by Mike Schnitzel
What's new at District 13
According to enrollment data as of Aug. 24, there are about 2,050 students enrolled this year district-wide. Teachers return Sept. 6 for superintendent's conference day, where the keynote address will be given by Kathy Ernst, a nationally known math instruction expert. "She will give an overview highlighting key aspects of changes in math standards," said Eileen Hodrinsky, assistant superintendent for Instruction.
The district is also focusing on improving the quality of their students' writing, and have been working with consultants at the teachers' college at Columbia and consultants from the East End Writing Project, which is part of the National Writing Project, said Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison.
Technology integration will be an integral part of the learning experience this year. "For the first time our district will open its doors to a wide-area network, and every staff member will have an e-mail address," said Lison. "Every child will be able to connect to virtually anywhere in the world."
The district will now be using a voice-over internet protocol phone system that will prevent parents from getting busy signals when they call the school. As a result, the district will save thousands on their phone bill in return for allowing other school districts to observe how well the phone system works.
The four schools in the district will be moving to a block-schedule design which will guarantee 100 minutes of English Language Arts instruction every day, and 50 minutes of uninterrupted math instruction every day, allowing teachers to collaborate with each other on their instructional methods. "It's been noted that collaboration between teachers has been very effective in improving children's skills," said Hodrinsky.
Science 21, a hands-on inquiry based science project instituted last year for first- and second-graders will be expanded to include kindergartners and third graders. A new class will be opening for five autistic students who will now be educated in their home district.
Solar panels were installed at the Wheeler Avenue School and will be in use for the first time this year. This construction was made possible by a grant from the New York Power Authority, according to Assistant Superintendent for Business Meredith Brosnan. "They will demonstrate how solar energy can be adapted for uses in the school district," she said. According to Lison, children will be able to take readings on how much energy is put out by the solar panels for research and projects.
The first school board meeting of the new year will be held on Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. at James A. Dever School.
What's new in District 24
This year the District 24 spent the summer aligning its math curriculum to comply with the new state standards - state assessments are now mandatory in grades three, five and six in addition to the fourth-grade. A group of teachers and administrators have been working for the past two months to ensure that necessary adjustments were made, according to Assistant Superintendent Dan Onorato.
A new enrichment program for students in the Gifted and Talented Program will be supervised by Neil McDermott, who is putting together a curriculum with an administrative liaison and an enrichment consultant. It will be a pull-out program, a supplement to their regular curriculum, for a half day during each six-day cycle.
According to Onorato, school libraries will begin automation with the assistance of a $20,000 grant from Assemblyman Bob Barra. The district also received a $75,000 grant from State Senator Dean Skelos, but it hasn't been determined how the money will be used.
The Robert W. Carbonaro School is now wired for video-conferencing, according to Onorato. "Children are now able to participate in programs across the country," said Onorato. Some of these programs are offered through NASA and renowned museums such as the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, Museum of Television and Radio in California, and the Albany Institute of History and Art in Albany.
There are approximately 1,050 students enrolled in the district this year. The first school board meeting of the year will be held on Sept. 24 at 8:30 p.m. at William L. Buck School.
What's new in District 30
The are approximately 1,500 students enrolled district-wide this year. No major construction work has been done within the district other than the cleaning and maintenance of the buildings.
A new penmanship program has been implemented for children in kindergarten through fourth-grade to further assist students in developing writing mechanics. A balanced literary initiative is being introduced into the fifth- and sixth-grades. "It's a more individualized program that focuses on literature, phonics, different styles of reading, and teaching," said Superintendent Lawrence McGoldrick.
Forest Road School will have two sections each of kindergarten and first- grade this year, according to McGoldrick. Last May, the district had thought that number was going to be reduced, but as of last week enrollment was enough for two sections in each of those grades.
Two personnel changes of note in the district are the hiring of Edward Cullen as the new assistant superintendent of business and David Chin as the new director of technology.
The first school board meeting of the year will be held on Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. at Shaw Avenue School.
Nicole Falco contributed to this story.
