Students worked in groups to observe and explain how potential energy changes into kinetic energy using a domino chain reaction. During their lab, students set up their dominoes in a line or pattern. They were tasked with observing the dominoes standing upright and still (this is potential energy). Then, students were asked to tip the first domino into another and observe as the dominoes falling (this is kinetic energy) as the dominoes moved through the line. Later, everyone discussed their observations.
Dominoes are a great teaching tool for potential and kinetic energy because they make abstract physics ideas visible, simple and fun. That’s because when dominoes are standing upright in a line, they store potential energy --- energy waiting to happen.
But when a domino is tipped, that potential energy turns in to kinetic energy --- or motion. Each falling domino transfers energy to the next one. This can help students see the cause and effect of tipping dominoes and that energy doesn’t disappear, it just moves and changes form.
Congratulations to Junior and Girls Varsity Wrestler Sara Pauls, who is one of 12 student-athletes representing Section IX and 170 student-athletes statewide attending the upcoming New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Student Leadership Conference in mid-April in Albany!
Current sophomores and juniors will have the opportunity to sharpen their leadership skills by listening to presentations from a variety of speakers and participating in workshops to help positively influence their teams, athletic departments, schools, and communities.
“We look forward to having Sara share with her peers all the important information she will learn at this conference,” said Athletic Director Tim Bult. “We’re proud she’s representing Minisink Valley and Section IX.”
The idea of the conference was developed by the NYSPHSAA Student-Athlete Development Committee (SADC) several years ago with input from the NYSPHSAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
“This is a program we have been focused on developing for several years,” said Kristen Jadin, NYSPHSAA Assistant Director, in a statement. “We are a student-based organization and what better way to develop students than to have an in-person conference with outstanding speakers who can share their expertise.”
Just ask Carmela Sill’s ES kindergarteners, who were the recipients of a generous gift of pine cones and art supplies. Her little students have created some gorgeous, one-of-a-kind pieces! Take a peek!
Pine cones are natural, textured and easy to handle, which makes them perfect for creative play and artwork! They’re sensory friendly because of all the shapes and textures to explore and allow for fine motor skill practice, too! PLUS, there’s no right or wrong way to use them!
This team entered the tournament prepared and fearless. In Round 1, they dominated Section III’s Carthage with a decisive 50–17 victory. After a BYE round, they showed their dominance again in Round 2 with an emphatic 57–16 win over Section V’s Fairport. Each wrestler competed with toughness, pride and unity — never backing down, never giving less than everything he had.
As they always do, these 2026 Section IX Dual Meet Wrestling Champions represented Minisink Valley with honor, heart and distinction. Their work ethic, commitment to one another, and refusal to quit define what true champions look like. They are winners in every sense of the word!
Please join us in congratulating our incredible wrestlers, coaches, and everyone associated with the wrestling program on a truly spectacular season. This group has set the standard—and make no mistake, they will be back next year!
Mary Kelly’s ES second-graders worked together to create a bar graph documenting the class’s collective prediction of whether Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow on Groundhog Day today, Feb. 2!
They know a bar graph is a picture that uses solid bars to show and compare information, or data. It helps students to see which group has “the most” or “the least.” Taller or longer bars mean a bigger number, while shorter bars mean a smaller number.
In a 16-5 result, students felt Punxsutawney Phil would not see his shadow. For Groundhog Day lore believers, that means an early spring!
After the results were tallied, students chatted about the results, with some hoping for warmer weather to come soon while others didn’t. They also realized that warmer weather would mean there would be no more snow days!
It was a fun, seasonal activity tying in math! But Mrs. Kelly added an ELA and art/fine motor skills component to their work, asking them to write about their predictions, and then create their own gorgeous groundhogs!
Other “famous” groundhogs who are annually sought after for their prognostication expertise include: Ohio’s Buckeye Chuck, New York’s Staten Island Chuck, Quebec’s Fred la Marmotte and Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam!
Students used “POWER” and “TIDE” as part of their writing process and organization in addition to using their knowledge about the three parts of an essay in their work. (POWER and TIDE are simple acronyms used to help students remember how to organize and improve their writing)
Students created two drafts, did revisions and edits and then created a final hard copy. As an added learning experience, they were tasked with creating a slideshow to present to the class, which gave them experiences in creating presentations along with a chance to building on their growing public speaking skills. WELL-DONE to all!
•The POWER acronym stands for: P – Plan, O – Organize, W – Write, E – Edit and R – Revise.
•The TIDE acronym stands for T – Topic sentence, I – Important details and E – Ending sentence.
•The three parts of an essay are: the Introduction, the body and the conclusion.
Marjori Bobish’s ES transitional kindergarteners did, and they took some time to work through three different stations to complete three different types of puzzles!
