West Hempstead Weekly Update

During a recent visit to Chestnut Street School, WHe had the chance to see our youngest learners at work, and it was a joy to watch. Across three classrooms, students and adults were fully engaged in purposeful, developmentally responsive learning.

In Ms. Pospisil's classroom, students worked in small groups and individually on a wide range of activities, from academic tasks to play-based and social experiences. Every adult and every child was actively engaged, and the room hummed with the kind of learning possible only when structure and joy come together.

In Ms. Wagner's classroom, established centers kept students moving through meaningful work. With the reading teacher and aide in the room, students rotated through handwriting, letters and beginning sounds, and two ST Math stations. Ms. Wagner modeled, encouraged, and corrected handwriting while simultaneously supporting Fundations phonics work. It was an excellent example of how multiple adults can amplify instruction.

In Ms. Schiavo's and Ms. Angelo's classroom, the whole class gathered on the rug to study a picture together. After a choral sound, the teacher invited a student up to write the initial letter. Then the class used imaginary rubber bands to stretch the word, and the student wrote the word based on the sounds they heard. Fundations cards supported correct letter formation as needed. It was a powerful blend of language, sound, and writing, with every child invited into the work.

Thank you to our Chestnut Street teachers, aides, and specialists for creating classrooms where our littlest Rams are learning, growing, and loving school.

During a recent visit to Cornwell Avenue School, WHe saw students at every level building the habits of strong readers, writers, and problem solvers. Across classrooms, the thinking was visible and the learning was purposeful.

In Mr. Pappas's third grade classroom, students dug into a story and its answer choices. Mr. Pappas read the next question aloud and asked students to "make it dirty" by underlining the key words. He then broke the problem down and had students work through each of the four answer choices to find the correct one. Next, he asked which choice they thought didn't fit, a great way to teach students to reason through a question rather than guess.

In Ms. Cousins's reading group, two students practiced sounding out letters and letter combinations (ab, an, at), then added a letter to build three-letter words like pat and sat. Ms. Cousins used a mirror so students could see how their mouths form each sound, and she asked them to use new words in sentences to connect sounds to meaning. She then moved on to a trickier word, said, where two letters make a different sound. It was explicit, supportive, and responsive instruction.

In Ms. Caines's first grade classroom, the class chorally read a math story problem together: Mrs. E. had 9 marbles and gave 4 to Sam. How many does she have left? Students then solved it, showed their work and answer, and had Ms. Caines check it before returning to their seats. Reading, reasoning, and showing your thinking all came together in one routine.

Thank you to our Cornwell Avenue teachers for meeting students where they are and moving them forward every day.

Thank you for partnering with us to support your child's reading growth. Your responses help us plan family literacy activities throughout the year. This survey should take about 3 minutes to complete.

This week, WHe visited classrooms with a focus on literacy, and what WHe saw was a reminder of why WHe do this work. Across grades, students were not passive recipients of instruction. They were owners of their learning.

Student agency was evident everywhere we looked. Students chose where and how they read, moved purposefully between whole-group instruction and partner work, and took responsibility for their own thinking. In one classroom, students gathered around a shared anchor chart on Save Me a Seat to track how characters change across chapters. In another, partners spread out on the carpet with picture books such as Last Stop on Market Street, annotating with sticky notes and recording their thinking in notebooks as they worked toward the day's learning target: recognizing that characters are complicated and show more than one trait.

Routines were already firmly in place, and it is only October. Students knew what to do, how to do it, and what to do next. Partner reading protocols, independent reading routines, and "help each other say more" prompts were posted, practiced, and clearly internalized. That kind of consistency is the foundation that frees teachers to focus on the quality of thinking.

Most striking was the sophistication of the vocabulary and conversation. Students used precise language to describe character traits, explained their reasoning with evidence, and built on one another's ideas. Their discussions about pressures that reveal character and about how character change connects to a bigger theme or life lesson sounded like readers who think deeply about text.

