2022-2023 Updates

Dear Syosset Community,

As I’ve mentioned before, summer is quite a busy time here at the District, not only are there still 1,200 students in summer school, but we get just 9 weeks to do a year’s worth of construction and maintenance projects before the buildings are re-occupied by students. But I’m making time for a favorite activity, summer reading, and I thought it would be fun to share that activity with our young learners. For anyone interested in learning about dragons and their love for tacos, click here to join me in a read-aloud of Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. But make sure you hide the spicy salsa first!

Spotlight on Instruction

I had a wonderful visit to our summer school program this week. In addition to the traditional summer school offerings I love, I popped into several of our new Summer School 2.0 classes. Story Theater had our first and second graders putting on puppet shows of the Gingerbread Man fable, trying out their acting chops while improving their read-aloud abilities (and occasionally rewriting the ending!). Other first and second graders showed me their coding skills on Code.org; while down the hall students in “Around the World Through Art and Games” read Pretty Salma and were learning about the symbolism in Kente cloth from Ghana and trying their hands (and their fine motor skills) at creating Ka Ka Matobi masks. The Junior Explorers were trying to recreate the Roman aqueducts with common household items (and I have a better sense of why Rome wasn’t built in a day). Camp Invention features a curriculum developed by the National Inventors Hall of Fame; I arrived in time for the Duck Launch unit, which I can only describe as a cross between a catapult, a protractor, and the Angry Birds™ game. All our summer school classes, both traditional and new, find that sweet spot where real learning becomes real fun!

Facilities Update

• Tennis Courts: I’m happy to report that the resurfacing work on the two courts at the south end of the field has been completed, but unfortunately, the recent storm damaged much of the fencing surrounding the remaining six courts. Several of the courts will be unavailable to the community while repairs are completed.
• Pell Lane: Work is underway on installing a new, wider concrete walkway and reinforced guardrail between Pell Lane and the turf field (at the east-side entrance to South Woods Middle School). The new walkway will be ADA compliant with handicap accessible ramps and will be easier to navigate for bicyclists. Please be aware that access to the east side of Pell Lane will be limited next week as concrete is poured. The west (neighborhood) side of Pell Lane will remain open. This project is expected to be complete by mid-August.
• SHS Solar Project: Installation of solar panels on the high school roof is set to begin the week of August 1st.
• Turf Field Lighting: We are awaiting a building permit before we can proceed with the installation of lights on the turf field. I’ll continue to keep the community updated on the status of this project.

COVID Test Kits

We currently have an ample supply of COVID-19 rapid test kits available to the community. Any Syosset resident wishing to pick up a test kit can come to the main entrance of South Woods Middle School Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Just provide your I.D. to the security guard to receive a kit.

Summer Meals

As previously mentioned, we are distributing breakfast and lunch meals this summer for Syosset students at no charge. Meals are available for pick up every Tuesday (through August 30) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at HBT. In order to ensure we have an appropriate number of meals available, we are asking that anyone who plans to pick up meals for their child(ren) complete a FamilyID form for each child the week prior. An email reminder with a link to the form will be sent out each Tuesday. The form will be available in FamilyID on Tuesdays beginning at 12 p.m. and will remain open through Thursday at 9 a.m. We appreciate your cooperation in helping ensure the distribution takes place smoothly.

Food Service Positions

Our food service provider, Aramark, has open positions for the upcoming school year. Shifts are 4-6 hours per day at the rate of $15 per hour. For more information and to apply, please visit: Food Service Worker opening in Syosset (olasjobs.org) Feel free to share this information with anyone you know who may be interested!

Girls on the Run Coaches

Girls on the Run is an organization that aims to strengthen girls’ confidence, encourage character development, and underscore the connection between physical and emotional health. Last May, I was happy to join over 3 dozen elementary and middle level students at the Girls on the Run 5K Fun Run and I was so impressed not only by the participants, but also the coaches who inspired and encouraged the young group of girls to reach their goals. We have a wonderful problem - more girls than coaches for this school year at Robbins Lane, Village and Berry Hill, and there is still time to start teams at Willits and South Grove. Please volunteer! You don’t even need to be a runner or an athlete, just have a desire to empower young girls in our community. The attached flyer includes more information and those interested can contact doreen.dunne@girlsontherun.org.

Bright Spot

I just want to give a shout out to our amazing custodial, maintenance and grounds crews. They work hard year-round, but never harder than the summer when all of the accumulated wear and tear is fixed while the clock ticks swiftly towards September. They have to work around the contractors on campus, around summer school, and sometimes around the clock. Every classroom gets dismantled and each floor is stripped and re-waxed for the new year. This is my 9th time watching this summer ritual and I’m amazed by and proud of their dedication. Thanks!!

#SyoSummer

Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

The summer is off to a busy start here at the school district. Summer School kicked off last week when we welcomed over 1,200 students to the program! With the high enrollment, we had some kinks to work out, including managing drop-off and pick-up traffic, but two weeks into the summer, we’ve ironed out the issues and operations are now running smoothly.

We’re so proud of this program, and thrilled that so many children in our community have joined us this summer. Classes include both academic skill building and enrichment courses, all planned with a big dose of summer fun! Activities so far have included a lesson on trajectory and velocity using rubber ducks and water balloons, a collaboration among young engineers to understand what it takes to build a colosseum, and a cultural experience of crafting kente cloth, a Ghanaian textile. And we’re just getting started, with much more fun planned for the coming weeks.

HB Thompson middle school (where summer school is being held) isn’t the only hub of summer activity. Summer is actually one of our busiest times, with only 2 short months to do all of the facilities work that would otherwise disrupt education, plan instruction for the coming year, and finalize staff hiring.

Here are some highlights I thought might be of interest:

Summer Meals for Students

Just before summer school started, the Federal government reauthorized the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022 which makes Federally-subsidized breakfast and lunch meals available to students. The State Education Department just approved our contract so we will begin distributing student meals at no cost starting Tuesday, July 19th at H.B. Thompson Middle School between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The meals will continue to be distributed every Tuesday through August 30th. A separate communication will be sent out shortly to parents and guardians with detailed instructions for picking up meals should you choose to do so, including obtaining your Meal Program Family Number that is required for pick-up. Please review the information carefully to ensure the distribution effort runs efficiently.

Facilities Update

As you drive by the schools, you’ll see a lot of activity: we’re removing underground fuel storage tanks at Willits, South Grove and Village elementary schools. After a brief pause to ensure that all safety protocols were in place, roofing replacement is continuing at South Woods Middle School and the high school. On the high school roof, solar panels will also be installed as part of our Energy Performance Contract work – an innovative state program that offsets the cost of construction with the future savings in energy costs. Several campuses are having sitework (curbs, sidewalk or pavement) and the high school gym floor is getting resurfaced. The final sets of ballistic doors and electronic locks will be installed and ready by the reopening of school.

We are also going through the buildings and undoing conversions we made to accommodate instruction during the pandemic and get the buildings as much back to “normal” as possible.

Bright Spot

The spring production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the Syosset High School Association of Creative Thespians (ACT) was so impressive, and I’m happy to share that members of the cast, crew and faculty were recognized at the State level for their performance. The production underwent an adjudication process by the Theatre Association of New York State (TANYS), and the following Roving Adjudicator Merit Awards were earned:

- Meritorious Achievement in Ensemble Acting to the Cast and Crew
- Meritorious Achievement in Acting to Max Bass for his portrayal of Demetrius
- Meritorious Achievement in Acting to Arthur Kesner for his portrayal of Lysander
- Meritorious Achievement in Acting to Brynn Schwartzman for her portrayal of Helena
- Excellence in Scenic Design to Craig Mooers and Tiffany Holtje
- Excellence in Acting to Sarah Ghafar for her portrayal of Puck
- Outstanding Acting to Jenna Kurmemaj for her portrayal of Hermia
- Meritorious Achievement in Lighting Design to Maria Chambers
- Meritorious Achievement in Direction to Gene Connor

Congratulations to the entire cast and crew!

#syosummer
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

On Monday night, we had one of my favorite culminating activities for summer school - the annual performance of our “Summer Stock” theater students at the Board of Education meeting. They shared selections from the musical “Hats,” and while the songs are lighthearted, the themes of individuality and acceptance are profound. Bravo!

Facilities Update

Even though that performance signals the end of summer school, the pace of administrative and facilities work actually picks up this time of year. I reported to the Board of Education on the facilities projects underway, including:

• solar power at the high school, 
• roof replacements at the high school and South Woods, 
• improvements to the walkway at Pell Lane to make it safer for pedestrians and athletes, 
• boiler replacements and underground fuel storage tank removals, and 
• two exciting athletics projects: refinishing the high school main gym floor (which is now complete) and adding lighting to the new turf field, which we hope to have operational in early October. 

Next week, we welcome our new teachers and administrators for a 3-day orientation institute, and the following week, we welcome back our entire staff for professional development and preparation for the start of school. We’re hoping to strike a celebratory tone as the pandemic restrictions continue to recede and we have fewer impediments to doing our best work with students.

Reopening Guidance

Speaking of reopening, we were notified by the State that new school reopening guidance (based on the new CDC guidance released last week) will be forthcoming in the next 2 weeks. The CDC’s changes were limited and while we can’t predict what the State will do, we are proceeding as though the State’s changes will be modest as well.

