Dr. Kanas' Newsletter

See you tomorrow morning at Wheatley at 10:00 AM for this event sponsored by the Wheatley PTO. Wear a white tee shirt and have fun emerging from this absolutely fun activity covered in beautiful, sparkly color (non-toxic, safe, washable powder) that is strewn over us as we run/walk/skip through the color run course. All ages from pre-K through high school and above are invited to participate...parents and grandparents too! Register by clicking here, or on site tomorrow morning.

Budget Hearing

On Monday, May 13th, at 7:30 PM, the Board of Education will hold its Public Budget Hearing in the Wheatley Auditorium. During this meeting, our Assistant Superintendent of Business, Diane Castonguay, will, once again, present the details of the 2019-20 budget.

Where to find Budget Information?

To view the final budget overview presentation click here and for further budget details you can click here, or go to the district website at www.ewsdonline.org > District > Budget Information > 19-20 Budget Information, or contact me, at kanase@ewsdonline.org (333-2758) or Diane Castonguay at Castonguayd@ewsdonline.org (333-1707).

Who must Register to Vote?

Only residents who have not registered, or not voted in a school district election or a general election in the last four years. If you need to register, you may do so through the Nassau County Board of Elections, 240 Old Country Road 5th Floor, Mineola, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM daily, or in person, at The Wheatley School lobby, 11 Bacon Road, Old Westbury on May 14th from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Click here for more information.

The East Williston Education Foundation supports the students, families, alumni, and faculty of the East Williston School District by means of grants and other projects throughout the year. One of the programs they have supported in recent years, and again this year, provides our students the opportunity to work with teaching artists from the Tilles Center theater program. This year the third and fifth graders worked together with teaching artist, Beth Trimm, to prepare for the performance, “Diavolo, Architecture in Motion.” The goal of this performance was for students to explore how architecture can inspire movement.

Students were given the opportunity to work together in small groups to create different movements with and without the use of props. At the end, students created their own architectural dance and performed before their peers.

At the end of the sessions, students attended a performance at the Tilles Center where they were able to connect the architectural dance on stage to what they learned with the teaching artist. Their eyes were full of wonder and amazement as the dancers flew across the stage. It was a great show to experience.

Thank you to the East Williston Education Foundation for supporting this opportunity for our students! If you wish for further information about the East Williston Education Foundation or to find out ways to help support their work, contact Janet Entine at janrede2000@yahoo.com.

Thursday saw the last of the grade-level orientations at Willets Road with North Side parents of fourth graders getting ready to take the next big step of sending their elementary students off to middle school! As shared at all three of the grade level presentations 5, 6 and 7, the emphasis at our middle school is placed on the development of the whole child, specifically focusing on every child receiving a well-rounded educational program, exposed to all of the curriculum areas and many extracurricular activities. Social and emotional health play a large role in the middle school program and the exciting addition of a social worker at Willets in the proposed budget along with our two middle school guidance counselors, school psychologist and dean, were also highlighted again last evening. To view the presentation, click here. Thank you to fifth-grade teachers, Lynn Flynn and Jessical Liakonis, and ELA teacher/Dean, Vanessa Dimascio, Lynn Mazza, PPS Director, Joan Anderson, World Language Department Chair, Raquel Rossi, Willets Road guidance counselor, Ed Kemnitzer, Director of Technology, Innovation and Information Services, Dr. Robert Hanna, Willets Road Interim Principal, Dr. Danielle Gately, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Personnel and Christine Dragone, Willets Road appointed principal, for their informative participation in last night’s first event hosted for our incoming fifth-grade parents!

It was another wonderful evening, last Thursday, May 2nd, at the annual Simmons Awards hosted by the East Williston Educational Foundation. Each year, the Simmons Awards honor one member from each of our three schools who has gone beyond his/her responsibilities and made a measurable difference in the lives of their students. This award is not based on longevity, but there is a requirement of at least five years of District service. The criterion is expressed in the mission statement of the Simmons’ Grant: “to reward dedicated professionals who have gone beyond the mandates of their implied responsibilities and made a measurable difference in the lives of their students.” This year’s recipients were North Side’s first-grade teacher, Donna Casano, Willets Road’s seventh-grade teacher, Kristin Griswold, and Wheatley’s technology teacher, Paul Chisholm. The recipients were introduced by a colleague from their school who highlighted just some of the numerous accomplishments and contributions which resulted in each of our awardees being nominated for and selected for this special award. Below are some highlights and insightful words spoken from those who honored this year’s honorees.

Paul Chisholm

In speaking of Wheatley’s technology teacher, Paul Chisholm, Wheatley teacher Patrick Clarke honored him by saying, “As a colleague, Paul also teaches us. He shows us how to be with our students. He understands that education is about valuing your students, allowing them agency in the classroom and building relationships of mutual respect. Paul does all of this effortlessly with his students and his colleagues.”

