001Good evening everyone and welcome to the monthly meeting of the East Rockaway Board of Education. I'd like to call this meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27th, 2025. At this time, Mr. Lords, can you present the uh pledge? Hello. Introducing the pledge. Jaylen is a fifth grade student at Center Avenue in Miss Gil. She is a hardworking and dedicated learner who consistently puts forth her best effort in everything she does. Jaylen sets high standards for herself and is always eager to grow and improve. Her positive attitude and enthusiasm for learning brings energy and excitement to the classroom each and every day. Jayla is not only focused on her own success, she's also kind and supportive. always willing to help peers and she is a true role model for the determination and kindness
002admired by both students and teachers. She is actively involved with student council, orchestra, chorus and portfolio art and she loves to dance. Her creativity and leadership shine in everything she does. We are so proud to have Dre lead us in the pledge of the allegiance to Carol. [Applause] So, whenever you're ready, just speak to this and talk. Okay. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very [Applause] [Music] uh at this time I'm going to call Mrs. Don O'Shea up who's the architect of the poetry madness. It's a nice word. Good evening. Um, I'm excited to share with you tonight a tradition from our high school English department that continues
003to inspire creativity and passion in our students. Our annual poetry madness competition. Each year, our students participate in this unique contest where they write original poems and they face off in a series of elimination rounds modeled after the NCAA March Madness tournament. It's a spirited event that brings together creativity, critical thinking, and a little friendly competition. This year, we asked students to write about the theme of empathy as its core part of who we are as East Rockaway. And a guiding principle that we want our students to embody long after they leave these hallways. If you look up at the screen, which I probably can't do, thank you. Um you'll see our first our final four list first, second, third place, but all the poems were really great. The last I think first top 64.
004It's a joy to witness the way our students take risks with language and support each other's voices throughout this whole process. Tonight I have the honor of introducing our first and second place winners. Both of these young women showed exceptional skill and emotional depth in this work. Their beautiful poetry reflects the beautiful human beings they are. Please welcome me. Please join me in welcoming 11th grader Kayn Vizelter, a student I have a pleasure of having who will read her poem, My Friend Anna. [Applause] My friend Anna My friend Anna used to help me pick out clothes. Sometimes the jeans she picked out fit tight and sometimes they were baggy. She liked when they were baggy. It means I did something right and wearing them felt like a reward. My friend Anna is very smart. She
005taught me all of the right numbers to assign to the things in my kitchen. But I found stability in that self-destruction. As I faded, withering away, a perfectly ruined thing. Rock bottom is a surprisingly comfortable place to rest your head. I could hear Anna's voice in my mind urging me lower. So I drank the poison she poured for me, all while wondering why I still felt so sick. And in the middle of my chaos, there was Anna, promising to help. I've always considered myself too smart to fall for things like that, but my heart took her words like a child. And the truth is, she might as well have slit my throat because with my last gasping breath, I'd have apologized for getting blood on her new size small shirt. I'd have let her drag
006me all the way to hell so long as she held my hand while she did it. What a privilege it was to be seen by Anna. They say that it gets better, but I guess that was a lie. Seems like we all just have to fake it till we die. It's so easy to extend sympathy and love to someone else, but it's much harder when you're meant to love yourself. I hear my mother as she scrutinizes her body, but we share the same outline. Yet here she is swearing to love mine. We're together with my friend. Oh, how they'd brag so easily ignoring their stomach's incessant wine. I still recall the late night purges I'd be so adversely apprised. They never liked when I'd hang out with Anna anyway, hypocritically chastised. With recovery, I can
007see what Anna truly meant to me. In physics, weight is nothing more than a constant times a mass. Is that all she sees? Acceleration due to gravity? Art wasn't any prettier in a smaller size. The moon didn't seem brighter, staring up at it dizzyingly and weak from the ground. If I wasn't supposed to dance, why all this music? If I wasn't made to eat, why all this food? I choose to be alive without Anna, and I hope you will, too. I existed with her, never lived, that is all. And I find that nauseating. I will cut off my hand before using it to reach for Anna again. Sometimes I can still hear my old friend Anorexia's voice. Not that far. Aren't you supposed to burn when you're a [Applause] star? Thank you for reading, Kayn.