Thank you to our teachers for the intentional planning, strong routines, and high expectations that make this possible. We are proud of our students and grateful for the work happening in our classrooms every day.

This week, we visited classrooms and meetings across West Hempstead Secondary School and left energized by the work happening every day.

WHe began by joining our counselors, support staff, and administrators as they met to discuss student progress. It was a thoughtful conversation focused on making sure every student has the right supports in place.

In Ms. Gulisano's Virtual Enterprise, students presented their roles within their companies, explaining each position, its responsibilities, and the tasks they need to complete. When one student finished, we offered a reminder about a few key details to include in his presentation, a good example of how real-world feedback helps sharpen student work.

In Ms. Reyes's Broadcasting class, we spoke with several groups about their progress on the newest edition. One student is hoping to conduct an interview and was offered support and asked questions to help shape the idea. The same was true for another student planning an interview of their own.

In Ms. Tyler and Ms. Rusinyak's class, students rotated through stations and shared their thinking on chart paper in response to the question, "What is your relationship like with technology?" At the visual analysis station, groups studied photographs around the room, recorded their reactions, described the author's perspective, and considered whether that perspective still holds true today. The conversations were reflective and mature.

Finally, our Special Class students worked hard in small-group mathematics and prepared The Haven, our school store, for the coming days and weeks. It was life skills in action: planning, teamwork, and responsibility.

Thank you to our students and staff for welcoming us in and for the learning we got to witness.

The Rams Cross Country team won their last league meet of the season, extending their undefeated division record (7-0) and bringing their overall record to 13-1. This marks the second division championship in program history, the first coming in 2024.

The Rams’ top 3, Joseph Santos-Acosta Christian Dominguez, and Justus Filincieri all had marks that placed them among the top 10 athletes in school history. Adoniram Hsu, Brayden Santos-Acosta, Wilder Castro, Aidan Lewis, and Tristen Sands rounded out the regular-season wins.

The boys' campaign will continue as they march towards county championships and an attempt to win a Section VIII state class title.

Dear West Hempstead Community,

Every child in West Hempstead has a right to read, and every child in West Hempstead can learn to read. This month's Golden Fleece is proof of that belief in motion: a district reading together, one classroom at a time.

At Chestnut Street, our youngest Rams are building the foundation, letters, sounds, and the confidence to try. At Cornwell, that foundation becomes fluency and habit, as teachers ask students not just whether they liked a book but what they noticed in it. At George Washington, readers are learning to look closely, tracing a character's turning point or a small quirky detail back to the choices an author made. And at the Secondary School, literacy becomes voice: the persuasive argument, the critical read of an image or a video, the tools students need to participate in their communities as engaged citizens.

Woven through every grade band is the same message from our PPS, ENL, and literacy teams: growth comes from small, consistent habits, not from a page count. A shared notebook, a reread favorite, a family conversation in whatever language feels most natural at home, all of it builds the same oral and written foundation. As Ms. Reilly reminds us, a single new word, noticed and used, expands a child's whole world.

RamFam, this is who WHe are: a district that refuses to let any student's potential go unrealized because of a skill WHe know how to teach. I hope you'll join us for Literacy Night on October 22 at 6:30 pm at the Secondary School, and that you'll find at least one small routine in these pages to try at home this month. Let's keep rising together, one reader at a time.

The Power of 15 Minutes

Just 15 minutes of reading together each day can transform your child's entire educational journey. Research shows that children who are read to for just 15 minutes daily are exposed to over 1 million words per year, compared to only 282,000 words for children who aren't read to regularly.

For more, see the PDF below or visit: https://www.whufsd.com/page/district-literacy

New York's new law requires every district to publish enforcement data on its cell phone policy by September 1st. Ours is ready. Three of our four buildings, Chestnut Street, Cornwell Avenue, and George Washington, recorded zero incidents this year. West Hempstead Secondary accounted for all 345 incidents and 86 disciplinary actions districtwide. We ran the required demographic disparity analysis using the federal risk-ratio standard, a ratio of 2.0 or higher, and no student group met that threshold. No mitigation plan is required. WHe posted this report to our website ahead of the September 1st deadline.

