Superintendent Update

Hello Families:

I hope the new year is off to a good start for your family as we move into February. Our students and our staff often deal with more illness in winter months, so I hope this finds you healthy. We have several updates and highlights below, but I wanted to share a couple directly from me.

VIGILIANT OF VAPING

The first, and most important, is a sincere request of parents/caregivers of students at our junior and high school levels. Based on behavior data and student feedback, vape use by students continues to pose a significant health risk. According to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control in 2021, almost 40% of surveyed students reported vape use. The Truth Initiative which is America’s largest nonprofit public health organization reports the following health issues related to vapes and e-cigarettes:

• Users have double the odds of being diagnosed with depression
• Vaping worsens symptoms of depression
• Nicotine use is significantly associated with higher levels of conditions like ADHD

Please have a conversation with your child about the dangers of vaping. I know it may be uncomfortable, but as you can see, it’s vital. Years ago, vaping was initially marketed as a safer alternative to smoking. It is not – and we continue to learn of even more about the damaging health effects, especially for our youth.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the flavors and stabilizers in e-cigarettes can cause unknown inflammation to delicate lung tissue and it is sometimes irreversible. In extreme cases, people have died. If you need assistance or guidance, we have counselors who can help. Need to take a first step? Contact your building Principal to help guide you in the right direction. Thank you.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

February is Black History Month. Students will be learning and celebrating Black History this month and beyond through planned instruction and building activities. Black History is one of eight Heritage months in our district, kicking off with Hispanic/Latine month in September. You can read more about that below.

Finally, this Sunday is the Polar Plunge at Ontario Beach State Park. It supports a great cause – Special Olympics, New York – and I am so proud that almost 80 students and staff signed up to participate and we’ve already broke the $6,000 mark in donations! It genuinely shows how much we care, how even being a little cold – or uncomfortable – can make a difference.

In partnership,

Aaron R. Johnson, Ed.D

Superintendent of Schools

We are excited to begin our district-wide celebrations and learning around Black History Month. Last year, Directors of Instruction, Kim Cristal and Orlando Marrero, led a Heritage Month Committee to curate resources for each month to help our buildings celebrate our diverse community. For Black History Month, we plan to explore new ways to learn beyond "holidays and heroes" and develop students' understanding of the Black American experience, the community's modern agency and the diversity of their culture. Each school reviews the resources and then creates experiences with the goal to instill within all students a sense of self-worth, of pride, and connection to history. Here are just a few different examples of how some buildings will celebrate Black History month.

Irondequoit High School

• The Black Student Union (BSU) has recorded video clips of students reading MLK Jr. excerpts which will play on the morning show.
• Student-created visual on the 2nd floor represents student pride as a person of color or an ally.
• Diversity in Healthcare: Why Representation Matters- a presentation through Future Fridays in which a panel discussion with Black Healthcare Professionals will be held to talk about Heathcare Careers for students of color.

Rogers Middle School

Special Events are a performance with The XClusive Step Team (Feb. 13, 3:30 p.m.- watch video) from the U of R and a night performance of SUNY Brockport SANKOFA dance and drum ensemble on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

K-3 schools (video example from 2023)

Students engage in read-alouds curated through the Strong Voices projects. Each grade level has a specific text to read which helps to celebrate Black History Month, but also ties to curricular standards and objectives:

• Kindergarten: Reads Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
• 1st grade: Reads A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Suzanne Slade and Veronica Miller Jamison
• 2nd grade: Reads Jazz Day by Roxane Orgill
• 3rd grade: Reads Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson

Renovations at the new Pinegrove Tutoring Center are complete and the facility, located at 154 Pinegrove Ave., has been open since the start of January! This location supports students on long-term suspension, medical, awaiting alternative program, intensive social emotional needs and/or credit recovery, typically for 7-12 students. Our other tutoring location at our Evans & McGraw Teacher Learning Center, 45 Cooper Road, supports students on short-term suspension K-12, as well as medical, awaiting alternative program, and intensive social emotional needs for K-6.

