001Yes, ma'am. >> Welcome. Thanks everybody for coming out tonight. We're going to uh invite Alex Narzan up to help me with the uh pledge of allegiance. Alex arrives each day to class with a bright smile and an energy that lifts everyone around him. His enthusiasm for learning is truly infectious. He dives into the new topics with curiosity, asks insightful questions, and stays fully engaged from start to finish. You're Alex, right? Driven and self-motivated, Alex consistently gives his very best effort in everything he does. In addition to his strong work ethic, Alex is known for his kindness and warm, caring nature. He is a friend to all, bringing positivity not only to the classroom, but to everyone's space he's in. Alex also has a special passion for animals. His impressive knowledge and genuine love for them
002shine through in the thoughtful way he cares for his pets. Whether it's Rocky, Remy, or his fish, Alex makes sure each one is happy, healthy, and well care cared for. An example of his compassion in action. For all these reasons, we are so honored to have Alex lead us in the pledge of allegiance this evening. Over here, [applause] turn a little bit. I'll hold this. You ready? I pledge allegiance >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic of which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you, Alex. Great job. [applause] >> [clears throat] >> Good evening and thank you everybody for coming. It's it's so great to see an auditorium full of people. Uh it's a really exciting
003and we have really really great things to share with you today. But before I introduce our two dynamic principles, uh Mrs. Kalia Kelly and Mr. Jack Bixhorn who will be sharing uh the many great things happening in our elementary schools. I want to take a moment to address something uh from the recent community forum. I believe our teachers were at times mischaracterized and that is something I want to correct today and right now. I want you to know our teachers are an outstanding group of caring professionals who consistently go above and beyond for our students. And I truly and truly put kids first in everything they do. And I have to be honest, I witness it every single day. I am both grateful and honored to work alongside them each day. Our students, families, and
004the entire community are fortunate to have such dedicated educators shaping the lives of our children. So, I just want to thank the teachers for doing what they do every single day. So, thank you. [applause] And as I mentioned, uh, two dynamic principles without further delay are going to share some of the highlights, uh, that are happening at RM Avenue and Senate Avenue. So, uh, Mrs. Kelly, Mr. Bixon. [applause] Okay. So, as a district, um, well, before we begin, I want to thank everyone for joining us this evening. Um we are so grateful to be able to share the dynamic things that are happening at center and RA Avenue. Um we are truly blessed educators in front here to be working with such amazing teachers every single day. As we always begin um our presentations we
005talk about the East Rockway School District mission statement and specifically we wanted to highlight some important words of this statement that truly reflect um who we are as um as a people and schools. We have a diverse community. We have proud traditions. Every day, our teachers and our staff members prepare engaging lessons, innovative activities to inspire our learners in so many ways, but most importantly for creativity. All right. So, we want to start off with our why. And once again, we're talking about um as leaders, what we think about every day and also why we do what we do. And as the purpose of this presentation really is to go over all the great things happening and I hope that everyone can see when we think about our why it's all student centered and everything
006we do really is in the best interest of our students and I think it's important that you know our educational leadership is all about um helping students and we believe that staff are you know the first line of defense and the people that are dealing with students every day. So we do our best to support our staff. Um we're focused on ensuring students are supported academically, socially, emotionally. We really take seriously creating a safe and inclusive learning environment and both of us um are focused as well as the staff on continuous growth and improvement. So to highlight a little bit about our social emotional supports that we've done over the years that both of us have been there is our continuing work with the ruler framework and that's involved in identifying our emotions understanding where
007they come from labeling them and ensuring there's a space on how we can um respectfully as well as for the others and ourselves to exhibit those emotions everywhere. And through that we have morning meetings where teachers meet with students in sometimes the most vulnerable ways and talking about things that they may be struggling with at home in school and teachers also being vulnerable in that moment as well to be able to create a community in our classrooms where everyone feels safe because we all know that once our children feel safe then our learning will occur right after that. These are just a couple of pictures from moon meters and morning meetings that are at center and rain avenue where we talk about identifying our emotions and how we move forward on that. And part of
008that picture right there is from Sloopy um our emotional support dog which is something that we will continue to incorporate into our schools to provide that space for our students. One [clears throat] one area we've come a long way with over the past few years is really implementing a multi-tered system of supports. So, as many of you know, not only do we provide inter um interventions and support for students academically for reading and writing, we've really expanded that to social and emotional learning and um behavior. We've worked hard to create uh specific interventions tailored to students who are struggling to really help them learn and grow and promote positive behavior. Additionally, we have um created specific crisis management response teams and updated our safety systems. One of the things we're really proud of is now
009we now have alarms on every single building, which has really helped um with alopment protocols. And we're continuing to uh you know, focus on student safety and make sure we have a staff always available to help when needed to assist and support our teachers and students. So in each of our schools, that's one thing that um we highlighted in the vision statement is our traditions and how we support our diverse learners. So each one of us in our buildings has specific things that we do to try to create a positive school climate for our students while we're involving our teachers in multiple ways or involving our monitors in various ways to really celebrate and acknowledge hard work and how we can use that hard work to ensure the continu continuous use of positive behavior moving
010forward. So we have some community building events that all of us do do in our own respective schools. Specifically, we have staff for student games, school day events, schoolwide assemblies, and one I really wanted to highlight that we have that we most recently just had, and thank you to the fourth grade teachers for organizing that at Central Rain Avenue was um a Native American assembly that we had students come to Center Avenue and enjoy a field trip together. So, it was a really wonderful experience. And honestly, looking in the all-purpose room when I was in there and at recess, it was so much excitement that our students had in the allpurpose room. Was it crowded? Yes. Was the long Was the lunch line long? Yes. But the smiles and the excitement that our students had
011yesterday. I believe it was yesterday, right? I don't know what day it is anymore, but it was yesterday. And the students had such an exciting time. And that is just one of the key pieces that our teachers, our fourth grade teachers that we have at Center Rain Avenue, as well as myself and Mr. Bixorn have created for them. And we're really proud of that. And that continues the collaborative approach that we as schools do together. >> And uh if you see that golden shoe and you're wondering why there's a golden shoe here, uh one thing we did at Ray Avenue is we started giving out class awards monthly to students that exhibit great behavior both in the hallway, which is the golden shoe, the cafeteria for the golden spatula, and the crowd favorite is the
012golden plunger for the cleanest classroom. It is [laughter] it is a really fun way to promote positive behavior and build up some healthy competition amongst teachers as well. Uh to focus on academics for a bit, we we put I Ready there. And I think I want to make sure everyone knows that's way more than just a program that kids go on to do a reading and math lesson that's personalized. That's also one of our many data sources that we give three times a year to truly get to see how well our students are doing, not just with proficiency, but which with growth, which is super important to us. And as a team and as a staff, we really, you know, dive into that information and we use that information to help us provide targeted lessons
