DElmont - Elmont Union Free School District

Dialogue
Dialogue
TALKING ABOUT THE ELMONT UFSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Elmont
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
TALKING ABOUT THE ELMONT UFSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Flushing, NY
Permit No.1365
Elmont
Elmont Union Free School District
135 Elmont Road
Elmont, NY 11003-1609 T
ALKING ABOUT THE
Dialogue
ELMONT UFSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Board of Education
Michael A. Jaime, President
Anthony S. Maffea, Sr., Vice President
Tameka Battle-Burkett
Kevin Denehy
Patrick Emeagwali
Raymond Sims
Leslyn Stewart
TALKING ABOUT THE ELMONT UFSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Educating the
Superintendent of Schools
Al Harper
Colum P. Nugent, Attorney
Visit us online at www.elmontschools.org
Ready, Set, Teach
The district welcomed a total of 26 new
professionals, including three assistant
principals, five pre-K teachers, one sixthgrade teacher and one special education
teacher. Other new staff were in the
areas of English as a Second Language,
academic intervention services, literacy,
music and speech. A librarian, teaching
assistants, substitute teachers, and a
district wide teacher for the deaf and
hearing-impaired were also hired.
New staff members, who participated
in a two-day new teacher orientation held
prior to the start of the school year, were
given vital information on the district’s
schools management system and its
A Look
Back at
Summer
Dialogue
Fall 2014
During the summer, many students
headed back to school, availing themselves
of diverse learning opportunities
offered through the district’s Summer
Enrichment Academy and Academic
Summer School program.
The Summer Enrichment Academy
professional development
platform during a workshop
titled “The First Years of
Teaching in Elmont.”
Professional development
continued to be the focus
on day two of the program,
with administrators covering
topics including Common
Core Learning Standards
Curriculum planning and instruction,
work-home relations and special education
processes. Director of Curriculum and
Instruction Kathleen Safrey stated that
good instruction needs to be followed by a
good heart.
New staff members also participated in
a workshop presented by Carol Weintraub,
director of Inter-County Teacher Resource
Center. The workshop, based on Harry K.
Wong and Rosemary Wong’s book “The
First Days of School,” provided tools on
how to be an effective teacher.
provided students with a venue to enrich
their education through the exploration
of several subjects including science,
music and the arts. “Whether they were
conducting science experiments, reciting
Shakespeare or writing a piece for the
summer newspaper, students had the
unique opportunity to explore topics that
we are sometimes unable to explore during
the school year,” Audrey Cabbell program
principal said.
Students celebrated and showcased
their achievements at a Learning Fair and
Talent Show for parents, teachers and
community members.
The Academic Summer School program
prepared students for the challenges of the
upcoming school year. Under the direction
of Cynthia Cameron, program principal
and assistant principal at Alden Terrace, the
16-day program was organized by gradelevel themes and provided daily instruction
based on assessment data and teacher
observation. Students participated in
multiple hands-on projects and also utilized
the Pearson Math Navigator program,
learning grade-specific Common Core
Learning Standards mathematical skills.
Whole Child
TALKING ABOUT THE
ELMONT UFSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
American strength
Dialogue
Elmont students are the beneficiaries
of a host of academic opportunities
that contribute to the well-rounded
education the district provides.
At Gotham Avenue, students
in grades 4-6 attended a music
recruitment assembly organized
by Principal Marshall Zucker. The
event provided information on the
school’s band, chorus and orchestra
programs. Band teacher Dara Lemite
and orchestra teacher Andrew Tilles
along with principal Zucker performed
“Mary Had a Little Lamb,” much to
the delight of students.
Kindergartners and their parents
at Dutch Broadway participated in
the school’s annual Kindergarten Tea.
A long-time tradition, parents were
invited into their children’s classrooms
to become acquainted with the
teacher and with their children’s new
surroundings.
At Clara H. Carlson and Covert
Avenue schools, students participated
in 9/11 ceremonies, which highlighted
and pride while
remembering those
who lost their lives
An Alden Terrace student conducts research for a class project.
in the 9/11 terrorist
attacks.
The focus was on developing
research skills, when Nathaniel
Marner’s sixth-graders at Alden
Terrace created user guides on dog
care. The project piggybacked the
students’ close reading of the short
story “Stray” as part of the English
Language Arts curriculum. The
children worked in groups, sharing
Both kindergarten student and parent enjoy the annual
Kindergarten Tea at Dutch Broadway.
ideas about content and design in the
school’s new technology lab.
Meanwhile, the examining of
textual evidence in Sy Montgomery’s
“The Tarantula Scientist” led to
an exuberant discussion on words
and phrases among Stewart Manor
students in Robert Campbell’s
class. They also completed a writing
assignment as an extension of their
reading curriculum.
Students recite the Pledge of Allegiance at Clara H. Carlson’s
9/11 ceremony.
Elmont UFSD serving the Elmont, Floral Park, Franklin Square, New Hyde Park, South Floral Park, Stewart Manor and Valley Stream communities.
A
Message
from Your
Superintendent Al Harper
Dear Residents,
We are well into what promises to be another
successful school year and our students continue
to demonstrate their enthusiasm for learning and
their commitment to succeed. Many continued
their educational experiences at our Summer
Enrichment Academy and Academic Summer
School programs, which support our continued
belief and commitment to providing a year-round
education to our children.
