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Schools

Elwood School Notebook

A roundup of news from Elwood/John Glenn.

An update on school-district consolidation, a discussion of the student schedule policy and much more were all part of the Jan. 20 Board of Education meeting.

District Consolidation Update
“At this point, we’re on hold.” That’s how Superintendent Peter Scordo summed up the status of the discussion of school district consolidation which had been the subject of a . 

Scordo said that there had been no response from the superintendents or Boards of Elwood’s contiguous districts -- Commack, Harborfields, South Huntington, Northport, and Half Hollow Hills – regarding interest in exploring possible consolidation opportunities.

Trustee Dan Ciccone pointed out that not much time had elapsed since the workshop, and that each board would need time to discuss the issue and add it to their own agendas for discussion. Scordo said he would keep the board and public updated.

Survey of Walker and Rider Limits
High School PTA President Julie Badlato questioned the Board’s consideration of a proposal by Applied Data Services to identify the precise number of walker/rider limits by school.  The cost of the survey would have been $1200.  

Scordo replied that he thought that the district didn’t have the resources to get the information.  Trustee Andrew Kaplan said he thought it was “unconscionable” to ask students to walk two miles on certain roads which the state might designate as safe, but which in fact, were not.  

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Ciccone concurred, citing safety and attendance concerns, and said that “while knowledge is great, I don’t think we’d follow through on it. So I wouldn’t vote for it.” Trustee Patricia Matos agreed, and the Board declined to vote on the proposal.

School Play
Tickets are on sale for the high school’s production of Once Upon a Mattress. Performances are Feb. 4 and 5 at 8:00 and Feb. 6 at 3:30.  Tickets are $9 in advance and $10 at the door.

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Outstanding Student Achievements
Several National Junior Honor Society students — Allison Biancardi, Sam Gambardella, Alyssa DeFalco, and Monika Sivilli — were recognized for their efforts in the middle school's “Food and Glove Drive."  

The school collected $1,200 and more than 40 cartons of food which was donated to the Huntington Food Council and local Elwood families in November. In addition, the Society donated over 80 pairs of gloves and holiday cards to the Dolan Family Health Center in Greenlawn. 

Students who organized the Elwood Middle School’s “Anti-Bullying Week," which took place Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, were also recognized. They are: Allison Biancardi, Ani Vardanian, Ethan Felizzari, Gillian Pelkonen, James Schebler, Jenna Yeisley, Justin Koehler, Kelly Mazzola, Kerry Sewell, Kevin Lee, Kristin Montana, Nicholas Torzilli, Samantha Gambardella, Tanna Mohammed, Tiffanie Yang, Alexis Semler, Brian Reilly, Evan Muchnicki, and Marc Cacioppo. Events included a PTA-sponsored “Say Hi and Smile” Day and “Heroes in the Hallway” which gave students the chance to recognize other students who had stood up to bullies.

Middle School student Matthew Henningsen was honored for donating a tree in honor of his friend, fellow student Matthew Lawrence, who passed away this past year from cancer.

Relay for Life
Student Liaison Gwen Rosen reported that planning for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is well underway. Last year Elwood raised more than $85,000. This year’s event will take place at the high school on May 21 and 22. Anyone interested in participating can attend the next meeting on Feb. 9 at 7p.m. in the high school library  Click here for more information:  

New Website Features
Executive Director for Administrative and Instructional Technology/Transportation Gene Tranchino reported that the Parent Portal will open on Feb. 1. 

The feature, found on the district’s home page, is a secure online tool that parents can use to monitor their child's progress. Parents need to register in order to access the information.

 In light of a possible tax cap, the district homepage now features an easy way for members of the public to advocate for state funding. With one click, users are directed to elected officials’ websites, and can either cut/paste their opposition to a tax cap using the talking points, or write their own email advocating for alternate ways to reduce costs.

Education Jobs Fund
Assistant Superintendent for Business William Pastore reported that $418,753 has been received as part of the Education Jobs Fund, a federal program approved by Congress last summer that provides $10 billion in assistance to states.

The funds must be used to pay the salaries and benefits of teachers, school administrators, and other essential staff. Districts can recall or rehire former employees, retain existing employees, and hire new employees to ensure that students receive vital educational and related services. These funds may not be used for general administrative expenses, overhead, or other support services by school districts.  Pastore said that this amount would be reflected in the 2011-2012 budget discussions.

Student Schedules
In the public portion of the meeting, High School PTA President Julie Badlato questioned the Board’s consideration of the policy on student schedules, which requires that classes can’t be dropped after July 1. Saying that it was “completely unreasonable” to expect parents to approve schedules by the end of June. Badlato asked the Board to reconsider this deadline. Ciccone pointed out that schedules went out very late last year – August, in fact – and that he had no problem with the policy except that "we haven’t gotten it right yet.”

Scordo suggested that the board reconsider changing the wording of the policy to say that people needed to respond “two weeks after receipt of the schedule.”
However, Vice President Joseph Fusaro pointed out that if schedules are mailed out towards the middle to end of June, there are no counselors available after July 1 to assist with scheduling issues.  

Students and parents might also not be available during that two-week review period because of vacation plans.
High School Principal Vincent Mulieri said that efforts would be made this year to ensure that schedules went out the first week and second week of June. In response to the tighter deadline, Scordo told board  members that he would be asking them to make decisions concerning the high school early on in the budget process. Ciccone said he didn’t see a problem with that.

Reallocation of Funds for Special Needs
The Board voted 5-0 to approve the transfer of $12,000 from BOCES to the Harley Primary School for the hiring of a Teaching Assistant to assist a student with special needs.

Future Meetings
The Board will hold its first Budget Workshop on Thursday, Jan. 27 and a Work Session is planned for Feb. 3. Both meetings will take place in the middle school library beginning at 7:30 PM. For a calendar of meetings, click here.

 

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