013for students. Um, another thing that we've seen um really build over the past few years is our um project-based learning, PBL. At this point, we can confidently say that all teachers K through five have now been trained in it. Our fifth grade really took the lead with some cool stuff, including colonizing Mars. And I'm super excited about our first grade project this year where they're going to try to sell the community on how we can improve playgrounds by researching playgrounds and incorporates math, reading, map, map making. It sounds like a really cool thing. And we're always focusing on increasing proficiency in ELA and math. It's an area we're looking to work on. We're diving deep into that data. We've implemented a new program called RAD to help with writing responses to ensure students are using
014the correct details. students might not be thrilled about that right now, but we are trying to do a lot of different things to improve proficiency and we're always trying to uh grow as a staff. >> So, at this point, both of us will talk a little bit about literacy and Mr. Pixtorm will speak a little bit about math. Um, so in literacy with the support of our literacy coach, Miss Schneider, who works between both buildings and our teachers that have common planning time that we have done, um, we've really worked together to revamp the program that we have here to design a curriculum map that is reflective of what's going on in our classrooms. And the most important part of that map is the teachers voice and their ability to make decisions based on the
015students that they have, especially when it comes to text choices and strategies with that. One of our focuses is really on vocabulary and working on with Morphe Magic or UFly to complement a lot of the work that we're doing to improve like I wouldn't say improve vocabulary but to enhance it. So we're enhancing our current practices because both of our schools have made steady progress and we're really proud of the work that we have done when we look at I Ready we look at our multiple assessment measures and it has been growing exponentially in the last couple of years. So we're very proud of that work across small groupoup instruction and differentiated practices. [clears throat] Both of us have worked together to build a master schedule that we feel that provides itself the opportunities for
016that small group instruction and that one-on-one time or small group time with our teachers and that is something that came from feedback from our staff. So we wanted to make sure what works and what doesn't work and then the constant reflection to see what continues to work. So these are just some of the pictures that focus on the vocabulary instruction using youly Orton Gillingham and our small group with our reading specialists as well as with our classroom teachers and moving forward to see the progression that we have with our students later on. >> All right. So specifically for math, we've been doing some work over the past few years to really implement parts of the thinking classroom, which is a really great book that really promotes oh that really promotes how to uh you know
017improve student thinking and it has to do a lot with different tasks and different modalities for how students could express their thinking. You might see a lot of whiteboard, whether that's a new desk that has whiteboards or vertical whiteboards, and there is uh research behind it that indicates that's the best way to get kids started because there's not that fear of writing something and having to erase it with a dark marker. So, we've we've used a lot of their tenants uh moving forward. We also have improved and increased resources for differentiated stations. So, in addition to our core Eureka curriculum, there's quite a few different resources the teachers have to in increase engagement and differentiated learning. And we've also this year especially given teachers time to start at the beginning of each unit by looking
018at all the learning objectives really focusing on how those learning targets relate to student thinking and trying to incorp think incorporate thinking maps as necessary. So there's really been a new focus on student cognition and thinking when planning math which we're really proud of. And just to piggyback a little bit on the math, we're very excited about um our movement towards Eureka Squared and the work that we'll be doing um to really continue to enhance the work from our students. Now, we'll shift into some enrichment opportunities, which encompasses a lot of things when it comes to our students, our clubs, um our recess opportunities, our indoor recess, which is always room for growth, and we're always looking for feedback on that. So we've have some expansion of our clubs um in both of our schools.
019So we have differences here. Chess club, Wizards Whizfit drama club, student council, K kids, some mock trial exploration and that's based on student interest and then teacher support. So it's really great that we continue to have voice in our schools and hoping to continue moving that um for the years to come. We've had [cough] excuse me the increased field trips also the incorporation of our musical program with Mr. A um as well as Mr. Schance that they've been having visits to classrooms as well as playing music when children are coming into the building. So these are just different experience for children to have a taste when it comes to the arts and how we can move forward and create a love for that. I just wanted to quickly shout out that video game club because
020the students that are sitting here today were actually part of the um leadership team that brought that club based on student interest and it had over 95 students that signed up for it. So it was one of our more successful things and thank you to the students sitting here tonight. Um just an overall improvement of systems and Miss Kelly kind of touched on this but we are very proud of our scheduling. We feel like this year especially we've made it more efficient for interventions to happen and ensure that those interventions are happening at a time where it's a double dose so students are not missing any core instruction. And we've also tried really hard to maximize our interventionist time to ensure that students are getting as much intervention as possible and limiting the assessment time
021to only um when it's necessary. And this year especially I think Miss Kelly and I have both really tried to get even more teacher input to even make our schedule better for the following year. So, um I think at that point that's the end. Yep. [laughter] >> All right. >> Yeah. So, um we thank you so much for joining in this evening and hearing about all the great things. And this is just a snapshot of all the great things that are happening at Centurion Avenue. Um we would be here all night or even more days to kind of share about all the great work of the staff that we have in both of our buildings. And it's really important for us to share that. So, thank you for your time. We welcome any questions and
022um have a nice evening. [applause] Thank that was excellent. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. [applause] Before we get to our uh poetry March Madness winners, um I'd like to thank the principles for their presentation. I know they put a lot of hard work into that and uh it's really reflective of what's happening in our school. So, how about a nice round of applause for our principles. [applause] Before I introduce our director of humanities, uh, Mrs. Kristen Anis, and our famous teacher, Miss Sarah Peron. Um, a little history behind March Madness. I don't really remember the year. I'm guessing around 2000 2004 a dynamic teacher by the name of Jenny Severs uh was a big basketball fan and wanted to correlate some of the curriculum and the poetry that our students are doing to
023the March Madness brackets and the teachers took it and ran with it and it did a fantastic job with it and it's really inspiring creativity uh and bringing poetry to life in the classrooms and it's given great meaning. So, I'm going to introduce our director of humanities, Miss Kristen Anis, to talk a little bit about our MA poetry march madness. [applause] >> Thank you, Mr. Council, and thank you members of the board for having us present tonight. Um, with me here, I have Sarah Peron, who's going to explain a little bit about the tournament itself. >> Okay, let's get set up. Okay, very good. Okay. Uh, good evening everyone. I'm really honored to be here tonight to talk a little bit more about Poetry Madness. It's one of our favorite traditions in the English department.