Kristin Griswold

In speaking of Willets Road’s seventh-grade teacher, Kristin Griswold, Bridget Lennon, also a seventh-grade teacher at Willets, honored her by saying, “Throughout all of these roles Kristin has never lost sight of the true meaning of education; helping students. She dedicates her time in the morning, during her lunch period, and after school to support her students. Kristin is able to create a safe learning environment where students feel valued and supported. She not only fosters academic learning, but she nurtures the whole child embracing social emotional learning and support."

Donna Casano

In speaking of North Side’s first-grade teacher, Donna Casano, Christine Truskiewicz, also a teacher at North Side, honored Ms. Casano by saying, “Donna has a gift. She recognizes when something needs to be done to help a situation and comes up with a solution. She not only suggests it, she organizes it, creates it, and fully executes it, no matter how much she has on her own plate."

All parents are invited to attend a vaping awareness workshop presented by Nassau County Third Precinct and sponsored by The Incorporated Village of East Williston and The Incorporated Village of Williston Park on Tuesday, June 4th, at 7:00 PM at East Williston Village Hall. This informative program will include all things related to “vaping and ''jeweling". For more information click here to view flyer.

The Wheatley Afri-Bike Coalition, a part of the Wheatley Environmental Action Club, in connection with the New York Chapter of Bikes for the World, will be holding a bike collection on Saturday, May 18th, at The Wheatley School from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM and on Sunday, May 19th, at Schreiber High School from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM.They are accepting all bikes in any condition as well as parts (helmets, tools, accessories) and are in need of good adult bikes to provide residents with sustainable transportation. A $10 donation is suggested with each bike to help cover the shipping costs. For more information click here or go to www.bikesfortheworld.org.

Playoffs are just around the corner...Let's cheer for our teams! Below is next week’s spring sports varsity playoff schedules:

Saturday, May 11, 2019 - Sunday, May 12, 2019

• 9:00 AM - Varsity Boys Individual Tennis Tournament - at Eisenhower Park (All day event)

Monday, May 13, 2019

• 4:45 PM - Varsity Boys Lacrosse vs. North Shore - at North Shore - Class C First Round

Monday, May 13 - Friday, May 17, 2019

• 9:00 AM - Varsity Boys Team Tennis Tournament - at Higher Seed (All day event)

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

• 4:30 PM - Varsity Girls Track vs. CSH - at CSH - Divisional Championships

• 5:00 PM - Varsity Softball vs. Malverne - at Wheatley - Class B “Play In Game”

Thursday, May 16, 2019

• 4:00 PM - Varsity Boys Track vs. CSH - at CSH - Divisional Championships

Speaking of Schedules…

You can view 2019-20 Sports Season Schedule by going to the district website www.ewsdonline.org > Athletics > 2019-2020 Sports Season Dates or by clicking here.

Save the Date...

Spring Sports Awards - May 28, 2019 - 7:00 PM in the Wheatley Auditorium

NASTAR Award

Congratulations Willets Road fifth-grade teacher, Jessica Liakonis, on being named a winner of the NASTAR Award by the Nassau Association of School Technologists. NASTARs are chosen for their innovation, their ability to seamlessly integrate technology, and for their exemplary technology leadership.

Distinguished Service Award

Congratulations to Social Studies Chair, Dr. Scott Eckers, on receiving the Distinguished Service Award from Binghamton University’s 2019 Alumni Association Special Recognition Awards. This award is given to alumni who have been dedicated volunteers to the University while excelling in their respective career endeavors.

Boys Tennis

Five varsity boys tennis players have qualified for the Nassau County Boys Tennis Singles/Doubles Tournament. Congratulations Kavin Shukla, Nadav Cohen, Matthew Kreitzer, Alex Wigginton and Karan Amin and best of luck at this weekend’s tournaments!

Girls Lacrosse

Congratulations to the varsity girls lacrosse team, Coach Grace and Coach Stein on a fantastic season. They finished their season with an overall record of 14-1 and a perfect conference record of 10-0. They were crowned Conference 5 Champions. Best of luck in the playoffs!

Leaders in Lacrosse

This spring lacrosse season, freshman, Jordyn Behar, led all of Nassau County in scoring 57 goals and 60 assists. Great job, Jordyn!

On May 6th, Samantha Rothstein scored her 250th career goal in girls lacrosse vs. Bellmore Kennedy High School’s team. This incredible accomplishment also put Samantha over 300 career points in her high school career. News12 was here to capture this milestone and the story was featured on Tuesday night.

Congratulations Jordyn and Samantha!