Nassau IDA and Amazon

Also at the Board meeting, President Tom Rotolo and I each reported on our recent interactions with the Nassau IDA, which last Thursday voted to end the tax breaks they had granted for the Amazon warehouse project on Robbins Lane. Seeing media reports suggesting that such a decision might be forthcoming, we alerted the IDA to a potential unintended consequence – the school budget was adopted by the public last May, so any change to the PILOT payment (one of the IDA’s tax breaks gives Amazon’s landlord the ability to substitute reduced “PILOT” payments for property taxes) could result in a significant loss in revenue to the school district after the school budget is already set. Nassau IDA Chairman Richard Kessel acknowledged the issue at their meeting last Thursday and assured us that they would “work with us” to avoid a negative impact on the school district. We are appreciative of this assurance and counting on their skill and expertise to find a way to do so.

Adult Education

We’re proud of our Adult Education programs, which allow the school district to “give back” to a community that supports its education system so passionately. The catalog is just hitting mailboxes now - and many of these programs fill up fast - so keep an eye out for it. Unfortunately, the welcome letter from the Board of Education was misprinted – both the letterhead and one of our Trustee’s names were cut off from the top and bottom of the page. We regret the error (sorry, Dr. Park!), but are seizing the opportunity to share the corrected catalog electronically.  

Bright Spot

Bank of America recognized 5 Long Island high school seniors, including Syosset’s Anika Shah, as “Student Leaders” in their national summer program. Anika worked at Island Harvest, getting first-hand experience in the operation of a non-profit organization – from boardroom meetings to fundraising to the truly “hands-on” experience of harvesting hundreds of pounds of zucchini at their farm to share with Long Island families in need. Anika plans to remain affiliated with Island Harvest and even recruit fellow classmates to this worthy cause starting with a fundraiser for Hunger Action Month this September.

My heart always swells when I see Syosset’s students making a positive difference in the world!

#SyoProud,
Tom Rogers 

Dear Syosset Community,

It was wonderful to see students in the halls of South Woods and the high school yesterday (I didn’t quite make it to HBT) for 6th grade and 9th grade orientation events. It’s a reminder that the start of school is just around the corner and we’re looking forward to welcoming back all of our young people next Thursday alongside our kindergarteners and new residents. 

After more than two challenging years, we continue to restore even more of the programming our students find so meaningful, while retaining much of what we’ve learned during the last two years, particularly in the area of instructional technology. We’re not out of the woods completely yet, and this week’s new COVID guidance from New York State is a reminder that we must continue to exercise judgment and caution, but as long as the variants in circulation remain less severe, it appears it will be easier to co-exist with the virus. 

We’ve produced an FAQ document to highlight the protocols in place for the start of the year, but the changes from last June are modest. 

The bus driver shortage is not quite as dire as it was last year, but despite heavy recruitment efforts by our bus company, staffing levels are not optimal. The most visible impacts will be the frequent presence of substitute drivers and an ongoing inability to assign drivers for interscholastic athletics until 4:00 p.m. or so, after the elementary runs are complete. 

Open House events and PTA meetings will be in person, and we anticipate more opportunities for parents to resume on-campus events. Field trips, including the 8th grade trip to Washington DC will also resume and we’re excited for students to experience these opportunities! 

Although we are experiencing a labor shortage in our cafeterias too, staffing levels have increased enough to enable a broader range of menu items, and a return to cafeteria seating in elementary school. 

Looking over the last 2 ½ years, I’m extraordinarily proud of how our community pulled together and indeed pulled through this challenging time. I am amazed at how our faculty and their leaders navigated all of the twists and turns of remote, hybrid, socially distanced, and tech-enabled learning to maintain students’ educational momentum, and equally impressed at how the staff who support all of our infrastructure made it their mission to ensure our buildings and classrooms would be as safe and supported as could be. No one could have predicted how the last few years would test us; and while at times we bent, we never broke.

New Staff Members

This week marked our New Teacher Institute. I was delighted to welcome these new staff members to our faculty. In my welcome, I reflected on the remarkable community of educators they were joining – and my own observation that my predecessors had hired well – along with an acknowledgement that they, in turn, will be the future of Syosset, keepers of our tradition of educational excellence and “whatever it takes” approach. Having interviewed each new faculty member and administrator, I’m confident that in some distant future, our successors will pay us the same compliment of observing that we “hired well.” Please make these new staff members feel welcome to our tight knit community.

Bright Spot

A word of appreciation for the returning students who served as orientation group leaders. I was at the high school giving a colleague from a nearby school district a tour of our new Fitness Center. Right on cue as I was sharing that the enthusiasm generated by the facility reached well beyond our athletes, group after group entered and their student leaders proudly introduced our freshmen class to the space. Thanks, student leaders for giving up a beautiful summer day to help to welcome our freshmen to the high school!

We’ll see everybody back next week!

#SyoStarts,
Tom Rogers

PS - For those enjoying the summer read-alouds, the latest (!) has been posted.

Dear Syosset Community,

Welcome back!!!! It’s wonderful to be back to school and to have so many of the COVID restrictions and their associated challenges receding into the distance. Over the past week, I’ve visited so many classrooms and teachers and felt the excitement at having the rooms set up in more welcoming arrangements and reintroducing rugs for our littlest learners. Not every furnishing survived two years of storage, so it’ll take some time to get the rooms all the way back, but we’ve got a huge jump start already.

We’ve had a good first two days, marred only by our usual challenges with busing that are typical in the first few days, but exacerbated this year by the driver shortage and the arrival of so many brand new drivers. Drivers do perform practice runs of all the routes prior to the start of school, and once everyone, students and drivers alike, become more familiar with the routine, these challenges tend to ease.

In what has now become a first-day ritual, we were delighted to welcome many members of the Nassau County Police Department on our campuses. On Wednesday evening, I attended a forum for school administrators with the Nassau County Police Commissioner, Patrick Ryder. He shared their PREPARE plan for dealing with an emergency, but also the proactive measures they take including having each officer visit a school during their shift for a brief “Park, Walk & Talk.” So don’t be startled if you see a police car on campus – they are there to say “hi,” and we’re delighted to host them.

Two more quick updates from the Nassau Police: they are actively recruiting crossing guards to address a shortage, and warning about a new form of Fentanyl (a narcotic) designed to target children.

COVID Updates

While many of the protocols that carried us through the last two years have been eased, we are still required to track and report COVID cases (as we do other serious communicable diseases), and while we stopped performing contact tracing (since close contacts are no longer required to quarantine), we do notify families of potential exposure so they can monitor children closely. Lastly, we will maintain our instructional support for students with COVID.

Fall Sports 

Fall sports are underway and while the bus driver shortage hasn’t eased enough to secure drivers for earlier departure times (for us or our opponents, unfortunately), we do anticipate having our turf field light project complete by October to help with lighting those late season matches. I’m looking forward to cheering for our student athletes from the sidelines!

A note: our athletic conference is having difficulties securing referees for almost all sports (I even had to pitch in last year), so if you’re someone with the ability to officiate, or know someone who could, please contact the District or the folks at Section VIII. Just as we’re looking to increase the number of referees, please help us retain the ones we’ve got: cheer for our athletes with all the gusto you’ve got, but please don’t heckle our opponents or the referees - the former are still kids and the latter have a hard enough job already. Show our true Syosset spirit by treating our visitors the way your child deserves to be treated at an away game. 

Reminders

Some quick back to school reminders:

• Drones are not permitted on campus without permission from both the District and Nassau Police.
• Dogs are not permitted on campus by Board policy. (If only we could somehow ban the geese.) 
• School facilities (like the track) are closed to the public during the school day, or after school when students are present for scheduled events (practices and games).
• Please be patient when driving in a school zone. I saw someone get pulled over just this afternoon.

Bright Spot

A quick word of thanks to our employee associations representing our teachers, principals, and civil service staff who underwrote a wonderful welcome-back luncheon earlier this week for our entire staff – all together in one place for the first time in over a decade. There was a tremendous sense of pride among the staff for the extraordinary work they’ve done, welcome for the new staff who will carry on our tradition of excellence, team-building to boost morale and a reminder that every single person contributing their best is what makes Syosset so special. From my travels around the District the last two days, I know the energy from that event carried directly into the classrooms - so thank you STA, SPA, and CSEA for helping us get off to a great start! 

#SyoProud!
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

We’ve had a wonderful first few days of the school year. I’ve been to each building and the mood is incredibly upbeat and positive. We’re all so glad to work in classrooms that are returning to normal, reading to young children on the rug, and resuming the extracurricular activities that enrich the academic and social experience. 

We haven’t fully resolved the busing issues yet - given the bus driver shortage and all the brand new drivers hired as a result - it will take some time. However, I am pleased to report that by the end of our second week of operations, system-wide busing challenges have subsided and we’re focused on the remaining routes of concern. 

Today, our secondary buildings marked the events of September 11, 2001 with moments of silence and reflection, our elementary buildings marked the day with more age-appropriate remembrances and “spirit” day displays of red, white and blue. Last year, I spent the morning at HBT; this year, I paused for Ms. Burget’s remembrances of the lives lost, the heroism of our first responders and the impact on many families in our learning community and South Woods particularly.  Tomorrow, at our two athletic events – JV Football and Varsity Boys Soccer – we will observe a moment of silence before the games. 

The Board of Education started the week by greeting parents at the (incredibly well-attended!) elementary PTA meetings, thanking the PTA for all their efforts, and noting that our partnership with parents is one of Syosset’s keys to success.

Another key to our success are our amazing faculty members who parents had the opportunity to meet at Open House events this week at our elementary and middle schools. The feelings of joy at being back in the buildings and in person were energizing, and I watched as middle school parents navigated the challenges of unfamiliar hallways and confusing locker combinations (and perhaps re-lived their own middle school days!). 

I’ve also been watching our athletes practice and compete this week with gyms and bleachers full of fans and it truly feels like we’re having a more typical start to the school year. I’m so proud of how we managed the difficulties of the last few years, but what a sense of relief to start in such a familiar way. 

