_______ Malverne/West HeMpstead ______
HERALD Also serving Lakeview
Fraternity brothers perform
SEPTA Winterfest is a hoiiday hit
lakeview gathers for tree lighitng
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Vol. 31 No. 51
DECEMBER 12 - 18, 2024
$1.00
A Christmas tree shines bright in Malverne village By TAYloR GRAYSoN tgrayson@liherald.com
Christine Rivera/Herald
Domenico, 11, and Matteo, 6, Marletta at the Malverne tree lighting with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.
Malverne’s annual tree lighting festival is one of the village’s most popular annual events, and last Saturday’s lighting topped a day that was jam-packed with things to do, starting at noon and ending at 8 p.m., a couple of hours after the tree was switched on. Roughly 2,000 people turned out, and enjoyed the event in the company of members of the Malverne police and fire departments, local elected officials and business owners. Santa and his sleigh made an appearance as well, as traffic was kept clear of Hempstead Avenue and a number of its vehicular tributaries. Lori Guida, longtime village resident, is a hostess at Our Town Grille on Hempstead Avenue, which served up hot cocoa, entrees, candy and more to hungry patrons during the Christmas extravaganza. “Malverne is a Hallmark movie … and just the best town to grow up in,” Guida said. “You can always come ContinueD on page 2
School district’s universal pre-K back for a 3rd year By TAYloR GRAYSoN tgrayson@liherald.com
For the third year in a row, the Malverne school district will be offering a universal pre-K program for the village’s 4-year-olds — and enrollment has just begun for the 2025-26 school year. The current school year is the second year of the district’s UPK program, which has been offered at two locations — Nottingham Academy, at 12 Nottingham Road in Malverne, and Tutor Time, at 131 Main St. in East Rockaway. The program is 10 months long, from September to June,
and operates like a regular school day. Enrollment for the next school year began on Dec. 1, and parents can sign up their children at the district website. The interest level for the upcoming school year has already surpassed previous years, much to the delight of the organizers who want to get more students enrolled in this program. There are 38 students re gistered for the cur rent school year. “We have never in this district been able to offer pre-K because we have no physical space in our buildings,” Malverne Superintendent Lorna Lewis said. “We sought to part-
ner with Tutor Time last year, and they offered us the opportunity to do it again this year with additional programs. We went from having none three years ago to a potential 90 seats available.” They are hoping to fill all those seats. Vincent Romano and Daniel Balzan, who both serve as the assistant superintendents for educational services at Malverne, applied for the grant to make the universal pre-K program a reality, and have spearheaded the entire effort to bring it to fruition. “We have direct evidence that students who benefit from this prog ram are far more
ready for kindergarten,” Romano said. “They come in knowing their numbers, letters and names. They know how to interact socially. They’re light years ahead of students who have not had a pre-K program.” The UPK program is five hours a day, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m., during which time students lear n
math, creative arts, STEM activities and more. They also have a standard break time in which they can nap, as well as eat lunch and snacks. “They have our students ready,” Balzan said. “Having letter recognition, sound recognition and numbers is exactly what we want them to be able ContinueD on page 11