I am writing this newsletter from Albany where, along with other members of the ELA Content Advisory Panel, which I chair, we have been working to assist in final review of this year’s English Regents Exam. This will be the second year of administration of the Common Core Regents Exam.
In response to our feedback from the field, the New York State Education Curriculum Department is working on instructional scaffolds to support differentiated learning needs in grades 3-8. Our panel also had the opportunity to review and comment on this preliminary work.
Snow Heroes
This has been a most challenging winter!
In spite of the many storms, our District is so fortunate to have our custodial and maintenance staff and facilities department. Due to their efforts, our children and staff have been able to attend school in a safe manner, even with the difficult weather conditions.
A big shout out to these dedicated staff members, who have been in district clearing snow and ice in the most difficult of conditions, sometimes coming in at 4:30 AM and sometimes even working through the night. To all of these dedicated staff members … please know how much your expertise and efforts are appreciated.
Upcoming Budget Meetings
• Wednesday, March 18 – 7:30 PM – Budget Workshop #4 – A line-by-line review of the budget – in Wheatley Room 450
• Wednesday, March 25 – 7:30 PM – Budget Workshop #5 – Budget Deliberations – in Room 450 at Wheatley
• Monday, March 30 – 7:30 PM – Final Budget Deliberations and Special Meeting for the purpose of Adoption of Budget & Property Tax Card – in Wheatley Room 450
• Monday, May 11 – 7:30 PM – Public Budget Hearing – in the Wheatley Auditorium
Budget Update
On Monday, March 2, the Board of Education held its second Budget Workshop. Our principals presented highlights of their school programs and information about the recommended 2015-16 budget specific to their school building.
The Wheatley School Budget
Presentation Summary
Wheatley Principal Dr. Sean C. Feeney highlighted our high school’s various recognitions including being consistently ranked in the top 1% of high schools by various national rankings and being recognized by New York State as a Reward School for having among the highest student performance with no significant gaps. Also noted were the many student accomplishments including national recognition for our students in last year’s National History Day Competition, our 141 AP Scholars, our Siemens and Intel Semifinalists and our students’ garnering of regional and state music and art awards, as well as all of our fall and winter varsity teams earning New York State Scholar Athlete Team Recognitions.
Consistent with our District’s emphasis on development of the “whole child,” Dr. Feeney also highlighted the various community interactions of our students including the Annual Walk-a-thon, sponsored by the Wheatley Key Club, that raised more than $8,000 for local charities, the efforts of the C.A.R.E. Club that raised over $30,000 for cancer research and the many service activities during Wheatley’s Day of Service and Learning that engaged all students and faculty.
This 2015-16 budget continues to support Wheatley’s growing Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual High School/College Credit Programs.
Dr. Feeney highlighted Wheatley’s participation rate in the AP program as significantly greater than the average participation rate for Nassau County. In addition, while the NYS average passing rate on AP exams was 17.7% and the Nassau County average passing rate was 71%, Wheatley’s passing rate was 78% even as it included a broader population of students taking these courses than many other schools.
The 2015-16 Budget supports several new courses at Wheatley next year including the addition of AP Art History, expansion of our PLTW Engineering program and Robotics.
The recommended budget includes expansion of the one to one Chromebook Initiative to 9th grade with our current 8th graders taking their Chromebooks to 9th grade and the purchase of additional Chromebooks for the incoming eighth grade.
Next year’s Wheatley budget also continues to support such special programs as the Wheatley-Long Island Philharmonic partnership, our Mock Trial program, our SWS, School Within A School Program, Robotics Competitions, Science Olympiad and Peer Leadership Program.
Willets Road School
Budget Presentation Summary
Willets Road Principal Stephen Kimmel discussed this year’s instructional highlights at Willets Road including the implementation of reading benchmarking, the leveled literacy intervention program designed to close the gap for students reading below grade level, the introduction of the National History Day research project into Grade 7, the continuation of the LitLife/Reading/Writing Workshop program in grade 5 and enrichment classes for all students in grades 6 and 7 that include such experiences as computer technology, magnificent math, mysteries in history, conflicts and controversies, forensic science studio art, sculpture, digital art and photography, drawing and painting, and Broadway Stars.
