E Williston commends ‘Parent University’

Elaine Kanas

Congratulations to Parent University!

Many, many thanks to Mary Harrison, director of guidance, and the parents and teachers who worked many hours to create our Parent University. It was a wonderful opportunity for the adults in our school community to “go back to school” to gain new insight on how to best support our children.  

Workshops were varied and on many important topics that ranged from Motivating Your Child to Succeed to Speaking to Your Child about Traumatic Events. The workshop I attended, Healthy Body Image and Nutrition, was informative and involved new perspectives about how to support our children and students in having a healthy body image. 

 

Sequestration and the East Williston School District 

Beginning March 2013, $85 billions’ worth of across-the-board cuts began to take place in the United States, mandated by a Federal 2011 deficit reduction law. School districts are affected by these cuts (known as sequestration) by a reduction in their Title funds (grant funds provided by the Federal government to individual states).

We have just received final confirmation of our district’s reduction in federal grant funds.  As a result of sequestration, this year’s summer reading support program, which is fully funded by title funds, will not take place. The program, a voluntary program for elementary students who it was anticipated might benefit from additional reading support, took place twice weekly, for four weeks in the summer.   

While we regret not being able to continue with this program this summer as a result of cuts in the grant funding, we are enthusiastic about our plans to support a further developed Response to Intervention and targeted support programs during the school year which these students will be able to participate in and benefit from.

(Please note the reduction in Title funds only affects the Elementary, General Education Summer Reading Program, not the Special Education Summer program.)

 

Question about the Current 2012-13 Calendar and Emergency Days

Some people were wondering if, since we took back three days from the February break, and we ended up not having any additional emergency closing days, was there going to be an additional vacation day before the end of the school year.  At Monday’s Board of Education Meeting I provided an explanation regarding our use of emergency days to accommodate days lost to Hurricane Sandy and this year’s amended school calendar 

School districts need to be in session a minimum of 180 days (which can include some Superintendent Conference Days).  School districts generally are in session longer than the minimum state requirement.  

Our calendar this year established 184 days; 182 school days and two Superintendent Conference Days.   

We used six emergency closing days, resulting in 178 school days in total.  We needed to make up two days.  

However, the board took three days from the February break just in case there was more snow that would necessitate another school day closing. That brought us to 181 school days, one more than we needed but three less than our original school year calendar.  Even though we have one more day than mandated by law, we still have three days less than our original school calendar, so we don’t have a “give back day.”

 

Strategic Planning Priority Survey

To date we have received approximately 360 responses. While we are happy that so many of you have responded, we need to hear from more of you!  If you still have the copy of the survey you received in the mail at home, you can fill it out and mail it in this weekend.  Or you can go to our Web site at www.ewsdonline.org and click on Strategic Planning Initiative in the NewsBox and follow the link to the Strategic Planning page and take the survey online.  

The deadline is next week.

Speaking of the Strategic Planning Priority Survey, Why is the Strategic Planning Committee Asking Me to Prioritize Core Subject Areas?

The purpose of our five year strategic planning is to identify priority areas which will help in directing limited resources.  

Regardless of the Strategic Planning Survey Input, the district will continue to meet all state requirements in all program areas.  If, for example, you choose a content area such as ELA or Math as a lower priority area that does not mean the District will no longer teach ELA or Math.  

It simply means that this is an area that you feel the District only needs to maintain or manage moving forward. 

The content area or topic you choose as high priority is one that you want the District to focus more attention on in the future.

The Wheatley School: Recipient of New York State Council on the Arts Maritime Studies Grant

In the 2012-13 school year, Wheatley’s College Regional Studies Program, in cooperation with Long Island Traditions (a non-profit organization), won a New York State Council on the Arts Maritime Studies Grant. 

The grant, the only maritime program supported by NYSCA, is part of a new program at Wheatley that explores the sustainability of maritime culture in the age of Sandy and the decline of commercial and recreational fishing on Long Island.   

In addition to classroom instruction and discussions, students learn directly from fishermen and baymen about the ecological, political and economic challenges in the bay and fishing industries. They also learn how scientists and fishermen have collaborated and differed on seeking solutions.  Throughout the year the students learned directly from guest lectures, local active fishermen and baymen.  

On April 8 the Regional Studies students along with students from the AP Environmental Science classes and Wheatley’s technology programs, engaged in a four hour hands-on workshop with eight of Long Island’s tradition bearers. 

The students also traveled to the working waterfront of Glenwood Landing and Oyster Bay to meet with fishermen and examine the restoration of the historic oyster boat, the Ida May.  

Culminating projects for the grant will include podcasts (linked to the Wheatley and LI Traditions Web sites) and a photograph exhibit based on their interviews and experiences.  For further information see the Long Island Traditions’ website at www.longislandtraditions.org .

 

Upcoming Events

Tonight, Friday, April 26 – Wheatley’s Tri-M hosts “Puttin’ on the Ritz” in the Wheatley Cafeteria at 7:00 p.m.

Monday, April 29 – Wheatley Science Research Symposium at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 1 – Board of Education Work Session & Special Meeting at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 2 – East Williston Education Foundation Simmons Awards Coffee House honoring Sabine Knakal, Maria Slobodskoy and Tom Fitzpatrick in the Wheatley Cafeteria at 7:00 p.m.

 

Have a Good Weekend 

Please e-mail me at kanase@ewsdonline.org or call 333-3782 with any questions, suggestions, and or any topics you would like to see for this newsletter.  


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