to the bottom and click on the link, “Get your Connect Card.”

Never let your emotions get the best of you, your wife, and/or girlfriend, no matter what. Although your decisions may in most occurrences have to be quick and decisive, you aren’t yet committed and contractually obligated until the papers are executed by both you and your seller. As I have mentioned in previous columns, this may be the most expensive purchase of your lifetime, and you must be financially and mentally prepared to pull the trigger, to not lose the home to another hungry bidder.

Unfortunately, some are not truly ready and may not have been properly advised by their agent, mortgage person, or attorney as to the pitfalls and issues in the best and most efficient way to approach their purchase. A checklist of important things to think of should be made in advance of going out and searching for a place. Your agent should be the most knowledgeable in their expertise and years of experience to be able to guide you along in going over what is most important. It comes down to educating the client, which will minimize and hopefully eliminate the major mistakes that can come along the way during the process of either searching or the eventual purchase; which could cost substantial sums of money and cause unnecessary stress in the end.

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 42+ of years experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned designations as a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (G.R.I.) and also as a Certified International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S.) and has earned his National Association of Realtors “Green Industry designation for eco-friendly low carbon footprint construction with 3-D printed foundations, Solar panels, Geo-thermal HVAC/Heat Pumps).

Save my New digital business card with/Videos,Virtual and Drone Tours/ photos/Bio/Reviews to your cell, PC or Laptop contacts: https://onetapconnect. com/turnkeyrealestate-philraices Are

He will give you a copy of “Unlocking the Secrets of Real Estate’s New Market Reality, and his Seller’s and Buyer’s Guides for “Things to Consider when Selling, investing or Purchasing your Home.

He will also provide you with “free” regular updates of what has gone under contract (pending), been sold (closed) and those homes that have been withdrawn/ released or expired (W/R) and all new listings of homes, HOA, Townhomes, Condos, and Coops in your town or go to https://WWW.Li-RealEstate.Com and you can “do it yourself (DYI) and search on your own. For a “FREE” no obligation 15-minute consultation, as well as a “FREE printout or digital value analysis of what your home might sell for in today’s market without any obligation or “strings” attached call Philip at (516) 647-4289.

Residential Sales: 1/2022 1/2023 1/2024

Average Sale Price: $1,219,194 $1,219,705 $1,296,936 (+6.4% yoy)

Median Sale Price: $1,200,000 $1,290,000 $l,260,000 (-2.3% yoy) (1/2 the homes are more and 1/2 the homes are less than the numbers shown)

Condo Sales:

1/2022 1/2023 1/2024 (-31.8% yoy)

Average Sale Price: $525,000 $550,000 $375,000

Median Sale Price: $525,000 $550,000 $375,000

Average and Median prices were exactly the same yoy

Coops Sales: 1/2022 1/2023 1/2024

Average Sale Price: $257,640 $227,000 $324,500

Median Sale Price: $270,000 $230,000 $370,500 (+33.7% yoy)

Courtesy of the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island (LiRealtor.com)

Strong Bones

Continued from page 2

Phosphorus: soybeans, fish, meat, milk, eggs, legumes and whole grains

Potassium: fruits (especially bananas and oranges), vegetables (especially potatoes), scallops, beans, whole grains and squash.

Vitamin A: sweet potato, beef liver, spinach, carrots, cantaloupe, mangoes, fortified foods and eggs.

To help your bones, fill your plate with low-fat dairy, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and the current president of the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

ARTS AROUND THE ISLAND

Arts play critical role in Long Island’s well-being

BY KAREN RUBIN TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

We may take it for granted, but the arts writ large are a vital component of Long Island’s economy, society, community, and even make the difference in how successful our young people will be in school, career and life, where people choose to live, where businesses choose to locate, and how healthy we are.

Just how vital was demonstrated at a recent presentation of findings of a national study, Arts & Economic Prosperity Study 6 (AEP6), in which Long Island arts organizations participated for the first time – giving the region specifics on its slice of the massive arts economic and social benefits pie.