Bright Spot

Rachel (Ruiqi) Liu is a Syosset sophomore who translated her love for the water into footwear needy children can wear on dry land. Rachel gave swimming lessons over the summer and donated half her wages to the charity, Jericho Cares. Her shopping trip with the organization resulted in the purchase of 42 pairs of shoes for families in need. Every step taken in those new shoes is a result of Rachel taking the first step – having a great idea and generously following through!

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Have a wonderful weekend!

#SyoStrong!

Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

Our first full week of the new school year has come to a close with both instruction and fall sports in full swing. Over the summer, we refinished and redesigned the high school gymnasium to improve its use for both volleyball and badminton, and just this week we were able to test the new outdoor lighting system for the turf field. 

Speaking of which…

Friday Night Lights

Syosset will soon host its first ever outdoor night home game! Last night’s test of the new light system was successful so our varsity football team will square off against Baldwin next Friday night September 23 at 6:45 pm (the game had previously been scheduled for 2:00 pm the next day).  I know the boys are excited for this opportunity and would appreciate all of the community support they can get against a tough opponent. Parking will be available at South Woods and in the “Senior” lot adjacent to the tennis courts. Please note: Security will be enforcing our “no tailgating” rule, and no large bags or open containers (cups or insulated mugs) will be permitted in the stadium. Enjoy the game! 

School Social Work

A quick thank you to our school social workers for their excellent presentation to the Board of Education on Monday night. Our social work program has been slowly growing over the past several years to help connect families with community supports, help students who might be struggling, conduct risk assessments, and support student mental health. The additional staffing has allowed the social work team to be more proactive both with students and with activities like training with our recess monitor staff. The Board has thoughtfully supported this increase in service and I was proud to share the progress we’ve made with this important resource. You can watch the presentation (along with an incredible rock band performance by students Luca Alexandru and Sam Levine with teacher Paul Caputo filling in) here.

Spotlight on Instruction

We have worked to ensure students learn coding, not in isolation, but as a literacy. This starts in Kindergarten with small coding tasks using Ozobots and culminates in our secondary programs. In Syosset High School, the Sy-STEM robotics program has grown tremendously since its inception 7 years ago. We now have several courses in Robotics: “Sy-STEM 1 Robotics”, “Sy-STEM 2 Drones” and “Robotics Design and Engineering” (RDE). We will be adding a new course this year, “Sy-STEM 3 Robotics” for students who wish to continue building their skills in engineering-design and coding. Many of our students compete in the regional FIRST Technology Challenge (FTC). This year, we will also compete in the FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC). The latter competition challenges students to build larger robots that perform much more complex tasks, such as simulating a defense against asteroids,on a playing field the size of a basketball court. This experience will be a culmination of all the skills students have learned in robotics from the early grades and throughout high school.  

Bright Spot

I’m so proud of the Syosset High School Crochet and Knit Group, led by President Kate Liu and VP Soomi Chung, for their support of the We Care Blankets Organization, which provides children undergoing chemotherapy with beautiful blankets handmade by volunteers. From creating 5 handmade blankets to participating in a “blanket wrap” at the Merrick Library that sent hundreds of blankets to children's hospitals across the country, they have literally been warming the hearts of these young people fighting difficult diseases and figuratively warming my heart too. 

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I don’t think we’ll need many blankets this weekend. Enjoy the beautiful weather, summer isn’t done with us yet!

#SyoStrong

Tom Rogers

Hi Everyone,

Good Morning! Due to a small hiccup with the mail, this week's Friday Update is coming to you on Saturday morning, with the added bonus of a few pictures capturing the events from last evening under the lights! 

_____

The September 23rd Friday Update:

Hopefully by the time you read this, I’ll be making my way to the Football game (and our Varsity Girls’ Swim Meet, and our Varsity and JV boy’s volleyball games, with stops at the girls’ JV tennis and soccer matches on the way - it’s a busy night in Syosset!). Perhaps I’ll see you there!

Spotlight on Instruction

As I shared last week, our school social workers outlined their support for students’ mental wellness and how social skills and emotional regulation strategies are taught. In the second stage of a two-year pilot focusing on the connection between emotional well-being and increased learning outcomes, South Woods Middle School joined HB Thompson Middle School in the establishment of a brand-new Wellness Room.  In order to better allow for the integration of all of the strategies recently highlighted by our social workers, the South Woods Mental Health Team created an oasis replete with warm lighting, bean bag chairs, puzzles and yoga mats. Now both middle schools have relaxing, inclusive spaces that provide a place for students to visit in order to refocus, recharge, and improve their overall state of well-being. Students who visit the Wellness Room will have the opportunity to work with a member of the school’s Mental Health team on short mindful exercises that allow them to rest, refocus and return to learning.  

Bright Spot

If you were at last weekend’s Syosset Street Fair, Village 5th grader Mackenzie Gidich would have been hard to miss. She designed and created sun-catchers, key chains, and earrings which she sold to support her fundraising efforts for St. Jude Children's Hospital. Don’t worry if you missed out, you can still catch some sunshine when Mackenzie continues her hard work towards this worthy cause at the Bethpage Street Fair on October 2.

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As we enjoy the game tonight, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the tremendous work of our Facilities Department, led by Mr. Greg Hamilton, who overcame many obstacles to get the turf field lighting project completed before earlier sunsets started impacting afternoon soccer games. They overcame public procurement challenges, contract negotiations, supply chain issues, contractor schedules & weather-related delays, and State Education Department approval backlogs to somehow get this project approved and constructed in time. Our Facilities team is so good, it would be easy to take them for granted… but we don’t. From all of us: “Thanks, Team!”

Enjoy the weekend, 

#SyoStrong

Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

I’m delighted to start with some wonderful news - we have just been notified that we have 39 “Commended Scholars” in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship program!! Congratulations to these hardworking students for this terrific accomplishment. 

Speaking of good news, Niche.com just named Syosset High School the 9th best high school in New York. While we don’t invest too much in these rankings, we’re never shy about graciously accepting a compliment. 

Spotlight on Instruction

Like all of our elementary schools, Baylis Elementary has been shifting to the next generation mathematics standards. As part of their process, they have implemented Mathematical Mondays. This event reinforces important math practices while fostering a sense that students are part of a community of learners. During the school-wide announcements, different grade levels are given several solutions, which may include shapes or numbers of objects. Kind of like Jeopardy, students develop their own questions that would result in these solutions. This engages them in different math practices, such as abstract and quantitative reasoning, attending to precision, and constructing viable arguments while critiquing the reasoning of others. These rich tasks give students a unique way to engage with the underlying math concepts. Once completed, the solutions are shared with the greater school community on different bulletin boards each week. 

Bright Spot

Middle School Advisories at HBT and SW are building new relationships (and muscles!) through Friday Fun activities. Students challenge each other throughout the day: “wall sit” competitions and “hallway limbo” get kids moving and creating connections. In between the laughter and cheers, students are learning to appreciate each other for all of their distinct talents. 

#SyoStrong,
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

The sun is finally shining after a cold and gloomy week – just in time for a long weekend of fall fun. Reminder: schools are closed this coming Monday, October 10th.

The countdown is on to the biggest sporting event of our year: SHS Homecoming! It has been moved to Friday, October 21st at 6:30PM – and given the excitement at our first night game, I imagine we’ll see quite a crowd. The day coincides with the start of the Syosset High School Carnival, a fundraising and membership drive for the many high school clubs. It’s always a highlight of my year to learn about our students’ humanitarian and cultural efforts, to test drive some of our robots, and to listen to the one-of-a-kind Bard-a-thon (words cannot do this word-a-thon justice). Come support our kids, ride some rides, learn about the great things our students are doing at Syosset High School and make some new friends. Hope to see you there!

Spotlight on Instruction

Thanks to the efforts of student leaders, Syosset DECA has doubled in size this year to 261 members, making it one of the largest chapters in New York! DECA is the high school’s premier business club that works to prepare students for futures in various fields, including marketing, finance, management, and hospitality. Recruitment during the freshman orientation club fair, through hallway flyers, and in-person pitches to business classes has paid off. Now, club members are hard at work preparing for this year’s virtual business challenge later this school year.

Bright Spot

What could be more of a bright spot than our students collaborating in the sunshine? Mrs. Wilson’s second graders teamed up with Mrs. Allevato’s fifth graders for an afternoon of friendship and spooky stories at Berry Hill. The students sat together in the sunshine on yoga mats, reading Halloween stories and learning about each other. The partnership between the two grade levels is helping create special bonds, encouraging connection, and allowing students to serve as role models to their younger peers. 

Enjoy the long weekend!

#SyoStrong

Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

Monday begins School Board Recognition Week—the annual recognition of the volunteer leaders who dedicate countless hours to improve our schools. At the October meeting of our Board of Education, the Syosset Council of PTAs expressed their appreciation for our Trustees’ work. For my part, I’m grateful to work for such a thoughtful and committed group of individuals who have our students, staff, and community’s best interests at heart.

Spotlight on Instruction

When I first arrived at Syosset, I was impressed by the quality of our World Language program, and the astonishing statistic that over 3/4 of our seniors were still enrolled in at least one language. Since then, we have added more languages, longer sequences in languages we already offered and tremendous success achieving the State’s new world language graduation credential with 112 students earning the “Seal of Biliteracy” last year – over 1/5th of the graduating class!