The R.I.S.E. project is currently under review by NYSED, which has experienced a backlog of submitted capital projects. The delay in the review will likely cause us to change when we bid the project and when the work will actually start. We originally planned for work to commence in the late spring 2024 but the NYSED delay may result in the work beginning late summer instead. Once we have approval of the submitted plans, more information regarding the timeline of bidding, construction, etc. will be determined.

A Capital Outlay Project is our annual $100K project embedded within our annual operating budget and voted on each May by the community. These projects allow districts to do small capital projects that receive state building aid the following year. By engaging in an annual project like this, we are able to leverage aid from one project to offset much of the costs (approximately 80%) in the next year's project.

In the 2023-24 budget, the Capital Outlay Project focused on Seneca Elementary's basement. It will address some flooring needs and adjust doors to allow for improved ability to lock down the interior of the building without compromising fire egress routes.

Our Facilities Planning Committee is currently engaged in reviewing and planning two potential future capital projects. One is a small capital project at Brookview to address an aging roof and replace some heating/cooling (HVAC) mechanicals. This project could be a separate proposition at our May annual vote. The other is a review of the Pinegrove facility to determine renovation needs and a timeline for having three Pre-K/UPK classrooms in that building.

Rogers Middle School will hold a special “Grand Opening” celebration ceremony this Friday, Feb. 2, for its new-look gymnasium. Replacement of the floor was necessary after several areas of the hardwood began buckling following water damage sustained in an August flood. The new, gray surface - a PolyTurf Plus Pad & Pour seamless floor by Tarkett Sports Indoor - has a rubberized feel. It is designed for maximum durability and provides a high quality playing surface with shock absorption and stain resistance. Work, which started in last November, was done by Campus Construction. READ MORE HERE

Irondequoit High School welcomed a new Assistant Principal in mid-January and Dake Jr. HS will do the same on Feb. 26. A former IHS student herself, Ms. Sonja Griffin is now part of the administrative team at IHS, replacing Barbara Battin, who is retiring at the end of January. At Dake, Dr. Alexa Hogestyn is replacing Mr. Nick DiMartino, who started in a new role on Jan. 2 as Principal at Rogers Middle School. She is scheduled to start Feb. 26. A Long Island native, Dr. Hogestyn lives in Irondequoit. Read more about each via the links below.

• More on Ms. Griffin
• More on Dr. Hogestyn

VIDEO ABOVE: Third-graders in Sara Edell's class at Colebrook recently took a trip to Rome, but it wasn't a field trip. Students used Virtual Reality glasses to view Ancient Rome as it was then and now as part of a unit of study! "It's like a whole different universe, mixed with a time machine," said Luca, a student in the class. Watch the video to learn more.

For the second year, more than 70 Irondequoit HS seniors have chosen to try and earn the Seal of Civic Readiness from the NYS Education Department. This is formal recognition that a student has attained a high level of proficiency in terms of civic knowledge, civic skills, civic mindset and civic experiences. The Seal of Civic Readiness distinction on a high school transcript and diploma:

• Shows the student’s understanding of a commitment to participatory government; civic responsibility and civic values
• Demonstrates to universities, colleges, and future employers that the student has completed an action project in civics or social justice
• Recognizes the value of civic engagement and scholarship

About 40 students presented their civic knowledge to teachers, faculty, administrators and Board of Education members on Monday, Jan. 22. More will do so in the spring.

We have surpassed last year's donation total of $3,600! Can you help us get to $10,000 - all for a great cause!! Students & staff on our Icy Eagles team will take the Polar Plunge this Sunday to support Special Olympics New York! You can donate online in a few clicks: bit.ly/3Sa5eut. Thank you!

Email: public_info@westiron.monroe.edu
Website: westirondequoit.org
Location: 321 List Avenue, Irondequoit, NY, USA
Phone: 585-342-5500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestIrondequoitCSD
Twitter: @WestIrondequoit