024And as Mr. Dtoaso shared, this has been a schoolwide competition that um my mentor Jenny Siver started many, many years ago. So just the rundown of it is that each year students are invited to write a poem, an original poem, sometimes inspired by our themes and sometimes they come up with it all on their own. Um, and what makes this competition especially exciting is that yes, it mirrors the structure of the March Madness tournament with poems advancing through the rounds until only eight voices remain. And what begins as a collection of student writing becomes something much more. It's a celebration of creativity and vulnerability and really the courage it takes to get up here and share your voice, your innermost thoughts in front of the entire school is very, very intimidating, but they do it
025and they do it beautifully every year. Um, so tonight I have the privilege I'm going to introduce a few of our final poets. We have a few who couldn't be here tonight. Um, and just on a personal note, this group of students means so much to me. I've had the joy and privilege of working with them twice and I couldn't be more proud of them right now. Um, so first I'm going to go ahead and introduce um, senior Shannon Mahoney. [applause] series finale. Reaching for the remote before the moment ends, I hit pause. Not because something happened or because I missed something, but because of how simple it all was. Everyone was there in the same place they always were, doing the same things they always did in every episode one last time. I always
026hated this show. D each episode's release, complaining about the characters I hated and even the ones I liked, or when the story moved in some predictable direction, I couldn't wait for the finale, to finally see how it all ends, to move on, forget this show entirely. But when I pressed play again, it's all wrong. It feels unfinished, like every other episode. There's no dramatic music, nobody slowly walking away from the camera, only the same normal day as though more are coming. Desperately, I reach for that remote again to press rewind to make it go back, but nothing changes. Everyone's still moving forward toward the next scene, the credits looming in the distance. All of a sudden, my eyes are glued to my TV as though this were my favorite show. And now it's over. [applause]
027Now, Miss Anysus is going to read for junior Vincent Berga. The poem is called Substitution. I wake my procedure had completed an equal deal of flesh for plastic. Otherwise hard or otherwise elastic, I still remain me. I had become superior to the pre previous bare human. My pupils gleam with fresh gold lumens. I still remain me. I'm so sorry. After I had witnessed death, I lost track of all time. I could no longer sleep and I could no longer cry. But I still remained me. Things like me now exist, but I was the first to be outdated and rusted to the things that can see. And I still remain me. Where am I? Home? What is all this slaughter worth? To prolong death or to prolong birth? I am me. [applause] Thank you. At this
028time, I'd like to introduce Ava Mena. >> [applause] >> Oh, okay. The hot glare. The sun can be so bright yet so far away. I still feel her orange warmth. I look up to her, neck bent skywards and eyes burning from the glare, wondering, does she look down on me, already knowing what I am? I always wonder how I look to her, wishing for a glass mirror to stand before me everywhere I go, so that I may look my best to please her. Am I small and feeble with a weak mind? Or am I tall, respectable, and always decided like her? I hear the laughter. Is it her who laughs at me? She is the one that cursed me with this gift to be seen and never heard. For I could never be seen as
029strong of a clip in my hair, never right and always silent. Her bright glare of prejudice wakes me up from a blissful dream. I hit my head on a hard floor of judgment. Yet she has not even known me. I am set on a quest to prove myself to her, to her who has turned her warmth away before I could even speak. I must shout at her that I am nothing like the sun and do not wish to shine as dim as she expects me to. [applause] Okay. And so actually our winner our our winner of the whole thing he couldn't be here tonight but I'm going to read on behalf of Junior Divine Allen and his poem is entitled Static Motion. They don't notice it. Not a rush nor fire. Not even a single
030moment you can point at and go, "That's it." It's slow, sneaky, like a disease. Self-inflicted. Butchered assignments get done. Practice happens. Grades are okay, but slipping. I say I'm only tired. Motivation comes and goes on a whim. This is a phase I'll grow out of. No, it's quicker, more untraceable. I know what I need. Start earlier, stay after, do better. I just can't. Or is it don't? It's not laziness. It isn't defiance, not even sadness. Watching myself with a bird's eyee view. Knowing what I need, but chasing the least amount of effort. Dragging, not moving, maintaining, not progressing. I used to keep this urgency like a wakeup call. Now it's maintenance before it's due. That's the scariest part. Self- sabotage isn't losing balance and falling. It's the things that lead up. A sneeze, a shoelace,
031or in this case, doing just enough knowing what I could have done. [applause] So, here are our elite eight, the final eight who performed at the assembly uh just before spring break. And I just want to say from my first year, you know, participating in this and and having a hand in the judge the judging of this contest, it was amazing and the kids' words are so brilliant and so insightful. So, thank you for listening. [snorts] [applause] Okay, just sit up. >> Can I just get the uh students who are here today to come up for a picture? >> Did they leave? Did they run out? >> Yeah. >> Can we grab them? All right, we got her. All right. [laughter] Not yet. [laughter] [applause] >> Yeah. Again, a special thank you to the English
032department, to the students for uh putting it all out there. I know during uh the March Madness presentation, this entire auditorium is packed with students and they come up here and they bravely uh read these poems and uh I know the students appreciate it. The teachers really get into it and I certainly think it's a great activity. So, how about one more round of applause for our winner. [applause] And now for my favorite part of being a superintendent. Three years ago, um I learned of create I learned an idea from what my previous district about creating a superintendent student advisory council. And the idea was to get a group of kids together uh grades 3 through 12 and to hear what they believe that they need to improve the school. and we try to talk
033about the difference between a want and a need. So, three years ago, we brought our students in and we created a format where they survey their peers, they research and talk to their friends and find out, hey, what could we do to make East Rockway a better district? I mean, we as administrators and teachers and everybody think we know, but sometimes, you know, we get real insightful information from our students. And I have to say this was a great year. I am incredibly proud of every single one of them. They worked very hard on this and they're really excited to share this with the board of education. So, I think I said this last year, principles, teachers, take out your pens because they're going to tell you some of the things that they really want
034to do uh for the schools. And I am proud to say that over the past three years, we've gotten most of the things accomplished that they uh wanted. Uh, so without further ado, I'm going to call up my first student, Avery Motherway, to start us off. [applause] >> Hi, my name is Avery Motherway. I'm in fourth grade and it's my first year on the committee. I surveyed kids in grades K through 2. These are the results from asking how much time you should spend on homework. The students said they should they should they think it should take 5 to 15 minutes. Homework takes 10 to 30 minutes. Many kids like to learn differently. That's why there are two different answers. 75 minute 75 said five minutes and 25% said 15 minutes which is a little
035more reasonable. When a kid has a problem or there is an argument sometimes they think to handle it themselves but in some cases they should not do that and should tell an adult. In K through 2nd 48 students feel comfortable and nine feel uncomfortable when they have a problem and need to tell a trusted adult. I think it's good that so many students have a trusted adult and we hope every student feels that way. The next print presentator is Kaylee Thorp. [applause] [clears throat] Hello, my name is Kaylee Thorp. I am in fifth grade at Ray Avenue School. This is my third year on the committee. I surveyed students in grades three through six at Rain Avenue about how much time they spend doing homework. These students said you should spend 10 to 15 minutes
036doing homework every day. After the survey, we got 114 responses. These responses told us that students are taking 15 or 20 minutes to finish their homework. The percentage of the students that said they should spend 10 spend 10 spend 10 to 20 minutes to Oh, wait. Hang on. The [snorts] [clears throat] the percentage of the students that said they should spend 10 minutes on homework was 17.5%. The percentage of the students who said it should take 15 minutes was 25.4%. 4%. And the percentage of the students that said they spend 15 minutes on homework was 34.7 and the percentage who said it takes 20 minutes was 28.9%. I appreciate the student feedback and we learned that the amount of students get mostly matches the amount of homework they think they should get. Which one? This
037one. Okay, we asked the question, if another student is not doing something right, do you feel comfortable telling an adult? We asked we asked everyone for their honest opinions and told them to please take it seriously. Most of the students at R Avenue said maybe with a percentage of 46.5%. The percentage of the students who said yes was 42.1%. And the percentage that said no was 11.4%. This means almost 90% of students would seriously consider take talking to an adult. The next presenter is Henry. [applause] Hi, my name is Henry Terrell and I've been a part of the advisory council for three years. This year being my third year. I'm in fifth grade. I'm 11 years old and I go to Central Avenue School. On my survey, I asked everyone what they thought about the
