I cannot believe that this is the last issue of the Superintendent’s Newsletter for the 2013-14 school year. How fast the year has, once again, flown!
I would like to take a moment to thank all of you, our entire East Williston School Community, including staff, parents, students and residents for all the support, participation and collaboration you have provided to our school district this year. This partnership ensures our many successes as well as our opportunities to grow.
This past week saw a flurry of year-end celebrations and time markers.
Sunday, June 22nd was Wheatley’s Commencement Ceremony at the Tilles Center. It was a beautiful ceremony, with our school district graduating 170 seniors in front of their joyful families, friends, teachers and administrators.
I know our graduates would join me in giving a deserved round of applause acknowledging their family, friends, teachers and administrators who successfully supported them on their journey to this important milestone.
Tuesday, June 24th saw our North Side fourth graders moving up to Willets Road, with the ceremony actually taking place at Willets Road.
Our oldest North Side students said their good-byes to North Side and got ready for an exciting year to come at Willets Road.
Finally, Wednesday, June 25th was the Willets Road moving up ceremony which, in a long standing tradition, ends with the seventh graders being presented to the Wheatley Principal Sean Feeney as the Wheatley Class of 2019.
Photographs from our three graduations can be viewed on the district homepage at www.ewsdonline.org as well as in the photo gallery that you can view from the home page.
Just click on Photo Gallery on the left side navigation bar.
Many thanks to our building administrators, North Side Principal Jim Bloomgarden, North Side Assistant Principal James Foy, Willets Road Principal Steve Kimmel, Director of District Curriculum Information Services and Middle School Student Life Danielle Gately, Wheatley Principal Sean Feeney, Wheatley Assistant Principal, Karen Klapper and all of our instructional staff, clerical staff and our custodial and facilities staff that worked so hard to make these once in a lifetime events go so smoothly for our students and families.
Special thanks also to our music department for the musical performances that enhanced all three graduations and to East Williston Board of Education President Mark Kamberg for his sharing of remarks at all three ceremonies, extending the congratulations and best wishes of our Board of Education members, Board Vice President Robert Fallarino, Leonard Hirsch, David Keefe and Barbara Sloane.
Position Open/Wheatley PTO
The Wheatley PTO is looking for someone to fill the role of Board of Education Observer for the 2014-15 school year.
Consider volunteering for the position! The role of the Board of Education Observer is to attend Board of Education meetings and to share a report on what took place at the meetings with the PTO each month.
If you do end up signing up for the job, I look forward to seeing you at the Board of Education meetings each month. All the different avenues for keeping people informed are an important part of helping our school district run successfully.
A Busy Summer Ahead
Even as our students left yesterday to begin their summer vacation, our school district continues to hum busily through the summer months. Our facilities staff is involved with cleaning and maintaining our buildings and supporting some of the special projects at each building that include, at Wheatley, corridor floor tile replacement, gymnasium wall mats replacement, team banner replacements, gymnasium painting and one bathroom remodeling, at Willets Road, floor tile replacement in Rooms 100, 101 and 116 and classroom painting at North Side.
Our administrators are busy much of the summer planning for the upcoming school year, and there are many staff development initiatives and curriculum writing that takes place in the quieter summer months.
On Monday, for example, many of our administrators, our fifth grade teachers, other instructional staff in the district and I will be participating in an all-day Guided Reading Workshop designed to further help support us in differentiating instruction.
North Side teachers will be working over the summer further refining and aligning math curriculum. We are still in the thick of interviewing for new staff to replace our wonderful exiting retirees, as we continue our commitment to a rigorous screening and interview process that brings us the very best candidates to join our strong family of East Williston staff.
Summer Hours/District and Building
Our school building and administrative offices’ summer hours are Monday – Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Our buildings are closed on Fridays.
Summer Assignments
Many of the summer assignments can be viewed on the district website by clicking on 2014 Summer Assignments on the left side navigation bar.
Best wishes
I will be working through the summer. As always, feel free to email me at kanase@ewsdonline.org or call me at 333-3758 with any questions or suggestions, or stop in and say hello. I wish you a terrific summer and look forward to welcoming you all back this fall! Thank you for everything!
