Community Update

In light of recent events, we postponed the publication of this week's update until this morning. However, as always, our focus remains on celebrating the incredible achievements of our students.

This month’s Budget Information and Board of Education Meeting kicked off with a remarkable piano performance by Aaron Liu. It was the perfect reminder of who the Board works so hard to serve. Thank you, Aaron, for representing our students and programs so well.

Our Board of Education approved the proposed budget for the 2024-2025 school year. This year’s budget did not come without challenges – for Syosset, our recent growth added to the inflationary costs all other districts are facing. New York State has yet to complete its portion of our budget, leaving us with some question marks. But we’re proud we’ve devised a budget proposal that maintains all student programs, allows us to tackle some maintenance on our aging facilities, and expand where we need to accommodate enrollment. The Budget Hearing will be at 8pm on May 13th – where you can learn specifics about the school budget. The budget vote will be on May 21st.

The Board also discussed Syosset’s new elementary World Language program, the breadth of languages that now allow a full middle school–high school sequence, and our plans to increase the already remarkable number of students who the State has deemed “bi-literate.”

The Anti-Bias Task Force also presented its recommendations to the Board for addressing bias-related incidents in our District. Both the Board and I expressed gratitude for the time the task force spent researching and crafting their recommendations, and the urgency to address these pernicious issues. As an attendee of the task force meetings, I saw how the group modeled cooperation and respect, despite contrasting fundamental identities. The Board tasked me with developing a plan to operationalize the Task Force’s recommendations. The group’s recommendations and presentation from the Board meeting can be found at this link.

Robbins Lane fourth graders took a trip back in time (but really, only 10 minutes away!). During a field trip to the Brookville Environmental Center, students learned what it was like to live in Colonial Times. Their day began making corn husk dolls, a favorite toy for colonial children, followed by a tour of a log cabin home, and a lesson in how wood is prepared to build a home. Children had the opportunity to use tools needed to cut down trees and strip the tree bark.., What a historic and informative adventure right in our backyard!

As I’ve previously mentioned – our elementary students signed a kindness pledge this year – committing to a 100-day kindness streak. But, long before this pledge was taken, our students were exploring ways to build community within their school buildings. Across all of our elementary schools, there is a peer mediator program, where older students learn leadership skills by facilitating crucial peer conversations.

At Baylis Elementary, there was so much interest in being peer mediators, school psychologist Dr. Taryn Wood, created a second program: the Baylis Mentor Program. Six of our eager fifth graders now volunteer their recess time once a week to spend time with their kindergarten classmates. These mentors – Afaan Jalil, Brandon Saranik, Lana Dou, Aubrey Schlan, Valentina Pinhas, and Mia Stenzler – complete a variety of tasks while on their class visits, including reading books, supporting STEM activities, and helping with select lessons. Like the peer mediators, who wear special vests, the mentors proudly don badges.

I heard from Aubrey’s mom last week – who told me for her, it is a “bright spot” when Aubrey comes home speaking about the meaningful experience she has bonding with younger peers she likely wouldn’t have met another way. This cross-grade level connection is another way for us to build a strong building community. Thank you students for setting such a proud example.