There was more than puzzle fun involved, as you’d expect. Their work had a cognitive development component to it, as students had the opportunity to work on problem solving skills --- what strategies could they try until they found the pieces fit --- as well being attentive to remembering where the pieces fit.
There was the obvious fine motor skills work of using their fingers to pick up and place pieces as well visual-spatial skills of understanding how the puzzle shapes related to each other. Additionally, these little students had the chance to practice their growing patience and perseverance skills when they kept trying to see how the pieces would fit together.
Finished puzzles gave everyone a sense of accomplishment and created an opportunity to talk about their successes.
Artist Mary Blair was an American artist and designer, famous for her vibrant, modernist style that influenced Walt Disney's classic films like Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, and iconic attractions like Disney’s “It’s a Small World” slow boat ride at all its parks worldwide. She is thought of as shaping Disney's post-war aesthetic with bold colors, whimsical characters and imaginative compositions.
Students are engaging with familiar and unfamiliar song material as part of Unit 1 of the Conversational Solfege curriculum, which emphasizes sound-before-symbol learning, audiation and the gradual development of rhythmic literacy.
As part of this, students were practicing a clapping ostinato used to accompany the playground song “Money Honey.” Prior to this, students listened to Mr. Loretto model the song, reinforcing internalized pitch and steady beat before formal singing was introduced. This preparatory work supports rhythmic accuracy, ensemble skills, and musical independence as students prepare to learn and perform the song themselves later this month.
•Duple meter is a way music is organized using groups of two beats: Weak and strong. When young students learn about this, they’re learning to feel the beat, count aloud, emphasizing “beat 1,” and create and repeat simple patterns.
• Teaching decoding notation to second graders helps them to understand, perform, and create music independently, just as learning letters helps them read and write.
•A clapping ostinato is a short rhythm pattern that is clapped repeatedly while other music is happening.
Congratulations and best wishes to Varsity wrestling seniors Keira Filip, Jaida Macaluso and Avery Wingen, who were honored during the team's recent Senior Night!
THANK YOU for dedication, hard work and many contributions to the team's success!
Joan Giardina’s IS third-grade art students finished up their watercolor “wet-on-wet” winterscape paintings with the inclusion of adorable forest critters to complete their work! Aren’t they just too cute?
FINALLY! SNOW!
We bet there's a lot of new snowmen adorning the yards of many of our students! Jenn DiSimone's ES first-graders are quite experienced with making snowmen, as they recently practiced a variation of building their own snowman in class (and it was a great opportunity to further refine fine motor skills!)
PLUS, as a clever ELA component to their work, students were asked to "name" their snowman and complete a Q&A sheet as if they were interviewing that snowman. Too adorable!
As texts become more complex, students benefit from structured collaboration because comprehension, discussion, and critical-thinking are important academic tools in upper grades!
Erin Andersen’s Otisville kindergarten library students learned some tips about how to do just that when she read Adam Wallace’s “How to Catch a Snowman” to them. The book tells the story of the "Catch Club Kids," who build a snowman for a contest, but it magically comes to life and runs away, leading to a winter-themed chase with clever traps to catch it!
REMINDER: Reading to young students supports their learning, language development, and love of reading at a critical stage in their growth! Plus, they get a good story—which makes learning fun and memorable! A great story can spark laughter, imagination, and a lifelong love of books all at once!
Who doesn't love a good Burrito Bowl?
Support the High School's Step Dance Team and dine at Chipotle in Middletown! Details are below!
Take a peek at Stephanie Giufre’s Otisville second through fifth-grade students and how good they are at playing this unique combination of pickleball and badminton!
"PickleMinton" gives players the strung racquet feel of badminton and tennis, the ease of play and low impact of pickleball, and the excitement of table tennis!
Students learn paddle and volleying skills with a net sport and had some intense one-on-one games in round robin style with the winner being crowned “King or Queen of the Mountain!”
Some classes even had guest players School Resource Officer Jamie Johnson and Security Guard Brendan Hoolan showing off their skills!
PLAY BALL! Support the PTO and have a great time at a New York Yankees game at this fun PTO fundraiser!
New York Yankees vs. Miami Marlins!
--- Saturday, April 4
--- 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium
--- Tickets: $45 each for Terrace Level seating
--- Online ticket sales close March 1
--- Tickets will be delivered digitally to the email address provided.
--- Transportation is NOT provided.
Purchase tickets here: https://minisink-pto-yankee-game.square.site/
A graphic organizer is a simple visual tool that helps students organize their thoughts and information so learning is easier to understand and remember. Teachers use graphic organizers to help kids plan writing, understand reading, and sort ideas.
