BOE Adopts
2015-16 Budget
At the March 30 Board of Education final budget deliberations and special meeting for the purpose of adoption of budget and property tax report card, the board unanimously adopted a 2015-16 district budget. The public will have an opportunity to vote on the 2015-16 budget, on May 19 from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. in the Wheatley gymnasium. Remaining below the allowable New York State property tax cap levels, the budget-to-budget increase is 1.68 percent and the levy-to-levy increase is 1.80 percent.
The budget maintains current programs and class size and introduces some new programs, including the second year of Project Lead The Way engineering, AP Art History and additional student support programs district-wide.
For full budget information, including the presentations given at our budget workshops, go to the district website at www.ewsdonline.org > scroll down the left-side navigation bar and click on 15-16 Budget Info.
Additional budget presentations will be held at the following upcoming PTO meetings:
• May 5 – Willets Road PTO Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria
• May 12 – Wheatley PTO Meeting at 8:00 p.m. in Room 450
• May 18 – North Side PTO Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at kanase@ewsdonline.org or by phone at 333-3758 or Robin Lufrano, acting assistant superintendent for business at lufranor@ewsdonline.org or by phone at 333-1707.
The Simmons
Awards Coffeehouse
April 16 was one of those special occasions, when members of our community from many walks of life, including alumni, parents, children and staff, come together in celebration of our district. The Simmons Awards Coffeehouse, hosted by the East Williston Education Foundation, was a celebration of the intangible gifts, e.g., of caring and positive impact, that define our school district community.
As noted in their most recent pamphlet, “[The East Williston Education Foundation] is a grass-roots, not-for-profit organization of parents, teachers and staff, alumni and supportive members of the community who all want to ensure that our district’s students have the best possible educational resource.
Our main goal is to provide ongoing supplementary support to enrich the educational programs of the school district.” The East Williston Education Foundation receives funding through contributions and other special events and projects.
The Simmons Awards were created by a generous donation from Steven Simmons, Class of 1964. Mr. Simmons wished to acknowledge his wonderful teachers and education here at East Williston and established the award to honor current teachers and staff.
The 2015 Simmons Awards recipients were North Side Principal Jim Bloomgarden, Willets Road sixth grade teacher Natalie Brew and Wheatley math teacher Kevin Meyers.
Congratulations.
BOE Work Session Meets
National History Day
At the April 15 Board of Education work session, students and staff were treated to an up-close look at the District’s continuing emphasis on research skills, analysis and critical thinking.
Many of the students who have been invited to move on to the New York State level of the National History Day Competition presented their research. The New York State competition follows the LI History Day Fair at Hofstra University where we had 66 students from Willets Road and Wheatley competing in all categories of the competition — the historical paper, website, documentary, exhibit and performance — all under the theme “Leadership & Legacy.”
While entrance into the National History Day (NHD) contest is certainly something to celebrate for the many students who proudly represented East Williston, the research process is strongly emphasized in our district goals this year and will continue to be a focus next year.
This year, for the first time, every seventh grader wrote a historical research paper following the guidelines of the NHD project, but more importantly, they focused on the research skills and outcomes that we have identified as the learning targets for that grade level. This was the second year for the paper in 8th grade. This was also the first year that the grade 11 research paper, including all the research skills and outcomes, followed the NHD format — with a required 10-page paper.
We will continue to revise and reflect on the social science research program next year, expanding our offerings at both Willets Road and Wheatley, building upon the strength of the program and the passion shown by the students this year. The research done in the NHD project, and planned for in the expanded social science research courses, is rooted in the new Social Studies Framework. The framework includes Causation and Argumentation, Using Historical Sources and Evidence, and Perspectives – all of which closely align with the English Language Arts Common Core Standards in both reading and writing.
Since the students are still actively competing, we cannot post their projects on the website, however I want to highlight their research and their projects. In the Junior Category, which is grades six to eight, we had four entrants moving forward.
