Malverne teachers start the year anew

With an elementary school reorganization and a new teachers' union executive board, the Malverne school district has started the new year, well, anew.

The district's two elementary schools were changed earlier this year from K to 4 to primary and intermediary, with Maurice W. Downing the former and Davison Avenue the latter. At Downing will be students from kindergarten through second grade and at Davison, third and fourth graders, with fifth graders joining them in the 2011-2012 school year.

The Board of Education made the change in April with approval from many district parents and teachers who expressed beliefs in the benefits of restructuring. The Malverne Teachers' Association, in particular, hopes the reorganization will meet the needs of all of the district's students, according to its new president, Michelle Thomson.

"One of the most important goals of these smaller learning communities is to enable teachers to collaborate more effectively to deliver a more specialized curriculum," Thomson recently told the Herald. "When parents, teachers and administrators work together to improve the way curriculum is delivered to our students, great things happen in education."

Thomson, an English teacher in the district for 13 years, is looking forward to seeing how the benefits of the restructuring unfold and what long-term effects they may have. She, along with new members of the executive board, are ready for the new school year and have planned events and activities to further bolster teacher participation in school functions and the school community.

"I'm looking forward to taking on a leadership role," said Thomson, a St. John's University graduate who holds a master's degree in education from Hofstra University.

The new executive board was formed as a result of a number of retirements, Thomson said, adding that it is re-energized and ready to take on the new year.

NEW TEACHERS' ORIENTATION

The teachers' association recently held its New Teacher Breakfast, Orientation and Luncheon for all new faculty. This year, seven individuals have been chosen to carry on the Malverne pride.

As part of the program, the new staff participated in relationship-building exercises, which encouraged interaction and camaraderie amongst the newcomers. The rest of the day concentrated on making all new faculty familiar with the Malverne Union Free School District, its code of conduct for students and the high standards to which they will be held.

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