National data collected for the Arts & Economic Prosperity Study 6 (AEP6) reveals that just America’s nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $151.7 billion industry, supporting 2.6 million jobs and generating $29.1 billion in government revenue (for-profit entities like Hollywood film studios not included). On Long Island, data collected by the umbrella organization, Long Island Arts Alliance, showed that arts and culture nonprofits (think Gold Coast Arts Center and Long Island Arts Council at Freeport) generated $330 million in 2022, supported nearly 5,000 full-time equivalent jobs, and generated $15 million in state and local taxes.

The findings should arm these local non-profit arts groups and organizations with the ammunition they need in approaching county, town, city and village governments for funding, and even alert boards of education to the danger when they target arts programs in schools for funding cuts to meet the state’s mandated budget cap. The study shows the significant return on investment in arts– in quality of life, liveability, community, economic productivity. And who can put a price on promoting empathy and reducing depression and anxiety, the need for medication and shortened hospital stays?

Great Neck Plaza gets it: the village just renewed its annual contract with the Gold Coast Arts Center; for its $2500, it gets various cultural events (see https://theisland360.com/great_neck/ great-neck-plaza-oks-contract-with-

gold-coast-arts-center/)

“Our world now needs a better way to foster empathy and understanding among people of different cultures, ideologies. Arts play pivotal role, in a powerful and humanizing way, to communicate experience across cultures, social groups, fix social inequalities,” said Dr. James Lantini, a board member of the LIAA which led the study and organized the conference at the Tilles Center to present the findings. “Engagement from a young age - increases empathy, reduces bias in children.

That may seem too touchy-feely for elected leaders who tend to make decisions through an economic lens. “Their priorities are jobs, jobs, jobs. So we connect their priority of jobs to arts and culture, our product,” said Randy Cohen, the vice president of research at Americans for the Arts, the national advocacy organization for arts and culture which has conducted the study every five years since 1994.

Of the $330 million in spending on arts on Long Island, 89% comes from local residents and 11% from people coming from outside Nassau or Suffolk, and while locals spend on average $33.96 per person on top of the admission, nonlocals spend $63.83, while those who overnighted averaged $311 per person, per event in added spending. The arts event was the primary purpose for the visit for 76% of the respondents.

Another benefit of these nonprofit arts organizations is how they provide an outlet for volunteerism: 16,988 Long Island volunteers contributed 624,000 hours, a $22.3 million value (not included in the $300 million economic impact).

This study only examined the economic and social impacts of nonprofits, but when the for-profit sectors are added in, the arts nationally amount to $1.02 trillion – 4.4% of GDP –supporting 4.9 million jobs in 2021. New York State’s share of that is $144 billion – representing 7.6% of the Gross State Production – sustaining 450,457 jobs.

“The arts diversifies economies and stimulates job growth,” Cohen noted. “There is a causal relationship with growth in arts jobs and growth of all employment in region or state. So when you invest in the arts and arts jobs go up, all jobs go up because of diversification.”

There is a virtuous cycle of supporting the arts, using arts to cultivate creativity and innovation in young people, quality of life and community spirit that encourages people to come and live, and businesses to locate in those communities because of access to quality of life, community, and innovation workers.

“Our number one export is highly educated young people, which is devastating. What would keep them? The responses are consistent: they want arts, culture, festivals, public art in the built environment - that’s another

economic benefit of a vibrant arts and culture community,” Cohen stated. At the same time, employers are looking for “innovation” workers, and use arts education and engagement as a measure.

Arts have another economic and social benefit: Arts promote physical and emotional healing - shorter hospital stays, fewer medical visits, reduced medications and depression, strengthens mental health, and consequently, saves money.“We are rediscovering the centrality of arts to our lives. Arts build empathy and understanding: 72% agree with the statement that  arts and culture provide shared experiences with people of different races, ethnic, ages, beliefs; 63% say arts & culture help them better understand other cultures in community,”  Cohen said.