• Maggie Caroddo and Rebecca Zeltsman, seventh graders, created a website titled, “Harriet Tubman: Escaping Slavery through Secrecy.” Their thesis centers on the social and political leadership and legacy of Harriet Tubman highlighting the impact she had on other slaves and leaders. They posit that she influenced Abraham Lincoln to free the slaves in a letter prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. Their website includes information garnered from an interview with a worker from the Harriet Tubman House in Auburn.
• Ashley Vincenzo, seventh grader, created her website, “Jonas Salk and the Vaccine that Changed the World,” after being inspired to research Salk’s vaccine by her aunt who was stricken with Polio as a child. A segment of an interview with her aunt recalling her experience as a child can be heard on the website. Ashley explores both the science behind the disease and the social implications of living with polio in this country.
• Alex Horowitz and Ilana Nimkoff, seventh graders, created a documentary, “Ruby Bridges & Her Impact on Modern School Integration” which thoroughly examined the history of school segregation, and the brave role of Ruby Bridges in helping to put an end to legal segregation in schools. Their film went on to highlight the current state of de facto segregation in local schools today. They had an extensive works cited list of both primary and secondary sources.
•Sofia Greenfield, eighth grader, created a documentary, “Berry Gordy & Motown” which explored the history through the music of Berry Gordy. While the narration, film work, and research are certainly impressive, it is the music that is the highlight of this work. Sofia did an incredible job of capturing the culture of a generation and the impact of a man through music.
We had four entrants winning awards in the senior category (grades 9-12).
• Krista Chen, 11th grader, wrote a historical paper, titled “Henry Dunant: A Step Towards a Humanitarian Society.” She discussed the life of Henry Dunant, the horrors he experienced on the battlefield, and his leadership as founder of the American Red Cross.
• Joy Bestourous, 11th grader, wrote a historical paper, titled “Hassan al-Banna: The Father of Fundamentalism.” Joy shared the background of Hassan al-Banna in Egypt. She discussed that while most legacies are positive, al-Banna’s legacy is the root of modern terrorism.
• Nikki Koch, Alana Osroff, Gabriella Santoli and Cindy Zhou, 11th graders, created a documentary, “Charles Davenport and the History of Eugenics” that was both eye-opening and informative. The documentary included comprehensive primary source interviews and thorough research. Their research included the history and impact of Eugenics throughout the world and in the United States.
• Jordan Pollack, 11th grader, performed, “Alvin Ailey: The Leader Who Danced through History.” Her performance was a multi-media compilation and a moving dance interpretation of her research expressing Ailey’s impact on society and society’s impact on Ailey.
• Morgan Misk, 11th grader, presented the thesis behind her group’s performance of “Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Men Behind the American Musical.” Morgan and her other groups members, Daniel Singh and Jaclyn Stroud, created a performance to highlight the history and development of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Thank you to the staff members directly involved in this project, Director of Secondary Curriculum and Social Studies Dr. Danielle Gately, Wheatley AP U.S. Core program teacher Dr. John Staudt, who is one of the organizers of the LI/Regional History Day Competition at Hofstra University, Wheatley social science research teacher Andrew Ardito, who is also an NHD judge, Wheatley library media specialist Jo Beth Roberts, who is also an NHD judge, Willets Road social studies teachers Patrick Shanahan and Dr. Joe Coladonato, Willets Road library media specialist Diane Ilkiw, who is also an NHD judge, Willets Road/Wheatley technology instructional teacher Audra Beberman, Willets Road technology teaching assistant Jerry Pokrywka and Wheatley special education teacher Joe Crotty, who is also an NHD judge. A special thank you to the entire Social Studies and English departments who have been working over the past two years coordinating a program of research skills and writing.
10P Amazing
“Experimental” Projects
Last week saw the completion of the showcasing of the English 10P projects in Karen Bartscherer’s class. Congratulations to Ms. Bartscherer and her 10P students. Before vacation I had the chance to attend some of the Experimental presentations, which are the culminating projects of this 10th Grade English Honors class. These in-depth multi-disciplinary explorations that involve extensive inquiry through multiple interviews and the use of other primary and secondary resources were quite amazing to behold.
