001Thank you. And I'm now going to turn the meeting over to Doctor Mauricio for the superintendents report. Good evening everyone. Good evening. Members of our community, parents who are here tonight. Uh, members of our faculty and staff, members of the community who are watching online. Board trustees, our very own student, uh, board member as well. Let's give her a big round of applause. And, uh, administrators who are here with us, uh, today. Um, I get the great pleasure to talk about what has, uh, occurred in the last two weeks since our last board meeting and our pride points. And so, so excited to share some of the things that, um, we have been doing and are celebrating as a school district. Uh, but I also know that we have some students here and some parents
002here. If we have parents, uh, family members, guardians. Uh, I think from outside elementary school. Please stand up. We want to recognize you as parents. We want to thank you for all that you do every single day for our students. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It means the absolute world to us that you are here, and that we are partners with you in helping your children grow and succeed in life. And so thank you again for being here. I also think if I had to guess that there's staff here from outside. We are excited to have you as well, and to celebrate the work that you are doing as a faculty and staff. Um, and looking forward to that presentation. I would like to begin our Peekskill Pride with the pride that we have
003in our, um, schools and the kickoff of Black History Month, and we are, well, in our way, um, of celebrating, and we celebrate and recognize, uh, culture all throughout the year. And we know that it's important to do that all throughout the year. But we are also mindful of the national, um, uh, focus on black history and all that it has meant to us as a school community and a community and a nation. And, uh, we want to thank everyone who has been part of that and all of our African American and black, uh, members of our community and those who have gone and are with us today in all that they have done to make us the very great nation that we are. And so with that, yes. Thank you. Thank you. And I
004am so excited and, uh, always proud to be in a school community where we can say things, uh, that we feel and uplift people, uh, for who they are, who they were meant to be, and the cultural richness that they bring each and every day. So thank you to our board and thank you to you as a school community. Uh, with that, uh, I want to take the opportunity, uh, just to talk about, uh, honoring our ancestors, the past, the present and the future. Uh, this, um, session will be led. It is open to all. Uh, led by Doctor Holman. Uh, missus Curtis, Mister Bolden. Uh, miss Miss Dennis, who we're going to hear, uh, and see her talents later today. Let's give her a round of applause. And also Mrs. Turner as well, um,
005who is always, uh, great. They work as a team. Is Turner here where she is? Stand up, missus Turner. Let's give her a round of applause and say thank you for all that you do. Uh, for our children. And, uh, this will be Thursday, March 5th. It'll be at the Family Resource Center 630 to 8 p.m. And this is a great opportunity. Um, Doctor Holman and her team will be recognizing local heroes and sheroes in our community. Uh, and also, um, having our students, um, displayed there understanding and celebrate black history as well. So let's give Doctor Holman and her team a big round of applause. This past weekend, uh, had the great pleasure of going to the basketball boys game. It was a long day of a tournament. It is the annual Black History
006uh uh basketball tournament and showcase that happens under the leadership of Mr. Austin Goldberg and all that are a part of that effort. And three of our students on the left and three of our students on the right were recognized with um, awards and plaques. So let's give them a big round of applause and thank them for all that they do. If you went to that game. Uh, that was a tough game. White Plains is a formidable opponent. And, uh, our team worked diligently in that game and really, uh, impressed everyone who was there. And so I want to thank the coach and, uh, also all of our players and parents and community who came out, uh, for that event. Uh, for the first time, we have, uh, our girls wrestling team and, uh, we've
007had, uh, wrestlers who have wrestled, uh, in, in our district, uh, but they have decided to wrestle in the, in the girls, um, um, events in, in our school district and in our region. And they made it to Sunday at Westchester County Saturday and made it to Sunday. Uh, these are our students here. And they competed in the regional finals, and this is their first time coming out as a team. And so let's give them a big round of applause as well. And had they won, and I think next year they uh, they will some of them will they'll go to the state championships and wrestle, uh, students from all over the state. So looking forward to them growing as wrestlers and our school community. Uh, also want to give congratulations to our Red Devil
008athletes of the month. And you see them pictured here and want to, uh, recognize Titus Mathias and Ariana Jones for being Red Devil athletes of the month. Let's give them both a round of applause. Want to thank, uh, Chef Terrence, uh, Junius and doctor, um. Uh, Daniels wasn't able to be here today. Um, but she helped lead this effort, uh, in bringing in, uh, people of influence for our students. And this is part of our My Brother's Keeper initiative. He won chopped, I believe, on the, uh, the TV show. And he also came and, uh, helped our students and talked about his story as well. And so let's give, uh, our MC team and Chef Junius a big round of applause and say thank you for coming here to Peekskill. Uh, My Sister's Keeper initiative.
009And this is a program that focuses on our young, uh, uh, women in our, uh, school and helping them to grow in the way that they wish to grow and be the kind of leaders in school, um, and do well in school and beyond. And so, uh, my Sister's Keeper program is off to a great start. Doctor Ferris and Doctor uh, Daniels are helping lead that effort with some staff and look at the number of students who are already coming out in our, uh, inaugural year. So let's give them a big round of applause. I had the great pleasure of going to the Peekskill coffeehouse and, uh, went to the, uh, elementary art show, and you see some of the students here that I was able to see, and they showcase their artwork and also
010our two amazing art teachers as well. And do we have our art, uh, teacher here today? Not here today, but we will. We will celebrate her anyway. Uh, she does a great job. Let's give our our teachers in our district and in particular, our elementary school, a big round of applause. And today we had the opening at the Bean Run, a cafe and new era creative space. And look at the artwork that our students are producing. Let's give them a round of applause and say thank you and thank you to our teachers. And each year I purchase, uh, artwork from my office and I'm running out of space. But that one on the top, right? Please do not buy that. I have my eyes set on that sunset. And so looking forward to going there.
