Thank you East Williston Teachers All!
This week was Teacher Appreciation Week.
Since today culminates the official Teacher Appreciation Week, what better time to publicly thank you all for what you do every day that makes this school district the special place it is for our students.
A heartfelt thanks to our instructional staff for their care, dedication and commitment to our students’ learning, academically, socially and emotionally.
Budget
A reminder that the School Budget Vote is Tuesday, May 21.
The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Wheatley gymnasium. Please contact Ms. Fitzpatrick (516-333-1707 or fitzpatrickj@ewsdonline.org) or me (516-333-3758 or kanase@ewsdonline.org) with any questions you may have.
Budget information is also available on our website at www.ewsdonline.org > NewsBox > click on 13-14 Budget Info or click on the District Tab > About Our District > scroll down the red navigation bar on the left to 13-14 Budget Info.
Apologies – Misplaced Strategic Planning Priority Surveys
Several of you filled out the Strategic Planning Priority Survey at Parent University.
Many apologies, but the envelope containing those surveys was somehow misplaced that evening and though we have looked high and low, cannot be located.
If you did fill out a Strategic Planning Priority Survey that evening, it would be much appreciated if you could fill it out again. The survey is available on our website at www.ewsdonline.org > NewsBox > Strategic Planning Initiative > Click here for Strategic Planning information > Survey.
School Board Candidates
There are two board seats open this year. The candidates for these seats are incumbent Board of Education members and they are running unopposed, which is why the Meet the Candidates Night, sponsored each year by our PTO’s, was cancelled.
Each of the two candidates running for re-election, Barbara Slone and David Keefe, have candidate statements that are available on the district website at www.ewsdonline.org > District tab > School Board > scroll down red navigation on the left side to 2013 Board Candidate Statements.
More Recognition for our Humanities Research Students
On May 7, Wheatley juniors Dana Calabrese, Caitlin Calio and Leah Dwyer were recognized by Adelphi University at the Center for African, Black and Caribbean Studies Annual Scholastic Awards Dinner.
The three Advanced Placement Core students were presented with a Documentary History Film Award for their film on Ruby Bridges and her impact on the integration of schools.
The center’s director, Adelphi professor Marsha J. Tyson Darling, commended the young women for “using film to enhance historical literacy”.
Darling, who was featured in the film, was so impressed by the scholarly quality of the students’ work she asked them to present the film to her African-American Studies class at Adelphi. This presentation led to this latest achievement, the first time high school students were recognized at the African, Black and Caribbean Studies Awards Dinner.
Prior to the presentation of the awards, the film was shown for the audience and received high praise.
Dana, Caitlin and Leah’s film was the result of extensive research they conducted for research papers within the A.P. Core program. The students used the information they gathered, which included both primary and secondary sources, to create the film which they eventually submitted for National History Day. This event showcased our students’ work, while also exposing them to the benefits of scholarly research on the collegiate level.
Congratulations to Wheatley’s A.P. Core teacher Brian McConaghy along with A.P. Core teachers John Staudt and Jennifer Fatone.
Italian Poetry Winners
Congratulations to Wheatley freshmen Morgan Misk and Alana Osroff, sophomore Julia Haghighi and junior Caitlin Calio who won awards in this year’s Italian Poetry Contest, an annual event sponsored by the Long Island Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Italian. Congratulations to Wheatley’s Italian teacher Susan Vasselman as well.
National Spanish Award Winners
Ten Wheatley students are ‘gold’ medal award winners for their outstanding performance on the 2013 National Spanish Exam given by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). The “gold” medal winners scored within the top 5 percent of all students who took the exam nationally. Wheatley’s gold award recipients included four eighth graders: Isabella Araujo, Lianna Golden, Rachel Koty and Teddy Lewis who are currently enrolled in Mrs. Anderson’s and Mr. Rivero’s Spanish classes.
The ninth grade gold winners included Kayla Barroca, Krista Chen, Mohammed Khanzada, Julian Nathan, Jaclyn Stroud and Andrew Zuckerman from Mrs. Martinez’ and Mrs. Principe-Franco’s classes.
In addition to our gold medalists, 79 other Wheatley students earned a total of 15 silver medals and 22 bronze with 42 placing in the Honorable Mention category.
Math Winners
The Al Kalfus Long Island Math Fair has been the major competition for student research and presentation of Math Research papers on Long Island for the past half century. Papers selected for the final round are presented at a combined event held at Hofstra University each spring. Students participate by grade level.
Judges review the research papers in advance, giving them sufficient time to scrutinize student work. At the competition, students must present an oral report, complete with visuals. Students are expected to speak for up to 15 minutes.
Both Joyce Bernstein, curriculum associate for math and Wheatley math teacher Kevin Meyers are actively involved in this event. Dr. Bernstein has been a member of the steering committee for 25 years. Mr. Meyers sits on an esteemed panel charged with the selection of the best Nassau County entry, worthy of a cash award each year.
Congratulations to our Wheatley students who received gold medals at this Long Island Math Fair: Seniors Jamie Brensilber and Ahmad Khanzada, sophomore David Fisher and freshmen Krista Chen, Arihant Jain and Mohammed Khanzada.
Congratulations to our silver medalists: Seniors Robert Berman and Allison Perry, junior Joseph Jacob, sophomores Rohan Gulati and Seung min Yi and freshmen Andrew Zuckerman and Jeffrey Poomkudy.
More congratulations go to our bronze medalists: Senior Elani Cohen, juniors Ana Ainechi and Jessica Perry and sophomores Alexandra Boubour, Ziv Lotzky and Gabriella Schwartz.
Integrating Technology into the Classroom
Our staff uses technology in many ways to enrich our educational programs every day. In an exciting example, Wheatley’s Educational Technology Specialist, Rochelle Sroka coordinated a videoconference with the Columbus Ohio Science Institute. On Monday, Doreen D’Angelo’s AP Biology class will be learning about the human anatomy, first hand, by watching an autopsy narrated by a COSI forensic pathologist.
The students received a packet prior to the conference that describes the individual and the medical history. The students must come prepared to determine the cause of death based on the case study they received and the condition of the organs.
Essay Winners …
Congratulations to second grader Ryan C., fifth grader Aidan R. and sixth grader Karan A. for being selected to represent East Williston School District in an essay contest annually sponsored by the Long Island President’s Council (LIPC). LIPC is an association of union leaders who advocate for public education. This year the essay prompt was “School makes me feel good about me ….”
All three students were honored at the March Board of Education Meeting.
We give a special congratulation to Ryan, whose audio-taped essay was selected by LIPC to be used in radio ads.
Upcoming Meetings
Board of Education Monthly Business Meeting – Monday, May 20, at 8:00 p.m. in the Wheatley Auditorium
Board of Education Work Session – Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in Wheatley Room 450: Sharing educational goals and plans for the 2013-14 school year
Board of Education Monthly Business Meeting – Monday, June 17, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. in the Wheatley Auditorium: As part of the Superintendent’s Report, the Strategic Planning Committee will share its draft goals and present them to the Board; and the High School Guidance Department will present a follow-up to our January Workshop on College Admissions and Planning
Have a good weekend
Please remember to call 516-333-3758 or email me at kanase@ewsdonline.org with any questions, suggestions, etc.