Not content with this success, our teachers have been “leveling up” our programs by transitioning to updated World Language Standards.These standards align to three primary modes of communication: interpretative, interpersonal, and presentational to build students’ proficiency in the “target language” through immersive experiences. For example, during the house and home unit in one SHS French class, students had to find an apartment in Paris for their family. They read real estate ads (interpretive), spoke with other students about the pros and cons of each listing (interpersonal), and wrote a note to a friend describing which apartment they chose (presentational). These experiences build vocabulary and fluency in realistic situations that should build their confidence when conversing with native speakers.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize our World Language Coordinator, Dr. David Balsamo’s contributions to this success. I was delighted to learn, but not at all surprised, that he was selected by his peers to be the next president of the New York State Association of World Language Administrators (NYSAWLA). Congratulations!

Section VIII Parent Meeting

I've been asked by Section VIII, the interscholastic athletics governing body for Nassau County, to notify parents of a meeting they are hosting at the Nassau Coliseum on October 24 regarding their "Team Up for Unity" program to promote sportsmanship and to combat racism at athletic events. For details, see this flyer.

Bright Spot

I am always so impressed with our students’ compassion and efforts to make their world a better place. SHS students are hosting a school wide walk-a-thon to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to kick-off our annual Spirit Week. The 10th grade Peer Helper class organized the walk and chose the CF Foundation as their charity. After first period, the band will lead the way for all grade levels to walk around the perimeter of the campus to fundraise for this important cause. 

Nearly 40,000 people in the U.S. live with Cystic Fibrosis and I was amazed to learn this morning (on the high school’s announcements, no less!) that Syosset High School students have been long-time champions for this cause, having raised more than $100,000 over a 25-year partnership with the CF Foundation. That is truly amazing!

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather, it’s my favorite time of year. Hope to see you next Friday at  Homecoming under the Friday night lights.

#SyoStrong 

Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

You could not have scripted a better first-ever Homecoming game under the lights. After a tight defensive first half, the teams traded touchdowns. Port Washington missed a 2-point conversion giving Syosset a 1-point advantage when we scored going into the final minutes of the game. Port marched toward the end zone, but came up short against an impressive goal line stand by the Syo defense. A field goal could have given them back the lead, but our defense came up big by blocking the attempt and sealing the win on the very last play of the game. The final score was 14 to 13. Congrats team! 

Bright Spot

Our team was no doubt given a little extra boost by our expanded cheer squad – this week’s bright spot – a full contingent of elementary school cheerleaders had the awesome opportunity to cheer beside their Varsity role models. The collaboration between upperclassmen and our littlest students represents the true sense of community that makes Syosset so special. I know those youngest cheerleaders will remember a very special night for a long, long time. 

Friday night’s Homecoming-Carnival combo was a truly unbelievable backdrop for the night. 

Before the game started, I was at the carnival – driving robots, shooting laser-guided wiffle balls, eating doughnuts, chatting with kids about their charities, and buying trinkets to support their clubs. It’s always one of my favorite events of the year and it isn’t over yet: you still have a chance to stop by the SHS Carnival tonight until 11pm, and tomorrow between 12pm and 5pm. 

Spotlight on Instruction

This week, fifth grade students at Village Elementary School began their unit on Matter, completing a pre-assessment sorting activity. In groups, students were given cards with items like “sound waves,” “heat,” “gravity,” “dust,” and “ice cream.” They created data tables to sort the card contents as either “matter,” “not matter,” or “unsure.” As students collaborated, they engaged in lively debates about how to classify the cards. Throughout the unit, students will revisit these ideas as they continue to explore the concept of Matter. (For myself, I’d note: ice cream clearly matters!!)

Assessment probes like these are designed to reveal students’ initial ideas about a concept, principle, or phenomenon that they observe. This information is later used to inform instruction across the unit. Perhaps, most importantly, it provides students with a great reason to think about scientific concepts in terms of principles, rather than merely a pile of facts to memorize. Like career scientists, we ask them to wonder aloud and test their creative ideas in the hopes of discovering something new and exciting.
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I want to issue special thanks to all of our faculty, staff, and volunteers for making last night, and the rest of this weekend, unforgettable. A special shout out to NCPD for their presence and to the awesome Syosset Fire Department – not only for having EMS at the ready, but for celebrating each Syosset score with lights and sirens. 

A reminder we are closed this coming Monday, October 24th.

#SyoStrong 

Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

This time of year always brings Halloween fun into our buildings. I’m amazed at the creativity of our kids’ costumes, and the marches at the schools are a treat (pun intended).

We are asking all students who choose to wear costumes to keep their faces uncovered (no masks or makeup that prevent us from recognizing them). We also expect all costumes to be appropriate for school, which means props threatening in nature will not be tolerated.

To kick-off Halloweekend, the Syosset Fire Department stopped by the High School today for the annual pumpkin drop. Physics students learned the principle that acceleration due to gravity is the same for all objects regardless of their mass. The simultaneous SPLAT at the end punctuates the point in a truly memorable way.

Spotlight on Instruction

Our SySTEM 2 Drones class had visitors Wednesday—science leaders from the Bellmore-Merrick School District. Syosset High School has recently partnered with LIU Post to adapt their Intro to Artificial Intelligence (AI) course for our students. Over the past year, we attended informational meetings alongside Bellmore-Merrick colleagues in hopes to provide our students with an expanded experience in AI, computer science, and robotics.

During their visit, our teachers shared how our Robotics Program has expanded throughout the years and described specifically how our students work in SySTEM 2 Robotics. Students showed off their work, including laser-cut planes, Tello drone programming, and portfolio websites. John Chae, co-teacher of our SySTEM 2 Drones class, described how Python programming and basic AI were worked into our curriculum. We also broke down our co-teaching model, explaining how it has helped give students deeper understanding of the topics. The teams also discussed interdisciplinary collaborations and access to technology. The tour branched out of A6/A7 to include the other technology rooms, showcasing our new CNC machine, laser engraver, and array of 3D-printers.

Our team of educators learned from our Bellmore-Merrick neighbors while showcasing some of the remarkable STEM programs we offer to our students.

Bright Spot

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. This past Monday evening, Syosset High School Sophomore Ashleigh Mitnick organized a fitness class at Title Boxing Club in Syosset to raise money for BRCA Strong. The non-profit organization supports women who have been impacted by breast and ovarian cancers. Her mission was to encourage kids whose loved ones are battling this disease to “knock-out cancer.” Ashleigh’s mom has been cancer-free for one year!

The boxing event raised $2,700—way to go, Ashleigh! We are so proud of your dedication to this cause.
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Have a great weekend!

#SyoSpooky
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

Monday’s School Board meeting started with a beautiful performance by our NYSSMA All-State and All-National strings musicians. The performance (and the large number of recognized students) underscored our pride in our Fine and Performing Arts program. Dr. Christopher Hale, the new Coordinator of the department, shared with the Board not just our deep commitment to the Arts, but explained how the Arts create habits of mind and build creative muscle which prepares students for their futures - even if that future might not be in the Arts. That instruction builds on strong elementary and middle school foundations, reaching its peak with our high school offerings. Dr. Hale also took a moment to highlight our students’ accomplishments this year.  

Closing the loop on last week’s sports recap: both boys and girls volleyball teams had thrilling semi-final matches to qualify for the County Championship (both finishing second in the County), and I’m delighted to report that our girls Varsity Swimming and Diving team became County Champions for the first time in our school history. Congrats girls! We are so proud! Seven members of the team will be representing both Syosset and Nassau County in the New York State meet starting on Wednesday. 

Good luck to the Nassau County Boys Individual Champion Jordan Altman, and our Girls Cross Country State Qualifier Morgan Engel, who will be competing this weekend in Verona, NY in the New York State Cross Country tournament. And still in the playoffs, our Varsity Football Team will face a tough semi-final opponent in Farmingdale this Saturday. Go Syo! 

Spotlight on Instruction

Breaking News… Syosset is training future journalists! Our 5th grade students across the District are applying what they have learned in their non-fiction reading and writing units by assuming the role of young journalists. They created press passes with their own headshots, and are writing stories about their schools. Some headlines include “Mystery Money,” “Traveling Tiny,” and “Bird Apocalypse.” Newsday may soon come knocking to hire our 5th grade reporters! The students at South Grove enjoyed their classwork as Journalists so much, they decided to create a club called “Extra Extra” where they create highlight reels for the week to be displayed in the lobby of their school. This lesson is a great example of how our students make learning an active (not passive) activity with opportunities to apply their skills in a context that they personally find meaningful.

Veterans Day 

Today is Veterans Day. On behalf of the District, I would like to thank all current and retired members of the armed forces in our community and across the country for their dedication and service. Their service is an example we hope students emulate as they dedicate themselves to various causes and campaigns to make their community a better place. 

Ahead of Veterans Day, our schools conducted special activities, lessons, fundraisers, and color days to honor our heroes. The VFW Youth Scholarship Program saw entries from several of our Middle School students. This year’s prompt was “My Pledge to Our Veterans.” The contest’s top prize is $5,000! Fingers crossed for our writers. At Robbins Lane Thursday, students spent their last period before the holiday with four Veterans from the local VFW. The Veterans generously answered questions from our 3rd through 5th graders, and listened to patriotic music sung by our Kindergarten through 2nd graders. The students gave the veterans cards as thanks. There were so many cards, a grocery shopping bag was overflowing - just like our appreciation for our veterans’ service and sacrifice! 

Happy Veterans Day! 

Bright Spot

Speaking of service to the community: with Thanksgiving approaching, our students’ attention has been on those less fortunate, particularly by volunteering their time to help ensure others have meals. The Island Harvest Food Bank had visits from two groups of Syosset volunteers. The local Girl Scout troop, comprised of 16 sixth grade girls from South Woods and HBT middle schools, packed 448 boxes of food for seniors: that is 14,784 pounds (no need to go to the gym this week)! Along with the Scouts, a group of students from South Woods also volunteered at the food bank, with donations from across their school. Island Harvest’s mission is to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island and our students’ help makes a big difference during this upcoming holiday season. 