011If you haven't made it, it's still up, uh, and available for you to go out and look. And if you're interested in artwork, please call our staff at the high school and middle school. And, uh, we will make that sale a reality for you. Our robotics team, uh, got to go to Clarkston University this weekend. And it was a cold weekend this weekend, and they made it out. Uh, thank you, miss Reed. Let's give her a big round of applause. Doctor Modica and our team there, and Mr. Drini, our robotics teacher. They, uh, went to the event. Uh, they they are a newer team. Many of our students have graduated already, but our team is, uh, great. They won, uh, awards as well. And the senior team received the sustain award and the junior team
012received the think award. So let's give them a big round of applause. And, uh, middle school, um, will present the SpongeBob musical. So looking forward to having, uh, uh, uh, families come out. I'll certainly be there, uh, with my family March 6th and seventh at the middle school and looking forward to seeing, uh, Drama Club Presents SpongeBob the musical. Let's give them a big round of applause and encourage them. And new era. Creative spaces, which is one of our partners, has two shows at the high school this very weekend. Uh, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows. Uh, Friday night will be, uh, 7 p.m. show. So please make your way out to support, uh, and X, and they are great partner and do great work. And they have a new, uh, home. Uh, right now
013the being run a cafe as well. And so let's give Rizwan and her team a big round of applause. pre-K and kindergarten registration are open. Uh, we have full pre-K, full day, including dual language, um, in our pre-K. And that is something that every community does not offer. And so thank you, Board of Education, for making sure that we have the funds to bring that to our community. You know, anyone who is turning pre-K or kindergarten age, please make sure that they register, uh, immediately so that they save, uh, space. But we, as a board and a school district, have committed for every child in our community to have free, full day pre-K. And so thank you. And let's thank the board for their commitment. Our PTO. Um. Uh, every every year or every so
014often, we'll do a, uh, PTO event along with Laura Belfiore. And this year it is. I love Peekskill City School District. Uh, mentioned that Peekskill City School District and kids get to draw and, uh, write about what they, uh, love about our district and when then we use that information, uh, to fight for funding for our schools. Uh, a variety of different things that we need to advocate for. And we like to showcase how much our kids love our school district. So you can see Laura Belfiore. Laura, do we still have those, uh, papers we'll hand out today? Okay. They're set up in the back with crayons. And on your way out, please grab one on the table, and then you can drop it off at school, and we will get that as well. And
015that concludes the Peekskill, uh, pride update. But I would like to recognize we have some amazing administrators here today. So administrators, please stand up. Let us recognize you. And thank you for all that you do every single day. We have our principals, our assistant principals and directors, and I know I had them chair, but I would like our staff, uh, to stand up uh, oxide staff who are here today. Please stand up and be recognized. Your teachers. Uh, teacher assistants, our staff. We thank you for all that you do. And with that, I am looking forward to hearing more about oxide element. Uh, elementary. And so we're going to at this time, we're going to call up mrs. Budds and Mrs. Guzman, and, uh, miss Reed will set up their presentation. You. Well, that was
016a nice welcome. Applause that is our staff. What you see is what you get. We're so proud of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Doctor Mauricio. Um, and for that nice welcome. And say good evening. Board of education members. Doctor Mauricio, doctor Phyllis Rodriguez, our amazing colleagues, our wonderful families. Thank you for being here this evening. Our scholars here are anxiously waiting in the back, and also our members of the Peekskill community and those that are also joining us from home. My name is Anna Budds, and I'm the very proud principal at Oak Side. And joining me is my colleague, my partner in this work. Our assistant principal must be Lois Guzman. I just wanted to show you that this work does not get done without an amazing team. And I know that you've
017been. Um. Doctor Morrissey have given you a shout out, but I just want to tell you how proud I am. You know, when I speak of my staff, I get emotional. It's like speaking of my own children. They are, you know, they are old enough to be my grown children. But I'm just so proud of this team. And they really love our children. So know that your children are in good hands because we have an amazing staff. So Oxide team, I know you always and I'm so proud of you. And they keep that Peekskill promise alive. So it is the beacon of education. And we are committed in keeping the promise alive, championing a future where every child's potential is realized. So in today's presentations, we would like to highlight how Oak Side embodies the
018promise through exceptional educational practices. So let's keep going on. So in this slide captures the heart of our work at Oak Side. All in is more than a slogan. It is a collaborative commitment to our scholars, to our families, and to our community. Every day, our staff goes all in to ensure that every child is known, they are supported and they are challenged, and that a strong foundation are built from the very beginning of a scholar's educational journey. So at Oak Side, we are proud to say that our team is all in creating the conditions, the instructions, and the care that allows our scholars to say, oh, the places will go and this is our why. These are our babies, these are our scholars that we love, and we want to take them to all
019the amazing places in education. So we're really proud of them. We are committed to being adapted to being a data driven school that utilizes a continuous cycle of analysis, planning, action and refinement to ensure student success is maximized and students achieve and foster a culture of continuous improvement. And we did dictate our passion to this. So let's see how, uh, we did on the year 2024 to 2025. So this slide provides a comparison between the independent reading level assessment, also known as earlier in English at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. This is for our general education students in second grade. So the first graph indicates the independent reading level for our second graders at the beginning of the year. Please note that 16 students entered second grade reading
020at a kindergarten level, 60 entered reading at a first grade level, 30 entered reading on grade level that is represented by the one R and 19 entered reading above grade level that is, at the two are um. We had four that were entering at a third grade level reading on grade level. And we have an amazing one scholar that was reading already at a third grade reading level. This is how our scholars entered Oak site when they began in second grade. So let's see how they did. How did they do when they left leave, uh, second grade and going into third grade. So we had nine students that exit at a first grade level. 14 students entered reading at A1R, which is represented. But at the beginning of second grade, we had 32 students reading
021on grade level. We had 64 students exit reading at a third grade level as they were exiting. This is second grade as they were exiting second grade, and we already had 62 students exiting reading at a third grade level, plus an additional ten reading at a fourth grade level. And that one scholar, well, that one scholar now is reading at a sixth grade level. So this is amazing. Let's class with that. We are really proud. So this data not only demonstrates the positive impact of differentiated small group instruction for scholars reading below and on grade level, but also speaks to the dedication that our staff really puts into the effort in planning for those scholars that already reading above. And we continue to challenging them. So well done, well done. Second grade teachers keeping in.