Cohen also makes the case for arts education: “The research is clear, students whose education is rich in arts perform better academically, better grades, test scores, lower drop out rates that cut across all socio-econ strata. Theater and the arts engage kids in school, give meaning to their classes. They see the world and interpret it through the arts.”

A longitudinal study of 25,000 students in 1000 schools found that arts education not only benefited all, but helped level the playing field between affluent and low-income students.

Roger Tilles, a member of the state’s Board of Regents that sets education policy and an arts activist (the Tilles Center for Performing Arts at Long Island University is named for his family), said the Regents are proposing to change graduation requirements to include infusing arts and music into all levels, even elementary and pre-K. They aim to reverse the pattern in many school districts over the last 20 years of laying off music and art teachers, a consequence of concentrating resources to comply with No Child Left Behind. “That was so counter-productive to critical thinking, problem solving. We did a whole reevaluation of what we want kids to learn. Employers, parents and students want critical thinking, information literacy, problem solving, and arts.”

(To read the report, visit longislandartsalliance.org/aep6.)

The Gold Coast Arts Center’s children’s theater program performs “Little Mermaid.” The Village of Great Neck Plaza recently renewed its annual contract, entitling the village to request cultural programs © Karen Rubin/news-photosfeatures.com

BY DENNIS MAMMANA

Week of March 3-9, 2024

In just one month, the U.S. will be treated to a spectacular solar eclipse. Of course, I’ll be telling you about it in the coming weeks, but remember that you’ll need to have proper solar filters for your eyes, binoculars, telescope or camera, and vendors are selling out. You can find sources of these from the American Astronomical Society (eclipse.aas.org); just click “Resources” and place your order soon!

In the meantime, our evening sky to the south is glistening with the most brilliant stars of the year, including such beauties as Sirius, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Procyon, Castor, Pollux, Aldebaran and more. We can see all of these even under bright city lights or moonlight.

The sky to our north, however, isn’t so fortunate. That’s OK because here we can find some notable stars and star groupings.

Most important is the North Star, known to astronomers as Polaris, which stands directly above the Earth’s north pole and marks the celestial hub about which the heavens revolve. On opposite sides of it lie the easily recognizable star groupings known as the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia. These famous patterns, unfortunately, are formed by fainter stars that are tough to spot under city lights or moonlight.

With the moon out of the sky this week, it’s a good opportunity to get

The Celestial Giraffe

away from the city to explore this celestial area more closely. Specifically, I thought it would be fun to seek out a less well-known constellation called Camelopardalis, the giraffe.

I’m guessing that you never knew there’s a giraffe (or a “leopard camel” as the ancient Greeks knew it) represented among the stars. Most people don’t.

This rather obscure constellation almost certainly wasn’t passed down to us from antiquity. Astronomers believe that it was most likely invented by the 16th-century Dutch theologian, cartographer and astronomer Petrus Plancius, but some think it was named by German astronomer Jacob Bartsch who published Plancius’ star maps in his 1624 constellation book.

Though Camelopardalis is outlined by extremely faint stars, with some imagination you might be able to trace the shape of an inverted giraffe. To find it, however, you will need a fairly dark sky away from the effects of urban light pollution.

First, go outside shortly after dark this week and allow yourself half an hour or so to adapt to the darkness. Now face north and you should be able to find the Big Dipper standing on its handle in the northeast. More to the northwest, look for five stars that make up a sideways “M”; this is Cassiopeia. Between them, of course, lies the North Star. And finally, look overhead for the bright star Capella.

If you connect Cassiopeia, the Big Dipper and Capella with imaginary

lines, you’ll create a large, nearly equilateral triangle, at the center of which lie the stars of Camelopardalis.

