You are currently browsing the archives for December, 2012.
William entered the Entemann’s Essay Contest and won! Children from all over Nassau and Suffolk County compete in the contest. Approximately 2,000 children. Well, it paid off! He won an XBOX 360, flat screen tv and some games.
Charles Sandoval was the winner from Mineola Middle School of the 2012 Senator Jack M. Martins Thanksgiving Essay Contest. The Essay asked, “What are you most thankful for?” Charles was honored at a recent reception at the Hillside Library. Well done!
Last night’s 5th grade concert wrapped up a wonderful month of musical concerts that showcased the wonderful talents of our children and teachers. The attendance at all of the concerts was a wonderful example of our community support for the arts. Some performances that stick out in my mind:
4thgrade concert- Palbo the reindeer (Nick Ramos and Darian Diaz), The HS A Cappella Singer’s rendition of “Fix You” (Bonnie Small), The Music Exploration Ensemble’s “Hava Nagila”, The Treblemaker’s “Last Christmas” and 196 5th graders all singing “No school tomorrow!”
Which were your favorites? Congratulations to our entire music department and incredibly talented musicians.
Shame on me for taking 2 weeks to blog about this incredible play! Mr. Deluca changes the Fall production each year to be either a drama or a comedy. This year’s drama was particularly poignant. The cast did an outstanding job in transforming us back to Nazi Germany and the genocide of World War II. Unlike many television shows this play doesn’t have a happy ending. Tommy Mullane’s soliloquy at the end was riveting. Who knew he had it in him! Katie Barnwell portrayal of the protagonist was excellent. Michelle Serna actually had me laughing playing the self-centered Mrs. Van Daan. While Andres Zaldivar was the perfect match playing Mr. Van Dann. Rebecca Bastos and Gabby Ward shined in the mother and daughter relationship often at odds with Anne. Eric Timlin stole our attention with his role of Peter Van Daan. The caretaker roles of Mr. Kraler and Miep Gies were executed flawlessly by Alex Eisen and Alexandra DiStasi. Finally newcomer Quinn Ginsberg did a great job playing the wonderfully cantankerous Mr. Dussel. Kudos to Mr. DeLuca and Ms. Sloane for director yet another wonderful production. PS- I am ready for a comedy next year!
Yesterday I was invited to the HS life skill’s annual Winter Tea Party. Mrs. Palladino and Ms. Haberman out did themselves yet again. This year guests were treated to a student video of “Call me maybe”. Although I did participate in the filming I didn’t make the final cut! Mr. Escobar and Mr. Amitrano proved to be better dancers. The students once again organized a food drive in conjunction with the festivities for the food bank at Corpus Christi. These two classes are very involved in service learning and contributing positively to a global society. Thank You- Ann Mary, Austin, Andy, Ben, Brianna, Courtney, Danny, Daniel, Deanna, Dylan, Jack, Rayshawn, Rhea, Sean and Brian
At Thursday night’s Board Meeting I will discuss building security and student safety. Parents will have the opportunity to voice concerns and/or comments. Please join us at Willis Avenue second floor at 7:00pm.
As a dad of a 6 and 8 year old my heart goes out to the parents of the victims in Connecticut. Schools are supposed to be safe havens; shielded from the horrors of an adult world. As Superintendent of Schools I agonize over making sure our schools are safe- knowing full well a tragedy like this can happen anywhere. For your information I would like to notify you that all of our schools have safety plans and practice lockdown and lockout drills. Hampton and the High School just completed their drills in collaboration with Nassau County police. The front doors of the schools are locked and visitors must sign in. The High School has security guards that monitor the front door. We take a proactive approach to educating parents and students about proper safety precautions if something happens. I pray that we will never have to use any of these procedures.
On Monday, in all of our schools, we will have staff ready to assist your children if need be. If you believe your child is having any anxiety about going to school please call or email your child’s principal.