008And now the winner of poetry man is 2025, Shannon Mahoney with coloring outside the lines. [Applause] The lines are already there. A set of instructions requiring no words. The pinnacle of simplicity. So I follow them. Coloring the sky a gentle shade of blue. The grass a calming hue of green like they're supposed to be. Each stroke of my crayons a choice, a quiet obedience. until my hand shakes. A jagged red line tarnishing a pristine sky. An imperfect splash of blue ruining my carefully colored grass. My perfect picture destroyed by the smallest mistakes. I freeze, heart skipping not just one beat, but several. All as I desperately attempt to tame the wild colors that have overtaken my page, to put them back into their lines, back where they belong. But the chaos continues to spread. Colors
009consuming my page in all the wrong places. The lines that moments ago seemed so simple, lost completely to a cyclone of color. Like a fire set of blaze in a house built entirely of wood. Color continuing to destroy until I can no longer tell where the page ends and a crisis begins. all over the pages of a children's coloring book. Thank you, Shannon. And you receive your gift cards for winning. [Applause] Can have Mr. Schaefer come up? Okay. Good evening. It is my privilege to be here tonight to recommend Fernando Gomez for [Applause] tenure. Mr. Mr. Gomez is actually the longest serving Spanish teacher in our department. Starting part-time and growing into an integral member of our school community. With a unique personality that resonates with students, he brings energy and enthusiasm to the classroom,
010often greeting students warmly from the hallway before the bell even rings. Respected by colleagues and families alike, Mr. Gomez has not only demonstrated effectiveness in teaching, but also has become a major part of our school culture. Mr. Gomez demonstrates a deep understanding of Spanish language instruction and effectively plans lessons that align with curriculum standards and the diverse needs of our students. Lesson objectives are clear and well structured with carefully selected instructional strategies that promote language acquisition and cultural understanding. Mr. Gomez also integrates highquality resources and technology to enhance student engagement and learning. He also possesses a strong command of the Spanish language and of culture. His lessons are rich in accurate and relevant content, fostering an environment where students feel encouraged to engage with the material authentically. This has been especially evident in the work
011that Mr. Gomez has done with our students and the New York State Seal of Biiteracy. With Mr. Gomez's guidance, the number of students qualifying for the seal in Spanish has increased each year since it in since its inception at ERHS. Additionally, he was a major part of the plan to bring Spanish 5 to our school, allowing many more students to continue their study of Spanish through grade 12 while simultaneously earning college credit. I'm pleased to announce that next year we have over 40 students enrolled in the course. That's by far a record. Beyond the classroom, Mr. Gomez plays an active role in the school community. He stepped in as student council adviser during the 2324 school year when there was a vacancy. In that role, he ensured vital functions of the group continued, including blood
012drives, fundraising approvals, and officer elections. He also oversaw the creation of student council's first safe Halloween, allowing elementary school students to trick-or- treat in the halls of the high school. Mr. Mr. Gomez has also volunteers time to serve on inter interview committees for both teaching and chairperson positions. His input has been crucial in determining our new hires. He is widely respected by our families who often point to the endless support he gives to students. His classroom is always full of students during the periods that he's not teaching as he provides a safe space for students that prefer not to eat lunch in the cafeteria. He is a trusted ear for students that are seeking guidance for problems both academic and personal. and he works hand inand with both administrators and school counselors to ensure that
013students receive the support they need. Mr. Gomez's value to the East Rockway Junior Senior High School to East Rockway Junior Senior High School is immense and I'm very thankful to have him as a part of our team. It is for these reasons and many more that I recommend him without reservation to Superintendent Damaso for tenure. Congratulations Congratulations. [Applause] Come on. Have to have a family picture. Congratulations. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Make it cry. I didn't mean No. No. Sure. Congratulations. Congratulations. Okay. I don't know if I can bring anybody else to tears, but I'll try. Next, I am thrilled to speak on behalf of Emily Brostin, our next tenure candidate. [Applause] Emily has been an invaluable member of our faculty, demonstrating unwavering commitment, adaptability, and expertise in special education mathematics. She has taught a wide
014range of courses, including self-contained classes, ICT classes, resource room, algebra, geometry, financial algebra, and I'm sure there's a few that I'm missing. Emily's ability to adjust to various instructional settings, collaborate with colleagues, and build strong relationships with students and families has made a profound impact on our school community. Her presence extends beyond the classroom as a valuable valuable contributor to cse meetings and an active participant in extracurricular activities. She is widely respected for her professionalism, ability to take feedback, and dedication to student success. In the classroom, Miss Brostman carefully designs lessons that align with both the general ed and math curriculum and meets the needs of students with IEPs, ensuring that they receive appropriately scaffolded instruction. Lessons include clear directives, differentiated materials, and varied instructional strategies that support multiple learning styles. Her planning is consistently
