Dear Lockhart Families: Next week is Homecoming Spirit Week and we have some fun dress up days planned. Every school is taking part to show their Massapequa spirit! Monday starts with Pajama Day! The rest of the week is in the link below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tyKrluy8iTUpfClcqI3Cl2jv9llQ8NGI/view?usp=sharing
Dear 5th Grade Chorus Families: We know there have been some questions about the morning rehearsal on 10/7, which is also Walk/Bike to School Day. While that is a fun mini event before arrival, the rehearsal they have is extremely important, as they are preparing for the Veterans Day Ceremony. There are only a few rehearsals left and the students are still working on the learning the songs. Ms. Petz stressed the importance of everyone being there that morning, but does understand students might want to be outside. She is going to release any student who wants to go to the arrival area at 8:30 so they can take part in the activities before coming inside. Please do not have your child miss the rehearsal strictly to go to the PTA event instead. They will still be able to park their bike before rehearsal as the gate will be open and we will let them in the K/1 dismissal door. Thank you for your understanding and we are looking forward to a fun Walk/Bike To School event and our Veterans Day Ceremony.
Dear Lockhart Families: One of our most celebrated activities during the year is the PTA Reflections contest. Every year, students from around the nation join in the PTA Reflections contest, to display their artistic ability and creativity by creating drawings, poems, photography, dance routines, and musical performances. This year's theme is "What My Culture Means To Me." Students are encouraged to create an original work of art in the areas of Visual Arts, Literature, Dance Choreography, Photography, Film Production, and/or Music Composition. All participants will be celebrated and receive an award and gift card courtesy of the Lockhart PTA! Please see the links below to the Reflections paperwork. All submissions are due by Monday, 11/2 and we will have our Reflections ceremony to celebrate all of the work done by our students on April 13, 2027.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a4zrfEaQEFlEdUu5lpJ7AEs_FgImiPos/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CTVtSn_ha4f1LEs5xKGGS8s6bUlGwq2Q/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-futS9c6jKLrTNoH9KSptZ5Gor0kV3SD/view?usp=sharing
Dear Lockhart Families: Tomorrow is the last day to send in your older backpacks for the With Purpose Foundation "Give Back Backpack" collection. We want to thank everyone who sent in a backpack and supplies, as all of this benefits students in need. It's not too late to send in if you have not already. Students can bring the backpacks and supplies to the main lobby and place them in the bins. We are very excited to host the district wide ceremony on October 7, where every backpack that was donated in all 9 buildings will be brought to Lockhart. Our 5th graders will be taking part in the celebration along with members of the BOE, District Admin, school Principals, local politicians, and other important members of the foundation. While families are not allowed to attend, we will be sure to take and send out plenty of photos.
Dear Lockhart Families: Next week is Homecoming Week and every school joins in the fun. We have some fun Spirit Days set up and the calendar for the week is below. We hope you all join in and show your school spirit!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tyKrluy8iTUpfClcqI3Cl2jv9llQ8NGI/view?usp=sharing
Dear Kindergarten Families: We know the beginning of the year can be challenging for our newest students. Some don’t want to wake up, some don’t want to get dressed, some don’t want to come to school, and some don’t want to leave mommy and daddy. We understand the struggle. At the same time, we know there are many kids who are excited to walk in the building every day. We have faced some challenges this year with morning arrival and we are doing our best in the building to help. Some students are demonstrating heightened levels of distress, including crying, yelling, and attempts to exit the classroom. While we utilize every tool and staff member we have, it is important that the home routine helps make that part of the day smoother.
Our wonderful Social Worker, Ms. Pusateri, has put together resources and strategies that you can use at home to help make morning arrival for your child a more positive experience. Please review the attached resource as it is full of helpful information. Also, we want to extend an invitation to our Kindergarten parents to our next PTA meeting on October 7. Ms. Pusateri will be joining us to deliver a brief presentation highlighting some of these helpful ideas. You will also be able to ask questions.
We don’t want coming to school to be a battle for our youngest learners. Each classroom and every teacher have all that they need to make every day special. Please consider reading and using these tools and joining us on October 7.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TEFm7MbsEuLJoxfrgriME3i5HhYiMsT3/view?usp=sharing
Grades K-2 Reading Under the Lights Update
Dear Grade K-2 Parents/Guardians,
The Reading Under the Lights event scheduled for October 5, 2026 has been relocated to the Massapequa High School Main Campus Football Field.
Enrollment is filling quickly, but a limited number of spaces are still available for K-2 students. To register, please use the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HhIL7f7h_Q8_v9WHp-w6HnVNpb5sX0EF/view?usp=sharing
All registered participants will receive a follow-up communication later this week with event confirmation and additional details.