038clubs and specials. For this question, I asked if there were anything that we could improve for next year. The responses I got back was indoor recess in first, lunch in second, outdoor recess in third, and clubs in last for what we can improve. I will be going over the top answers. So, lunch and indoor recess. I've heard that people want their game boxes to be fixed in some new games. For example, some suggestions we got for new games were stuff like Giggle Village and Monopoly. Improvements we can make for lunch are stuff like making more food options for people to eat at lunch. The next presenter is Dylan Brown. [applause] All right. Um, good evening. Good good evening everyone. My name is Dylan Brown. This is my first year being a part of the advisory
039council. I'm 9 years old in the fourth grade and attend Center Avenue School. Tonight, I will be representing a survey on recess and the breakfast program. On this slide, I asked students, is there is there anything you would like to add to the breakfast program? Here are the results. 59.8% of students would like to have the TV on during breakfast program. 19.6% 6% of students picked toast with butter or jelly. And 16.5% of students picked four little waffles with syrup. And and less than 16% of students picked a bagel with jelly butter or cream cheese. Okay, on my second on my second slide, I asked students, "What do you like to do during indoor recess?" This winter, we had a lot of snow and cold weather. So, all of our recess was inside. Here are
040the results of some ways we can improve our indoor recess in the future. 32% of students like going to the gym or library. 26.8% of students picked arts and crafts. 24.7% of students would like to play new board games. And 16.5% of students would like to watch movies on the Smartboard. Thank you all for listening to my presentation. [applause] Hello, my name is Mackenzie McCabe. I've been a student ambassador for two years and I'm in seventh grade. I go to the junior senior high school. My partner and I asked students from both the elementary schools and the middle school what they wanted to play. We started off by asking what music department they are in and if they are satisfied with the variety of instruments. We we found out that most of our students are
041happy with the instruments, but a lot of people aren't. Hello, my name is Scarlet Bay. I've been a student ambassador for 2 years and I'm in seventh grade. I go to the junior senior high school. My partner and I are both in a music department and wondered if we needed a wider variety of instruments. 47% of students wanted to add piano and 30.2% of students would like to add guitar. We also asked our students how they like to try the instruments before they decide what they want to play. 61.6% of the students said they wanted to try out the instruments. The next presenters are Frank Palumbo and Frano Molina. [applause] Hi, my name is Fran Molina and this is my second year as a student ambassador. I really enjoy this process because I get to
042communicate with new people. I also get to talk to my friends and make new ones. Now, let's speak on the graphs. But first, these three graphs shows us on what time students miss class if they have grabbing go. And the bottom graph shows us how students like to learn. The first graph shows us that students don't miss more than five minutes than lunch or grab and go if they have. The second graph shows us that 61.5% of students want more partner work and 53.8% of students want to work with hands-on. The third graph shows us that 79.9% of students prefer to talk to the servers, mix sandwiches, salads, etc. What we did is we combined the total number of students that think that changing a little bit of lunch and a little bit of learning
043would help them. To resolve this issue, we can create a separate lunch line with only grab and go students to let them go first so they're not late to class. To help students learn the best, teachers can make more hands-on projects slash assignments and make more partner work. Please welcome my partner, Frank. [applause] Hi, my name is Frank. I'm in seventh grade and this is my second year being a student ambassador. And we asked students how much time it took them to get their lunch and they said 11 to 15 minutes. and and the time each lunch period is is 40 minutes. So that leaves 25 minutes to eat. Then we asked how much time they have to eat lunch and most students answered 10 to 15 minutes. They also need time to talk to
044their friends and socialize. How we can fix this? How we could fix this is by getting a more efficient way of getting lunch such as two lines or calling grades by calling grades in the lunchroom one by one at a time. Our next presentate presentator will be Claire from the high school. [applause] Good evening. My name is Claire Harvey and I'm a sophomore here at the high school. As a representative from the high school, this is my third year working with the Superintendent Student Advisory Council. I love getting to make all the new connections, especially with younger students, which has allowed me to both see my peers as well as the younger grades more clearly. Myself along with our our freshman representatives surveyed the nth and tth grade students here at East Rockway. While we
045received more responses from sophomores, we collected a large amount of data that's able to accurately account for both the grades. We began our survey survey by asking students what styles of learning worked best for them. We saw a tremendous turnout with visual learners having the most substantial amount of votes. This implies that visual learning is the style that should be focused on specifically for these grades. This then led us into our following survey questions where we which were what learning styles make it harder and easier for you to learn. As far as styles that students find easier, worksheets, filling as you go notes, and group work were most enjoyed by the freshman and sophomores. When it came to styles that were more challenging, flipped classroom and lectures were most heavily disliked by students. Flipped classroom
046is when a teacher will assign a video for students to watch at home in order to learn a topic. The students will then practice the skills in class rather than learning from the teacher directly. By staying away from these learning styles and focusing more towards the styles that students are actually able to work with, we can help students comprehend the lessons that they need to be successful. I'd now like to introduce my the first freshman partner, John. [applause] Good evening. I'm John Janakio. I am in ninth grade and this is my first year as a student ambassador. It is also my first year as a director on the education foundation. We've asked students in ninth and tth grade about the high school start and end times. As you could see on the graphs, most students
047disagree with an earlier start time of 7:20. I personally get up at 6:00 in the morning. And I can't even imagine getting up and out even earlier than I already do. Um, most students agree with a later start time of 8:50. As you can see, an earlier start time would most likely affect students ability to concentrate due to their lack of sleep. Feel that way too. Next up to present is Karina Manino. [applause] [clears throat] >> Hello and good evening. My name is Karina Manino and this is my first year working with the superintendent student advisory council. I am in ninth grade. We asked students from 9th and 10th grade if they wanted more outdoor space during lunch and study hall periods. Majority of students chose yes, making it more effective to eat and move
048around outside. 4.1 of students said no, which is a drastic difference. Students are stuck in busy classrooms. Going outside to breathe and get fresh air will calm students down. Not only will their energy be restored, but their students will be refreshed and ready to complete the rest of the day. Our next presenter is Charlotte Webster. [applause] Hello, my name is Charlotte Webster and I'm a senior here at East Rockway. This is my third year as a student ambassador and I'm proud of the work we've accomplished thus far in the committee. Speaking from experience as a senior, the college application process and the thought of what's to come after high school can be very daunting. To check in with our peers, Michael Tisio and I surveyed the 11th and 12th grade classes to evaluate how students
049felt about the post-secary planning journey. Out of 50 respondents, 29 of them reported to be current seniors. As shown in our survey results, about twothirds of that 29% of twothirds of those 29 students, which is about 20 students, felt that they were given significant preparation and assistance throughout the process. Over the past three years, the guidance department has added a plethora of resources for students planning their future, many of which I've utilized on my own. These include free college boot camps, events dedicated to families, highlighting the college application process, and applying for financial aid. Evidently, it is clear that students are provided with substantial help in planning out their lives after high school. In our survey, the small portion of students who did not feel prepared or properly equipped mentioned that they would like to
050have some more help in brainstorming possible career options because it can be challenging to navigate the rest of your life at such a young age. It is essential that these students feel comfortable talking with staff here and utilizing their resources so that every student is set up for success. thus proving that we should we could try to expand our reach and make sure that all students feel prepared and have a plan for post-secary life. Um, one second. In addition to this, one student added that the importance of getting involved in extracurricular activities and taking advantage of resources early on should be emphasized as much as possible. The guidance department has worked hard to ensure that students in grades 7 through 12 are aware of the fact that getting involved is a key ingredient to success.