015thoughtful and strategic while also remaining flexible to meet student needs. She utilizes incess assessment data to guide instruction, adjusting lesson pacing and difficulty as needed to maximize student comprehension and regularly collaborates with her co-teers and department colleagues to integrate best practices. She differentiates instruction by using utilizing multiple strategies such as manipulatives, visual aids, step-by-step program problem solving techniques that help students grasp abstract concepts. Finally, she incorporates hands-on activities, technology, and real world applications to enhance student learning and retention of mathematical concepts. Now, don't let Emily's seemingly reserved personality fool you. She has high expectations for all of her students. She truly believes that all of her students can and will succeed, and she's willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that happens. She will let her students know if they're off task and take
016the necessary steps to get them back on track. She is dedicated to working with her co-teers to make sure that our ICT classrooms are fully aligned with state standards and that all students receive the same rigorous instruction. She is a strong advocate for the students that she works with and she will advocate for the accommodations and services that they need. Beyond the classroom, Miss Brstin has served as a yearbook adviser for three years. This role is an integral part of the senior class experience and requires a significant commitment of time. And if you've seen what the yearbooks have looked like the last few years, you know how much time she's put in. She has also served as the coach for middle school girls soccer and middle school boys and girls winter track. And in this
017role, she's helped provide new and meaningful experiences for our middle school students. She can also regularly be seen in the yellow jacket supervising athletic and school events. Miss Brasttoin is a valuable member of the East Rockway Junior Senior High School community and I look forward to seeing her continue to support our students every day. It is for this these and many more reasons that I recommend her without reservation to Superintendent Damaso for tenure. Congratulations [Applause] Now pass the podium to Mr. Bixhorn. All right. Good evening. It is a privilege to be here tonight and speak on behalf of Miss Anne Kerner, who has truly made a remarkable impact on Rama Avenue School. Miss Anne Kerner started at RM Avenue as a student teacher and instantly made a great impression on her colleagues and cooperating teachers.
018Her natural instincts, caring and good-natured personality, sense of humor, and creative thinking stood out immediately. Miss Kerner had a long journey at Ray Avenue, which truly demonstrates her perseverance from student teaching to being a teaching assistant to completing multiple leave replacements and finally securing a probationary teaching position. Throughout each role, she has maintained a positive attitude, given her best effort, shown an openness to learning and growth, and always put students first. I admire that kind of dedication and it's clear that Anne's motivation is intrinsic and will continue to shine throughout her career. Miss Kerner's ability to plan and deliver coherent lessons that focus on clarity, modeling, and engaging activities is evident every time I visit her classroom. Her instruction encourages students to collaborate and solve authentic problems. Not only are students having fun and staying
019engaged, they are learning and growing. Her students consistently demonstrate high levels of growth and proficiency on measures like I Ready and the New York State Assessments. It is clear that the students are meeting your high expectations. What stands out most about Miss Kerner is her ability to build rapport and motivate her students while making each one feel valued and heard. A few students are even here tonight to show up for Miss Kerner. Whether it's a well-designed morning meeting, a quiet conversation with a student who needs to talk, or showing up to an event outside of school, Miss Kerner shows her students that she truly cares. I believe students will do their best when they know their teacher cares. And I am confident that every student who has been in Miss Kerner's classroom knows just how
020much she cares about them. In addition to excellent planning, a positive classroom environment, engaging instruction, and ongoing reflection, Miss Kerner brings a constant smile and positive attitude that makes Ram Avenue a better place. She's always willing to help a colleague, collaborate, or join a building level team to support school improvement. She's led numerous clubs, including safety patrol and math olympiads. And she's volunteered her time to help make the RAM avenue talent show the incredible event that it is today. You can also count on her baking skills to make any staff breakfast memorable. I am confident that Miss Kerner will continue to be an asset to the Ram Avenue School and I offer my full and enthusiastic recommendation for her tenure. [Applause] Come on. Congratulations. [Applause] Yeah. Awesome. [Applause] So, Okay, how about one more big
021round of applause for Poetry Madness and for our teacher [Applause] Jenn. At this time, we'll take a quick 10-minute break for some cake and refreshments in the back. So, please join us to uh celebrate tenure and our winners for poetry madness. Good. Look. Lonzo homer two run homer for the He's like the worst guy in the line. What's up? How you doing? I'm good. How's everything? Good. Good. I think the last time I saw you, I was running. I was late for the meeting. I couldn't talk. I was late. But everything good? Good. Good. You ready for someone? Nice. Oh, you have basketball on right now. Oh, cool. Oh, that's awesome. Baseball ended, so it helps. Kids now looking for something to do. End of the year. Weather's getting nice. I think I did something.