022Let's give them a round of applause. So proud of that. All right. I really wanted to then reflect that this is a proficient growth of 40 percentage points by the end of the year. And again, thank you to our second grade teachers. We're really proud of the work that you do. So let's see how our third graders do how well our third grade is. So this slide provides a comparison between the earlier which is the independent reading level assessment in English at the beginning of the year. And also we're going to compare what happened at the end of the year for our third grade. And this is for our general education students. Um, so you'll notice that we have one scholar that entered third grade reading at a kindergarten level. 17 entered reading at a
023first grade level, 43 entered reading at a second grade level. And we had 58 scholars that entered reading on grade level, plus the additional three that were already reading out at fourth grade level. This is how they came into us from second grade. Let's see how well they did when they exit the third grade. So that's now shows that we have six scholars that exit, uh, reading at a first grade level, 25 exit reading at a second grade reading level, 20 exit reading on grade level, and an astonishing 56 scholars exit reading at a fourth grade level already. And we're so proud that 15 scholars were already reading at a fifth grade level. This is really, uh, showing an outstanding performance. The proficiency growth, these 25 percentage points. We really, really proud. And again, celebrating
024the growth and recognizing well done to our third grade teachers who keep on driving down instruction and to committed to the work that they do. Then let's this slide is going to, uh, provide a comparison between the independent reading level assessment in Spanish. So these are students that are learning how to reading Spanish at the beginning of the year and also at the end of the year. And this is for our second grade students that are in the deal dual language program. So at the beginning of uh, second grade, we had 75 students. They was through all of those ranges. That adds up to 75 students that ended reading at a kindergarten level. We had 38 students entering at a first grade level, 13 students entering on grade level that is represented by the one,
025ah, that's their reading level, that that's the expected what they should be doing when they entered, uh, second grade. And then we have uh, total of and we have entering. And one student that was reading at a second, uh, grade above the second grade, um, that was a two. Ah. So the next graph is going to represent the independent reading of the students exiting the, uh, second grade. Right. The data shows that we had 19 students that exit reading at a kindergarten level, 20 exit reading at a first grade level, 16 exit reading at a one ah, which is the beginning of second grade. And then remember, these are students that are learning how to read Spanish 23 exit reading on grade level. And we had 35 that are reading above grade level as they
026are, um, ready for third grade to the reading at a third grade level, plus an additional 14 scholars that were already reading at a fourth grade level. This is really outstanding and we just really need to highlight look at that growth. This is a proficiency point growth of 45 percentage points by the end of the year. Well done. Second grade. Our teachers were really proud of your work. All right. So then let's take a quick look at our scholars that are in third grade. And they are learning how to read in Spanish. So this slide provides a comparison between the earlier that which is actually called the initial in Spanish at the beginning of the year, and also at the end of the year for our third graders in the dual language program. So notice
027that we have 40 students that entered reading at a third grade reading. Um, the. To a grade reading. At a kindergarten level, 22 students entered reading at a first grade level. 29 students entered reading at a second grade reading level. And we have 18 students that were reading on grade level. This is how our scholars entered third grade and they are learning how to read in Spanish. So how did they perform at the end of the year? All right. We had 11 students that exit reading at a kindergarten level, 20 students reading at a first grade reading level, and also 20 that exit. Um, second grade, I'm sorry, third grade reading. At a second grade level, 29 were exiting reading on grade level and above grade level. We had 28 students reading at a fourth
028grade level, plus an additional five students that started reading at a fifth grade level. This is really precedent. I mean, it was so proud of this growth. It's outstanding. It's a proficient growth of 37 percentage points for our scholar. Thank you to all third grade teachers, to our families and our scholars for all your dedication. All right. So we'd also like to take this opportunity to share our stated data. So in this slide it displays the New York State third grade English language art assessment results. It provides a competitive analysis of our students performance on the 2024. That's represented by the light of blue and the data from 2025, which is, uh, noted here by the darker shade of blue. Okay. So at the level one, notice that there was a decrease from 51% to
0296 to 36%, indicating flu is, uh, fewer students performing at that lower level. Meanwhile, in the level two, it increased from 25 to 30%, showing a growth in students approaching their proficiency. Most important is the proficiency level in the level three and the level four. The level three increased from 20 to 26%, and in level four it increased from 5% to 9%. This data reflects a ten percentage point gain in proficiency. We're really proud of these gains. I think that our teachers and our scholars really deserve a round of applause. This is in the double digits. Thank you. It's important to show that overall, the data demonstrates a positive academic in progress, with more oxide scholars moving out of that level one into a higher achievement level. I always love this slide because I think
030it's dear to my heart, and it shows the commitment that we have for our community and and the support of our board. So this slide displays the percentage of the students who were never English language learners, and they are not in special education. And they have remained enrolled in Peekskill starting the early childhood and later past the grade three New York State Ela assessments. So they continued from us, from pre-K. So the data reveals a clear trend. Noticed that 65% of those students who enrolled in pre-K in Peekskill past the New York State Ela assessment in third grade, and notice that 38% of those students who enrolled in kindergarten. A year later, uh, in Peekskill, they passed the New York State Assessment in Grade three. So this highlights the strong impact of early childhood enrollment
031on late, um, literacy achievement. So students who begin the education journal here in Peekskill in pre-K, they demonstrate significantly higher proficiency outcomes by grade three. So I have to encourage our families. I know they talk to me to say, how did he in his PowerPoint as before. And I really wanted to give a nice shout out to our principal, uh, to you. Right. Hello, miss Russo, please wave your hand if you have a cousin, if you have a family member, if you are at Laplace CTA, if you are stopping short shouted out because we really proud of our pre-K program at at Uriah Hill, you see the impact that this has on our students. And thank you to the board. Thank you for supporting that program because your commitment it was drives this this movement
032and drives our scholars. So we really appreciate it. So we need to talk about how do we get here. All right. We're doing great job. How you doing it. Well let's show how did we get here. So this slide highlights how we strengthen educational. The indication instruction at Oak side through instructional coaching collaboration and data driven practice. And I have to say a key part of this work is the leadership of our literacy coach, Miss Nancy Castro. Nancy, we really appreciate you think and Mr. If you could just raise your hand and stand out proud of you. All right. I have to stress that we are really proud in the commitment that the board has, including Doctor Mauricio and Doctor Rodriguez, for your committing to continuing that alignment between pre-K and 12th grade is incredibly
033important, and we so gratified and honored to be embarking in that work. So equally important, I just want you to to notice that miss, um, Castro, she really embeds, uh, and infuse these, these programs with lab sites to ensure that teachers are implementing best instructional practice and analyzing that data they learn from one another. We are deeply grateful for the Board of Education, Doctor Octavius Rodriguez, for supporting the work and advocating for literacy coaches across all the districts. Thank you members, we are so appreciative of that. Thank you for continuing that commitment. And guess what? Others are noticing us. So the amazing work that's been done hearing Peekskill, other districts are coming to see. And let's take a quick look at that. This slide represents a neighboring district. It was Tarrytown. They came to see
034us. And they say, we hear that there's great things happening in Peekskill. We want to learn from you, teachers. So the Peekskill A work is being noticed all across in Westchester County, and we are proud to embark in that and sharing that practice. And I also wanted to notice that we're not alone. If you notice, Miss Woodley also shared that practice also that we are being noticing. So which side they are being also being notices. And I know with Mrs. Hernandez or to Mrs. Hernandez, they also have a spotlights on them because a lot of people are learning from them. So we're really proud of that work. All right. We would like to share a little our data also for Sweb. So in this chart it's so it's great. Two students performance in the 80s
035with math assessment from the fall to the spring. And this is for all students. So all students are in this group. So in the fall we had 34 students. They were performing at or above benchmark. Equally 34 were at risk while 218 were below the benchmark. So what happened in the spring? So this number of students they were at in the bot, uh, above the benchmark increased to 97. Those at uh risk shifted to 47. And while students below the bench mark decreased to 131 overall, this reflects a 23 percentage points growth in proficiency for from the fall to this spring. Now, as the principal, I have to reflect on this data. So the grade two Ames web data shows a strong growth in student achievement from the fall to the spring, with a significant
