By Karen Bonnet
The changes tie into the district’s plans to make substantial educational progress within a “culture of excellence.”
“We’ll be instituting a self-operated lunch program at all of the buildings and hope to provide more nutritious meals and additional offerings,” said Robert Bartels, the district’s assistant superintendent for business. “We are also hoping to finalize the implementation of an automated notification system to notify parents of various school activities and emergencies.”
Christopher Pellettieri, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said that every school will have access to SmartBoards, which are replacing blackboards. SmartBoards are large interactive boards that work in concert with computers, using projected images from Web sites to bring topics to life. The district now utilizes some 20 SmartBoards, and school officials say that 40 to 50 percent of the district will have them in all classes by the end of the school year.
“This technology enables teachers to show films to their students, do the research together or write notes on the subject,” said Pellettieri. “It’s like using a computer on the wall. Not only will it will give the students a global reach, it will raise the level of student engagement, and give them a good grasp of 21st century skills.”
For ninth-graders, the introduction of geometry, in compliance with the state curriculum, will replace Math A and B courses. The curriculum has been written and new books have been ordered, and teachers will be supported with professional development throughout the year. Last year, eighth-grade students at the middle school took algebra as part of a new curriculum, and more than 90 percent passed the first-year algebra test given in June.
The Foreign Language in Elementary Schools program will teach second-grade students basic skills in Spanish. They will begin to speak and understand the language through songs and games, body movement and art activities, and read and write it as well. “They will be immersed in the language and culture to broaden their global awareness,” Pellettieri said. “Again, this will give our students a competitive edge when they move on to the high school and college.”
Comments about this story? RVCeditor @liherald.com or call (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