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Have a great long weekend!

#SyoStrong

Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

It’s hard to believe we are already in November – and winter sports are soon beginning. I’m so proud to report that every varsity team at Syosset High School qualified for the Nassau County playoffs. 

If we were on a sports TV show, this would be the 11 o'clock newsreel: The girls cross country team won both the Conference 1 championship – and Nassau County champion title! The boys cross country team are also Nassau County champions. Girls swimming and diving, and girls tennis both closed out their season as Nassau County Conference 1 champions. 

The girls soccer team made it to the County finals, finishing as the #2, and the boys soccer team finished 4th best in the County. Boys badminton earned the third best seed in the county. 

There are still a few fall sporting events remaining – fingers crossed!! The girls volleyball team defeated Long Beach High School in the semifinals last night and is headed to the County finals on Monday! The boys volleyball team plays their semifinal tonight (right now). Tomorrow afternoon, the girls swimming and diving team and the cross country runners will be competing in state qualifying meets, while football plays in a quarterfinal matchup against Hempstead High School. 

Closer to home, today was (another) special day here in Syosset. I began my morning with the South Grove 3rd grade - excuse me, I mean the Grover Game Company. The students were designing board game prototypes which were then beta-tested by 5th graders who offered constructive feedback. Each game had to incorporate a mystery (their current literature unit), a mathematical concept, and directionality (maps are a current social studies topic). Their ideas were so creative – in one game, instead of using dice to roll to move spaces, it was used to give you a time limit to solve a mystery to move on (kind of like an escape room challenge). Another team created a pirate-themed game with a cool treasure chest made from popsicle sticks, sharks circling, and Jolly Roger (skull and crossbones) game pieces. These “cross-cutting” exercises weave together concepts across disciplines making them more memorable than repetitive drill homework ever could – and they’re fun besides!!

Then, proudly wearing my Grover Game Company t-shirt (thanks 3rd grade!), I went to one of my favorite events on the Syosset calendar – the High School PTSA’s epic Multicultural Festival returning from its pandemic hiatus bigger and better than before. As someone with a food allergy, I was so appreciative of how thoughtfully the PTA made this an allergy-friendly event. It was such a hit with so many students participating that even though we doubled the gym space from previous years, it was still crowded – so next year, it’s moving to the big gym! Students (and I!) piled plates high with cuisine from 21 different countries all represented in our wonderfully diverse community here in Syosset. I ate my way both around the gym and around the world while chatting with students, parents, and staff alike. Thank you to the PTSA for hosting the best event yet!

Reminders for next week 

• This Sunday ends Daylight Savings Time. This weekend is one hour longer!
• There is a Board of Education meeting on Monday beginning at 8pm at South Woods Middle School. 
• School will be closed on Tuesday for students – but open for parent teacher conferences across the district. 
• We will be closed Friday in observance of Veterans Day, those whose service and sacrifice we celebrate and honor in gratitude. 

Spotlight on Instruction

The 8th grade bands from Southwoods and HBT Middle Schools traveled to Syosset High School for a special workshop and performance by a faculty Brass quintet from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. A member of the Potsdam Brass Quintet reached out to Syosset through HBT band director Matt Wurtzel to let them know their group was touring LI to do outreach concerts at schools. Of course we were happy to host the Crane School of Music, which is one of the most highly-regarded music schools in the country.

The band faculty is working to collaborate vertically to promote continuity between the middle schools and high school. This was a great opportunity to expose the 8-12 students to an outstanding performance, and also to build a sense of community across the band programs. 

After the private concert, the middle and high school bands performed Pep Band music together, led by high school band director Paul Caputo. It was a great opportunity to show the 8th grade bands the great experience waiting for them when they arrive at the high school as freshman next year. On Monday night, we’ll hear more about that amazing high school program during the Board of Education meeting.

Bonus Spotlight!! 

The seventh grade science classes at HBT Middle School built tetrahedral kites to explore the concepts of volume and density. Students worked cooperatively in groups and used their skills of metric measurement to calculate the volume and density of each individual wing and compare that to the volume and density of their fully constructed kite. Students discovered that by combining the smaller wings to make one kite, they increased the volume at a greater rate than the mass, lowering the density. As a part of their discussions, students explored the ideas of Alexander Graham Bell and his work with tetrahedra. When their projects are complete, the students will be able to fly their creations as a celebration of their hard work. 

 

Bright Spot

“This is what kindness does... Each little thing we do goes out, like a ripple, into the world.” ~Jacqueline Woodson, Each Kindness

While joining the Berry Hill staff to greet students at arrival, I overheard Sam Levy, a fifth grader at Berry Hill, thanking his bus driver as he was dropped off Tuesday morning. I shared a quick glance with a staff member next to me and our faces both said the same thing – what a nice, thoughtful, kind gesture! His kindness rippled out to touch us both, and through this note will find everyone reading it!! Feel free to keep passing along the kindness Sam started!
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Have a great weekend!

#SyoSports are 
#SyoStrong

Dear Syosset Community,

It’s hard to believe it’s almost the end of November! A reminder: we will be closed next Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving recess. 

It’s been a busy week for our theater department. Students and faculty at SHS and South Woods Middle have been preparing all week for their fall performances. The High School debuted its fall show last night: “PUFFS, Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.” In short, a hysterical Harry Potter spinoff. You can still catch it at 7:30pm tonight and tomorrow night. South Woods Middle School students have a performance at 7:30pm tonight and Noon tomorrow of their fall production: “Just Another High School Play.” It’s an original play by the Drama Club–a must see! 

On Wednesday, Syosset High School held its athletics commitment ceremony, where we recognize our athletes who have committed to play NCAA sports in College. We’re so proud of: Ansh Chadha (Tennis, Bentley University), Samantha Mayer (Cross Country, Tufts University), Madison So (Swimming, U.S. Naval Academy), Dylan Stadler (Lacrosse, Marist College), Alexis Stragalas (Volleyball, SUNY New Paltz), AJ Zuleta (Lacrosse, Williams College), and Maddy Camp (Softball, Johnson & Wales University).

Spotlight on Instruction Tripleheader!

Today, Syosset High School’s Women’s Studies students took part in a virtual tour of the Morgan Library and Museum. Specifically, they visited the exhibit titled: She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, ca. 3400-2000 B.C.. This exhibit brings together a selection of artworks that capture shifting expressions of women in ancient Mesopotamia during the 3rd millennium B.C., exploring their roles in religious, social, economic, and political contexts, and illustrating the essential and varied roles women have played, and continue to play, throughout history. This exhibit provides both an historical and cross-cultural lens the students can focus on other cultural contexts closer in both time and geography. The visit not only increased students’ knowledge, but also their capacity to think, developing both content and cultural literacies. 

As we work to support our students’ mental wellness as we exit the pandemic, our elementary school teachers have been working with our social workers to improve students’ ability to reflect and steer their reactions to the events in their lives. In the Berry Hill 4th grade “Shark Tank,” I was a guest investor beta-testing student-made games whose players advanced by articulating positive reactions to stressful situations like: “A friend stops talking to you, what do you do?” Each team made a promotional video, an actual working game, and an entrepreneurship plan for the guest “Sharks” (me and Elementary Coordinator Jeanette Wojcik) to review. My favorite game title? “Rollercoaster of Emotions” (appropriate for all ages!).

Willits’ 2nd graders took a different approach. As young scientists, they (and I) put on lab coats for “Matter Matters,” experiments comparing matter and emotions. We rescued animals frozen in blocks of ice using only our bare hands, described atomic structure with realistic models, melted glue to solve a problem, and exercised our way out of Twister pretzel positions. The takeaway? Matter can change and be changed (from solid to liquid to gas), just like emotions. But the best unscripted moment was when their teacher, Ms. Goebel, asked students to react to the idea that sometimes we describe emotions, like matter, as ranging from hot to cold. Second grader Hafsah Zaman replied, “it’s an idiom.” I promoted her to 4th grade on the spot!

State News

The State Education Department governs the operation of the schools in the State and there have been two important developments to share with the community.

The Department has restarted its efforts to review and revise the graduation requirements for attaining a high school diploma. This effort, placed on hold during the pandemic, appears headed in a direction that de-emphasizes the role of exit tests like the Regents exams, and adds additional academic skills in the areas of statistics and financial literacy among other things. The State Board of Regents is reviewing an extensive report on the public feedback and international research body as they formulate their new recommendations.

As you may already be aware, the State Education Department yesterday issued a guidance memorandum to school districts regarding a recent court decision involving a school district upstate, noting: “... the court’s decision establishes that public school districts are prohibited from utilizing Native American mascots.” Accordingly, the Department directed that school districts must eliminate the use of such imagery no later than June 30, 2023. The memorandum indicates that the Department will release detailed regulations on the topic which we are awaiting the opportunity to review.

Bright Spot Doubleheader!

While walking back from the NCAA Commitment ceremony to my office at South Woods Middle school, I saw box after box being loaded into two vehicles. Intrigued, I walked over to see what the fuss was about. South Woods Middle School students collected over 800 non-perishable food items to be donated to RockCanRoll, a foundation that collects and distributes food to local pantries to help families in need. Peer Leaders created and ran workshops to educate their peers about food insecurity and ways that students can make a positive impact. In addition to the food collection, students raised close to $900 to donate to RockCanRoll. 