051Of course, not every student may feel like they have to get involved, but oftentimes students in 11th and 12th grade scramble to join clubs and sports when they realize that they'll be listed on college applications along with their full four-year transcript. Essentially, the small number of students who do not feel prepared for life after high school should not be overshadowed by the overwhelming majority of students who do feel prepared and have experienced a successful post-secary planning process. So therefore, they these small number of students should be the focus. A commitment to education, careers, and success are all pieces of the puzzle that students throughout high school must carefully consider when planning their future step by step. Overall, it's vital that students are not only given, but are utilizing the resources they need to succeed in
052high school and throughout their entire lives. Thank you for your time. And I would like to introduce Michael Tisio to continue our presentation. [applause] Hello, I'm Mike Tisio. I'm a junior here at East Rockway. Is my first year in the committee. Although everything is good here at the high school regarding the school and the students, Charlotte and I asked our classmates to answer a survey we put together about the courses and electives that are provided here. Generally, all respondents felt that the college level courses offered were sufficient in providing students with challenging classwork, university style learning, and critical thinking skills that are vital for post-secary success. While most students were happy with the electives offered here, some students pose a request for more health science and electives as well as language courses since Spanish is
053currently the only language offered to all students. Over the course of my time here, I've seen the course offerings grow significantly and I'm thrilled that incoming students have variety of classes to choose from. Last year, students advocated for more business classes. For the 2025 2026 school year, we were pleased to offer the new virtual enterprise course, teaching students about the business world. I personally took this class this year and has prepared me by showing me how a business is ran. Offering students career-based electives is crucial to aiding students in their post-secary process and developing their goals later in life. In the same survey, we asked students about off periods. For upper classmen, off periods can be a nice break in your schedule, giving you a time to relax, eat, and complete assignments. However, not all
054students have a place to go. The red benches get too crowded. The cafeteria is full and noisy. The library is not always open. And not everyone has a car or friend to drive off them to drive them off campus. A proposed solution to this is allotting empty classrooms as a space to complete assignments. Similar to a study hall, some students thought it would be helpful if a teacher could be in the classroom, potentially helping them on their assignments. This solution could potentially decrease the amount of congestion in other locations while also helping students complete their assignments efficiently. We all hope there can be solutions to the concerns that are going on here. Thank you to the board of ed and and everyone else for attending tonight. Now back to Mr. Dtoaso. [applause] I told you
055it would be great. I told you. And >> Oh, I find you. >> Where are you guys? >> Junior High, right? >> This one. Is this you? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Right. Go ahead. [laughter] >> Hi, my name is Rory McNichols. I am in eighth grade and this is my second year in the committee. And today I'll be talking about what subjects middle schoolers struggle with and how we can help them. That's wrong. pres preserve and grow as a as a student. As we we asked seventh and eighth graders if they struggle with math or writing, which more than half said no to both, but 30 to 33% said that they do. And this is this is still a problem. We want all students to be able to achieve their best academic selves. As you
056can see from these graphs, they showed the students most happily with their writing skills on a scale of 1 to 10. Most students chose seven or eight when asked how proud they were of their writing skills with a few answering three and four. While on math, it ranges slightly how happy students are with their math skills. When asked on scale 1 to 10, they asked most they answer mostly 8 to nine, but some students answer 1 through four, which is less ideal on a point where we want students to be. Students should feel confident with with their skills and completely completely and we have and we have had an idea to introduce a math and writing lab which is which my friend Georgia will now explain. >> [applause] >> Um, hello. My name is Georgia
057Bessie. I am in eighth grade and this is my third year on the superintendent student advisory council. Me and Rory want to make sure that all students are learning and growing each year academically. More than half the respondents answered yes when asked if a math and writing walk-in would help. A walk-in could be an extra help of sorts, just a place to go to ask questions, get help with project essays, and etc. A teacher could help with with anything you have questions on. So, the students agree that this is a good idea to have walk-ins for math and writing. It's just me. Um, okay. As you can see from the graphs, over 45% of middle school students say they struggle with subjects that could be useful for walk-ins. For example, a biology lab could be
058useful to help students go over tests, ask questions, prepare for quizzes, and more. Students mostly said that after school or before school could be easier for them to come to. So, in conclusion, me and Rory best believe it is in the best interest of the students to be provided with welcome, including important subjects to be taught on. Thank you. [applause] >> [clears throat] >> My apologies, Rory and Georgia, but I think you stole the show, so that was really great. Thank you. Uh, how about a nice round of applause for our student [applause] ambassadors. Now, all of these students, you know, we started this process, I guess, in late October. uh we had monthly meetings uh and then uh we realized uh last March this March that we needed a little bit more time to
059really perfect it. So that's kind of why we presented it here in April. But I want to ask the board of education you have any questions for the students because this this is their this is their work. >> You absolutely anytime [laughter] anytime. Um, so what I want to I want to uh recognize a senior in the group. Uh, I know all the participants were fantastic. Honestly, it was the best part of my day. Uh, the only negative was that they totally depleted my uh supply of snacks every time we had meetings. And uh, Henry was pretty good at that, too. [laughter] But in all seriousness, I'd like to uh recognize our senior ambassador who is not only number one in the class, but who is also attending the University of North Carolina. And I
060was uh proud to assist her in some small way. And uh she did a great job leading the group that Charlotte Webster. So, how about a nice round of applause FOR [applause] [applause] OKAY, at this moment, we're going to uh take a quick break to celebrate. Uh we have some cookies and water and refreshments in the back for our uh ambassadors. But before we break, ambassadors, I'd like you to come up here for a picture. Everybody else will reconvene in about 10 minutes. Thank you. I want to answer. >> Yes. He has. >> Yes. I don't know. >> Yeah. That's my miss. I'm going to miss you. We'll see. Cry. You're staying all [laughter] You never know. [laughter] >> And we look at each other and we're going >> resignation. Oh my god, that's horrible.
061your class dream. >> He really is a character. >> That's true. I like to look at >> He is a character. >> Sometimes he tells me things and I'm like, "Okay, >> a son." He's a cutie. He's a character. He really is. >> He really is a character. >> Yes. Yes. But then you know what? And they both started to copy each other's behavior and I'm like, "Oh boy." I go, "But what do you think?" But he um he's gonna be funny. He's gonna be clown. >> Oh, Tattletails. You mean the Tattletails? I mean, we have this poll every day. >> Are you really talking about that? >> I mean, we actually start now because it is the end of the year. We usually do this when they come up to us to town. We're
062like, "No, talk to your friend first. talk to your friend first and then come tell us we cracked up later. I was telling your wife yesterday and you know what it's you know what I have to say it's not [laughter] in a mean way right as he gets older he'll figure it out a little better >> my sister lost sister >> okay >> so I know well she lived in Colorado she here. >> Yeah. No, he's very That's it. It's very >> Thank you. Thank you. >> You love so pretty. >> So beautiful. >> But I did. I told her I said No, I don't. Yes, we do. Stop. >> Everybody's face, but he's not the only one. >> Every ounce of the word. >> So funny. And some of them are very mature. Three
063years old. Like wrapped up laughing. >> You know who he really likes home talking about. He always talks about >> Molly. He's always talking. >> Okay. >> How you doing, buddy? How's everything? Good. I I got Lucas in my [laughter] >> island. Yeah, me too. every seventh graders man They're ready to go. >> Luke's Luke's 21 say hi. How are you? Cool. Yeah. >> [laughter] >> I think we're going to be here very late tonight. >> I do think so. I need to go to bed >> and no dinner. >> That's what that's my dinner. >> Are you going to get anything after? >> Oh, how funny. Be careful. Guys, just watch the microphones. It's Everybody hears what we're saying. >> She goes, "No, just me. [laughter] ative meeting >> because I would trip over
064tablecloth. I think everybody else. [laughter] >> Thank you. >> Absolutely. Absolutely. >> Linds for dinner and hot and cold and hot. >> Good thing you have your jacket though just in case. >> Yeah. I used to never bring it from inside. Yeah. >> Yeah. It's always really cold in here. Absolutely. These four here do they teach us elementary school? [laughter] No, I've never >> Okay. her favorite place. [laughter] >> That's great. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Yeah, I don't Excuse me. He's 15 years old. >> Yeah. My husband's baby and my son. My son. I used to work, [laughter] you know, we'll get through. He'll get through, but The kids did very well. >> I don't know. >> You ready? I'm ready. Yep. We're ready. >> No, because Moren and Mike are talking. >> Oh, they're
065talking. >> They're talking. >> You're not waiting for us. >> Yeah, I had a meeting. >> Did you do good? >> I stream ugly. Didn't go on. You're gonna be jealous. I got some tracks on >> in where >> that set records. I want to see you back. >> No, no, we did have a couple of kids. >> Paul >> From the track team, >> right? >> Very nice. >> He broke his own. I know. That's really That's really Yeah. Conversation right now. All right. Okay. Uh, good evening again everyone. Um, I'd like to uh actually welcome to the monthly meeting of the board of education. I'd like to call this meeting to order at 8:12 PM on Tuesday, April 28th, 2026. At this time, I'm going to turn the meeting over to uh Mr.