022Nice. Now, when's that wedding? July 2026. Oh, 2022. You know who told me? My daughter. Yeah, I heard because she reached out to sister, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's so funny. That's awesome. That's great. That's awesome. You two both great people. That's That's awesome. Um, so it's in a little a little over a year. Nice. Yeah. My daughter told me she's like, "Yeah, that's a great But so you uh they won for your past. They won. They won. We need to win tonight. 8:15 so I can watch the game. What's that? Yeah. I'll come. Okay. I'm coming with this. Oh, sorry. I uh [Music] actually like a middle picture. I guess my [Applause] Open the door. [Applause] I know there [Applause] I know weird. [Applause] [Music] Hold that. What about the ice cream? Are
023you happy? What? Don't forget. [Music] No problem. So Yeah. Yeah. All right. The weather was good down there. No, I don't. I once in a while get coffee out of my house only because first of all I drink coffee. I drink like 10. I can't because I've You go a few times a year, right? I understand. Every time you want to get your hand understand what you're saying. I think that's a golden up. I don't I don't know. So I'm going to I just talked to these guys that So I want to talk to you after just about um two things. One is I already scored and how that chart send it to you and then on the other I'll be just hear me out. Are you done with traffic? Good for you. I like
024it today. I'm so tired, guys. I have some stuff. Yeah. Yeah. So, I'm just going to say I'm going to turn when we start. So, I sent you the chart I was talking about. Can you just send that to Sean? Yeah. Yeah. Just a second. Just she got up there. No, she's hiding. Okay. All right. Let's roll. Go ahead. She's done. Okay. Welcome back everyone. At this time, I'm going to turn the meeting over to Mr. uh Damaso for new business. Thank you, Mr. McN. As part of PARP, our parents as reading partners, RAM Avenue PTA hosted a community readaloud on Friday, May 16th. We were fortunate to have support from administration, staff, uh, members of the board of education, local organizations, and businesses who joined us to celebrate and promote literacy at RM Avenue.
025I'd like to acknowledge the following names of the people who participated, starting with Mr. Bob Thompson, Bridget Sapperito, Heidi Kite, uh, East Rockay Raiders, Southshore Camps, Batch Cookies and Cream, the Ed Ed Foundation, The Sons and Daughters of Italy, Mayor Fox, uh, Grant Avenue Firehouse, our very own board trustee Azie Lanigan, The Fourth Precinct, Grandpa Tony's, uh, PTO Collection, VFW Auxiliary Post, Five-Star Gymnastics, East Rockway Library, Shan Murray, Vincent Healey, and myself and I can honestly say it was a true pleasure. I had a chance to go uh speak and and read to the kids and it brought me right back to my teaching roots and I really enjoyed it. So uh thank you RAM PTA Avenue for that. Uh as usual I'd like to acknowledge um some scholarships and donations. Uh this year we
026have a new scholarship, the Marie C. Dempsey scholarship to be awarded to a student who receives or has received um special education services or who has overcome adversity. I'd like to thank uh Michelle Healey and Jack uh Dempsey for that. Uh this award has a special place in my heart. Uh Marie Dempsey was uh when I first started here took me under her wing as a uh as a teacher assistant in my classroom and uh she was wonderful. So um this is a great blessing in her memory. So that scholarship will be awarded this year uh at the uh senior awards ceremony. Uh donations to fund scholarships. We have cash donations from decision day uh $170 to fund the senior scholarships. Uh from uh Richard Ang a sum of $5,000 to fund the Richard Ang
027validictorian and saludiatorum scholarships for academic excellence. cash donation from Shades Day, which was on May 16th, in the amount of $90 to also fund senior scholarships and cash donations from uh various music events in the amount of $685 to uh fund the music scholarships. So, big thank you to all those donors who help support our students. Um, you know, it's a great extra bonus for them and we truly appreciate it. uh a few donations uh from Center Avenue School PTA, a check in the amount of $600 for the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. We greatly appreciate that. And from Kimberly Elliot, a check in the amount of $340 for our baseball team. And that's it for new business. All right. Thank you, Mr. D. Tomaso. And now, uh moving on, old business. Old business. Old