And... earlier this week, members of Syosset High School’s Boys and Girls Cross Country teams, along with student government class officers, volunteered to rake leaves for the Harvest House in Syosset, an independent senior citizen home. Over two days, our students raked over 270 bags of leaves… and it looked like fun!

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There’ll be no update next week as I take some time to celebrate Thanksgiving with loved ones. I’m fond of this quote by America’s 26th President, Teddy Roosevelt: “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” I’ve had many opportunities – as both vocation and avocation – to do worthwhile work making young peoples’ lives better and I’m particularly grateful for the opportunity to work hard for this community. I hope you too have much to be thankful for this year. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

#SyoThankful 

Dear Syosset Community,

I hope everyone had a restful and “feastful” Thanksgiving holiday break. As a frequent holiday traveler, I’m grateful that the traffic wasn’t quite as bad as I was anticipating!! I know we’re hoping to return to pre-pandemic normalcy whenever possible, but I need to share two alerts about lingering challenges we’re facing.

Bus Driver Shortage 

We’ve previously described the industry-wide bus driver shortages that have been challenging schools on Long Island the last two school years. I wanted to update the public that the situation remains tenuous. Nassau BOCES has struggled to cover routes since the start of school and neighboring districts have experienced similar issues. Syosset’s disruptions have been minimal, but we are still not at the staffing levels we, or our contractor, would consider optimal. However, as winter approaches, the challenge will be exacerbated by holiday travel and illness. We continue to aggressively search for additional drivers and have replaced well over 100 drivers who have turned over in the past year - to put that number in context, there are about 140 drivers on any given day. We will do our best to avoid disruptions, but want to keep you informed about the magnitude of this challenge and the winter impacts we anticipate. 

Sick… just not with COVID

This has already been a very bad flu season - starting earlier and accelerating faster than in any recent year.

See chart below for details: 


So remember, children who don’t feel well should stay home from school – even if they test negative for COVID! Sending a sick student to school slows their recovery, inconveniences a caregiver who will simply have to come get them, and needlessly exposes others to disease. The formula to stay healthy remains unchanged: please remind your children to wash their hands, cover their mouths when sneezing, go to the nurse’s office if they feel sick, and stay home if they aren’t feeling well.

— now, on to happier news!
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Student “Cabinet”

Twice a year, I meet with my “student cabinet.” Students representing each of our schools are chosen to provide me and my central office administrative colleagues a kids’-eye view of our District. We covered everything from start times to recess opportunities to lunch lines, and with older students got into meatier topics like student mental health and stress. I’m pleased to report that when we asked our older students if they fell behind due to the pandemic—they shared that they still felt well-prepared, despite the challenges and compromises of the last 2 years. 

I appreciate them sharing their time and insights as well as representing the thoughts and opinions of their classmates as we work to make their experience here in Syosset the best it can be.

Spotlight on Instruction

On November 30th, the Theatre Arts program invited Syosset alumni back to the High School to spend the day sharing their experience in the world of performing arts with current students. This annual forum gave our high school students who are interested in theater an opportunity to speak to working artists and professionals who've been exactly where they are now. Nearly 50 students heard from a panel of eight Syosset alumni who are performers and producers; technicians and designers. This experience highlighted the message that there are multiple pathways after high school to have a successful career in the performing arts. Special thanks to this year’s panel: Sofia Shah ('20), Jillian Smith ('19), Paul Esswein ('18), Phil Rosenberg ('10), Tracy Cowit ('07), Andrew Wheeler ('05), Alexander Sovronsky ('01), and Iris Wiener ('99).

Bright Spot 

One perk of my job is a front-row seat for my favorite teams’ sporting events. Of course, not everyone’s favorite teams play for free right outside of their office! Syosset High School Senior Luke Silverman has a fond early memory of the excitement of being at a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. His passion for sports led him to realize that not everyone would be fortunate enough to have the same opportunity, which drove him to start a charity to help young fans who can’t afford tickets get to professional sporting events to experience the thrill of a game. The charity is called Take Me Out With the Crowd and they’re hosting a fundraiser this weekend. Way to go Luke! 
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Speaking of my favorite teams… all 11 of our fall Varsity teams earned the Scholar Athlete Distinction from NYSPHSAA (the New York State Public High School Athletic Association). #SyoProud of our athletes, their coaches and their teachers!!

Have a great weekend!

#SyoStrong
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

‘Tis the season for Winter concerts (we’ll even have a performance from the District’s acapella groups at the Board of Education meeting this coming Monday, December 12th, beginning at 8:00pm in the South Woods Middle School auditorium)! For 21 years, we have been awarded NAMMS’ designation as a “Best Community for Music Education” and there’s no better time to see the amazing fruit of our students’ talents and our teachers’ expertise! 

Universal Pre-Kindergarten 

Two years ago, the State gave the District a grant to underwrite a Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program. We anticipate receiving another grant for the 2023-2024 school year and will shortly be identifying the list of providers. The State grant fully funds each seat, so there is no cost to families (or the District) to participate in this program. However, in the first two years of the program, the interest has exceeded the number of seats available, necessitating a lottery-based system. To ensure your child is entered into the lottery, please be on the lookout for email updates in the coming weeks with more details about how to register. To be eligible, a student must establish residency in the District, and be 4 years of age prior to December 1, 2023 and complete their registration (which requires both an online form and an in-person visit).

Safe Holiday Shopping Tips

The Nassau County Police Department occasionally asks us to share their public service announcements with families. The latest request is a reminder from Homeland Security that it is illegal for children under 16 years of age to possess an air-gun, spring-gun, or other weapon that launches any form of ammunition. See the attached flyer for more details. 

Spotlight on Instruction

Here in Syosset, we like to keep our students' heads and hands churning! This week our 5th graders at South Grove studied how milk gets from farm to table in partnership with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County. The Extension’s Dairy Education Program teaches students the source and value of New York State dairy products, as well as the industries integral to their production. In this six-week program, educators from the program engage students in learning about the animals that produce dairy products, the journey of milk from animals to the cheeses we eat, pasteurization, and farming technologies. These activities are a great application of our 5th grade science unit on Matter, giving students an opportunity to learn about the viscosity of liquids, as they engage in several activities using different milk to create cheeses and butter. Students turn a liquid into a solid by shaking heavy cream in a mason jar until it becomes butter! They round out their 6-week program learning about sustainable agriculture practices, greenhouse gasses, and recycling by planting soybeans in 100% renewable composted cow manure. Although I have a dairy allergy and must avoid milk and cheese, I nevertheless think this learning opportunity is UDDERLY fascinating! 

Bright Spot 

I’m told that the last game to be played in the Nassau Coliseum prior to the COVID shutdown was when our Varsity girls played in the Nassau County Basketball Championship on March 8, 2020. So it seems fitting that when the Long Island Nets chose one team each to represent Nassau and Suffolk counties in an exhibition game last night, Syosset was invited back to the Coliseum! Having attended that Championship game almost 3 years ago, it was a surreal full-circle moment for me, and it was a wonderful night for our ladies who took home both a win and a cool souvenir from the Nets! #GoSyo!! 

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Wishing everyone a happy weekend!

#SyoStrong
Tom Rogers

Attachments:
messages/attachments/59f5cb8e24fedb7fc93affd4661aa8df/No_BB_Gun_for_the_holidays_2022.pdf (307.4 KB)

Dear Syosset Community,

I wanted to update you on some important developments from the Board of Education meeting on Monday night: 

• In alignment with Nassau County, the Board updated income eligibility limits for the Senior Citizens and Disabled persons property tax exemption, which hadn’t been changed since 2010. 
• I presented the Board with the consultant’s report on some busing options that would facilitate a later high school start time, but would require some tradeoffs. The Board asked the administration to explore several other ideas and report back in January.
• The Board discussed new State Education Department regulations, released last Friday evening, requiring schools to retire Native American-themed mascots. The Board asked the administration to both research several questions and to develop a compliance plan for its consideration. 

A holiday letter to the Community from the board can be found on our District website.

Spotlight on Instruction

The show must go on! Seventh grade students in HBT English classes became actors for the week, dramatizing and performing scenes from the 1967 novel The Outsiders. The classroom was modified to resemble a small theater, complete with dim lighting and auxiliary spotlights. Students worked collaboratively to rehearse their roles, create props to enhance the scene, and curate digital backgrounds with music and sound effects to recreate the novel with accuracy and dramatic flair. Students were briefly instructed in acting basics prior to ascending to the "stage." The novel came alive for the students, and some unearthed a hidden talent for drama and stage production. Activities like this encourage students to be lifelong readers – by making literature an exploration, not merely an assignment. 

Sports Update

Newsday is recognizing top athletes from across Long Island this week–and we are excited to see so many Syosset names on these lists! 

• Senior Dylan Einsenberg and Junior AJ AbuSaab were named as two of Newsday’s top 100 High School boys Basketball players. 
• Seniors Melanie Lowe and Jillian Oresky, and Junior Carly Greenbaum, were named to the top 100 High School girls Basketball players list. 
• Senior Jalen Li was named to the All-Long Island Volleyball second team. 
• Junior Mikayla Camp was named to the All-Long Island Soccer second team. 
• Syosset Swim Coach Michael Cippolino was recognized as Coach of the Year. Under his leadership, our girls swim team was able to capture a county title for the first time in Syosset’s history. 

And I’m especially proud of our girls Varsity Volleyball team for winning the Section VIII Sportsmanship Award this season. We are so proud of our outstanding athletes and coaches. Of course we celebrate their success, but even more importantly, with their dedication, hard work, and character — they become true ambassadors for the Syosset community. 

We are excited to recognize all of our award-winning athletes at our upcoming January board meeting. 