036increase in the number of scholars reaching their grade live proficiency. But as the leader in the instructional leader of Oak Side, I have to reflect that. At the same time, the data highlights that some of those students remain below the benchmark. Reinforcing the importance, the importance of continuing to strengthen foundational uh number cent daily math routines and differentiated, uh, instruction and interventions. And we'll talk a little bit later. How are we going to get there? But to the let's look at our third grade. So just charts shows the third grade assessment of the students in the Ames with math assessment from fall to spring. And again, this is all students. So in the fall, we had 48 students who were performing at and above the benchmark. 43 were at risk and 180 were below the
037benchmark. By the spring, the small number of students at or above benchmark increased to 110. Those at risk decreased to 30, while the students below benchmark decreased to 128. Again, this reflects a 23 percentage point growth in proficiency by the end of the year. This data indicates a strong academic progress in math, with significant numbers of scholars moving from that below it at risk in categories into their grade lift proficiency by the end of the year. So how did we do in that math state assessment. So this Sal displays the New York State third grade math assessment results, providing comparative analysis for the students that are performing in 2024. Oh, let me move that okay. Sorry. And, um, so that's the light of color. And 2025 is the darker shade. I just wanted to, um,
038share a light that our students that are English language learners are expected to take this, this test. Uh, if they came in in September 1st, they expected to take this test. Um, and they're not exempt from taking it. So let's take a quick look. We see an increasing level one. From 18% to 20%. In level two, there's a decrease from 39 to 36% in level three vs an increase from 33% to 34%, and in level four remains unchanged at a oops at 810%. So there was no change there. But we continue to work that is needed to reduce the level, uh, level ones and increase the percentage of the students reaching to from level three. Again, this is a small upward movement, but he did increase by one percentage points. So and we're going to
039talk about how are we going to move our scholars in. How are we going to get there. Email a little later. I would like to share that equally. Just like um, English language arts, there's also data that shows, uh, how a students that stay with us from pre-K. How well do they do? So this slide displays the percentage of students that were never English language learners, and they were never in special education, who remained enrolled in Peekskill from early childhood, would and then later on, plus the um, third grade math assessment tests. So the data again reveals a strong relationship between early childhood enrollment and later academic success. Notice that we have 67% of the students enrolled in pre-K, pass the New York Math Assessment in third grade, and 45 of those students that enrolled
040a year later in kindergarten. Well, 45% of those students, they passed the New York State Math assessment. So again, this demonstrates that students who begin the educational journey in Peekskill in in pre-K or significantly more likely to achieve math efficiency at third grade. Again, reach out to uh, Hill, uh, to Uriah Hill and have those scholars enrolled in that program because we see a great impact. So what's our what's our path? How did we get there? And what are we going to do to continue growing our students? So this slide highlights how we were strengthening the math instruction at Oak Side. A key driver of this work is our math coach mistress for miss for very few present. If you could give a nice shout out. Thank you. All right. So I just wanted also
041to note that we are sharing our math coach with Woodside. We began that last year in this year as well. We are sharing our math coach with our sister school. So our coach provides a hands on modeling, a 1 to 1 coaching cycle, and feedback to support the teachers in implementing explicit direct instruction, also known as edit and inquiry based. So Miss Ferraro also leads classroom labs sites, creating opportunities for our teachers across oxide to and Woodside, including Hillcrest, to learn from one another. What a great way to share best practices and reflect together and continuously improve in that instruction. This collaborative culture ensures a strong pedagogy in sharing and refining and sustaining across classrooms. Um, an alignment between pre-K and 12th grade. So again, thank you to our Board of Education. Thank you, Doctor
042Morris. Thank you, Doctor Rodriguez, for advocating for there to math coaches in all of our buildings and across our district. This is really crucial and we can't do without them. So we really appreciate that. I have to share a highlight, which is our extended day program. We so honored to host that at Oak Side. And I just want to know that to let you know that the afterschool program at Oak Side plays a vital role in strengthening both the academic achievement, the social emotional development by providing extended and structured supports, reading in math and in enrichment with the dedicated leadership and support of our program Director, Miss Maria Flores. Miss Maria Flores, I know you back there. You know, it's this college. They build confidence, they self-regulate, they have a positive a peer relationship and,
043um, in safety and nurturing environment beyond the traditional school day. So we definitely cannot do, uh, without that. All right. So let's talk a little bit about our on our attendance. You know, this slide shows a comparative of an overall attendance for second grade and third grade. And in comparison, the attendance during the flu season, which we are in the middle of right now. All right, I know, I know, I think this year seems to be a little extra long. I think it's just because it's been so cold. But it's true. It's true. So the first graph, the bar all the way to your left is the second grade bar. There's a second greatest, and the one on the right represent an overall attendance for our third graders. So while most of our scholars maintain
044strong attendance throughout the year and overall of 69% for our second graders and 60% for our third graders, chronic absenteeism increases significantly during the peak of flu season, highlighting how illness really impacts the learning time of our scholars. While we love our babies, we know that they get sick. And when they are sick, of course they going to stay home, right? So this is an increase of chronic absenteeism went from a 31% to 46% in second grade and increase from 32 to 47%. So constantly daily attendance is essential for academic success. In every day that a child misses is missed instruction. It is missing those social connections that they have with their peers, with their teachers, and making family partnerships and supporting this regular attendance is extremely important. We are blessed to have a clinical
045team that supports and drives that to partner with our families to see what is it that they need. So all right, I showed you how we doing during the flu season. What happens? What are you doing when there is no flu. Well we have a pre flu attendance. So this is September. This graph is September through November. So this is outside of the flu season. So the first graph displays the pre flu season September through November and maintains a strong attendance for the proxy 78% in second grade and 75 in third grade. Maintaining attendance expectations compared to the significantly lower rates of peak flu season. Um in the season. In the flu season months, this is after flu season. So this graph is March through June, and you can definitely see that there is an
046increase in attendance for our scholars, right? We continue to supporting our families, collaborating, partnering them, um, partnering with our clinical team and driving our attendance. That matters. So with that being said, I want to turn it to my a partner that's going to talk to you about some of the amazing, fun things that are happening at Oak Side. Miss Guzman, it's all yours. Thank you, Miss Buds. Good evening everyone. When a todos um mis bus has presented key data. As we look at this picture, let's pause to appreciate what is hard to quantify or measure in metrics like the genuine joy our students are expressing in this moment. At oxide, we nurture the whole child through strong literacy and math, plus Stem and the arts. Here, students collaborate in a coding challenge designing and testing
047bridge structures. From coding to hands on construction, students explore architecture and storytelling through Lego design. Thank you, Thomas Newby, our Steam teacher, for creating lessons that spark creativity and critical thinking. Next, how students share their scientific thinking. Miss Moca students presents science projects to families and peers. This showcases curiosity, collaboration and communication. Inspiration also comes from our wider community. Our Pisco High School robotics team visited OKC. They inspire our future engineers through hands on demonstrations. Creativity continues with music and the brain, a sequential music literacy program that teaches our scholars to read music and play music. It supports cognitive development and lifelong learning. Our sincere gratitude to those who make this possible. A special thanks to Miss Falck, our music teacher, for bringing music and the brain to life outside. Our immense appreciation to our
048Assistant Superintendent of Elementary, Doctor Aviles Rodriguez, our Superintendent of School, Doctor David Mauricio, and our board members for ensuring that everyone, all our students have access to the arts. Families and community members enrich learning through science demos, celebrations and mystery readings. These partnerships build belonging. Here we see Mr. Beyond teaching our scholars the science of dry ice. We hope you could join us again this year. That spirit continue at Family game night. Our families continue to support and show up for our students. Family Game Night brought our communities together in a joyful and welcoming way. Thank you to our parent leadership team for organizing this and making this event a memorable one. Creativity extends beyond the classroom. Oxide third graders partnered with Jacob Burns Film Center in What's the Story? A media literacy program where
049students explore film storyboarding and collaboration behind the scenes. Care team support every learner. Our brilliant bilingual clinical team supports students social emotional needs. Miss Feliciano. Our psychologist Miss Richard, our bilingual counselor. And Miss Glasper, our bilingual social social social worker. They help shape a positive school climate through PBIs. Thank you. Through PBIs and scale, students learn self-awareness, regulation and empathy. This builds resilience and connection. A big thank you to our art teacher, Mr. Lombardo, for for leading this work alongside the PBIs team for leading this work. Celebrating the whole child remains central. Let's take a minute to appreciate this beautiful picture. Our students are a beautiful tapestry, diverse threads weaving, a stronger, richer learning community led by our PBIs team. We celebrate all our students through monthly recognitions. These honors reflect academics, attendance, and citizenship.