028business. Um, happy to say thanks uh for the turnout for the budget to support proposition two uh which was to uh refurbish the Koopa at East Rockaway. In my opinion, that Koopa is not only the symbol of the uh school district but of the entire community. Very excited about that. A few highlights. We're getting the original bell and I've heard the story now for a couple of weeks back up into the Koopa. We will have uh lighting there. uh the the um craftsmanship will be vinyl so the Koopa will be preserved and we're happy about that. And also uh as soon as early June, pre-construction work will be starting. So um I'm happy to see that being restored. And last but not least, we have somebody present today, uh Lindsay uh Mlesca. Uh she will
029be our new elementary counselor. Stand up, Lindsay. There you go. Welcome. I'm I'm thinking I should have done that with a full house. I apologize. I do apologize. Uh but she survived, I will say, a rigorous process. We had over 170 applicants and she rose to the top and uh we're excited about her starting and I know she's going to bring the energy she did uh throughout the interview process. So uh welcome Lindsay. And that's it for uh all business. Oh no, I do have one thing. Sorry, one more thing. I want to give a budget result update. So, this is very important. So, we've thanked the community for coming out and supporting the budget. Of course, uh we were actually a few votes short of uh 70%, seven out of 10 people approving the
030budget. That's pretty good. Uh but I want to talk about tonight is the student uh vote results. So, the student vote uh there were three choices to have classroom outdoor for a full period, principal versus principal in a game of horse. If you don't know horse, it's basketball shooting. And then uh board game party at the end of the day. So, the votes went 612520. Any guesses for the winner? Of course. Of course. Nope. So, third place, board games, 20 votes. Principal versus principal. Sorry, guys. Sorry, uh, Miss Bixorn, Miss Kelly. You going got 25 votes. And, uh, full outdoor classroom period, 61 votes. So, I want to thank the students for coming out and voting. And it's um, yes, it is to get parents to come out and vote, but it's also to get
031the students involved in in in the process of voting. So, I want to thank them for that. And that's it for all business. All right. Thank you, Mr. D. Tomaso. Um, before I move on, Lindsay, congratulations. Lindsay and I worked together last year in Lindbrook, and she was an absolute rock star. So, Lindsay, welcome. Um, okay. Um, next is public comments on agenda items. At this time, are there any comments regarding tonight's agenda items? No. Okay. Um, all right. Approval of minutes. Are there any questions regarding the minutes from the special meeting and work session on April 8th, special meeting on April 22nd, and the regular meeting on April 23rd? Nope. Any questions? No. All right. Can I have a motion to approve the meeting uh the meeting minutes of agenda item one uh G?
032Motion. Motion by Mrs. Salufo. Second. Second. Second by Mr. Lores. All in favor? I opposed, abstained. Motion approved. All right. Uh, we received three emails this month. Um, and everyone saw the financial reports. Yes. Okay. All right. Um, next on the agenda, consent agenda. Can I have a motion to create a consent agenda with the following items? Recommendation of superintendent personnel schedules items 4 A through H. Other items 5A through O. Approval of CSSE and CPSC recommendations 6A and budget transfers 7A. Motion. Motion. Motion by Mr. Lores. Second. Second by Mrs. Doyle. All in favor? I opposed abstain. Motion approved. All right. Now, can I have a motion to accept the items on the consent agenda? Motion. Motion by Mrs. Doyle. Second. Second. Second by Mrs. Lteran. All in favor? I opposed. Abstain. Motion approved.