The addition of new technology labs in each
of the district’s six elementary schools has created
excitement in our school community. This
initiative, driven by the nation’s belief in educating
our students in the studies of science, technology,
engineering and math, will serve our children
well in gaining the necessary skills to become the
economic and technological leaders of the 21st
century.
Our four new Pearson reading programs,
added to support our Common Core Learning
Standards curriculum, are providing our students
with interesting and creative literary materials that
focus on close reading, textual evidence and project
research. It also helps us continue to ready our
students for college and career success.
As always, I’d like to thank you for your
ongoing support. The school-parent relationship is
essential to student success. I look forward to your
attendance at school activities throughout the year.
Sincerely,
Al Harper
Superintendent of Schools
“He was a
tremendous asset to
our community. He
always wanted
to know
what he
could do for
the children.”
Al Harper,
Superintendent of Schools
Michael A. Jaime,
Board President with
commemorative stone.
At Your
Service
The members of the 2014-15 Board of Education are Michael A. Jaime,
president; Anthony S. Maffea Sr., vice president; and trustees Tameka BattleBurkett, Kevin Denehy, Patrick
Emeagwali and Raymond Sims.
Members of the Board of
Education, who are all residents
of the Elmont School District
community, are elected officials
who volunteer their services
to the school district and
community servicing the district’s
Board Trustees Patrick Emeagwali, Kevin Denehy,
six schools – Alden Terrace,
Raymond Sims, Tameka Battle-Burkett and
Clara H. Carlson, Covert Avenue,
Board President Michael A. Jaime during Board of
Education recognition ceremony. Board Vice President Dutch Broadway, Gotham
Avenue and Stewart Manor.
Anthony S. Maffea, Sr. is not pictured.
Pearl Harbor Frank
Remembered
Superintendent Al Harper
and Board of Education
members posthumously honored
World War II veteran Frank
Castronovo, Elmont’s last
surviving community member
present during the 1941 attack
on Pearl Harbor, at a recent
board meeting.
Castronovo was honored
Boy Scouts from Troop 294 place a commemorative
for his service to the Elmont
stone under the tree that honors World War II veteran
community and the country
Frank Castronovo.
with a tree planted in front of
the Gotham Avenue School. Accompanying the tree is a stone inscribed
as follows: Frank “Pearl Harbor” Castronovo Elmont’s Hero Forever
1918-2014. In attendance were members of Elmont’s American Legion
Post 1033 and Boy Scout Troop 294, who presented colors during the
ceremony. Sen. Jack Martins, Nassau County Legislator Carey Solages
and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages also paid homage to the
WW II veteran.
“He was a tremendous asset to our community,” Harper said. “He
always wanted to know what he could do for the children. He would visit
our schools about two to three times a year, reading and telling stories
about Pearl Harbor and the war. The children would light up when he
came. They knew he was a soldier.”
Educating
for the Future
In an ongoing effort to provide students with curricula that prepares
them for the challenges of tomorrow, the district has implemented four new
Pearson reading programs, marking a revision to its English Language Arts
(ELA) curriculum maps.
The revision, developed by a team of master teachers during
the summer, is consistent with the New York State Common Core
Learning Standards for ELA and literacy, which require school
districts to develop curricula that challenge students to think
critically and analytically. The Elmont English Language Arts
curriculum encourages students to listen, read, write and participate
Students at Stewart Manor read and discussed “The Case
in discussions.
of Gasping Garbage” by Michelle Torrey as part of the
“This new curriculum provides paced instruction to ensure that all Elmont students
district’s new curriculum.
are prepared for future success,” said Kathleen Safrey, Director of Curriculum
and Instruction. “We look forward to challenging our students and helping them
understand the world and their future through literacy.”
Teachers participated in two days of intensive professional development prior to the implementation of the new reading
programs and will continue to receive ongoing training throughout the year, including during the November Superintendent
Conference Day. The curriculum will also be reviewed and revised as needed throughout the school year.
“We look forward to challenging our students and helping
them understand the world and their future through literacy.”
Kathleen Safrey, Director of Curriculum and Instruction.
Technology
Enhancing the district’s literacy
initiative and science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM)
curriculum are brand-new, state-ofthe-art technology labs in each of
the six elementary schools. The
labs were made possible through
funding provided by the New York
State Technology Voucher Program
and a grant received from the New
York State Economic Development
Assistance Program, thanks to the
assistance of Sen. Jack Martins.
Numerous items were purchased
using funds from these grants
including new computers, lab
printers, network/server equipment,
computer tables and student chairs,
and scientific microscopes.
is the
“These labs will help our teachers
and students continue to develop
their skills through various web-based
programs and Common Core Learning
Sixth-grade students at Alden Terrace collaborate on an
assignment in the school’s new state-of-the art technology lab.
Key
Standards-based subscriptions,” said
Fernando DeBartolo, administrative
assistant for general support and
technology. “They will also greatly
benefit the schools in preparing the
district to meet the rigorous demands
of computer-based testing for state
and local assessments.”
The development and installation
of these labs was done to improve
the district’s network environment
to meet the higher demands of
computer-based testing (CBT), and
state and local assessments. It also
provides an additional computer
lab in each building where students
and staff can utilize New York State
Common Core Learning Standards
web-based resources.