050They highlight our scholars that are ready, respectful, and responsible. Language growth builds confident expression. The Spelling Bee strengthens language skills and public speaking confidence. Thank you to Miss Rios for leading this inclusive spelling bee. Oak sized magic is felt in our share celebrations thanks to our physical ed teachers for celebrate helping us celebrate, um, Field Day. Our end of the year celebration and Oak site is truly a magical place, and I'm honored to serve this community. I look forward to our journey together and now what you've all been waiting for. Our students have prepared a wonderful performance for you at Oak Side. Our students dream big and Oak, psych, nuestros, Estudiantes, Suena and Granby. Their dreams give us the courage to unite and turn those dreams into reality. So, Suenos nostalgia. Valencia junior knows para
051hacer when you say I don't really that enjoy a performance inspired by Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Thank you Miss Dennis for your timely and meaningful program about love, peace and unity. I know that our scholars are coming and they coming out. I see them coming out. Yes. And we will have our board, uh, come to the front row and we get a front row seat to. So let's go. When I say good evening, you say it with me. Good evening everyone. We are the Harvard scholars. Tonight we shall be performing Doctor Martin Luther King Junior's speech. We shall overcome. Doctor King's speech is about hope and believing in change. Doctor King taught people that even things aren't. We should not give up. He believes that when people work together, stand strong and choose peace,
052they can make the world a better place. The word we shall overcome remind us that change may take time, but fairness and equality will win in the end. We hope our performance reminds you that when we work together with kindness and courage, we can overcome anything. Deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome. You know, I join hands often with students and others behind your bar singing at each other. Sometimes we've had tears in her eyes when we joined together to sing it, but we still decided to sing. We shall not for a district to each one. So we had to get on and go somewhere. But we shall overcome. Don't worry about us. Before the victory's won. Some of us will lose jobs. But we shall overcome. Before the victories won. Even
053some have to face hardships. But of hardships that are priced us so must pay. If to free to freedom from pain. Then nothing shall be more redemptive. Before the victory is won, some will be misunderstood and called that name dismissed as values and agitators. But we shall overcome what we shall overcome, because the arc of the universe is long but bends towards justice. We shall overcome because Khalil is right. No lie can live forever. We shall overcome because one right is right. Truth. The earth will rise again. We shall overcome because James Russell is right. Two forever on the scaffold. Rung forever on the throne. Yet always on the scaffold. Future behind the dim unknown standard of God. Keeping watch above his own. We shall overcome because the Bible is right. You shall reap what
054you sow. We shall overcome. Deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome. How do you go out and join the conscience of the spirit? And we bring new light and dark pessimism and evil to rival the tigers spiritual buoyancy of hope. And this will be a great America will be this clause, making it so and so. As I leave this evening, I say what to get children. Don't you get weary. As we know, as we hear these words. We want you to say with us. Oh, everybody say it loud. Green. Peace. Equality. Well. Solar. Johnson's. Thank you for saying those positive words with us. Words like this hope, love, dream, peace, equality, courage and justice are the same values. Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior bully written. Well, we must remember what Doctor King
055told us that when we stand together, treat others, respect and use our voices for good, we can make the world a better place. As we leave this evening, let us remember to carry these words in our hearts and show them to our actions every day. Thank you for celebrating Doctor King's message with us. Music. You think? Now you see that music, or you just hold it up because you just want to have this, uh. I hope you look. I am. Hey hey hey. Hey, hey. I'm proud. I hope I find the right. Hey hey hey hey. Yeah. Keep our. Keep going. How will we know? Now. He's all right. Now, before they go, let's give Miss Denis a big round of applause. Thank you for all you've done. Parents, thank you for being here tonight
056as well. And we are going to take a short recess. And now celebrities are going to get all the high fives. At this time. We're going to take a short recess. And, uh, thank you all for coming out. You can if you are heading on out, you are welcome to do so now. Thank you to our staff. Thank you everyone. Let's give Barnabas and Miss Ghost Mine a big round of applause. He did amazing job. We'll do that. Okay. Good evening everyone. Thank you again. And, uh, thank you, uh, Mrs. Buds and, uh, Mrs. Guzman, for your wonderful presentation on how you're setting a climate of joy, how you're setting a climate of togetherness. Uh, board member Frank. Uh, and I was speaking about the number of people who are here. Not only the parents.