033All right. Let's see. Okay. Policy matters. Um, okay. The following policies were for review. Pending adoption. Policy 0115, student harassment and bullying prevention and intervention. Policy 2245, exeicio student member of the board. Policy 5110, attendance area. Policy 5605, student voter pre-registration and registration, and policy 8130, school safety plans and teams. And we currently have two policies for review. They are policy 8636 artificial intelligence and policy 5695 students and personal electronic devices. At this time I'm going to turn the meeting over to Mr. uh Dtomaso for the superintendent report. Great. Thank you. So in usual fashion I'll start with uh the first pillar in our strategic plan achievement. Uh students are continuing to research and use critical thinking to develop creative products. Second graders created animal brochures. Third graders created digital presentations on butterflies. And fifth
034graders completed the volume zoo. And sixth graders complete their STEM fair projects. Um I'm excited about seeing the STEM fair projects. I had the opportunity to see uh the animal brochures which were amazing and the butterfly presentations which um where the parents came in and it was great to see how engaged the students. I was actually saw that at the beginning a lesson on that and then I saw how happy the parents were to see that. So uh kudos uh to the elementary schools for doing that. Uh the English department would like to officially uh congratulate as we saw tonight the winners for poetry madness. Uh the poems were outstanding as uh Miss O'Shea stated. Uh the competition was fierce, but um I hope you had the opportunity to enjoy uh some poetry tonight. Uh
035congratulations to Miss Pietr Piet Trantonio uh on the award of the Long Island STEM Star for the Long Island Science, Technology, and Math Leadership Association. On the 15th of this month, she was invited to a lunchon and received a plaque for this honor. On behalf of the district, I'd like to thank Miss Pietro Antonio for her commitment to students and to her craft. Also, congratulations to Isabella Dunzo for her selection as the top STEM student in East Rockway. On May 20th, she was presented with an award from Nassau County Science Teachers Association of New York State uh student award. Uh more congratulations for our students doing a fantastic job. Congratulations to Isabella Galina and Jackson Living uh Loving Good for receiving character awards at the Sunni Old Westberry Science and Technology Program on Saturday on
036the 17th. Uh now for our teachers, congratulations uh to Miss Matthews on her acceptance into the Spark Education Institute at the Brook Haven National Laboratory. This was a department of education funded program with uh amend will uh immerse her with hands-on structures and environmental systems in biology activities focusing on a number of different uh topics. Miss Matthews will develop curriculum supporting this mission to nurture STEM professionalism and to also support the Brook Haven National uh Laboratory. So, congratulations to Miss Matthews. Um, our athletic teams, we were very close the last few years, uh, actually the last two years in maintaining 100% scholar athlete team status. This year, uh, this spring in 2025, we did and we had 100 student athletes out of 195 qualify as scholar athletes. So, congratulations to the students and the athletes,
037the parents, the coaches, teachers, athletic department. That's a a team effort there uh to pun a phrase and uh congratulations to Mr. Gregory. That's a that's a fantastic accomplishment. Uh speaking of athletics, our flag football team earned a number two seed for the playoffs. I believe they will be playing this Wednesday home. No. Oh, at Beth Paige at six o'clock against plane edge at six o'clock. So, if you can come out and support the flag football team, that would be great. I saw one of the games and it was very uh very exciting. Close match. Girls work very hard. Also, um the baseball team and the softball team also made the playoffs this year. Baseball was the uh third uh seed and soft I'm sorry. Yeah, softball was the third seed and baseball was the
038fourth seed. I was able to see the softball game uh this weekend. Although the turnout uh turnout wasn't where we wanted, both teams ended up losing. They put up a great fight. uh and they uh they played their hearts out. So uh they finished finish finishing second place, but I'd like to congratulate them. Um we are thrilled to announce that uh uh Thomas Donovan, Adam Kolicowski, and Edison Gilbert uh earned the gold team division on the Long Island Math Competition on March 28th, 2025. Their exceptional research papers and presentations on the concept of infinity, not infinity and beyond, but infinity in mathematics earned them their top honors. So, congratulations to Thomas, Adam, and Edison. Um, we are thrilled to share that East Rockway student, artists swept the podium at this year's fourth congressional district art
039exhibit hosted by uh Congresswoman Laura Gillan at the Cradle of Aviation. This should be no surprise to anybody. Our art students uh have really been performing incredibly. Uh out of all the incredible submissions, East Rockway students claimed the top three awards. Sha Smith earned first place and his artwork will be proudly displayed in the US capital in Washington DC. He will also receive a complimentary trip to attend the national exhibit. So congratulations to Sha. In second place, uh, Juliet Travia and, uh, Kayn Vitzelsa, who we heard her poem today, finished in third place. We're very proud of our students who participated and represented our school community with creativity, skill, and heart. On Sunday, April 6th, East Rockway High School senior chorus members Megan Auty, Fiona Duffy, Shan Lynch, and Dan uh Daniel Stener had the
