Elwood Schools Notebook: NYS Report Card, Education Endowment and More

District Earns High Marks on New York State Report Card

The Elwood School District has been rated a 'District in Good Standing' by the New York State Education Department, which is the highest rating a district can receive. That was the good news delivered by Maryann Llewellyn, part-time Interim Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, who gave an overview at the March 17 Board of Ed meeting. Among the highlights:

• The District has a graduation rate of 181 students who received a Regents diploma (96%)
• The District has increased the mastery level in most Regents exams and increased the rigor of its K-12 programs
• 96% of graduates are being accepted to colleges and universities

To see the complete presentation, click here.

Endowment Awards 2010-2011 Teachers Grants
Julia Fried and Kathleen Koster, President and Executive VP respectively of the Elwood Education Endowment, which is dedicated to funding programs not covered by the district’s budget, announced the winners of the 2010-2011 Teachers Grants.  The twenty-eight teachers are: Dominick Abbate, Rosa Glass, Patricia Lipari, Karen Maggio, Jessica Jantzen, Marcia McLeod, Cindy Santoriello, Liz Held, Beth Noon, Kristen Egan, Shari Coopersmith, Eileen Kelly, Martha Simpson, Anita Hall, Lisa Fischer, Diane Locasio, Susan Masserwick, Jonathan Mead, Sean McGinty, Joe Pushee, Christina Kerensky, Chris Warren, Shari Rizzuto, Christina Guercio, Angela Cassano, Eleanor Grady, Joseph Pace, and Lisa Gorman.

Nearly $40,000 in grant money has been awarded to twenty creative programs, including:

• Student Kitchen Renovations at John Glenn High School: Advanced Production System students will have an opportunity to measure, design, estimate costs, draw, build, and finish five fully functional kitchens for the Home and Careers classrooms, replacing 40 year old outdated units.
• Know the Artist: All middle school students will be introduced to an additional 72 important artists and more than 300 masterworks using these poster style resources.
• Kindergarten Science for the SMART Board: Interactive white board CD-Roms, along with 12 sets of early science readers will be integrated into the Kindergarten science curriculum.
• Click Smart: Due to the success of the Student Response Systems funded by the EEE last year, this year’s grant will allow all Boyd students access to these individual hand held devices which students use to respond simultaneously to teacher questions.  Clickers interact with the SMART board, providing teachers with immediate feedback on student learning.

For a complete list of winning programs, click here.

The Endowment will be holding a fundraiser on May 20 from 7:00-midnight at The Harbor Club featuring an auction, dinner, and dancing. For more information on this event, click here.

Student Achievements
Three students were recognized for their outstanding achievements, including: Julia Hollreiser, for her selection as a finalist in the Long Island Flute Club Solo Competition and winner’s ensemble finalist; Alexis Dimitriou, for being selected as an alternate for the 2011 New York State Band Directors Association All-State Honor Band; and Alexander Grossmann, who attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

An Update from the High School
Student liason Gwen Rosen reported that the Volleyball-A-Thon on March 5 was a resounding success, raising more than $5000 for Relay for Life and ALS.

The next  Relay for Life meeting will be held at the high school on April 12, at 7:00 PM. For more information, click here.

Future Meetings
The next meeting of the Board of Education  is scheduled for April 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Elwood Middle School.