057Uh, they're here, obviously, to hear the wonderful words, but also your staff. And they're here to support you as their leaders and to let us know that they support you and to recognize the work that, uh, that you are doing each and every day in the data that you shared. You know, the board will share their comments and thoughts. Um, but I would like to share that you thanked everyone except yourself, Mrs. Buds. And so let's give Mrs. Words a round of applause and say thank you for your leadership. I love my job, Doctor Mauricio. And it shows and it shows is a blessing. Yes it is and it is one of the most difficult jobs in America, uh, being a principal and assistant principal. And we thank you both for your leadership each and
058every day. And it shows in your presentation and how you're having. And I speak as a superintendent and as a dad. Um, and, uh, I'm just elated to see what you have been able to do with my princess, but also all the, uh, 500 plus students in your care each and every day. And so thank you for that. Uh, lastly, I will just share and then I'll turn it over to, uh, president. Is that the words that we heard of scholars today, the wisdom that they shared. And Miss Dennis does a great job with them. Um, but that those are the kind of words that we need to, um, share nationally. Those are the kinds of words that makes me proud to be here in our community and to have students, uh, be able to
059showcase what they, um, believe and what we are instilling as parents and as, uh, educators as well. And lastly, I close with I always wonder if the people who are icons in the past came back in the present and saw what they saw. Would they be proud? And I would say Martin Luther King would be proud of what we're doing here in Peekskill, and he would be proud of what you're doing at Oak Side with that. Thank you. Him. I echo all of that, but I'm also going to open up. I know other board members have questions or comments. So if anyone wants to ask anything, now would be a great chance. Gremlin. Thank you. Um, loved your presentation. And, um, what I liked about it was that it's. We are driven by data, but
060it's qualitative data as well as quantitative data, because you really need to get that whole picture. Um, so a couple of things I noted. Uh, just overall, because we can't be here all night and disaggregate everything and disagree that everything is, um, the data is and distinguish when you're looking at movement from, um, grade to grade. Uh, or when you're looking at where a third grader starts. So say some of them are starting in kindergarten. We don't know if those were students who just arrived here. So, uh, at their reading level, we don't we don't know that. Um, I noted I did not know this, that you said, uh, ells English language learners are not exempt from state math exams from year one. Is that true? Yes. Okay, so my understanding is, from what I've
061seen, those math exams are very heavy on word problems. So they have to take those in English. They have the opportunity to take it in their native language. Okay. We should if they wish. So I, I when I order the tests, uh, if it's Hebrew, if it's in Spanish, we make sure they have that test in, um, in Spanish. And they also have it in English as well. Uh, the point is that sometimes there are scholars do not come with that even in their native language. They don't have that academic vocabulary. Right. And also the testing vocabulary itself is very specific. Um, my experience as a parent was like my kids were pretty, um, ahead of the game in terms of reading. We were lucky in that. But if I if you looked at their
062test scores, they often weren't very impressive. Some years they were, some they weren't. So the test is really a snapshot in time. We all know this. That's why I say the qualitative day is important. But I really appreciate this arc data that we're getting because you can see, um, if I was looking at your slides, I was trying to process some of the data was like even the kids or even the, you know, the kindergarten level, say in second or third grade, you could see that there was motion, it might have been less motion. And again, we don't know if those are kids who just arrived here. Like we have no idea in terms of I would be concerned if we had a kid who started in pre-K, was with us the whole time, had
063good attendance and still is adding there and reading level. Then I would say like, are they getting the interventions, etc. but we're looking at everyone in this and we have a pretty fluid district. So, um, I also googled in terms of the tests because again, the test is like, oh, I know we need to be accountable. I don't mind that we have it there always in the state level, trying to tinker with the tests to make it better, but it is one day it is one test. And I know they're trying to do their best, but the overall state average on the, um, Ela that I just googled for that year was like 56% proficiency. Yeah. So we had for our students, which would be like the truest data. Our students who started in pre-K
064and K, uh, were above that. Correct? Well, I think okay, maybe not above it, but like K, because they a little state students who started in pre-K were well above that. Another thing was that if you're looking at our AAC data, which I would say would probably be true, or data, because it's really tracking and getting very like intimate with their, um, uh, assessments and it's all year long. If I looked at that and I read it correctly for our general education students, all of them not knowing when they entered our school or what in the third grade, like 75% of them were at or above reading level. Yes. In a third grade, yes. It's more of an a holistic. It's like the whole child approach. So that's like 75% of those third grade students,
065regardless of whether we got them last year or whatever, were at or above third grade reading level. And then even the ones who are below they did have motion. So I just took I took note of that. Um, and then on a little bit more of an uncomfortable note, sorry for the board. Um, just something we're always trying to talk about. And it's hard because it's just money and logistics. And we're a small city school district, and a lot of small city school districts have no transportation whatsoever. But I will say flu season is also cold season. And I would be interested to see a comparison of the data from Woodside attendance to oxide attendance. Because oxide is a mile um, distance, Woodside is a half mile distance. And we have so many priorities here,
066and we're always trying to move forward and do our best for our students and give them all the best programing. And transportation is one of our heaviest lives financially. Once you commit to it, it's it's you know, you can't commit from it. But it is data we've been talking about looking at, you know, proximity, things like that. Because I don't like to see our families with little babies sometimes, you know, walking to school. And I don't know how doable a mile is, is definitely not doable for a second grader in zero degrees. So I'm kind of wondering if it is just the flu, but thank you for pointing that out. It is a point to be made in and see the needs of our families. So. Thank you for that. And it is something we
067we struggle with. And you know, there's there's a lot to balance there. It is not simple but it's just something I want to keep on our radar. Thank you. Thank you so much for your time and thank you. I have a couple of questions. And again, thank you for the, um, for the presentation, the data. So a few questions just to help, you know, make sure I'm understanding how we're defining certain things. Um, with regard to chronic absenteeism, how do we define that and do targets count as part of that, or is it purely missing the day? So is we really missing the day? I mean, at the high school, it's a different, uh, you know, it's a different, uh, thing. And I think, you know, Doctor Ferris wheel talked about that. We need her
068presentation, but it would be ten days or more. But it's calculated, so it's if they miss or really ten days in September, by the end of September, you're going to be chronic already. So it's ten days. There is a ratio that they go by right. So if um, um b might be missing, um, you know, two days in September maybe then I'll miss one day in January. Then I'm really sick. So ten days or more would be really considered chronic. I'm great. Thank you. Um, and then in thinking about progress for students who are in the dual lane dual language program, what should parents expect? Maybe another way to ask the question is should growth for the should growth? Um, in the dual language program for students be 1 to 1 to their native language.
069So it's students there are they if we remember and I think we talked about this when it was Woodside. And now each scholar learning two uh, languages will take approximately between 67 years for them to be really immersion in that language and becoming proficiency. So some of our scholars are coming in that are native speaking. They come maybe already with those deficits in their own native language. Do we scaffold for them? Do we plan for them to incorporate the families and still embracing that other native language to support that they can pull from in order to support their English language? And we do the opposite also with our English dominant scholars. So a child that is predominantly, uh, reading in English and that's the native language, they we also present those scaffolds. Now, those scholars,
070uh, they are typically they either started in pre-K. Uh, it's if you were a native English speaker, you started in, in pre-K, kindergarten on first, but after second grade, um, you know, that program is not, uh, you're not a candidate for that because you have really missed pre-K, kindergarten. And so your peers are already have three years ahead of you. Um, so it's something that we really, you know, discourage families. And when they coming in so that they have a really fair chance. I hope I answered your question. Absolutely. Thank you. Um, uh, again, thank you for the presentation. As as with all my colleagues said and I just want to say, um, uh, I just have a couple of statements, actually, no questions. Um, but I just want to say thank you for allowing
071us, uh, to witness some of your scholars, um, you know, their dedication and focus they had presenting was just amazing. Um, being able to remember their lines without reading and and being, uh, in front of a crowd, which we all know a lot of people have, uh, issues with public speaking, and they were at an early age looking us in our face and telling us, you know, um, what they felt inside was always it was great, uh, just to see their, um, the power in their words and what they were saying, they truly believed in that. And that was great. Um, but what I would like to I would like to ask, can you go to, um, slide number 28? If you can give me that, I'll go. I'll go back and you tell me
072to give you which one? All the oxide. Elementary. Other parent. Family and community partnership. One is the one with the dry ice. The with the dry ice right there. All right. So this right here just is to me speaks a thousand words right here. First, I'd like to thank Mr. Valon and, uh, Jillian Villa for allowing her husband to kind of go into the classroom and present this. But if you look at those children's face, you're not going to tell me that not one of those guys went home with something that they learned at in that lesson. And if we can get all our children, our students to, uh, have an opportunity to get that type of feeling at a learning, I think it's going to, uh, and I don't see why we shouldn't have