We believe that strong communication between home and school is essential for student success. The PowerSchool Parent Portal is a powerful tool that helps bridge this gap, providing real-time access to your child's academic progress.

Access Your Account

Visit the Parent Portal Link below. If you haven't set up your account, please contact the school office for your Access ID code.

Why It's Important

• Monitor grades and attendance
• View teacher comments and feedback
• Track assignments and due dates
• Communicate directly with teachers
• Stay informed about school events and announcements

By regularly checking the Parent Portal, you can play an active role in your child's education, addressing any concerns promptly and celebrating their achievements together.

We encourage all parents and guardians to take advantage of this valuable resource. If you need assistance with the Parent Portal, please don't hesitate to contact your child's main office.

Together, we can ensure every student reaches their full potential!

Parent Portal Link

https://powerschool.whufsd.com/public/

How to Video

https://youtu.be/eNZs_AloU-c

Main Office Phone Numbers

Chestnut Street - 390-3150

Cornwell Avenue - 390-3140

George Washington - 390-3130

Secondary School - 390-3218

We’ve teamed up with MySchoolBucks, an online service where you can easily and securely pay for school meals using a credit/debit card or electronic check.

Using MySchoolBucks you can:

● Add funds to your student’s meal account

● View meal balances & cafeteria purchases

● Receive low balance alerts

Get started in 4 easy steps:

1. Download the mobile app or visit myschoolbucks.com

2. Create your free account

3. Add your student

4. Add funds to your student’s meal account

If you have any questions about getting started with MySchoolBucks call (855) 832-5226. For any general questions please contact your child’s school.

ONEPAY from MySchoolBucks offers a one-time annual fee option to SAVE YOU MONEY!

• Annual savings plan offers reduced program fees when using MySchoolBucks for meal and school payments

  
  

• Allows user to pay program fees upfront from their bank account (e-checks), with unlimited payments for 12 months

• Offers a choice of two program fee payment packages:

• Single Student for $12.95 per year
• Family Plan for $26.95 per year (2 or more kids)

*Both plans cover 12 months from initial signup to ONEPAY

If you have any questions, please call the Food Service Office.

Nasrin Urmye, Food Service Director
(516) 390-3275
urmyen@whitsons.com

On Monday, September 14, the Board of Regents heard a presentation on a significant change to how New York State students earn their high school diploma. Under the proposed "NY Inspires" framework, the state would sunset the current system of separate diploma assessment requirements and Regents exam passage, moving instead to one New York State diploma for all students, beginning with the graduating Class of 2028. The current tiers (Local, Regents, and Regents with Advanced Designation) would be replaced by a single diploma, with Advanced Designation becoming a seal or endorsement recognizing additional academic achievement.

Regents exams aren't going away. They'll continue to serve as a rigorous measure of student achievement against state learning standards, but passing them would no longer be a graduation requirement. In their place, districts like ours would rely on local assessment strategies, classroom evidence, and performance-based learning to demonstrate student readiness, alongside a new statewide high school assessment program tied to federal accountability requirements.

This is a multi-year transition. Regulatory amendments are expected to go before the Board for adoption in 2027, with full implementation for students entering 9th grade in the 2027–2028 school year and beyond. We'll continue monitoring this closely and will share guidance as more details become available, particularly regarding what this means for our current and incoming students.