066D. Tomaso for new business. Great. Thank you, Mr. McN. Uh, as usual, I would like to uh thank uh the following people for their donations. the East Rockway Ed Foundation for a $1,500 grant for the wall of heroes. Um right outside in the hallway there, um the guidance uh department along with Donna Robbins and Mr. Canali had a project-based learning assignment where they wanted to upgrade the wall of heroes and thankfully the Ed Foundation supported that and I'm hoping during the board uh the June board of education meeting, our last meeting, we could all walk outside and see how improved it is. So, uh, thank you to the Ed Foundation for that. Um, like to thank, uh, the donations for the Michael C. Shield Memorial Scholarship. It's for the class from class of 2007. Uh,
067$1,000 were donated. Uh, two seniors get will get a $500 scholarship for pursuing veterary science, animal behavior, zoologology, environmental science, or in the related field. And cash donations from our regular in the back there with the orange hat, Mr. Jimmy Lores. $729 to fund the athletic supplies and thank you to the Center Avenue PTA for a $500 donation for the fifth grade trip. So, thank you for all of that. And that's it for new business. >> All right. Um now, uh next on the agenda is old business. >> Old business. Yes. Thank you. So, we had a little stall for the Koopa reconstruction. Uh we ran into some issues that were unexpected. Mother nature kind of swamped us this year with the snow. I'm happy happy to say though they're back up there uh building
068and working on it and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for the end of May uh that the Koopa will be restored. Um I just like to uh make one statement about the district realignment committee. Um I know I sent out a parent square that uh had some information in it, but I just like to read a statement. um summarizing the letter. If you haven't seen the letter, uh you can check on your parent square accounts. Uh based on the feedback we received from the community, the board of education and I carefully reflected on the concerns that were shared. We recognized that some of those concerns could not be addressed through district realignment and the b biggest obstacle was keeping our neighborhood schools the same. We heard you and we deeply respect the traditions
069of East Rockaway that are so valued by this community. I am grateful to work alongside a strong and supportive board, administrative team, teachers, and together I want to assure you that we are going to pivot, collaborate, and force the ideas that move our district forward. So, I want to thank everyone who shared their perspectives. I want to especially thank uh the committee for their participation and just want to emphasize that your voices matter and help guide our work. We listened and now we're going to shift to plan B. So, uh thank you for that. And that's it for old business. >> Okay. Uh thank you, Mr. D. Tomaso. Um Sophia, you have a report. >> Yes. All right. Hey guys. Under achievement, we have third graders performed a collaborative presentation on the butterfly life cycle,
070building communication and presentation skills. Also, the high school students in Miss Matthews and Miss Belellfiori's class presented research projects at the Long Island Science Congress demonstrating scientific inquiry and communication skills. Under opportunity, high school students toward toward St. Thomas Aquinus. Don't know if I said that right. [laughter] Exploring college options and future planning. Students saw the campus and went on tour, visited classrooms, and interacted with students and staff. The high school student cabinet was also given approval to redesign the red benches, a recreational area, and will soon survey students to guide planning and decision-making. Under innovation in the elementary schools, students practiced identifying their best selves and used the meta moment to build emotional intelligence as they presented to you before. This is part of our social emotional program ruler designed to help students pause
071and think before acting. Under connection, literacy night was held and brought families into classrooms to celebrate student reading progress. And finally, the student council and K kids gathered feedback and promoted student voice to strengthen school community with surveys about breakfast and lunch programs and more. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you. >> Nice work. >> Okay. Next is public comments on agenda items. Um at this time, are there any comments regarding tonight's agenda items? There will be a separate public comment section at the end, but at are there any uh comments regarding tonight's agenda items? Nope. Okay. Uh next, approval of minutes. Are there any questions from the board uh from the minutes from the regular meeting March 24th, 2026 and the special meeting on March 31st, 2026? >> No. Okay. Uh can
072I have a motion to approve the minutes on agenda item 1H? >> Motion by Mrs. Doyle. Second. Second by Mrs. Saloff. All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Uh motion approved. Um next is acknowledgement of monthly reports and correspondence. Um we received the monthly financial reports from February 2026. Are there any questions on those? >> No. Okay. And we received 23 emails this month. Um okay. Next is uh trustees request. This is from Boseies uh Bosey's proposed budget from 2627. Whereas the board of cooperating cooperative educational services of Nassau County uh Nassau Boseis has proposed and presented its proposed administrative operations budget for the 2026 2027 school year. Uh now therefore be it resolved that the Nassau Bosey's proposed administrative operations budget for the 2627 school year in the amount of 28 million 633,61
073be and hereby is approved by this board and authorize the district clerk to execute the ballot and clerk certificate and file same with Nassau Bosas. Can I have a motion to approve resolution 3A? >> Motion by Mrs. Salfo. Second. >> Second by Mrs. Doyle. All in favor? >> Motion approved. Okay. Um uh part B of that motion to nominate three candidates to the NAS to the board of Nassau Boseies. Whereas the filling of three vacancies on the board of cooperative cooperative educational services of Nassau County will be determined by votes of component school district boards of education to be conducted at regular or special meetings of such boards to be held on April 28th, 2026. And whereas the trustees or board of education of each component school district by resolution may cast three votes for
074the vacancies to be filled provided that no more than one vote may be cast for any candidate. Be it hereby resolved that the board of education of the East Rockaway Union Free School District hereby elects by a majority vote of its members the three candidates listed below in alphabetical order for such vacancy on the board uh [clears throat] of cooperative educational services and they are Deborah Coats, Lawrence Freest uh Freinstein and Douglas Pascarella and authorized the district clerk to cast one ballot for each of the set individuals for their election to the board of cooperative educational services. Can I have a motion to approve the resolution in 3B? >> Motion. >> Uh motion by Mrs. Doyle. Second. >> Second by Mrs. Salupo. All in favor? >> Uh motion approved. [clears throat] >> Okay. Uh item
0754 a consent agenda. Can I have a motion to create a consent agenda with the following items? Recommendation of superintendent personnel schedules item 5 A through G. Other items 6A through W. Approval of CSSE and CPSC recommendations 7A and budget transfers 8A. >> Motion by Mrs. Saloo. Second. >> Second. >> Uh second by Mrs. Doyle. All in favor? >> Motion approved. Now, can I have a motion to accept the items on the consent agenda? >> Motion by Mrs. Doyle. Second. >> Second by Mrs. Salupo. All in favor? >> Motion approved. Okay. Policy matters. Uh we have four policies for review. Those policies are 8121.2 automated external defibrillators. Uh, policy 8130, school safety plans and teams, policy 8505, charging meals and other food items, and policy 8520, free meal services. Uh, next is superintendent report. Thank
076you. >> A lot of great things to report tonight on top of uh the wonderful things we already saw. In the area of a achievement, I was treated to our Ray Avenue third graders performance all about butterfly all about butterfly life cycle emphasizing collaboration, communication, and presentation skills. Their interactive exhibit fully and completely explained all that the students learned about the life cycle of a painted lady butterfly. The students were excited to share their knowledge, show their work, and were delighted that so many parents and district administrators were in attendance. I got there at the very end. I saw one of the classes and they did a fantastic job presenting. So, thank you. It's my second year in a row. It's always very special. Thank you. Uh Mrs. Banduchi's class showcased our persuasive writing pieces
077with families and hosted a book tasting event. The class showcased their writing through a threecourse meal. This one I unfortunately missed. I apologize to Mrs. Banduchi, but I I do have a chance to read in that class and they're one of my favorites for sure. Uh both Mrs. Matthews 7th grade uh students and Mrs. Belffy science research students participated in the Long Island science con congress on April 20th and 21st. In total, our students submitted eight projects at the senior congress level and 10 projects at the junior level. During the event, student presented their research findings and competed alongside their peers across Long Island, showcasing the work they have conducted throughout the year. The experience provided a valuable opportunity for our students to engage with the broader scientific community, and we are very proud of