073a successful school, uh, year, but I just want to say just thank you for allowing, um, the community and our partners to come in and expose our kids to this, because I guarantee you, somebody went home with something that day and that look on those children's faces just, uh. It's unexplainable, but thank you. It is. Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. Thank you. And if you could go to the other picture they were presenting at Hispanic Heritage. So they presented their posters to the families in the families board and shared traditional foods. I have to tell you, I mean, I don't think we have a, like a local restaurant that has such a variety. And I could have just been there just feasting. But it was so wonderful to have our families. So you're always welcome to
074come in and share your talents. And, uh, we really enjoy and thank you for allowing our families to also be part of that, opening the doors and allowing us and, and, uh, encouraging us to continue those relationships. Thank you for your comment. Thank you. Um. Uh, I just I guess I wanted to pose a question. Um, but also maybe a suggestion for the board and maybe just some of the presentations we have moving forward. Um, having been a student myself in the district, um, moving from Buchanan to Peekskill at a younger age between, like, through to fourth grade. Um, one thing for me and I still have a record of it, of, uh, old report cards that showed that I wasn't necessarily progressing in writing and in reading because of the language barrier that I
075had. And I was still born here. I knew, um, first generation student. Um, but even then, like at that time, I was still struggling, regardless of the fact that I was born here. And technically, Spanish was my first language. So I guess I'm just wondering if there's a way to document some of that data in some capacity, or be able to figure out if there's something also there that, you know, either maybe holds a student back in some capacity, but just being able to measure that data, I think, would be really helpful. Um, just because it's a I think it's a real experience and it's one that I definitely had, and I still went to college for journalism, and I, and I still did all the things that I felt like as a child, you
076know, might have been difficult. So, um, I don't know if there's a way for us to be able to, to look at that kind of information or what do you think as a, as, um, as a leader in the district as well? Um, on that. So, yeah. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Thank you. Well, thank you for the presentation. On that point, it may be beneficial for us to look at the RTI process throughout the districts, because a lot of those kids are caught up with the RTI program the way that it's established in our buildings. So I know we had some questions along the same lines with Woodside. I know we're thinking them with your building. Um, I also think that the information we're getting from Arc and, um, the real time
077look at how the students are doing in literacy and that one on one with teachers and how they're evaluated has been so beneficial. And really having an insight into how our students are doing with literacy and how our teachers are teaching literacy and really engaging with it. And I would love if there was a math program that was very similar and did that touchpoint the same way. There was a little bit more holistic than maybe a timed, um, math reflex or some of the other things that we use. Like, I understand that reflective math is extremely important and very, very successful in how you're doing in your education. But I know some kids struggle with that, and I know that there if there's a possibility that there is another program like our arc out there
078for math that may be beneficial to look at and and developing that program, because I know the growth, um, in Arc was really, um, amazing to see. And the math wasn't it didn't stand out as much, but if we could see it the same sort of way where we're seeing that progress, um, I think that would be beneficial for families, um, and beneficial for teachers to know exactly where their students are, um, push them forward. Um, and then I'm going to ask a question from, um, Michael Simpkins, time on the board. And, um, we can't make oxides, but blue, uh, footprint any bigger. We can't, you know, buy the streets and the neighborhood. But, um, if we put that aside, is there anything that we could do for your building if you had an amazing
079wish list that one thing that would be super beneficial? Well, we've been very blessed with a green house and with a lot of donations. I also have to say that any of our requests have always been fulfilled by Doctor Vilas Rodriguez, and also by the kindness of Doctor Mauricio. But if I had it on my wish lists, I wish, and this is kind of impossible, would just be time a gift of time. We, you know, so many times of our teacher says, I just wish I had 15 more minutes. And, um, but we have everything in place and we really, just really, really appreciate all your support. We can't do this without you. And some of you are parents in our school district. Um, you know, in in my school in particular. And we're really
080grateful for that partnership. And always thank you for checking in on us and always asking those questions. But if you give me a little time, we would take it. But thank you so much. Thank you. If we figure that one out, I'm pretty sure everyone wants the gift. Totally. And then just on the point you made about the, um, um, the culinary impact and families bringing food in our classrooms are almost too small to fit what people bring into their boxes. They have to fill the teacher's desk, the kidney table, the heater, and some of the students desks. And then you've got all the parents and all those students. So it's really a beautiful sight to see. And, and food really, um, unites communities and makes us understand each other a lot better. So I
081really love that you're bringing that and bringing that forward to the school and the students and bring everyone together that way. And I can definitely arrange it, that maybe we can get into like more of a common space, maybe the stage I can rearrange a little bit of the a lunch program so that we can extend it and maybe do in our cafeteria, but we'll definitely work that out. I don't think any teacher expects the outcome that they get, because they set it up and they think their classrooms ready to go. And then people come with so much and it's beautiful. But it is. But thank you. Thank you so much. Great. Thank you everyone. And we took some data um request. And so we'll, uh, look at those from attendance and, um, longitudinal data.
082Uh, coming up, uh, Vargas has looked at some longitudinal data for English language learners, and, and she followed a cohort, um, as you mentioned. And so we'll continue that effort as well. And I already send an email about the, um, you'll get it tomorrow morning. I scheduled for tomorrow morning so you can rest tonight. Uh, but it's to work with our IT department to, um, look at our, uh, Woodside data and our attendance data, and also our, uh, oxide data so we can look at comparisons, uh, with that transportation patterns as well. So thank you both. Uh, again. And, uh, with that, I'll turn it back over to our president. And I know we have a student, um, um, board member update as well. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you for all your
083support. Thank you. I think we can move into our student report first. So if you want to report to the board, of course. Hi everyone. I think that one of the biggest updates to notify the public about is how many more classes we're getting next year. That was the biggest thing that I had going into this school year, was wanting to advocate for more AP courses, especially in our science field. We only had one AP science class, which was AP bio, and that is a very difficult class. And I know that many kids love science, but biology might just not be for them. So I think it's super or AP bio specifically. So it's super interesting to see that we have AP psychology and AP Environmental Science coming in. And then I also see that
084we're getting WCC music theory. And I will say that is so important because I know in my class, I have been in the exact same class and been with the exact same classmates. I do not know how, but since I was in kindergarten, they have not left my side. And the best thing about our friend group is that half of us want to go to conservatories for music. It means so much to them. Max Fair. He has helped run the musical review. He has helped do so many things in music, and the kids there are so passionate. When we're at lunch, that's all they talk about is music. And I try and follow along as much as I can, but I'm so glad that their passions get to be fulfilled as well and shown at
085school. And I also love that Mvcc is going to Albany tomorrow for their annual conference, which I mean even seeing the photos of what MBK is doing. That is such a wonderful organization. And I actually was just in Albany for a Youth Advocacy day at the Capitol with step and step is another program that our school works with. I will say it is so helpful, and I think that another goal that I have this year is to advocate for it more at our school, to make sure the kids are applying because we do get free S.A.T. prep. That is something very big with colleges. Now, with all of the Dei regulations being put in, a lot of the colleges are looking at our SAT scores now, and with the Step program on step Saturdays, you
086can go. And the junior schedule is just SAT prep, SAT prep for hours. And that is just getting that type of review. The one on one review that you get with the teachers is so useful. So I think that that's amazing because we're also also getting to use our voice and getting to talk to local officials. When I was there today, I was able to speak with two different senators about getting more funding for the program and speaking with them. They were all very excited and they wanted to do that. So I think just learning how to ask and how to advocate for our needs, that can even help with schools or in our future, if we're working for other organizations, being able to advocate for budget rights, we're very useful. And then, of course,
087we also have our Black History Month celebration, which we have already started here as an example. So it's nice to see the progression. The dance classes and dance team do their own their own performance each year, so it's nice to see the progression from their elementary school kids all the way to the high school kids. So I guess thank you everyone. Oh, and I was also going to say earlier when we were talking about the students and the image right up here with the Hispanic heritage projects, I wanted just to say how much that impacted me when I was younger. We did not have it to the extent of this. This is like a million times better. But I remember being in dual language and I was in Hillcrest at this point, but or maybe
088younger. Sorry. That was oh, like ten years ago, I think. But I remember going to each different classroom and we would make our own presentations and then sometimes there would be food. I remember going to one class and having, oh my goodness, I think this is leches for the first time. And I was like, oh my goodness, I couldn't get that out of my head. And the fact that I still know that now, and I can still remember going to each of the different classrooms in the dual language wing and seeing the different presentations is so amazing because now I get to. See what it progressed into. And it just shows like the student experience shows how pixel has progressed over the years, which is wonderful. Yes. Or I have a quick question. Last comment.