• The Office of Teacher and Leader Development (OTLD) has released a new series of crosswalks connecting the New York State Portrait of a Graduate to the New York State Teaching Standards, the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSELs – NYS Version), and the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-SE) Framework, alongside TeachingWorks High-Leverage Practices. These resources are designed to support coherence across educator preparation, teaching, and leadership practice.
• These resources help to illustrate how instruction, leadership, and culturally responsive practices support the development of Portrait of a Graduate attributes, provide a shared framework for aligning preparation, professional learning, and instructional practice, and support educator preparation programs (EPPs), school leaders, and educators in strengthening connections between teaching and student outcomes.

The Graduation Measures Initiative demonstrates the New York State Education Department’s commitment to transforming education in New York State to meet the expectations voiced by stakeholders and the challenges of the 21st century. While this is a monumental task that will take years to implement, it is essential to ensure New York State P-12 education meets the needs of all students, is culturally and linguistically responsive, and prepares our students for success in 21st century life, college, careers, service, and citizenry.

The Board of Regents has officially adopted the New York State Portrait of a Graduate. This development represents a significant step forward in our commitment to preparing students for success in an ever-evolving world.

The Portrait of a Graduate is the result of extensive collaboration, incorporating feedback from educators, families, students, and community members across the state. It's grounded in research and evidence-based practices, drawing from successful models implemented by school districts nationwide.

This framework envisions education where rigorous academics meet the real-world skills students need to thrive in our rapidly changing society. Our goal extends beyond college and career readiness – we're preparing thoughtful, engaged citizens who can contribute meaningfully to their communities.

What This Means for Our District:

• Current graduation requirements remain unchanged
• The state will provide implementation guidance by summer 2027 through their NY Inspires plan
• Full statewide alignment begins with students entering 9th grade in the 2029-2030 school year
• Our district may begin reviewing our current practices against the Portrait framework as we prepare for implementation

This adoption aligns perfectly with our district's mission to provide every student with the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need for lifelong success. We look forward to working with our school community as we explore how the Portrait of a Graduate will enhance our already strong educational programs.

More information about implementation will be shared as guidance becomes available from the state.

Recently, the Board of Regents approved the Portrait of a Graduate as a component of the state's new graduation measures. This portrait defines the six core attributes that students will possess upon graduating high schools in NYS. NYSED had created resources for educators and students to help them become familiar with the POG and how it will be integrated and rated by educators in the upcoming years. The statewide requirement for instruction to be aligned to the POG begins with students in the 2029 cohort (students entering grade 9 during the 2029-2030 school year). Below you will find a summary regarding the POG, along with some graphics:

Overall Vision

The NYSED Portrait of a Graduate presents a comprehensive, student-centered vision for success beyond high school. It emphasizes:

• Holistic development (academic, social, emotional, and cultural)
• Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-SE)
• Future readiness for college, careers, and civic life

Six Interconnected Attributes of a NYS Graduate

Every graduate is envisioned to be:

1. Critical Thinker
2. Creative Innovator
3. Effective Communicator
4. Reflective and Future-Focused
5. Culturally Responsive
6. Global Citizen

For Students

• Students are the center of the Portrait. Their voice, identity, and aspirations matter.

• Skills like communication, collaboration, and critical thinking will be developed through real-world applications.
• Growth is supported across academic, social, emotional, and cultural dimensions.
• Schools will assess student progress using performance tasks, portfolios, and presentations.

For Educators

• Educators play a critical role in implementing the Portrait through instruction, relationships, and assessment.

• Use local relevance—connect learning to community issues and student interests.
• Embed Portrait attributes into interdisciplinary and project-based learning.
• Align instruction with NYS Learning Standards, SEL Benchmarks, and the CR-SE Framework.

• Collaborate with families, administrators, and community partners to support student success.

• Rate student proficiency/progress on these attributes

For Administrators

• Lead by setting the vision, aligning systems, and fostering a culture that celebrates Portrait attributes.
• Ensure inclusive and evidence-based instruction across the district.
• Support educators in embedding Portrait skills and assessing student growth.
• Promote shared responsibility among educators, families, students, and community partners.
• Align district practices with state standards and frameworks.