Now appearing upside down, Camelopardalis can be traced from two stars that mark its legs, four that form its body and two more that mark its long neck and face. So if you’re up for a good

challenge, this is the time to stick your neck out and search for the celestial giraffe!

Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

BY TRACY BECKERMAN

“I got an invitation on Facebook to join the Magnetic Eyelashes Fan Club,” I told my husband as I stared at my computer screen.

“What does that even mean?” he asked incredulously.

“It’s a group on Facebook for people who like magnetic eyelashes, I assume.”

“Is that a thing?” he asked.

“Apparently,” I said. “Although I don’t wear fake eyelashes, magnetic or otherwise, so I don’t know why I got an invite.”

I sighed. This wasn’t the first time I’d been invited to join an obscure club on Facebook. It seemed like recently the invites were coming faster and faster and the clubs were becoming more and more specific. There was the club for “People Who Prefer Camels with

One Hump, Not Two.” Yet another club called “When I Was Your Age Pluto Was a Planet.” And the ever-popular “Friends Don’t Let Friends Wear Mom Jeans.” I was invited to each of these, and I can’t fathom why. I don’t really have any opinions one way or another about any of these, and especially the number of humps a camel should have. I’m more concerned with not getting too close to a camel so I don’t get spit on.

Since my Facebook friends were the ones who were inviting me to join Facebook groups, it occurred to me that I didn’t need to stop getting Facebook group invites. I needed to get some new Facebook friends.

“I got another invite for a group called ‘I Always Push the Door That Says Pull,’” I continued.

“What is there to talk about in that group?” my husband wondered.

“Not much, I guess. I think it’s more about keeping out the people who pull the door that says ‘push,’” I said.

“You know, there is a way to stop getting these group invites,” said my husband.

“What?”

“Stop going on Facebook,” he said.

“I can’t do that,” I replied.

“Why not?”

“Because then I wouldn’t know what stupid Facebook groups my friends are all joining.”

He sighed and left the room. But the issue gnawed at me. Every time I went on Facebook, I was being bombarded by invites. In the past 24 hours, I got invites to “People Who Suffer from the Fear that Somewhere, Somehow, a Duck is Watching You,” “Gnomes are People, Too,” and the somewhat relatable “I Use the Word Thingy When I Forget

What It’s Called,” which is a group I might actually join. It got to the point where I was so busy deleting group requests that I almost didn’t have time to tell all my friends I secretly prefer camels with one hump.

“You know, all these invites got me thinking,” I finally said to my husband. “I decided I’m going to start my own Facebook group.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“People on Facebook Who Hate Facebook Groups.”

Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble,” available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online! You can visit her at www. tracybeckerman.com

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

The ancient Greeks called the giraffe a “leopard camel.”

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Sell the contents of an entire house or sell just a few things! You can host your own sale on invitedsales.com and Facebook and Instagram or we can do it for you. We can photograph, advertise and handle the winning pickups for you within a week! Don’t worry about your closing date, we can get your house ready on time! We are a one stop service for all your needs when you are moving or selling a property! Selling, donating, discarding and cleaning out services can be done to meet your time frame with minimal stress. Contact info@invitedsales.com for more information or call 516-279-6378 to schedule a consultation or receive more information. Visit us at www.invitedsales. com for a listing of our upcoming Virtual Tag Sales and Weekly Auctions!

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Outstanding berry grilled cheese

The Sweet Sheep Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese is a beloved comfort food that can be enjoyed any time of the day. Although there isn’t much that needs to be added to cheese to make it delicious, the inclusion of tart strawberries and blackberries in this recipe titled “The Sweet Sheep Grilled Cheese” from “The Reading Terminal Market® Cookbook” (Camino Books) by Ann Hazan and Irina Smith pushes this sandwich over the edge of deliciousness. An additional cookie butter spread and

Makes 5 servings

2 cups Valley Shepherd whipped sheep milk ricotta

1 cup mascarpone cheese

10 slices soft brioche sandwich bread

3⁄4 cup blackberry jam

1 cup hulled and diced strawberries

1) In a bowl, mix together ricotta and mascarpone.