We look forward to an exciting evening of reading and community spirit!
Sincerely,
The Massapequa School District
Dear 4th and 5th Grade Families: Below is the link to sign up for the PTA Make A Wish Paint-A-Ceiling Tile fundraiser. Remember, this is for 4th and 5th grade students only and is limited to one per family. It is first come, first served. Once the 25 slots are full, there will be no more tiles for the time being. Once the signup is complete, details will be sent to the families. Thank you for always supporting our Make A Wish campaign!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084DA8AC23A7FBC25-66185700-ptamake
Dear K-2 Parents/Guardians,
We are excited to invite your child to participate in a special literacy event that celebrates school spirit, reading, and the joy of books!
Space is limited, and advance registration is required. Enrollment will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage families to sign up as soon as possible.
Event Information: Flyer
Register here: Registration Form
We look forward to sharing this exciting literacy experience with our young readers!
Sincerely,
Massapequa School District
Dear Grade 4 and Grade 5 Families:
We are so proud to be entering our 38th year of Make A Wish at Lockhart. We are the longest sponsoring school in the entire country, and every year we are so grateful for the generosity of our community.
We are always thinking of new and exciting ways to collect donations towards our fundraising efforts. This year, we are excited to announce a new idea that will not only raise money towards Make A Wish but also beautify the school. Our PTA will be running a Make A Wish Paint-A-Ceiling Tile fundraiser. Students in 4th and 5th grade will be able to purchase and paint a ceiling tile that will go in our Library and hallways. Our wonderful Art teacher, Ms. Ahearne will be working with the students to paint pre-sketched ceiling tiles with book covers or favorite characters. Each tile costs $40 and we are limited to 25 tiles. These tiles will remain in our ceiling for years to come and will always be a part of our Make A Wish journey.
This fundraiser will be open to 4th and 5th grade students only and will also be limited to one per family. A link will be sent out Friday at 5:00 and it is on first-come first-served basis. Once the 25 spots are filled, no more tiles can be sold. All painting will take place on Monday or Friday mornings at 8:00 in the Art room. More details about that will come after the tiles have been sold. This is an amazing opportunity for our students, and we can’t wait to see the process unfold!
Dear Lockhart Families: Our 3rd annual Give Back Backpack Drive is ongoing and off to a great start! This amazing charity drive will run through the month of September, and even more amazing, is that this year, every school in Massapequa will be participating! This wonderful charity drive benefits the With Purpose Foundation and will give these backpacks to students and schools in need. It's very simple, go through your closets or attic and find your old back packs to donate. There will be bins in the main lobby where the students can drop them off. You can also add new or unused school supplies into the back packs to help further the drive. This year's goal is to collect 1000 backpacks district wide and over $5000 of school supplies! Please consider giving to this amazing foundation. Below is a link to the flyer with more information.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AxoQRfDYbsIb7NVwMP3hXocw-_hJeQVP/view?usp=sharing
Dear Elementary Families,
At Massapequa, we are committed to helping every student grow as both a learner and a leader. We believe that each child has unique strengths, interests, passions, and potential, and it is our responsibility to create learning environments where all students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. By recognizing and supporting the whole child, we help students build the confidence, skills, and mindset needed to succeed in school and beyond.
Just as we intentionally build strong foundations in literacy and mathematics, we recognize the importance of helping children develop the social and emotional skills that support their daily growth and long-term development. By intentionally teaching children to recognize, understand, label, express, and regulate their emotions, we empower them to make thoughtful choices, build positive relationships, develop self-awareness, and take responsibility for their actions and behaviors. These foundational skills support both academic achievement and personal well-being, helping children become confident, capable learners and leaders.
Our schools have long recognized the importance of social-emotional learning and character development as essential components of educating the whole child. Through the collaborative work of the District’s Social-Emotional Learning Committee, RULER was identified as a common framework to strengthen and align these efforts across our elementary schools. This shared approach will provide students with consistent language, tools, and experiences that support their social, emotional, and academic growth.
Our teachers, administrators, and staff have and will continue to receive comprehensive training and are excited to introduce RULER tools, key vocabulary, and social-emotional learning strategies to students throughout the school year. The first two tools that you may hear your child mention are the Charter and the Mood Meter.
The Charter is a collaboratively developed agreement (sometimes referred to as a class agreement or constitution) that helps define how members of a classroom or school community want to feel, what actions and behaviors support those feelings, and how everyone will work together to create a positive, respectful, and supportive environment. The Charter serves as a foundation for building strong relationships and fostering a sense of belonging in the classroom.