Bright Spot 

Back in June, I mentioned the grant we used to purchase the Practical Assessment Exploration System (PAES) Lab — a research-based hands-on assessment tool that allows students with special needs to simulate real work settings to identify and improve their aptitude and employability. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend some cheerful time in the Lab with Ms. Fuchs, Ms. LaMonica, and several of our students, who shared with me how much they enjoy the lab work, and how it’s contributed to their success in our community-based internship program. A note of special appreciation to: Syosset Hospital, Party City, DSW, Barnes and Noble, The Gap, and All Music for being consistent partners in making those opportunities available to our students!!

With help from their experience in the PAES lab, we even have these high school students assist our teachers as a part of their vocational education. One student heads to Baylis to work with Ms. Roehrig’s first grade class on ELA goals. Another goes to HBT to work with the Speech/Language Pathologist, Ms. Cekada and Special Education Teacher, Ms. Verre to assist with small groups.

Wow. If this is Year 1, I can’t wait to see how this program will grow over time! 
_____

The weather is slated to stay rainy and chilly this weekend. Stay warm (and dry)! 

#SyoSoggy
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

It may come as a surprise to learn I’m a big fan of the Winter Solstice. No, I’m not moving to Stonehenge (maybe when I retire), but unlike many who see the day as the beginning of a long, cold winter, I instead see it as an optimistic turning point. The days have finally stopped getting shorter and for the next six months, we’ll have a few more minutes of light every evening. Ignore the cold and snow! The Solstice is proof that ‘summer is coming!’ 

We love to make school fun and we closed out school for the 2022 calendar year with lots of whimsy and celebration: spirit weeks and pajama days, games and matches, musicals and concerts, ugly sweaters and yards and yards of flannel. There’s a method to all this madness - when school is a place of fun, students feel a sense of belonging and everything that happens (or is learned) becomes more memorable. 

Spotlight on Instruction End-of-Year Tripleheader

Elementary

Our elementary students also learned that the Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. However, our third grade students at Baylis can now tell you it’s not feeling like winter everywhere. As part of their unit straddling both Social Studies and Science, students are combining what they know about latitude and longitude with the patterns they are observing from their weather observations around the world. As students collect their data at different locations, they are excited to discover patterns. They are asking important questions like: Why are the high temperatures and low temperatures for the day close or the same? Why are the states in the Midwest so cold? Why are temperatures going up here when it is almost winter? The Earth never stops providing us with curious phenomena to explore and students’ intellectual curiosity will propel them every step of their educational way. Who knows, we may have some future meteorologists in our midst (they’re welcome to join me WAAAY early on snowy mornings to help decide what to do about school)!

Middle School 

The sixth grade science classes at South Woods hosted Cold Spring Harbor's DNA Learning Center for a program called "Glowing Genes." The Center sends instructors to classrooms to encourage an interactive approach to learning, including hands-on experiments introducing students to molecular biology. Pairs of our sixth graders genetically engineered a harmless strain of bacteria with GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein) that codes for bioluminescence and is naturally found in a singular species of jellyfish. When the samples cultured, they glowed bright green under a UV light. I hope they found the lesson… illuminating! 

High School 

On Monday, Kindergarten classes from Village Elementary took a time machine to visit their future. Well, actually they took a bus to visit their future school: Syosset High School! As part of the Childhood Education course, High School students prepared activities for their “kinderbuddies.” They made bracelets, cut out snowflakes, and drew pictures. This is the first year since 2020 that students were able to meet in person. Our littlest learners were able to make special bonds with our eldest while getting a glimpse of what awaits them in high school. This is one of those “full-circle” moments that makes this community so special.



Sports Update

There’s some more good news to share about our amazing athletes in Syosset–both at our schools, and in our community at large. 

• Newsday has named Nassau’s Top 10 gymnasts ahead of the winter season, and Syosset Sophomore Leah Chin made the list! She placed fourth at the Nassau Team All-Around Championship earlier this year. We are so excited to see what she does this season. Congrats, Leah! 
• Our Varsity Cheerleading Team competed at Regionals, taking second place in their division and earning a bid to Nationals in Orlando in February. We are all so proud of these girls, and their coaches, who consistently work hard and deserve recognition.
• On the ice, Syosset’s club team in the New York Islanders High School Hockey League is currently 9-0. They are the only team in Nassau County going into the new year undefeated.

Bright Spot 

Syosset students are spreading holiday cheer this season through song and dance in prestigious venues. Our High School Chamber Singers performed at St. Patrick's Cathedral as part of their guest concert series. This was the 23rd year the group has performed at this historic institution. The Chamber Orchestra joined the singers to share selections from Handel's Messiah. 

Later, the Chamber Singers took to the stage at Radio City Music Hall to perform as the opening act for the audience seeing the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular Show. What an incredible day!



The Chamber Choir wasn’t the only group of Syosset stars performing at Radio City Music Hall. Last week, Samantha Bell (HBT), Ayla Caspi (SW), Olivia Palaganas (HBT), and Madeleine Sohn (WW) opened for the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular with a lyrical dance performance of “As The Angels Sing.” They were also featured on local television news programs PIX11 and News12. Congratulations!
_____

I hope your holidays are restful! I’ll be recharging my batteries for the new year, so no update next week, but we’ll see everyone in 2023. 

#SyoSolstice
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

What a difference a year makes! Not just rolling over the calendar to 2023, but the difference between this school year and the last. We’ve had three wonderful opportunities for parents and community members to return to the buildings to see our students’ amazing work and I’m delighted to share a little about each of them.

Spotlight(s) on Instruction

Just before the pandemic, our high school Business Department established a Business Advisory Council of community members, stacked with expertise in accounting, marketing, human resources, finance, and entrepreneurship. While the Council stayed active by Zoom, it was great to meet again in person this morning and hear the members talk about the great experiences they’ve had mentoring, giving internships to our students, or hearing (and honing) students’ business pitches.

We visited two spaces at Syosset High School:

• The Robotics program, which is adding a new, larger, more sophisticated robotics competition (FRC) to its portfolio of student opportunities and…
• the Virtual Enterprise classroom, which intentionally looks like the bullpen of a tech start-up.

Students in both programs have enjoyed tremendous success at State and National competitions, and (not surprisingly) with that success both enrollment and opportunities for community partnership have blossomed. A big shout-out of appreciation to the businesses and community members who volunteer their time and selflessly share their expertise to support these students’ success in both programs!!

There was an “Open House” at Berry Hill today – and Tiny Homes were up for sale! Berry Hill’s Curriculum Celebration put the ingenuity and talent of our 5th graders on display. Students have been engaged in building Tiny Homes using applied skills from multiple content areas to build a model house. They used fractions to create a model to scale and then estimated the price of their home in order to create an ad for real estate website Zillow. (This is the first group of 5th graders I’ve ever met who know about Zillow!) They also used their English and Social Studies skills to research and write about energy efficiency, explaining how their models could be used to alleviate homelessness in some areas. The homes on display may have been small, but the students' ideas were mansion-sized!



While at Berry Hill, I had a pretty special personal moment. Fifth-grader Audrey-Ann Cayemitte approached me and asked if I was the Harry Potter secret reader on opening day last year. I confessed that I was and she shared with me that she was so inspired, she read the whole Harry Potter series - twice!! She leaned in and told me I had helped give her “a love for reading.” I could tell you she made my week, but truthfully she may have made my whole year. What a privilege to know I played a small part that resulted in something so meaningful to her! That’s the thing with kids, every seed you plant… grows!! (Thanks, Audrey-Ann, for being brave enough to walk up and say hello; our conversation was the best thing to happen to me today!)

Bright Spot

Precocious kids aren’t the only thing that makes Syosset special. Just as our community invests in our students through the Business Advisory Council, our alumni come back to help our high schoolers achieve their dreams. This was our first in-person Alumni Day in two years. Our esteemed former students came to their High School home from Harvard, Cornell, Hofstra, Penn State, and more, to speak with current students about their college experience. Our grads emphasized the value of joining clubs and being active in the school community to help adjust to campus life. They also said time management is critical when it comes to exam prep and assignments. For us, Alumni Day is one of those Syosset full-circle moments: we get to see our former students thriving, and our current students planning their bright futures.

________________________________________________________________

A reminder that there is a Board Meeting this coming Monday, January 9th, beginning at 8pm at South Woods Middle School.

2023 is already off to an amazing start. I’m excited for all this year will bring. Have a great weekend!

#SyoStoked
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

It’s been a pretty special week in Syosset. We’re so proud of our six Regeneron Scholars (more below) and I wanted to share some other wonderful Syosset moments with you.

Following last month’s Board of Education meeting which featured student acapella performances from the December holiday concerts, this Monday’s meeting started with a Wushu martial arts demonstration in recognition of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. Led by Alan Huang (12), who recently returned from Indonesia as one of two people in his age group representing the U.S., the group includes Alex Chen (11), Maggie Chen (10 - currently ranked #1 in the US in the Double Swords category!), Victor Huang (8) and from Herricks: Katie Yan (9), and Ethan Yip (6). This group, coached by Syosset’s Master Lynn Lin, was even invited to perform at last year’s Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration. I’m so impressed with the combination of artistry and athleticism. It reminds me of gymnastics, but with swords!

 

Speaking of gymnastics, something special happened this week: our Girls Varsity Gymnastics team celebrated its 50th consecutive dual meet win — a period spanning all the way back to 2018. Several years ago, we were approached by some parents and girls looking to start the team. We were reluctant, because it appeared there were only enough students interested to sustain the team for a year or two, but the Board of Education was willing to take a chance on them, so we did. I’ve never been more glad to be wrong. Now in its 6th year, the team has notched three County championships and is on its way to another incredible season.



