Community Update

Earlier this week, I was excited to attend the opening of a show in New York City because a colleague’s daughter was one of the leads. Then this morning I got a sense of where Broadway talent comes from when I stopped in to see Baylis Elementary perform the Junior version of The Little Mermaid. The set, costumes, and music were great and our kids absolutely crushed it! Encore! Encore!!!!

Also on stage, it’s Winter Concert season across our District – and beyond! Our Chamber Singers and an octet of instrumentalists were at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC today - the acoustics in the sanctuary enhance the music in a way that can’t be described, only experienced. Last week, the Chamber Singers, Chamber Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble performed at the High School’s first winter concert. Last night, the Symphonic Band, Stage Band, Symphony Orchestra, Vocal Jazz & Chorale filled Winter Concert #2 with music.

The Board of Education has been developing a school construction proposal to address our aging facilities’ needs. This includes structural maintenance, replacement of temporary classroom construction that has reached the end of its life cycle, and addressing projected enrollment growth. Enacting a facilities plan would require community support in the Spring.

The Board has asked us to obtain public feedback on the current draft plan before the Board finalizes a plan to present for public approval. In 2016, we received many thoughtful suggestions that were incorporated into the final plan, and we are again open to reactions and comments. There will be multiple opportunities to see the public presentations and offer feedback opportunities well into the new year.

We held our first presentation today, and our second virtual presentation is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, December 19th at 11am. The presentations, with me and our facilities team, include an overview, details, and discussion of the possible projects. You can view the upcoming presentation at this link and it will also be archived on our YouTube page.

Watch your inbox for an online survey where you can share your thoughts and ideas as well as ask questions to be incorporated into an online Q&A document. Your feedback is important to us as we begin to have these important conversations to improve our schools.

Our students aren’t afraid of monsters… in fact, they are making them come to life in a dynamic collaboration between some of our kindergarteners and high school freshmen.

Our littlest learners at Walt Whitman used their imagination to create monsters after reading a book called Are you my Monster? by Amanda Noll. The students drew their monsters – some of them spooky, some silly, some even a reflection of themselves. Then, our freshmen art students stopped by the elementary school with the mission of turning these two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional ceramic mugs. The students met and had a meaningful exchange about their monsters, and how they want to see them come to life. This initiative is more than an art project; it's a meaningful exchange that fosters unity, creativity, and community within our district. Both the drawings and the mugs will be presented together at our annual District art show in the Spring.

We can’t wait to report back about the final project!

Our kids are taking over Newsday’s All-Long Island teams, which recognize the best players from among Long Islands’ more than 120 school districts.

Volleyball players Seniors Mike Gaeta and Aaron Johnson were named to the All-Long Island first team after leading our boys team to its first ever Nassau Division I Championship. Aaron was also named Newsday’s Nassau volleyball player of the year. Their coach, Mike Acquaro, was named Nassau Coach of the year. As a long-time volleyball player (and perhaps Syosset’s number one fan), I’ve been so proud to see how both of these programs have grown and succeeded. Way to go, gentlemen!

Two of our girls doubles tennis teams made the second team list: Junior Zia Mukherjee and Sophomore Stephanie Marcheret, and Senior Manami Wakazono and eighth grader Diya Varma. Congrats, girls!

Senior soccer defender Sawyer Wayne made the boys All-Long Island team. He’s known for being one of the team’s anchors, and for frustrating opponents attempting to score. Senior midfielder Brooke Barrie made the girls second team list.

We told you last week about our Varsity Football Quarterback Mustafa Mozawalla – and his title of Nassau’s most outstanding quarterback. Mustafa also made the All-Long Island first team. Senior offensive lineman Sean Dillon was chosen for the second team.

Plus, our boys Swimming and Diving team defeated Great Neck South this week – extending their undefeated record to 75 consecutive meets. Wow! That means they have won every single meet they have competed in since 2015 – a winning streak dating back to my first season rooting for them (I’m not saying I’m a good luck charm or anything)! It’s only early in the current season, but the team already has several swimmers so fast they have already qualified for the New York state meet.

Move over, Frosty! Berry Hill’s first-grade classrooms get visits from their own “Kindness Snowman.” This magical snowman is always on the lookout for acts of kindness. He reports to the “kindness committee” and Principal Kolkhorst every night in December, and then arrives in a new spot in each classroom the next morning. He always shows up somewhere the students would never expect – in between books in the classroom library, sitting by the student’s coats, or on the teacher’s desk. Each morning, students are excited to discover where the snowman is hiding! The Kindness Snowman leaves daily reminders to our students to show kindness. This week, he dropped off a snowball game. Students wrote their names on a paper snowball, had a “snowball toss,” and then wrote something kind about the student whose name was on the snowball they picked up. Then they shared with the class all of the kind things they wrote about one another.