040honor of performing with the Evokco Evocco Voice Collective. Evokco is a distinguished choir made up of musicians uh music educators from across Long Island, including our very own coral director, Miss Shauna Silva. So, congratulations to those students. I also had the pleasure this uh few weeks ago to visit Miss Joyce Kenny's class and Mr. and Andrew Kell social studies classroom. Students presented their PBL projects on civil rights and linked them to the school budget vote. It was most enjoyable speaking to the students and discussing the important topics of having a voice in voting. So Joyce is here. Thank you for the invitation. Always appreciated. Uh in the area of opportunity, the elementary band participated in the Memorial Day parade. Uh I heard they did a fantastic job. So I want to thank Mr. Seglo for
041leading that. And the orchestra, chorus, and band did an excellent job at our spring concert, I can say being in the district three decades, seeing a number of elementary concerts, I can say uh that this was one of the best. So congratulations to Mr. Seglo and all our music teachers. uh in collaboration with the village and as part of a projectbased learning experience, students in Mr. Howard's digital fabrications class completed a walkthrough of East Rockaway Town Hall and its surroundings to brainstorm beautifification ideas that they can bring back to class and create with the help of 3D printers and our CNC router. So, our CNC router I know uh Mr. Howard is excited about is new uh and it's going to give our students a tremendous advantage in terms of creating projects and you will
042be hearing or you have been hearing for the last three years the common theme of project-based learning which is uh really making a big impact on our students. On May 13th all seniors and many juniors had the opportunity to learn about our nation's voting process directly from representatives from the Nassau County Board of Elections. During the presentation, students registered to vote in future national elections and got to practice submitting ballots about everyone's favorite food. Any guesses? Pizza. Pizza. Yeah, that's the one. Pizza. Uh, Miss Robbins attended the United States Marine Corps Education Boot Camp at Paris Island in South Carolina. I give her a lot of credit for that. Uh, during the experience, Miss Robbins spent four days participating in modified boot camp for educators from all over the country. This experience gives gave and
043educators the opportunity to better understand the experience recruits have at boot camp so they can best advise students. Kudos to Miss Robbins for always going the extra mile for students. And just recently uh met with Mr. Madden and Miss Robbins and they brought back some wonderful ideas uh that we'll be excited to roll out in the future and how we could uh support these uh different uh military endeavors. um school counseling department collaborated uh with Miss Kenny and Mr. Kell's US history course to instruct seniors on how to start their college application. Time given to students to start their application, ask questions, and receive support was well spent. So, thank you to the counseling department for that and uh Miss Kenny. In collaboration with the English department, the school counselor office also visit grade uh
044classrooms to help Oh, sorry, that's a repeat. to help kick off their college uh essay writing process. My apologies. Uh for the first time at East Rockway High School, students will have the opportunity to earn a silver cord upon graduating. I'm so excited about this. Mr. Schaefer and I probably had a conversation about it maybe three years ago, two years ago, and uh I'm excited to see this to come for come to fruition. East Rockway Silver Cord recognizes those students who had made significant contributions to our community and have shown high levels of character and commitment over their four years in high school. So basically how the students who are honor society receive a chord, these students who meet expectations in terms of community service will also get a silver chord. And the way I
045learned about it is our um our SSA students came to me to sign off on it because of the time they gave for the committees. So uh and then I'm very excited about uh that program for our students in the community. Uh almost there in the in the area of innovation students extended their coding building skills in steam class. The fifth grade of volume zoo took a new direction this year with students building a model version of the village of East Rockaway and determine the volume of each building in their model. Again, project-based learning related. Uh Miss Miss Mia's is leading her eighth grade technology students in exploring on shape, a cloud-based 3D CAD software that employs them to design a prototype of their innovative ideas. Students are using this tool to create fidget spinners
046which will be uh creating using 3D printers. Uh Miss Pasmo brought her AP world history students to the counseling office for a re a review session with our therapy dog Sloopy. Now I met that therapy dog Sloopy and it was unbelievable. Uh the amazing dog. It it created a calmness. It gave the students a chance to relax a little bit, you know, before the exam. I actually thought it was an excellent strategy and uh hopefully they did well on the test and it eased their anxiety a little bit. I know when I walked in there, it e my anxiety. So, it was it's very uh a very good program. Uh last in the area of connection on Thursday, uh the 29th, we will have our annual STEM fair. So, that's coming up in two days.