089Well, you kind of answered my question because I was going to ask if you had any, um, does not put you on the spot, but if you ever do have any questions or comments or anything comes up during the meeting, um, or even after the meeting, if you talk to somebody else and they have a question about it, feel free because you are a board member and participant. You don't just have to present to us. So thank you for that input. And obviously, if there's ever anything else tonight or any other time, we really enjoy hearing your perspective. If I could just share, uh, first of all, um, for some reason hungry for address ledges. Um, but thank you for sharing that and your experience. You exemplify what the data shows, and that is when
090students enroll in our district early on and they remain in our district, um, they do amazing things. And you're you're an example of that. And as you mentioned, your peers have stayed alongside, uh, with you and you've stayed alongside with them. And that's really our goal is to get our students at, at whatever age they come, because they don't make those choices. And, uh, but to remain in our district and to engage in that support. And so thank you for that leadership. Thank you for your advocacy with the senator level. That's so important for us to, uh, it means something when we say it, but it means so much more when it comes from students and parents. And so thank you for your continued advocacy, uh, including the other day, uh, at the high school
091where, um, they had the panel with Senators and Miss Valon as well, who was on the panel representing the board as well. And so, again, thank you for that. And lastly, to, uh, Mrs., uh, McDonald's, uh, point those AP courses and, and continue things that we do, especially at the high school. Very often those are, um, based on parent input and student input. And so some of the courses that Doctor Ferris has created were from the student council and student, um, input that they have given, uh, to our leadership team. And then that work has been moving forward. So your voice matters, as Mrs. McDonald said. And so, uh, please keep your voice, uh, uh, in a space where we, um, hear it and listen to it with your, um, students at the high school.
092And we, uh, often move in that, in that space as well. So thank you. Thank you. I echo what everyone else said and definitely jump in with questions, because student led questions usually are even more on point than what we have to say. So I'm really excited. Um, here at the table, you get to ask questions to whoever comes in presenting. So feel free. And thank you for the report. Um, and yes, student advocacy is super important. So if you're a student out there and there's a class you really want, there's something that you really want to see happen. Um, go bother Doctor Ferris or or the middle school or whatever building. I know the principals love hearing from you, especially when you come with a unique perspective. So I absolutely love the idea that
093anything coming forward from a student is something we pursue. Um, if there is nothing else on the superintendent's report, I'm going to move on to the hearing of the citizens. Is there anyone who wishes to be heard very quiet again and say, anyone who wants to come out to a board meeting, um. Feel free. We love to hear comments, questions, concerns, um, praise all of the above. Um. Consent agenda board. Does anyone have any questions? Comments? Thoughts? Can I have a motion to approve consent agenda items seven A through seven G. So moved by Brandon. Second. Second by Allen. All in favor? Hi. Any nays? Any abstentions? Okay. If there's no further actions, can I ask for a motion to adjourn the meeting? So moved. Oh. Sorry. Amy. Yeah. I just wanted to, um, quickly
094share. Um, before we close that, uh, thanks to the board and to some of the other administrative staff, um, we're going to be doing a small, uh, program exchange cultural exchange program with a small school in Ecuador. Um, Ecuador is a sister city with, uh, Peekskill. Um, and that started a couple years ago. And its, its goal was really to promote, uh, tourism, but also just more cultural exchange between both countries, both cities. Um, and I'm very honored because this is the community my dad happens to come from. And we also share a very large community, um, who live here in Peekskill, who are part of Cuenca. Um, and so it's it's very special because it's a small school. There's about a thousand or so residents in the in the very small community. It's a
095very rural community. Um, and the school serves about 120 students. So it's a very small school. Um, but I think that this partnership is something that would be really awesome for our students here. Um, and then awesome for the students there, who for the first time are probably meeting with students outside of Ecuador. Um, even though it's virtual, I still think it's something that's necessary for them. So I'm very excited about that. And I just wanted to share it with everyone and just want to say thank you to to the leadership here and everyone on the board for being willing to, to see something like that happen. And I hope we continue to do that with other places in our community. So that's that's all I wanted to share today. So I leave on Thursday.
096I think I'm going to bring some small goodies for the students there. Um, and I think it will be a really nice way to, to welcome that partnership, um, and foster it more and in the coming months. So thank you to everyone who made it happen. So thank you. Um, and also I just want to say, um, you know, a lot of things that we do here, um, um, we get, we get donations from, um, community members and so forth. And I just want to say thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Green, uh, for their donation to the music program. Uh, we've we've seen it grow. And and with these donations, it helps continue to grow that program. But also, I want to thank Mavis, uh, tire supply, um, for their donation to our senior
097class trip. Um, again, you know, funding is important where we we don't. Um, sometimes it's just great to have, um, outside, uh, community members, um, help and and exposing our, uh, students to those, um, those luxuries. So just want to say thank you, uh, for those donations. We also approved another trip, so I'm always really excited about trips. So just so everyone knows, there's another trip where we're sending our students to see the world outside of Peekskill, which is always super exciting to do. Um, the presentation today was beautiful. I think it's exactly what we need right now. Um, we're in a beautiful place, and I think we can do great things. Um, and our students are really the center of all that. So is there anyone else who wants to make any comment? No.
098Then now I'm going to ask for a motion to adjourn. Um. Moves by Angel. Second by Amy. All in favor? Aye. Any nays? Any abstentions? Good evening. Peekskill.