North Merrick Superintendent Welcomes Families Back to School ...

Dear Parents and Students:

On behalf of our Board of Education and staff, I am pleased to welcome you back to the beginning of a new school year.? I trust that you?ve had a wonderful summer vacation with your family.? I know that I am looking forward to the first day of school and hopefully your children share in my excitement ? I suspect that most of you are eager to see them return as well!

We are excited about a variety of important initiatives that the new year will bring and are also look forward to meeting the challenges that lie ahead.? We have had a very busy summer, especially in terms of important upgrades to our school facilities.?

An overview is provided below:

School Facilities

Thanks to your support of the establishment of a $1.2 million capital reserve, important projects that address safety and pressing facility needs at each of our schools will be completed in time for the new school year.?

Camp Avenue: The bus loop has been significantly widened and lengthened enabling more cars to safely enter and exit this area ? especially during student drop off in the morning.? This should provide some relief to the congested traffic that builds up on Merrick Avenue.?

In addition, this renovation will provide more parking spaces within the bus loop. We have also replaced and removed almost all of the concrete and blacktop around the school. New drywells and storm drains were installed. The net result will lead to much better drainage which should eliminate areas where water accumulation had been a problem.?

The front of the school will have a new and improved look, thanks in part to a legislative grant from the County.? We will be installing decorative lighting and park benches in the front of the building and surrounding the renovated flagpole.???

We are in the process of repairing the decorative woodwork and parapet wall on the three-story portion of the building.? Five classrooms have also received new flooring.

Old Mill Road: The rear concrete and some asphalt will be repaired and ready for school?s opening.? This will correct drainage issues in the very back of the parking lot and behind the gym. The two girl?s restrooms will also be renovated and ready to go for the new school year.? Work has also begun on a new solar system for the rooftop.? We anticipate this project also being completed by the opening of school.

H. D. Fayette: The first floor has received all new floor tiles in the hallways, kitchen, cafeteria and one classroom.? Two student bathrooms have also been renovated.

As we begin the 2012-2013 school year, the following areas of focus have been established:

GOAL 1: To review programs, curriculum/instructional strategies and assessment tools, to be aligned with the New York State Common Core Standards, in order to evaluate and improve student achievement.

• Objective 1: To monitor the implementation of Macmillan McGraw Hill Reading Series, Treasures, in grades K ? 3, and to pilot implementation in grade 4.
• Objective 2: To fully implement and monitor the scientifically-based interventions for emerging readers in grades K-3 and to continue in grade 4 in an effort to meet and exceed the Response to Intervention (RTI) requirement.
• Objective 3: To systematically identify students who are experiencing academic difficulty and to apply interventions that are monitored for success on a regular basis.
• Objective 4: To monitor and extend our technology-based enVision elementary mathematics program, which fosters student engagement and critical thinking, to include all grades (K-6)
• Objective 5: To implement and monitor the North Merrick Six-Day Cycle, Year #1.
• Objective 6: To implement and monitor our self-contained classrooms

GOAL 2: To review and evaluate current research in effective models of supervision, evaluation and staff development.

• Objective 1: To implement, facilitate and support the revised Annual Professional Performance Review
• Objective 2: To foster teachers? yearly goal-setting that aligns with student performance data, and in so doing, personalize staff development.
• Objective 3: To ensure that all teachers continue to improve their ability to use effective instructional practices, including differentiation, so that all students are challenged and successful.
  

GOAL 3: To implement a full wellness program that addresses and promotes healthy options in terms of the nutritional, physical, and emotional development of all students.

• Objective 1: To foster communication amongst all faculty levels in an effort to design a responsive curriculum that addresses social and emotional well-being, Internet safety, cyber-bullying, bullying, risky behaviors, and appropriate use of social networking sites.
• Objective 2: To provide all students, staff, parents, and community members with appropriate training as per the North Merrick DASA policy.
• Objective 3: To provide students and their families with the opportunities to participate in making healthy choices regarding nutrition and exercise.

GOAL 4: To increase the use of technology as an enhancement to student learning and as a management information tool.