Mr. Kimmel highlighted just a few of the middle school interscholastic athletic teams with photographs in his powerpoint presentation, the combined Wheatley-Carle Place middle school football program, the boys middle school basketball team and the girls middle school soccer team and noted that 75 percent of our combined 7th and 8th grade students participate in the Interscholastic Athletic Program.
Additionally, 96 percent of Willets Road students participate in the music program. The building’s commitment to the whole child was demonstrated with such programs as SPARK, Red Ribbon Week, Outdoor Education and the building’s developmental guidance program.
In the recommended 2015-16 budget all instructional programs are maintained. Two additional teachers are added to the budget to provide dedicated ELA and math support in grades 5 and 6. Additional time for English Language Arts will be added to the sixth grade schedule. New Chromebooks are provided for school use. The intramurals program returns to grade 5. A robotics club is fully implemented and the development and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards in grades 5 and 6 continues, as well as an enhanced research program in grades 5, 6 and 7.
North Side School
Budget Presentation Summary
North Side principal Jim Bloomgarden highlighted the current North Side program. This included: the continued revision of the math modules, expanded Fundations word study program into grade 3 and the introduction of the LitLife workshop program, initiated at Willets Road in grade 5 last year, into grades 3 and 4 programs this school year. Students’ participation in coding lessons was also noted as an aspect of this year’s Technology Instructional program. Additionally, Mr. Bloomgarden highlighted the many North Side students’ who participate in New York State School Music Association.
Continuing the commitment to students’ social and emotional development, the expansion of the Second Step Character Education Program to include all grades 1-4 was detailed, as were the various service activities including the Little Doctors Program (New York Blood Center program) and student projects that benefitted such programs as Meals on Wheels, the INN (the Interfaith Nutrition Network) and Nassau County Valentines for Vets.
The recommended 2015-16 budget for North Side maintains all present programs and includes replacement furniture, the purchase of new non-fiction and fiction books to support ELA, Social Studies and Science in the library, classroom libraries for grades K-4, the purchase of additional Chromebook carts, an expanded STEM night, an additional classroom teacher to maintain current class sizes, continued development and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards units, an additional Academic Support teacher and expanded support in English as a Second Language as well as expanded special education program offerings.
For a complete look at the powerpoint presentations from Monday’s Budget Workshop #2 and other budget presentations, go to the district website at www.ewsdonline.org > scroll down the left side navigation bar and click on 15-16 Budget Info.
Multicultural Surveys
Sometime in the next two weeks we will be sending home a survey seeking information about your family’s cultural/ethnic background in order to help us prepare for the Educational Advisory Committee’s Multicultural Celebration on Saturday, May 30. In preparation for our celebration, we are interested in learning about the rich diversity of cultural and ethnic backgrounds that comprise the East Williston School District community.
Once we find out about the many countries and cultures represented, we will share them in a variety of ways including a display of flags on our website and various building exhibitions.
Included in the survey will be questions regarding languages, in addition to English, that you are fluent in. We are seeking volunteers to help us welcome and familiarize parents new to our community who are most comfortable speaking/understanding another language.
Surveys will be sent home to parents at North Side and Willets Road. Wheatley students will be filling out the surveys themselves.
Willets Road SPARK Week
On Friday, Febr. 27, students at Willets Road celebrated SPARK Day 2015.
The day began with an assembly for students and teachers. Willets Road Principal Stephen Kimmel and Willets Road Dean Dr. Joseph Coladonato discussed the meaning of SPARK, Success, Pride, Actions, Respect and Kindness, which was introduced to Willets Road in 2010. Everyone watched a video on “paying it forward” and took the SPARK pledge.
Students, in their SPARK T-shirts, celebrated the day and took part in teacher-led activities. The SUCCESS activity had students cut out keys, which were decorated with words highlighting the “keys to their success.”
Teachers attached the keys to large locks that were posted on classroom doors.
