A monthly recap of happenings around the district from Superintendent James DeTommaso.

BOARD APPRECIATION

As this is Board Appreciation Month, I’d like to honor the incredible work our Board of Education does for our community. Board members generously volunteer their time to set policies, develop budget priorities and ensure our administration aligns with the community’s beliefs and values – and the best part is that they do it for free! This is a receptive and responsive Board that listens to concerns, supports our programs and staff and consistently puts kids first. Their commitment makes it easy for our administration and staff to be a great team and focus on what matters most – our students. As a small token of our appreciation, we presented the Board with “Kids First” coasters, honoring their dedication to always putting students at the center of every decision.

ACHIEVEMENT

Academic Progress and Data-Driven Instruction

• Reading and math data meetings at Centre Avenue and Rhame Avenue schools led to deep conversations about student achievement and concrete tiered support plans, with teachers collaborating on skill-based rotations to meet students’ needs.
• Literacy coach Danielle Schneider is working with teachers on literacy rotations aligned with the science of reading for small group instruction.
• Students in seventh and eighth grade ELA and seventh grade math completed their beginning-of-year i-Ready testing and have begun their years’ worth of individualized lessons.

Athletic Accomplishments

• The varsity boys soccer team earned a playoff spot for just the second time in school history – what an accomplishment!

OPPORTUNITY

Health and Wellness Initiatives

• For Unity Day, Centre Avenue has been working on a “Unity Tree” project. Students traced their hands on orange construction paper to create trees that will be displayed around the building, symbolizing our districtwide pledge to stand united against bullying and to show kindness, acceptance and inclusion.

Career and College Readiness

• The business department at ERHS proudly kicked off its new Virtual Enterprise class by conducting student interviews for C-Suite positions. Building and district administrators interviewed impressive student employees who were hired for positions including CEO, CMO and CFO.
• The ERHS counseling department took juniors to tour Mercy University, exposing them to a college campus and information session.
• Future Friday collaboration between the counseling and English departments provided six weeks of support for seniors with their postsecondary planning, helping students meet deadlines and take advantage of free application month.
• So far this school year, juniors and seniors have connected with 50 colleges, trade schools and employment organizations during the school day – with more scheduled through Nov. 12!

Enrichment and Research

• Ms. Pietrantonio’s SUPA Psychology class launched a fascinating research project exploring the increase in subtitle use when watching TV, movies and videos – collecting data on this growing cultural phenomenon.
• Science Research students began an exciting partnership with NASA and Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, exploring how plants grow in outer space and on the International Space Station!
• Mathletes is up and running with 14 members, with the first in-house competition scheduled for Oct. 21 as part of the Nassau County Interscholastic Math League.
• Coach Poland and Coach Rinn, fresh from our Leadership Conference, met with student leaders to coordinate mentoring sessions with JHS teams beginning in the spring season.

Social-Emotional Learning

• Dr. Nancy Kaplan and Mr. Lamar Lee provided powerful “The Power of Language: Words Matter” workshops to all fifth, seventh and ninth graders. This interactive workshop helped students understand how the words we use can bring people closer together or further divide us. The workshops were well received and targeted to age groups where they would have the most impact on improving social interactions and shaping future appropriate behavior.

Professional Development

• All K-8 teachers will participate in i-Ready training on Oct. 23, focusing on using beginning-of-year diagnostic data to plan small-group instruction and interventions.
• The final third of our teacher corps will receive PBL training during the Superintendent's Conference Days in November.

INNOVATION

Hands-On Learning

• Students in Mr. Howard’s Introduction to Engineering class have begun constructing tower cranes nearly three feet tall to simulate real construction cranes used to build skyscrapers.
• In Ms. Miah’s Graphic Design class, students are mastering Adobe Photoshop and the clipping mask technique – a method that allows them to control layer visibility. Students will use this skill to develop promotional posters and flyers.

CONNECTION

Cultural Celebrations

• Chemistry Week (Oct. 19-25) highlights how chemistry interacts with our everyday lives and how much we depend on it! This year’s theme, sponsored by the American Chemical Society, is the “Nature of Spices.”
• ERHS wrapped up National Hispanic Heritage Month with culturally relevant learning experiences in Spanish classes. On morning announcements, all students learned Spanish expressions of the week, discovered influential Spanish-speaking people and heard popular Spanish songs. Some students are even taking advantage of an essay contest about their own connection to the Spanish-speaking world.

Community Events

• The East Rockaway community came together for an exciting Harlem Wizards Night at our gymnasium, sponsored by the Rhame Avenue PTA. Families filled the stands, and the joy on students’ faces reflected an evening full of laughter, excitement and school spirit. We extend our thanks to the teachers and staff who volunteered to play against the Wizards – their participation helped make the event memorable and entertaining for all. I truly enjoyed the evening!

Student Support

• The ERHS counseling department has been running new student groups, connecting them to friends, peer leaders and staff within the high school. This group helps acclimate new students and set them up for success in their new environment.

Program Development

• The coaching staff and Mr. Gregory reached out with unwavering support for Club Rock during its reemergence. Together, they created two liaison positions – a veteran coach and a new coach. Paul Collins and Brooke DeGiulio stepped up to the plate in these new positions!

 

Click here to watch the full recording of last night’s board of education meeting, which included this report.