• Objective 1: To extend our POWERSCHOOL implementation for our student information system, and to plan for future parent portal implementation.
• Objective 2: To strengthen our media centers through access to technological resources and databases.
• Objective 3: To continue to explore, evaluate, and promote the use of effective technologies to enhance student learning, including SMARTBoard technology, CPS clickers, as well as other programs and technologies.
• Objective 4:? To extend our current infrastructure to include wireless access.

GOAL 5: To ensure that our facilities are adequate to meet the needs of all students.

• Objective 1: To continue to monitor all capital construction projects.
• Objective 2: To continue to provide all stakeholders with timely and appropriate information about the initiation and ongoing progress of all capital projects.
• Objective 3: To continue to support facility-based decisions that enhance sustainability, efficiency and the educational program.
• Objective 4: Articulate a long-range facilities plan.
  GOAL 6: To develop a 2013-14 budget based on current fiscal and educational realities, with special emphasis on the 2% tax cap, contingent budgets, fiscal strategies and the use of community input, i.e. Lay Budget Committee.
  • Objective 1: Examine the affect of our large ?cost drivers,? i. e. pension, health and contractual obligations.
  • Objective 2: Use district data to establish district priorities in order to re-balance the allocation between the general fund and the federal.
  • Objective 3:?? Energize legislative outreach and community involvement in and awareness of the legislative process.?

The North Merrick district takes much pride in delivering a high quality education in the most cost-effective manner. We were very gratified by the overwhelmingly positive community support of our school budget. In an effort to look for all funding sources, the district has made excellent use of available grant funds to support and enhance our educational mission.? Thanks to our local elected officials, we have received grants in the areas of technology and facilities.?

A portion of these technology grant funds will be dedicated to establishing an internal wireless infrastructure which will enable us to expand upon our existing computer labs as we make this technology more mobile and accessible for whole group instruction. Additional funds will also allow for the purchase of updated equipment as we recycle units that are nearing the end of their useful life.

We also wish to emphasize that despite the continuous focus on State testing, we will stay to true to our mission in providing our students with a well-rounded education and foster practices ?to develop individuals who respect themselves and others, are flexible, open-minded, and capable of relating to and communicating with others.?

In keeping with the theme of respect, we have modified existing policies and procedures to make certain that the district is in full compliance with the Dignity for all Students Act.? You will be finding out more information about this from our building principals as well as referring to the revised student Code of Conduct which is included in our District calendar.?

An integral component of our educational program will continue to be our commitment to the arts ? both visual and performing.? We pride ourselves in knowing that our curricular and extra-curricular offerings in the arts (art and music instruction, musical and choral performing groups, and theater arts) are second to none.

It should also be noted that the district will be moving to a six-day cycle. A separate letter will be sent to you providing more information about this.? ?The biggest change with this cycle will be that physical education will be offered on an every other day basis for all students.? A master schedule of how this will work will be included in my follow-up letter.?

Some of the advantages of a six-day cycle are: it provides a consistent predictable structure of time for the children; provides "fairness" in that classes are not lost because of days off; ?provides "fairness" because "special" classes are held during different times during the day; provides larger blocks of planning time for teachers; provides time for teachers at each grade level and other "teams" for collaborative planning; and provides a consistent time all school assembly and grade level enrichment projects.

North Merrick prides itself on the close partnership that exists amongst all stakeholders. With this in mind, I encourage all parents to become actively engaged with their building level PTA as well as our district SEPTA which provides important information that is applicable for all children.? I wish to thank our PTA/SEPTA leadership for all of the work that they do in support of our children and staff.

I wish to thank our entire staff for fostering a nurturing and caring atmosphere within each of our schools.? While other districts have been experiencing declining enrollments, our student population has remained fairly consistent.? When asked, virtually all of our new parents have told me that the single reason why they chose to live in North Merrick is the quality of our schools!

Finally, I extend a special note of appreciation to our entire summer staff (clerical, custodial, and administrative) for all of their efforts to make certain that our schools are ready for your children on the first day of school ? September 4.

Enjoy the remaining days of summer. I look forward to seeing many of you on Sept. 4.

-David Feller, Superintendent

This letter was written and submitted by David Feller, the Superintendent of the North Merrick Union Free School District. For more information on North Merrick Schools, click here.

Source: http://merrick.patch.com/articles/north-merrick-superintendent-welcomes-families-back-to-school

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