2) On a clean, dry surface, lay out five slices of the brioche. Spread equal parts blackberry jam on each slice. Place a large spoonful of the mascarpone ricotta mix on top of jam (it may be helpful to use a piping bag) until all the mixture is used.

3) Evenly divide strawberries, peaches, blackberries and chocolate chips among each slice. Spread the speculoos cookie butter on the remaining five slices of brioche and place on top of the first slices.

chocolate chips makes this grilled cheese much more dessert than lunch, and can be an indulgent treat anyone can enjoy.

1 cup diced peaches

1⁄2 cup cleaned blackberries, cut into quarters

3⁄4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup speculoos cookie butter (see note)

1⁄2 cup softened unsalted butter

4) Spread the softened butter in a thin layer on the outer parts of the brioche. Grill in either a panini press or in a hot pan. Slice and serve hot. Note: If speculoos is too hard to find, here’s how to make it. Place 2 cups of ginger snaps in the bowl of a food processor and blend to very fine crumbs. Add 4 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter, and process until a smooth paste forms (similar to consistency of peanut butter). Refrigerate leftover portion and bring to room temperature when using.

Peanuts shine in this stir-fry dish

Thai

1) Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add noodles and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until noodles are softened but still firm. Drain, rinse well in cold water. Drain and set aside.

2) In a small bowl, combine chicken stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and hot pepper flakes and stir well. Set aside.

3) Heat a wok or a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat pan. Add garlic and toss well, until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

4) Add pork, spreading into a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until edges change

Peanuts work well in sweet desserts and are commonly found in the form of peanut butter swirled with jelly atop bread for lunchtime sandwiches. However, peanuts can be an ingredient in savory dishes as well. In fact, peanuts often are included in the popular Thai dish “Pad Thai,” which is Thailand’s variation on a traditional Chinese stir-fry. It’s salty, sweet and often spicy. Try this version, courtesy of “300 Best Stir-Fry Recipes” (Robert Rose) by Nancie McDermott.

Serves 2 to 4

4 ounces dry rice noodles

1⁄4 cup chicken stock or water

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

4 ounces boneless pork (such as loin or tenderloin) or skinless chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced

8 to 10 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 egg, beaten

1⁄2 cup chopped garlic chives or green onions

2 cups bean sprouts, divided

1⁄3 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

4 lime wedges

color, about 1 minute. Toss well. Add shrimp and toss well. Cook, tossing often until shrimp are pink and firm and pork is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add noodles and cook, tossing often and pulling to separate noodles, for 1 minute.

5) Add chicken stock mixture, pouring in around sides of pan. Cook, tossing often, turning and scraping noodles to heat and soften them, until noodles curl up and are tender and shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of chicken stock or water as needed to keep noodles from sticking or burning.

6) Push the noodles to one side

and add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add egg and swirl to expose to hot pan. Cook, undisturbed, until edges have begun to set, about 15 seconds. Cook, stirring often, until egg is softly scrambled but still very moist, about 1 minute.

7) Add garlic, chives and 1 cup of the bean sprouts and cook, tossing often, until they have begun to wilt, about 1 minute more. Add peanuts and lime juice and toss well. Transfer to a serving platter. Place the remaining bean sprouts and lime wedges on one side. Serve hot or warm, mixing in the raw bean sprouts and squeezing a little lime juice over the noodles just before eating.

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Local artists invited to showcase at “Art in the Park”

The Town of Oyster Bay invites local artists and artisans to display and sell their hand-crafted goods at a special day of “Art in the Park.” Applications are now available for the event which will be held on Saturday, May 18, at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park & Beach in Oyster Bay.