078them. Uh in the area of athletics, uh we have a few record breakers here at East Rock. I wonder if Lindber could compete with us. [laughter] Uh Paul Lynch had broke two school records in track and field. He now is the record holder for the 110 meter high hurdles with a 17.21 and the 400 meter intermediate hurdles with a 6402 time. In addition, uh, Micaia Stewart, Sebastian Curz, Austin Mullings, and Tristan Rose are the new school record holders in track and field. They hold a record for the 4x400 meter relay with a 3 minute 55.10 second time. Is that pretty good? >> Yeah. >> All right. Uh the East Rockway Athletic Department has received an awards of excellence from the New York State uh New York State High School Athletic Association again for exemp exemplary
079display of sportsmanship, ethnics, and integrity. So congratulations to all our student athletes, the coaches, the parents, and Mr. Gregory on a typical job well done. Coral director Ash Shauna Silva shared with us that we have once again received a designation of best communities for music in education for 2026. This marks the 13th year. Yep, I'm saying it. 13th year that East Rockaway has received this designation from the music associations. So, congratulations to Mr. Seglo and our dedicated teachers Shauna Silva, Noah Lift Weissberger, Karina Lee, Evan Anastas, Karina Lee, and William Shron. I just want you to know I I should have taken the trophies out. I forgot. I wanted to put them on stage, but each of the ensemble, the band of course, and the orchestra took first place in this past week's music competition
080held at King's Dominion Festival in Virginia. And so again, congratulations to Mr. Seglo, all our musicians and their families. Please join uh me in congratulating uh the science department and our seventh grade science teacher, Emmanuela Matthews, on being named the recipient of the 2026 STEM Star Teacher Award. This award recognizes educators who inspire their students and who are committed to providing equitable access to high quality STEM learning experiences. Mrs. Matthew consistently brings energy and curiosity and if you know Mrs. Matthews that is very true. So congratulations to her on receiving that prestigious award. In the area of opportunity, Mr. Crowley's AP environmental science class vis visited the Bay Park water reclamation facility on April 23rd where they explored the process involving wastewater treatment. During the visit, students participated in an educational tour that highlighted how
081water uh waste water from homes and local business is collected, treated, filtered, and ultimately reclaimed before being released into the Long Island Sound. According to Mr. Crowley, this experience provided students with a realworld connection to environmental uh concepts studied in class. All eligible seniors in Mr. Gomez's Spanish five class uh presented their culminating seal of biiteracy projects to a panel of Spanish teachers. Students first worked with Mrs. Murray in the library to access their research and then wrote research papers on their culture topic of choice before preparing to present their findings. I know each year um the seal of uh the seal of biiteracy uh have been increasing. We have more and more numbers of students participating in that and that's great to see. And basically the seal of biiteracy is they're demonstrating proficiency in
082two or more languages. Again, science teacher Miss Emanuela Matthews reported that our students members of HOSA Health Occupation Students of America had an incredible experience at the spring leadership conference. They competed in the fast-paced HOSA bowl, answering a wide range of questions, covering health occupations, and putting their knowledge to the test. When they weren't competing, students took part in engaging workshops hosted by Ithaca College, Clarkson University, the American Red Cross, and several others. We're so proud of their dedication, professionalism, and passion for the healthc care field. The school counseling department in collaboration with the English department is developing a college essay writing program for 11th grade students. As part of this initiative, counselors will push into English classes to support students in selecting meaningful topics, crafting essays that resonate with admissions officers, and revising their
083work. Uh, this program is new and is also an addition to the summer boot camp. So, our our uh juniors are getting privy to not only a boot camp, but an extra uh piece of writing for their college essays, which I think is really important. And uh it should be noted that this is supported by our title uh title four funding. Uh Mrs. Mlen has worked with each uh kindergarten through 2 grade class at both center and revenue to ensure that Google classroom was set up and accessible to all our students. Having that platform in place is essential to support remote learning in the event that we might need it. And basically with this unpredictable winter, we got close. uh we didn't have to use it, but it's important to be prepared just in case
084we need to pivot to uh remote learning. Uh our family literacy night coorded by Miss Anis with the elementary reading team hosted author Paul Valpone who provided the keynote address. Our K through2 reading team recognized students for their growth and determination and East Rockaway librarian Heather Massa shared upcoming events at the library. Family breakout sessions included her storywriting workshops, book tasting, curriculum corner, story corner, meet the author, and uh a literacy themed scavenger hunt. This is the first one we did in history. I thought it was a great start. I think it's going to be a wonderful tradition to um our family engagements engagement nights. This was the fourth one uh we hosted and I was very happy with the turnout. So uh thank you to Miss Anus for taking that role on in the
085area of innovation. Miss Mlesca has conducted career awareness lessons with our sixth graders at both schools. All sixth graders have now been onboarded to our school links which is our new college and career platform. We encourage parents to sit with their children and review their results. Students in Miss Mia's design and drawing production class and eighth grade techn technology classes are learning to use Tinkercad, which is a free browser, which is a free browser based on uh design tool from Autodesk that allows users to create 3D models, circuits, and coding projects while building STEM and design skills. I also had the opportunity to pop into Miss Mia's class uh this past week, and they were working on video commercials, which was excellent. Uh she showed me a few of them and they were really fantastic.
086A student in Miss Hovart's virtual enterprise traveled to the Javit Center in New York City to participate in their final trade show competition. This first year of innovative program uh helped students create and run their business from scratch. And I think you heard my friend Mike Tisio uh share how uh impactful that was for him to really get a good handle on business. And that was a I believe it's a first year Mr. So shave it was our first year running a class and it was very successful. In the area of connection, Mr. Madden pushed into sixth grade classes to review the seventh grade scheduling process. Uh algebra 1, their PBL unit is underway. Students in Miss Boch's eighth grade algebra 1 class visited the cradle of aviation last week to receive instruction on projectile
087motion from a physicist mathematician. Sounds pretty cool. This year's junior high sports night was a huge success. I guess it was a a success if you were in eighth grade because the eighth graders won it. Maybe not so much for the seventh graders, but the competition was great. The participation was excellent and it was nice to see uh so many parents packed into the gym. So, congratulations to the eighth graders. Um the humanities department invited Nisham Wei. I hope I said that right. Nisham Wei, an author, motivational speaker, and survivor of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda to speak with our 10th grade students. She provided historical context about Rwanda while sharing her powerful personal story of loss, resilience, and survival in the aftermath of genocide. [clears throat] The students were riveted and by her storytelling
088and her story in this way of bringing what they read about in class. So this is an example of expanding on real life outside the textbook and relating it to the curriculum. So uh thank you to the humanities department for that. And one more shout out for the humanities department. On Friday they hosted another special visit with Arie Newfield, a Holocaust survivor born in the Westbrook Transit concentration camp in Holland in 1942. He shared his family powerful story of survival and resilience with our eighth grade students who studied the Holocaust in the social studies while reading uh the memoir Night by Ellie Weisel in their English classes. Mr. Newfield previously visited our students at Center Avenue and I had the opportunity to see him and uh it was a wonderful experience uh for our students.