047At the STEM fair, over 150 of our students grades six through 12 will have the opportunity to discuss their projects. In addition, we will have, this is new, drone coding for all for all in the small gym and an oral presentation of our uh of our competition participants in room 130 during the night. The math department is also excited to participate in this year's STEM fair. Stop by to hear our Long Island Math Fair competitors present their award-winning research project on Infinity, as I mentioned before, or chat with one of our AP computer students about the experience and work in coding. Uh there will also be a table with hands-on fun math related activities including building your own catapults, marshmallow structures, and uh geometric figures as well as kid-friendly coding. So, please uh if you
048have the opportunity on the 29th, that's this Thursday, uh come to the STEM fair and you'll not only be entertained, but you'll be wowed uh by our student projects. Um this afternoon, uh we had the opportunity to honor two of our student athletes who will be participating in um college athletics. That was Anthony Grimmaldi, who will be attending Western Connecticut State University, and Connor O'Ren attending Sunni uh Sunni Maritime. Uh I believe both will be playing football. Correct. Both will be playing uh football and uh it was nice to have a signing and uh to see the families in there and celebrate uh our student athletes who going on and playing college sports. And last our syntax representative Francesca recognized the value of our social studies teacher Mr. Poland's PBL civics project through the flyers
049the students created and posted in the auditorium lobby. This was at our last board meeting. Uh the project focuses on revitalizing the pavement and curbs on Ocean Avenue outside the school. Now, uh this project is not only it's a PBL project. Yes. Is it real world? Yes. And it's also there to try and create a safer environment for our students and not only our students, but anybody who drives or walks up along Ocean Avenue. So, uh, happy, uh, that Francesca pitched this story to News12 with the information and apparently they loved it. Uh, they will be visiting the school tomorrow, uh, to interview some of our students and teachers. So, hopefully we check out News 12. Uh, we'll be on there for a great civics PBL project uh, from Mr. Poland's class. And that's all
050I have. All right. A lot of good stuff. All right. Thank you, Mr. D. Tomaso. Uh, next is good and welfare. Um, condolences to Marissa Diamond and family on the passing of her father-in-law, Stephen Diamond. Congratulations to Brianna Ostrander and family on the birth of their son, Jax Joseph Ostrander. All right. Uh, public comments. Any public comments? No, we don't have any. Okay. All right. Um, board member comments. Anybody want to start? I'll start. I just want to say thank you for the pledge. I always love it when um we have somebody here saying the pledge for us and that was very nicely done. Uh congratulations to everybody on their tenure. Um and to and to welcome everybody to the East Straaway family. Um I would also like to say thank you to uh the
051poetry competition. I really enjoyed listening to those poems. Uh, I just I'm always at a loss for words because they are so full of it and I just never know what to say, but it was fantastic. Um, thank you to Ray Avenue for inviting me in to read. I really loved getting in there and being able to hang out with the kids and to be in that classroom. Um, great uh great opportunity. Uh, thank you to our PTAs. Um, thank you to everybody that voted. Um, and thank you to our veterans. Um, without them, I think we would all be at a great loss. And, um, I always say thank a vet whenever you see them, uh, no matter where you are. So, thank you to them because, uh, we owe them a lot. I
052also want to say thank you to all of our teachers, um, and anybody that works within this district. I find this district to be different. Um, and when I say welcome to the family, I honestly mean it because I feel that's what we are. A family where we all watch each other, take care of each other, and welcome each other in. So whether you are an an administrator, a teacher, or someone that just comes in from time to time to help us out, uh, just know that what you're doing is greatly appreciated. And I just want to say thank you because it takes a village to be able to produce somebody who can go further in life and to give them the courage to do what they need to do. So, thank you to everybody.
053I do want to emphas re-emphasizes the uh congratulations on the tenure and um I am I'm very happy with the scholar athletes and the amount of them and uh also all the art awards. So, our our students really perform in every aspect on the field, in the classroom, and with their arts. So that makes me happy. I was blown away by the art. It really was. I just I kept going in circles because I just felt like I couldn't get enough of it. Yeah, they do a great job. You mean during the uh art show? During the art show was amazing. Yeah, they said it all. Congrats to all the That's why we always let go. And thank you for um voting for our budget. Done. Done. All right. Um, yeah, I want to congratulate
054all of the tenure recipients and the, um, poetry. It was great. Mrs. O'Shea and and her group did great job. And, uh, Lindsay, welcome aboard. For someone who got to see for one year the positive uh, you know, the impact you made and and your positivity and enthusiasm. I'm so happy for the kids of East Rockway that they get to experience that. So, welcome aboard. Um, is it anyone else? No. All right. Uh, this concludes tonight's board meeting. Can I have a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 p.m.? Motion. Motion by Mrs. Salo, second by Mrs. Doyle. All in favor? Opposed? Abstain. Motion approved. Good night, everyone. Good night.