The PRIDE activity saw our students thinking about what they were most proud of in their lives, putting it on sentence strips in anticipation of linking them throughout the school. The ACTION activity involved the collection of loose change by students throughout the week. The class that raised the most money in each grade, according to weight, competed against teachers in a volleyball game, cheered on by each grade. Congratulations to Vanessa DiMascio’s class (5th grade), Sloane Sepe’s class (6th grade) and Dr. Mary Beth Collins-Cook’s class (7th grade) who collected the most change and competed against their teachers.
The money will be donated to a student in the district who is currently undergoing chemotherapy and her family. Students in all grades wrote thank you cards to police officers, firefighters and soldiers as part of their RESPECT activity. The KINDNESS activity had students creating care packages, out of the items collected over the entire SPARK week, for the North Shore-LIJ Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center (formerly known as Schneider Children’s Hospital). The day ended, as it began, with a school-wide assembly, viewing of a montage of photographs taken throughout the day and a recap of all of the day’s events.
Friday evening, Willets Road held a “Special Edition Friday Night Rec” for both 6th and 7th grade students. The focus of this night was to raise money for a student in our district who is currently undergoing cancer treatment.
Over the course of SPARK Week and the week following the break, members of the student government raised money by selling tickets and bracelets during their lunch periods. In addition, T-shirts were sold to help increase awareness.
Thank you to the SPARK Committee for coordinating and planning the week’s activities.
A special thank you to Jerry Pokrywka for taking care of the videos and photographs throughout the day, Head Custodian Chris Doyle and cleaner Steve Szczepanski for prepping all the spaces used, guidance counselor Karen Stein for scheduling all the activities and music teacher Scott Hoefling for coordinating musicians throughout the day.
The “Special Edition Friday Nite Rec” was a huge success as well. Thank you Arlene Kuchcicki, Bridget Lennon and Kristin Griswold for helping with Friday Night. And thank you to our 8th grade students, Dan Fox, Eyal Yerushalami, and Alex Fuller who proposed the idea for the Friday Night Rec fundraiser.
A special thank you to the Willets Road staff and administration and to Dr. Coladonato for his oversight and leadership of this special SPARK week.
Jump Rope for Hearts A Success
Once again North Side students and the physical education department have combined learning a healthy lifestyle with helping other kids with heart health issues. North Side students and their families and staff have raised more than $14,900.00 this year for this American Heart Association fundraiser. Thank you North Side!
Reminder: Little Shop of Horrors – March 26 – 28
Students in the Wheatley Theater Company are in the last weeks of rehearsal for their presentation of Little Shop of Horrors. Performances will take place on Thursday, March 26, Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 at 7:30 PM with a Saturday, March 28 matinee at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets are on sale on the website at www.ewsdonline.org > go to left navigation bar and hover over Wheatley Theater Company. The tickets are $10 and free for our senior citizens. If you would like to place an ad in the program, go to the website and follow the directions above for tickets, however, click on program ads.
Congratulations and Commendations
Nassau County Wrestling
Champion
Congratulations to Wheatley sophomore Shawn Mosca, who won the Nassau County wrestling championship for Division 2 in the 160 pound weight class. Shawn recently competed at the State Championships in Albany.
Geography Bee Champ
To Compete At State Championship
Congratulations to Brooke Schwartz, our eighth grade Geography Bee Champ, who has been invited to compete at the New York State National Geography Bee on March 27, 2015 at the New York State Museum in Albany. Brooke’s invite to the state bee comes as a result of her being the eighth grade champion and her high score on a written test provided by the National Geography Bee competition. Congratulations and good luck Brooke!
Addition to Athletic Awards
Congratulations to Austin Pomerantz who received a Spirit Award for the JV Boys Basketball team at the Winter Sports Awards held on February 24. Austin’s name was inadvertently left out of my newsletter last week.
Have a Good Weekend
As always, please email me at kanase@ewsdonline.org or call me at 333-3758 with any questions, suggestions and/or any topics you would like to see in this newsletter.
