Polk Street School’s fifth grade classes learned about the judicial system with a fun fairytale twist, as they presented “The Trial of Goldilocks,” from March 27-28.

The program is presented by Hofstra University professor Glen Vogel, also known as Mr. Lawyer Dude. Each fifth grade class prepared for the mock trial over the course of approximately four weeks, with students assigned roles of the bailiff, attorneys, police officers and famous fairytale characters. Goldilocks was accused of trespassing, stealing items and breaking property at the Three Bears’ residence. Each week of the program, students were introduced to fundamental legal concepts and ideas.

At the conclusion of the program, the students were prepared to present a mock trial. Families were invited to attend, and fourth grade classes served as the jury. The students perfectly recited their parts and delivered comedic lines to laughs from the audience. This annual program is provided by the school’s PTA.

Date Added: 4/1/2025

Polk Street School first graders in Ms. Marinuzzi’s class created their own leprechaun catchers to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

Date Added: 3/19/2025

Polk Street School first graders learned how to identify physical traits on birds and experimented with “beaks” during their STEAM Lab lesson on Jan. 30.

STEAM Lab teacher Melissa Geiger presented the class with images of baby birds and a few options for its parent. The class identified similar traits, such as the beak, eyes and feet, to link the baby bird to its correct parent bird.

With their newfound knowledge of birds, the students experimented with different “beaks,” using spoons, pipettes, tweezers and chopsticks to represent pelicans, hummingbirds, blackbirds and herons, respectively. They tested each “beak” to see which could pick up the most “worms” (rubber bands). 

The students counted their “worms” and recorded their results on a bar graph. As a class, they discussed which bird they believe most likely eats worms according to their data. The students unanimously deduced that the blackbird eats worms.

Date Added: 2/4/2025