“Art in the Park offers local artists and

artisans an amazing opportunity to showcase their best work for the public and gain local notoriety,” said Town Councilman Steve Labriola. “Art in the Park is certain to attract hundreds of families and seniors as the event also features live music, food trucks and activities for kids.”

Participants must be 18 or older, and dis-

play and sell only their original pieces. No commercial or mass-produced items are permitted. Artists must supply their own 10x10 canopy and additional items required for their space. Additional details and associated costs are provided on the application, available on the Town’s website.

Art in the Park is run by the Town’s

Department of Community & Youth Services, Cultural and Performing Arts Division. The event focuses on hand-crafted goods, including ceramics, watercolors, glass, jewelry, wood, leather, sculpture and more. Artist applications available on the Town’s website at www.oysterbaytown. com/capa or by calling (516) 797-7932.

NASSAU COUNTY FORECLOSURE NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE   SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU

NASSAU COUNTY NOTICE OF SALE N

OTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE AS SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR CERTIFICATEHOLDERS OF BEAR STEARNS ASSET BACKED SECURITIES I LLC, ASSET-BACKED

CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007AQ1, Plaintiff, vs GEORGE HUDAK, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 10, 2020, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 25, 2024 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 170 North 3rd Street, Bethpage, NY 11714. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in Bethpage in the Town of Oyster Bay, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 46, Block 44 and Lots 44-46. Approximate amount of judgment is $594,380.56 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 8116/2013. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale. John Kennedy, Esq., Referee Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, 10 Bank Street, Suite 700, White Plains, New York 10606, Attorneys for Plaintiff

U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee for Lehman XS Trust Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2006-4N, Plaintiff AGAINST Parminder Chandi; et al., Defendant(s)   Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered February 20, 2020 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 3, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 253 Haypath Road, Old Bethpage, NY 11804.  All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Old Bethpage, in the Town of Oyster Bay, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 47 Block 31 Lot 12.  Approximate amount of judgment $578,244.15 plus interest and costs.  Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 010267/2015.  The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the Tenth Judicial District. Foreclosure Auctions will be held "Rain or Shine."  Charles J. Casolaro, Esq., Referee  LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 4304792  Dated: February 6, 2024

Mattlin Middle School hosts Literacy Cafe

H.B. Mattlin Middle School in Plainview-Old Bethpage School District hosted its second annual Literacy Cafe.

H.B. Mattlin Middle School hosted its second annual Literacy Cafe from Jan. 29 through Feb. 7. Transforming the library into a bustling hub of literary excitement, the Mattlin literacy team, led by school library media teacher Teri Polis, orchestrated a series of engaging activities and events designed to ignite a passion for reading among students.

From enchanting dress-up days to thought-provoking book discussions, the Literacy Cafe transported students on an adventure through the pages of their favorite stories. Each day brought new opportunities for exploration, with students eagerly delving into book questions and quotes that

sparked their imagination.

The highlight of the event was an  assembly led by local author Jen Calonita, captivating seventh and eighth grade students with tales of her literary journey and insights into the writing process. Additionally, Calonita conducted exclusive writing workshops for each fifth and sixth grade class, empowering young minds to develop their storytelling prowess.

Central to the event's mission was the cultivation of a deep-seated love for reading and literacy. As students navigated through the library, they embarked on a "Discover, Explore, and Take a tour" of recently published books, immersing themselves in

a world of literary wonders. Actively participating in discussions, students savored a literary "book tasting," culminating in the exciting task of voting for their favorite titles.

The Literacy  Café’s success is a result of the vision and work of Mattlin's administration, the literacy team of Teri Polis, Rachel Diaz, Melissa Goscinski, Carina Hale, Pam Leeb, the generosity of the Mattlin PTA and the avid student-readers at MMS. Their commitment to nurturing a culture of literacy within the school community has paved the way for countless students to embark on lifelong journeys of discovery through the power of books.

Photo courtesy of Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District

Let Our Team Guide You Home

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