089Uh the guest speaker brought to life the stories for our students that they only get to read in textbooks. So that was fantastic. And just my final and last statement, uh if you have not received our points of pride out in the back, most of the residents should have received them in the mail. If you have not, we have extras in the back. Uh the points of pride highlight uh the wonderful things that are going on in all our schools in the district. So uh we'd like you to um take a look at that and uh celebrate what we're doing here in East Rockway School District. And that's it for the uh report. >> All right. Uh thank you, Mr. D. Tomaso. Uh, next is good and welfare. Congratulations to Julia Murphy and family on
090the birth of her daughter on March 23rd. Uh, condolences to Miss Kimberly Rosenrance and family on the passing of her father. Um, next is public comments and I have I have four here. Chris Webster. >> Yeah. >> [clears throat] >> Hi, I'm Chris Webster. I live at 38 Donald here in uh East Rockway. Just want to say that my wife and I I'm from upstate New York. That's the accent. My wife is born and bred in a neighboring uh school district. But when we got married and started looking for a house, we intentionally chose East Rockway because we were very attracted to the town. More importantly, we were attracted to the sides of the schools, which we thought uh spoke very highly. I want to say back then the logo was um everybody is somebody
091in East Rockaway schools, something like that. And that spoke very highly to us. And um I just want to say that from the time that my daughter started in Miss Grace's kindergarten class right up to her giving a speech tonight about the superintendent's council, we have been very very fortunate to be a part of the school district. Three or four years ago, we had an issue with softball. Some of you may remember and I came to the board meetings and asked if we could figure out a way to get that solved. And I was um overwhelmed by how quickly people got back to me over the next couple of years. The board of ed, members of the board of ed, Mr. Greger, various people helped us solve that. The only reason I bring that up
092is because I've always felt like this district is uh very responsive and very happy that our daughter has done 13 years here. Um not just in the compassion and care that people have shown her. I could talk about all of her teachers, but also in the challenging courses. She's taken a lot of challenging AP courses, which I commend such a small school district for being able to offer her so many challenging courses, which I think also opened up a lot of doors to her. I think I've had many people I know be on board of ad thankless job. you're either saints or you're all insane. So, I just want to thank you for all of your work and uh for all you've done for our daughter. Thank you. >> Thanks, Chris. [applause] >> Okay, next.
093Heather Ras. >> Hi Uh, my name is Heather Messa. I live at 85 Vincent Place. Um, I heard during the Princeton plan presentation that we can do hard things. Um, that not everything is easy, but what's best for our kids might be hard. And so, to bring it back to the things that I'm interested in, um, when we're using AI in school to make data tables, our kids don't learn how to make data tables. And when we're using AI to make dialogue for a creative writing assignment, we don't learn how to make dialogue for a creative writing assignment. And if I use AI to design an item to 3D print, I'm never going to learn how to design an item to 3D print. We're here to learn. And so when we use AI, we're using
094a shortcut. And there's no ifands or buts about it. They're here to learn how to do stuff. and it's taking that away from them. Um, another thing is [clears throat] I know that you're all educators. Um, to become an administrator, you had to have been an educator in the first place. And I don't know if there's a disconnect between how much screens they're using today. It's messing up their minds. It's they're not working as well. And I see it all the time. >> [clears throat] >> Um, I will admit to confirmation bias. I'm looking for articles. I'm looking for information that confirms what I know to be true. That there's too much screens, that AI is not great for our kids. But I also have to say that it's not helping with literacy issues and
095it's not helping with math [snorts] issues. And I would love it if you would reconsider the policy and get rid of it for at least K to8. Um I think that's the best course and I'm going to come and talk to you every month about it. Um I've rearranged my whole schedule for it. Um I also wanted to say a couple of months ago um there was a gentleman Adam a student who came up to show us what he was doing in his computer science AP class and I thought well that's pretty cool. He was using binary AI, which is pretty much computers, you know, zeros and ones, but um he was using all different kinds of tools to create an app to make parking easier in each truck away, right? But from what I
096understand, there's no more after that for him. We're not supporting this particular kind of computer science program. So, we're saying, "Hey, look at this computer science kid and this great thing that he's able to do here." and then we're not going any further with it. So that I felt like was disappointing because I finally thought like, hey, now I'm seeing where it's going to go and then there's no there's no more. There's nothing further. So, um I don't know where really I'm going with that, but that was just the thing I want to say. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] Uh Lauren Pritchard. [snorts] >> Hello everyone. Um I'll be quick tonight. Um, I just want to take a moment to sincerely thank the board of education superintendent and the entire administration for
097listening to the concerns of our community regarding the proposed um, realignment. It really means a lot to me and the community um that our voices were heard and considered for this major decision. Um, I also want to recognize once again Mr. Bixhorn along with all the teachers and staff at Ray Avenue. the care, dedication, quality they bring every day are exceptional and it's exactly why so many families felt so strongly about this issue and I know Senator Parents felt the same way. Um, thank you again for your time, your leadership and your commitment to our students. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Uh, Wendy Wilkinson. Hello, my name is Wendy. My son is in second grade at Center Avenue School. While my family, friends, and I are relieved that the Princeton plan will not
098be implemented at this time, I must say that the level of anxiety [snorts] this has caused many of us since its announcement was intense. The positive side, however, is it has shown a light on a very real issue. necessary services not being available at Center Avenue. No one should have to cross town because they are in need of special instruction and no school should have to be overcrowded because of it. We owe it to our kids to give them the best education we can. I assume RA's more robust special occas ed education was built over time. center can do the same just as it was pointed out in your presentation that the district now has a student counselor in both elementary schools rather than them sharing. This is at least an equally important staffing problem
099which must be addressed. So my question is will the board be presenting a plan to fix the imbalance in our schools? >> [snorts] >> Okay. Yeah. Um, Miss Wilkinson, the the administration will we'll get back to you on that. Okay. Thank you. >> All right. Um, board member comments wants to start back over. I'll make this quick because I know everybody wants to get home, but I wanted to reiterate how um amazing our staff is, especially teachers, and just say not only does the board appreciate you, but so do the students. I wanted to say congratulations to Paul and congratulations to Miss Matthews, and thank you to everybody who presented today. [snorts] Um, so I want to uh thank Alex for saying the the pledge for us. It sounds like he is going to do
100great things in his future. I love the um student advisory committee's presentation. I'm always interested in what they have to say. And I um thank you to the principles from center and rain. I love the I love that they're working together. Um, I think that moving forward that is the way that we're going to um, be able to fix things. And I want to congratulate our athletes. And um, I wanted to also add to that Charlotte's dad uh, had left, but from what I understand, Charlotte also broke the home run, >> record for the year for in a year. So, nine home runs. Yes. >> And um, thank you to all the teachers. think the Mets could use her. [laughter] >> And thank you to all the teachers and thank you for everybody coming out.
101It's really important the community is involved. >> I'm not going to re repeat what the others have said. Um I just would like to add that the uh students winning poem is uh on repeat in my head. That was actually pretty phenomenal on you know you could maintain yourself or you know strive further. It's stuck on rewind in my head. Um, so the poetry was excellent. The student student council >> surveys were good. It was it was great. And yes, thank you all for coming. >> Yeah, I want to be a part of that. You guys have fun in there. Um, I just uh this has been a long year. It's not even over. Um [laughter] but no but um I I just think if if everyone listens to each other and works together um
102eventually we can come up with the right decision which I think we have and um but I know I know like some of you say it was a long process and and um you know a lot of long nights long meetings and and a a lot of um anxiety. But um the the district was the administrators were trying to do the right thing. If you see this then uh Rockville Center has to cut over 20 teachers because of money issues. Limbrook has to pierce the tax cap because they they can't get everything covered the way it is. So these problems are everywhere. So the administration tried to do the right thing and we said that because some of us lived through this the last time we you know we knew it was we said okay
103just see what happens but the community came together and the right decision was made in the end. So I'm happy about that and I'm also happy that summer vacation's coming and uh that's about it. Um all right this concludes tonight's board meeting. Can I have a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:46 p.m. and enter into executive session to discuss contract negotiations? >> Motion >> uh motion by Mrs. Salo second. Second by Mrs. Doyle. All in favor. All right. Motion approved. Have a good night everyone. >> All right.