The awards for our students and our schools just keep coming … Three of our talented student musicians have been selected for the 2014 Long Island String Festival Association Honors Orchestra. Sam Trested (grade 8), Samantha Kessler (grade 9), and David Kim (grade 10) have all been selected to perform this November. Congratulations!
Our district has been making such strides in education with regard not only to our technology, but with our STEAM program. Check us out in today’s Newsday (below) for the latest Be the Change Innovation Award that we received – and the photo of us receiving the grant money. The acknowledgement really goes to all of our teachers, who continue to embrace change and innovation for the benefit of the students.
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I’ve known about this for a few weeks but haven’t been able to announce anything until today .. Mineola has been selected to join the elite Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, a national coalition of school district superintendents that fosters collaboration between education leaders and entrepreneurs, researchers and thought partners. The first league meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 5-7 and I am very excited, and proud, to attend on behalf of our community. In the last three years, only 46 school districts in the nation have been chosen to join this prestigious league. More information to follow after my DC visit.
Keeping our students engaged and active during the summer months is an important part of ensuring success during the school year. This summer, Mineola Public Schools held recreation and educational enrichment programs for students entering first through ninth grade. Now, we are asking for your participation in a 2014 Summer Programs Survey.
The programs — Lego’s Build-a-Brick, Camp Invention, music, drama and sports — were designed based on parent responses to a survey last fall. Your continued feedback will help us improve future programs and offerings.
Designed and implemented by independent technology and communications firm K12 Insight, the survey asks for input from students who participated in our summer recreation and/or iPad programs, as well as from all parents in our community.
If you have a child who participated in one or more of our programs, we would like to learn about that experience — both from their perspective and yours. If your child did not participate in our summer programs, we would like to know why and what would compel you to enroll in the future. In addition, we are asking parents and students involved in our summer iPad program to submit comments to help us improve as we move forward with our technology initiative.
Parents and participating students will be emailed invitations to access the survey, which should take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete.
After the survey closes [October 1], we will begin to close the loop by sharing results and explaining how the data will inform future summer program offerings.
Thank you for your continued involvement in our school district. Your voice is critical as we work toward our goal of inspiring our students to pursue excellence and become competitive members of our global society. Working together, we can help prepare each student for a lifetime of learning.
Congratulations to senior Nathaniel Levy who has been named a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program for 2015. This impressive young man has also been named an AP Scholar with Distinction by the College Board and scored a 2290, out of 2400, on his SAT. We wish him the best of luck as he continues in the competition for a chance at a scholarship.
Many of our principals took on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge last week. As a community that embraces “contributing positively to a global society” there were many administrators, parents and students who gave to this great cause. I got my hands on a great photo of Principal Escobar at the high school. There’s also one of myself participating at the eighth-grade welcome bbq.
Minus the ad libs-
Mrs. Messina and the Treble Choir indulged my request this year and sang “Let it go” at the spring concert. For some reason when I watched the movie Frozen with my 10 year old daughter the song and theme of the movie really spoke to me. Instead of adults seeing the gift in a child they quickly sought to hide her talent. Princess Elsa was different- and as the lyric states she was directed to “conceal don’t feel”. The death of her parents (BTW- you don’t want to be a parent in a Disney movie) left her without guidance and she grew up to believe she wasn’t gifted, rather she was cursed. The song “Let it go” describes her coming out party- when her secret is finally revealed and the weight of the world is lifted off her shoulders. Consider the lyrics, “it’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small and the fears that once controlled me can’t get to me at all. It’s time to see what I can do. To test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I’m free. Let it go” Your graduation today is very much like princess Elsa’s coronation day; the day you all reveal yourselves to the world. Who will the world see? We al have special talents and gifts. Don’t hide them- discover them. Embrace and cultivate them. Pursuing your passions will ultimately led to a happier life.
Little did I know that when my daughter asked me to watch a Disney movie with her it would seem so profound to me. But I guess that is the beauty about the arts whether stage, film or music words and melodies all touch us differently.
I thought it would be interesting to make the theme of my speech this year on popular lyrics in the songs of 2013-14; that is until I listened and read the lyrics of over 50 songs! I discovered there aren’t too many lyrics I want or care to repeat. But I did find a few messages in the lyrics that were fitting for today.
For example I could hear some of your teacher’s saying- -what would I do without your smart mouth. Drawing me in and you kicking me out. You’ve got my head spinning, no kidding, I can’t pin you down. What’s going on in that beautiful mind, I’m on your magical mystery ride
I know some of your parents are hoping you aren’t saying…”here I stand and here I stay.”
But most of the lyrics I selected really offer advice-
Finally I think Natasha Bedingfield says it the best- “drench yourself in words unspoken. Live your life with arms wide open. Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.”
God bless all of you and may you find peace and happiness in all that you do.
Celebrate 35 years of musical theater in Mineola with the second annual alumni-run student summer showcase. The showcase is August 8 at 8 p.m. at Mineola High School theater. Tickets will be available online at mineoladrama.com or at the box office at Mineola High School beginning July 1. Get your tickets early, I think this one will sell out!
I was lucky enough to get a preview of the first STEM night at Jackson Avenue this afternoon and let me tell you – this is NOT your average science fair. What these fourth graders have been doing under Ms. Dawber is nothing short of amazing. You will be blown away by these projects, I assure you. Here’s a sneak peek of Arwen Lopez masterfully performing cataract surgery (on a grape, of course)! Join us tonight from 7-9pm at Jackson to see our scientists at work.
Congratulations to Mrs. Antonelli and her students at the Middle School. The art work displayed was spectacular! While last Wednesday was the official show, student work is always on display. The corridor between the lunchrooms has become an Art gallery. Here are some samples of the quality and volume of work produced.