Brainstormers are Heading to Nationals

After being crowned the Long Island Regional Quiz Bowl Champions for the second straight year, Wheatley's JV Brainstormers team has qualified for participation in the 37th annual National Academic Championship in Chicago, Illinois.

Come June 8th, an immensely talented JV team consisting of Karen Li, Victor Li, and Frederick Lin will look to bring home a national championship title. Congratulations and good luck at Nationals!

National Spanish Exams

Our World Language students continue to receive accolades and awards for their performance in national competitions. This is the first year that some of our Willets Road students participated in this competition. Congratulations to seventh-grader, Annelise Belle, for winning gold status and the honor of placing in the top 1% of students nationwide! Jessica Shaw, Ava Tafreshi and Derek Zhang all placed in the silver category.

In keeping with tradition, our Wheatley students, performed extremely well in this competition with twelve placing in the top 5% of all students who took the exam, nationally. Wheatley students earned 12 gold, 15 silver and 16 bronze medals. The exams, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese are the largest of their kind in the United States with over 146,000 students participating this year. Thank you to our Spanish teachers; Joan Anderson, Julie Jacobson, Mary Martínez, Pilar Príncipe-Franco and Angel Rivero for offering prep sessions and encouraging their students to use their language skills outside of the classroom.

• Level 1 (Gold) - Ely Hahami, Garima Jain, Riya Mittle, Sonia Patel, Nikolai Sotelo, Thomas Valle

• Level 1 (Silver) - Stav Agajan, Emma Azevedo, Pavan Gabbur, Tobey Hirsch, Steven Jarrahy, Tyler Richman, Lucy Zha

• Level 1 (Bronze) - Faith Joshua, Winston Lee, Valeria Pashko, Michael Wang

• Level 2 (Gold) - Krittika Prajapati, Janice Zeng

• Level 2 (Silver) - Maia Cale, Ben Gold. Ian Kim, Evan Wang, Maryam Zakaria

• Level 2 (Bronze) - Marjan Alagheband, Huda Ayaz, Grace Ducroiset, Sid Jain, Caroline O’Brien, Alexandra Ofsie, Kavin Shukla, Kristin Zachariah

• Level 3 (Silver) - Saad Haroon, Alexandra Levine, Dalia Savy

• Level 3 (Bronze) - Natalie Scudero, Samar Saleem

• Level 4 (Gold) - Pádraig Brady

• Level 4 (Bronze) - Justin Chang, Sharon Zhong

Magnificent Math

On the evening of Tuesday, April 16th, thirty seventh-grade students participated in Willets Road's Magnificent Math Fair, showcasing their work with the many parents and staff present. These students utilized part of their Mathematics D-Block time to research mathematical topics, write a research paper, and create projects to reflect their findings. Through the tutelage of Willets Road teachers’, Kristin Griswold and Kasey Caracciolo, these students combined their creative talents with their mathematical knowledge to find innovative ways to showcase their projects. The students did an outstanding job and thank you to Ms. Griswold and Ms. Caracciolo for your leadership and guidance in preparing these magnificent math projects!

Below is a listing of this year’s student participants along with their projects:

• Aaron Chang and Noah Gorlewski - Fibonacci Numbers and 2048

• Joseph Dolezal and Jessica Shaw - PLINKO/Galton Board

• Eliana Duffy and Lily Eshaghoff - Binary Numbers

• Vasantha Eswar and Kayla Rogan - Roman Numeral Magic Squares

• Grace Wong - Tesselations

• Paris Triantafillou - Magic Squares

• Amany Abdelwahab - Ancient Number Systems

• Annelise Belle and Laila Hameedi - Roman Numerals

• Justin Belle - Game Theory

• Ben Krittman - 2048 in Virtual Reality

• Anthony Lopez - Statistics in Basketball

• Zachary Sparacio - Statistics in Soccer

• Emma Rosenberg - Pascal's Triangle

• Kaustav Kapur and Logan Triantafillou - Towers of Hanoi

• Benjamin Friedrich and Taylor Rubenstein - Towers of Hanoi

• Brandon Katz - Towers of Hanoi

• Cici Zhang - Fibonacci Sequence

• Aamirah Ali and Jessica Eder - Probability and Graphing Data

• Raisa Hasan and Ria Verma - Roman Numerals

• Gia Verma and Alyson Yam - Pascal's Triangle

As always, please email me at kanase@ewsdonline.org or call me at 333-3758 with any questions, suggestions and/or any topics you would like to see in this newsletter.

Best Regards,

Elaine Kanas, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Email: kanase@ewsdonline.org
Website: www.ewsdonline.org
Location: 11 Bacon Road, Old Westbury, NY, United States
Phone: 516-333-3758
Twitter: @EastWillistonSD