Congratulations to the
Wheatley Theater Company
Before the vacation, I had the pleasure of attending the Wheatley Theater Company’s spring musical.
I want to congratulate the entire cast and crew for putting on an exciting revival of “Little Shop of Horrors.”
I also want to the thank the faculty who supported our students in this production, director (and Wheatley English teacher) Colin McKenna, Vocal Director (and Wheatley Music teacher) Angela Luftig, Choreographer and Pit Band Conductor (and Wheatley English teacher Rick Leidenfrost-Wilson and Technical Advisors and Set Design (and Wheatley Technology teachers Paul Chisholm and Thomas Storck. A job well done! The show also received critical acclaim from our community.
An audience member, who attended the senior citizen matinee, was so impressed that she took the time to write me. She stated, “The very talented high school students sing, dance and perform … Everything was so polished, the set, make-up, music, costumes … It felt like a Broadway production.”
Congratulations and Commendations
The Wildcat, Wheatley
Newspaper Recognized
at Quill Awards
Members of the Wildcat editorial board and staff attended the Quill Awards at Adelphi University at the end of March. Congratulations to the Wildcat on taking first place for Best Newspaper. Managing Editor Josh Dinetz took second place in the freelance category for an article printed in the Roslyn News. Nancy Zhang, a regular contributor to the Wildcat was nominated in the Best Op-Ed category.
Congratulations to the Editors-in-Chief: Sarah Golden and Seungmin Yi; Managing Editors: Andrew Zuckerman and Josh Dinetz; Editor-in-Chief of Social Media: Hannah Mittman; Business & Technology Editors: Andrew Jin and Harris Wekselblatt; News Editors: Krista Chen and Kuan Yu; Features Editors: Jacqueline LaGinestra and Sabrina Lee; Entertainment Editors: Dara Bahk and Erica Kim; Op-Ed Editors: Joy Bestourours and Donna Nazarian; Sports Editors: Danielle Wasserman and Brian Gong; and Photography Editor: David Rosenzweig. Congratulations and thank you to the faculty advisors Jen Fatone and Jo Beth Roberts.
Mock Trial Team Competes
in the Elite Eight
Congratulations to our team members and advisors on another great competition.
Although their journey ended after this round, they have much to be proud of. As Dr. John Staudt, their faculty advisory explained last year on the preparation for Mock Trial Competition, “Being a member of the mock trial team means spending months preparing for trials and meeting two or three times a week after school along with hours of reading, writing and practicing on weekends from October through April.”
They participate in a number of tournaments throughout the year, honing their skills, beginning with the annual Wheatley SWS Mock Trial Tournament in November.
More than a competition, this extra-curricular Mock Trial Tournament is an extraordinary educational program, allowing students to develop skills they will utilize in many situations as they move forward in school and in their careers. Our mock trial students deal with obstacle, e.g., a sustained objection to their line of questioning; develop an understanding and appreciation of the American judicial system; develop public speaking skills; learn to think on their feet; learn to present a coherent, well-framed and convincing argument; address authority figures; develop flexibility in terms of being able to change “gears” quickly; learn civil behavior towards adversaries; observe rules; deal with the disappointment of losing, despite one’s best efforts; and accept the vagaries of mock trial decisions resulting from different individual viewpoints and rulings of judges.
Congrats to Courtney Schwartz, Harris Wekselblatt, Julian Nathan, Jakob Gilbert, Caroline Crimmins, Joy Bestourous, Chintan Datt, Lianna Golden, Emily Wang, David Rosenzweig, Ellie Chen, Thomas Vella, JacobChimerine and Vani Kumar. A special thank you to Team Coaches/Advisors: Robert Bernstein and Dr. John Staudt. Thank you to the team attorney advisors, Robert Vella, Esq., David Schwartz, Esq.and Heather Schwartz, Esq.
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.