Background

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is proposing amendments to Section 100.2 of the Commissioner’s Regulations based on recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures and the NY Inspires Plan. The goal is to ensure students graduate with essential life skills and knowledge for a changing world.

Key Changes

New Instructional Requirements:

· Personal Finance Education and Climate Education

· All public school students (K–12).

· Instruction must be completed by the end of each grade band:

o Elementary: Grade 4

o Middle: Grade 8

o High School: Grade 12

Phase-In Timeline

Requirement Middle & High School Elementary

Personal Finance 2026–2027 SY 2027–2028 SY

Climate Education 2027–2028 SY 2028–2029 SY

· Districts may implement earlier than required.

· Annual verification to the Commissioner during phase-in years.

Instructional Topics

Personal Finance: Budgeting, Credit/Debt Management, Earning Income, Risk Management, Savings & Investing.

Climate Education: Causes, Impacts, and Solutions for Climate Change.

NYSED will provide guidance to ensure culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate progression across grade bands.

Implementation Timeline

· Public Comment: Begins November 19, 2025 (60 days).

· Permanent Adoption: Anticipated March 2026.

· Effective Date: March 25, 2026.

What Administrators Need to Know

· Begin planning for integration of these topics into curricula.

· Prepare for annual verification requirements.

· Watch for NYSED guidance and resources to support implementation.

For more details, visit https://www.nysed.gov/

The Designing Learning framework is an educational approach #WHe uses to engage students and close the aspiration gap. The framework encompasses several key principles aimed at enhancing the learning experience for students and staff:

The Designing Learning framework consists of: Connection Before Content, Acceleration not Remediation, Rethinking Success Criteria, Higher-Level Thinking, Student Agency, Authentic Work, and Technology Infusion.

1. Connection Before Content: This principle emphasizes building strong relationships and belonging in the classroom. It recognizes that when students feel connected to their teachers and peers, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to learn.

2. Acceleration, not Remediation: Rather than focusing solely on addressing deficits in students' knowledge or skills, this framework aspect promotes challenging students with content and tasks that allow them to excel and progress rapidly. It recognizes that students can achieve more when they are appropriately challenged.

3. Rethinking Success Criteria: This principle encourages educators to reconsider traditional notions of success and assessment. It involves clearly defining success in a given context and allowing for varied ways for students to demonstrate their understanding and mastery.

4. Higher-Level Thinking: The framework promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity among students. It encourages educators to design learning experiences that push students to engage in deeper levels of thinking and analysis.

5. Student Agency: Empowering students to actively participate in their learning is a fundamental aspect of the framework. It encourages students to set goals, make choices, and take ownership of their educational journey, fostering a sense of autonomy and responsibility.

6. Authentic Work: This principle advocates real-world relevance in educational activities. It suggests that students should work on tasks and projects that have meaning and application beyond the classroom, making learning more engaging and practical.

7. Technology Infusion: Recognizing the role of technology in the modern world, this aspect of the framework encourages the thoughtful integration of technology into the learning process. It aims to leverage technology to enhance and expand educational opportunities.

By Art Costa, Bena Kallick, and Allison Zmuda

There is a growing recognition that mastering subject-area knowledge alone will not be sufficient to prepare your children for their futures. They will need deliberate practice and focused attention to grow their capacity as efficacious thinkers to navigate and thrive in the face of unprecedented change. Habits of Mind are a universal framework for thinking and are as essential now as when we first introduced them 30 years ago. Habits of Mind are dispositions people use when confronted with problems and situations to which answers are not immediately apparent. When we draw upon these intellectual resources, the results that are produced are more powerful, of higher quality and of greater significance than if we fail to employ those intellectual behaviors.

Email: drehman@whufsd.com
Website: www.whufsd.com
Location: 252 Chestnut Street, West Hempstead, NY,
Phone: 516-390-3000

Articles and blurbs may be enhanced/written with various AI tools.