The Mood Meter is a tool that helps students recognize, understand, and label their emotions or others (such as characters in a story) by identifying how they and others are feeling and reflecting on the energy of those emotions and the associated response. By developing a richer emotional vocabulary and greater self-awareness, students become better equipped to express their feelings, manage and embrace challenges, and make thoughtful decisions throughout the day.
Together, these tools help create a common language around emotions and relationships, supporting students as they develop the self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation skills needed to succeed both in and out of the classroom. Our goal is to give students the time and guidance they need to become confident, capable and empowered learners and leaders.
We believe that strong partnerships between schools and families are essential to supporting student success. Throughout the year, we will offer opportunities for parents and caregivers to learn more about RULER and the ways it can support children both at school and at home. When schools and families work together to support children's academic, social, and emotional growth, students benefit enormously. We look forward to partnering with you as we continue to build a school community where every child is encouraged to discover their strengths, pursue their passions, develop the skills needed to flourish and recognize the leader within themselves.
Sincerely,
The Massapequa School District
Dear Lockhart Families: Below is the link to purchase plants from the PTA Fall Plant Sale. This is one of the best fundraisers our PTA runs and the plants are amazing. The last day to order is 9/17.
https://my.cheddarup.com/c/2026-rjl-pta-fall-plant-sale-copy-83364/items
Dear Lockhart Families: Every year, teachers and staff offer a number of After School Clubs to students in Grades 3-5. These are great ways to be involved in activities they love and spend time with friends. There is a link below to the form to sign up for the clubs. In the event there are more interested students than available openings in a club, a lottery system will be used to determine participation in any given club. Prior to the first meeting, the club advisor will send confirmation of your child’s participation and a detailed schedule. To ensure that all children have a chance to participate, as well as maintain effective student-to-teacher ratio, students may only partake in a maximum of two clubs. There is more information in the link. The deadline to sign up for a club is next Friday, September 25.
Dear Lockhart Families: Tomorrow is our PTA Back To School Bash from 4:00-7:00 on the back field. It is a great way to kick off the year by spending time with family and friends. Our PTA has a number of things lined up for the bash, including a DJ, free pizza, ice cream for the students, and our beginning of year Book Fair! Be sure to stop by and purchase books to get your children reading books they love! The more money we raise, the more money goes to the school to purchase books for the classrooms. There will also be game trucks, inflatable games, and Lockhart merch for sale. While here, please be sure to keep an eye on your children. There is a lot of people and we want to make sure everyone is safe. See the flyer below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JLYbmMRfrrsnbUMTYxqfQab7jPejQzSC/view?usp=sharing
Dear Lockhart Families: Our 3rd annual Give Back Backpack Drive is ongoing and off to a great start! This amazing charity drive will run through the month of September, and even more amazing, is that this year, every school in Massapequa will be participating! This wonderful charity drive benefits the With Purpose Foundation and will give these backpacks to students and schools in need. It's very simple, go through your closets or attic and find your old back packs to donate. There will be bins in the main lobby where the students can drop them off. You can also add new or unused school supplies into the back packs to help further the drive. This year's goal is to collect 1000 backpacks district wide and over $5000 of school supplies! Please consider giving to this amazing foundation. Below is a link to the flyer with more information.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AxoQRfDYbsIb7NVwMP3hXocw-_hJeQVP/view?usp=sharing
Dear Lockhart Families: The first Monday of the month is always our School Spirit Day! For the month of September, that is this coming Monday, September 14. On these days, we invite everyone to wear their Lockhart gear or Massapequa colors. Get ready to show your Lockhart pride! Below is a link with the dates to all of our School Spirit Days for the school year.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zz_EFyqbpxoyY44MhfyE4__3PRG5w65a/view?usp=sharing
Dear Lockhart Families: Below is the link to purchase plants from the PTA Fall Plant Sale. This is one of the best fundraisers our PTA runs and the plants are amazing. The last day to order is 9/17.
https://my.cheddarup.com/c/2026-rjl-pta-fall-plant-sale-copy-83364/items
Dear Lockhart Families: It is hard to believe that this Friday is the 25th anniversary of 9/11. While no students were alive during this time, it is important that they understand why we acknowledge this day and honor those that were affected. On Friday, which is now known as Patriot Day, we invite all staff and students to wear red, white, and blue to honor this day. This is a small way we can show our appreciation and love to our country.
Dear Lockhart Families: Over the next week, we will continue to practice our safety drills, including a Lockdown drill and fire drills. These are extremely important and always done in a safe, organized way. We will also inform the students and staff as to when the drills will take place. Today will be our first Lockdown Drill of the year.