They’re not the only ones on a winning streak. Syosset Boys Swimming and Diving won their 70th consecutive Dual Meet against previously undefeated Hewlett!

In what may have been a preview of the County Championships, our Wrestling team faced off against Massapequa on Wednesday. Both teams have posted impressive records, and the meet was so close that it came down to the last match of the night - when Nick DiBacco defeated his opponent in triple overtime to deliver Syosset both the win and its second consecutive County Conference title. I was there to see the celebration of a tremendous night and my heart was pounding almost as loudly as the crowd in the bleachers!

Our club hockey team also has an impressive record – and is going undefeated into their match with league rivals Massapequa on Tuesday night at the TOB rink in Bethpage. Good luck defending your streak!

This was just as remarkable a week in the Performing Arts. As we close Monday in recognition of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I’m reminded of his “I Have a Dream” speech and the part about having young people from all different backgrounds playing together. I don’t know if he was imagining performing ensembles, but students from all over the county were literally playing beautiful music together in our high school as Syosset hosted the rehearsals for many All-County music ensembles. Back from a three year pandemic hiatus, it was wonderful to have these young people from across the County as our guests, and I had the opportunity to admire chorus, jazz, orchestra, and band rehearsals all in one night! The All-County Music Festival is this weekend at the Tilles Center, and I was honored to be asked to offer opening remarks. I can’t wait to tell all of these parents how proud we are of their children and what a privilege it was to offer them Syosset’s hospitality.

Board of Education Meeting

I want to share a couple of quick updates from our Board of Education meeting:

• We continue to explore options for starting the high school day later in an effort to improve student sleep. There is no magic solution — because the same buses provide transportation to the elementary and middle schools, any change to high school bus times will have ripple effects. Our next step is to share our findings and get some community input.
• The Board continued its discussion regarding new State Education Department rules governing school Mascots. 
• I also presented results from our most recent enrollment projection study. In the summer of 2021, we experienced an unexpected surge in enrollment of about 300 students. Syosset’s enrollment had been steadily growing since 2015, so the influx put additional pressure on facilities. The projections are the first step toward ensuring that we will have enough space to accommodate our students now and in the future. A quick summary of the findings:
• Absent another unexpected spike, the growth in elementary students is projected to level off, but some schools remain under more facilities pressure than others.
• At the middle school level, HBT experienced the first growth surge, South Woods is projected to soon follow.
• As students from the recent surges become older, high school enrollment will increase some 15% over the next 6 to 8 years. 

Regeneron Student Scholars 

Of some 3,000 submissions globally, six Syosset students were chosen to be Regeneron Scholars: Sabrina Guo, Zachary David Kam, Anika Shah, Vivek Turakhia, Alex Wang, and Tianyi (Tina) Zhang. You can read more about their projects here. We’re so proud of them and our science research faculty for the work that literally begins in middle school. Even though not all were named Regeneron scholars, we prepared 18 students to submit competition-quality research projects to the Regeneron Science Talent Search. I analogize our work to coaching pole-vaulting — in any competition, ultimately someone will jump the highest; but we prepared 18 students to clear a staggeringly high bar to even get into the contest, so I’m super proud of every student’s effort and accomplishment. 

This success wouldn’t have been possible without the support the Board of Education and community gave by investing in refreshing our science classrooms and creating a dedicated research lab, which our students and Faculty have put to very good use. We will find out on January 24th if any of these six students move on to the Finalist round, and win a trip to  Washington, DC to present their research in pursuit of the Grand Prize. 

Good luck in the next round, Team Syo Research!! (Below, a Newsday photographer snaps a photo for the newspaper.)



Spotlight on Instruction

Instead of a To-Do list, our Middle Schoolers are dreaming up their “To-Be” lists. During Advisory this week, middle school students were asked to reimagine their futures. What character traits do they want to build in order to be their best self? Who do they admire? How can we be the best students, friends, siblings, athletes, musicians… and all around people?? Even as adults, it’s a challenge to reverse engineer yourself on paper. This critical thinking exercise opened up a whole world of discussions about how to be a compassionate and kind member of our community. Their brainstorming sessions and discussions closed by posing an important question — one we can all ask ourselves — there are 335 days left in 2023, who will you be?

Bright Spot

No concert would be complete without a concert t-shirt, and the All County Music Festival is no exception. But this year’s edition is #SyoSpecial because the design on the back belongs to Syosset Junior Raina Yu, who won the NMEA’s annual t-shirt design contest and is now printed on thousands of t-shirts. You can see below why I have no hope of a second career in front of the camera, but don’t let my modeling deter you from picking one up for yourself at one of the concerts this weekend.

 
_____

Remember: our District is closed this coming Monday, January 16th, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

Have a great weekend! 

#SyoSpecial
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

I hope everyone had a good week. The buildings were busy… we had four winter concerts, visits from a meteorologist, designed dragons to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year, celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and work, and I even was asked to referee the South Woods PE Department volleyball tournament final. Good thing I still have my old whistle.

The newsmakers making headlines this week were a pair of our track and field Seniors: 

• Senior Jordan Altman was named a News12 Scholar Athlete for his amazing accomplishments on and off the track. He is County Champion for track and field, and cross country – he plays the saxophone, and maintains a 100 average in school. We might call him a quadruple threat! Fantastic work, Jordan!

• Meanwhile, Senior Parker Kim is being recognized by Newsday for his accomplishments in weight throwing. He qualified for the prestigious Millrose Games this past weekend with a 65 foot, 5 ¾ inch toss. The throw was his personal best and the second-farthest in New York State this season. I always see him out by the tennis courts, practicing. That incredible work ethic paid off, Parker! 

Spotlight on Instruction 

Our High School Art students are learning about Chinese printmaking just in time for the Lunar New Year! Its rich history dates back to the 6th century. Students created “relief blocks” using styrofoam. Ink is applied to the raised areas like a stamp, creating a design in the negative space. 

Since another wonderful Lunar New Year tradition is to pass a monetary gift in an envelope, our Chinese teachers, Alexander (Huichen) Yu and Lu Jiang, worked with students to create printed stationery cards. Mrs. Jiang's classmates visited our art students to see the printmaking process and final products first hand. I’m told the lucky colors for this new year are Azure Blue, Pink, Red, and Green Apple. Students experimented with ink in these colors along with gold and black to create one-of-a-kind, handmade prints, using this time-honored printmaking tradition. 

Bright Spot 

I often use this space to celebrate the charitable efforts of our students, but they’re not the only members of our learning community making a difference. South Woods teacher and musician Tom Falco and his brothers organized the “Jam for JoeJo” event, orchestrating (yes, that was intentional) five bands to play a benefit concert for a local man who lost his home in a fire just before the holidays. At the height of the pandemic, Mr. Falco and his bandmates in the Northport Pipe and Drum Band performed during the nurses shift change at Huntington Hospital, the bagpipes serving as encouragement for exhausted frontline heroes. Thank you, Mr. Falco, of course for making a difference, but also for being a role model for our young people.

_____

Enjoy the weekend!

#SyoSpecial

Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

It was Multicultural Week at South Grove, Walt Whitman, and HBT this week. It was fabulous to have so many parents participate and share their pride in their heritage and for everyone to have the opportunity to learn and appreciate the rich cultural resources in this community. I left HBT with my stomach full after trying all of my favorite things (and encountering some new favorites) and with my heart full seeing the students perform traditional dances and after speaking with so many proud parents.  

It was particularly emotional as this was the first time back in-person in three years - so it was a new experience for literally every student in the building. If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s how to appreciate the things we might once have taken for granted. 

Science under the Microscope

This week we were thrilled to see our students featured on the cover of Newsday in an article about science research programs in Long Island school districts. Given the six Syosset seniors named Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars, our program drew particular attention. I shared three thoughts with the reporter that didn’t make the final draft of the article, but that I thought were pertinent.

The depth of our program is obvious, you can’t enter the most prestigious science competition without doing some serious long-term research. Less apparent is our program’s breadth. As proud as we are of the winning projects, we had 18 students complete competition-worthy research projects. From an educational preparation perspective, every one of those students is a winner, having developed college-level research skills, even if they came away from this particular competition a little disappointed.

Second, at Syosset, opportunity is not limited to a select few. Students’ interests and aptitudes develop at different rates and at different times. There are roughly 500 students in the beginning stages of the research program at Syosset High School. Some will take it farther than others, some will pursue projects in science, others in mathematics or the social sciences. All will have the chance to go as far as their interest and hard work will take them.

Lastly, investments pay off. When we renovated the worn and dilapidated science classrooms, we leveraged a $250,000 grant, state matching funds, and local funds to invest $345,000 in our science research room. As a result, we are able to host more research projects in-house – 14 this year, up from just seven in 2018 – saving students (and their parents) the time, money and complication of commuting to a local research institution to work on their projects. Reinvested, that extra time has paid off for our students in a big way. I know they’d want to say “thank you” to the community for its support.

Spotlight on Instruction 

We love “crosscutting” in Syosset–putting two subjects together to create unique, engaging (and crucially) memorable learning experiences. This week, Kindergarteners at Walt Whitman combined reading with robots by coding their Beebots, Bee robots, to practice reading skills. First, they chose a sight word from a deck of cards. They then used the word’s location on a grid to code their Beebot. As it traveled across the grid, students challenged themselves to read all of the sight words along the route. This allowed our littlest learners to practice both sight word recognition and coding. The “Bee”bots had our students’ brains buzzing!

Bright Spot

Junior Kyra Kozey is also a “Junior” in the Syosset Fire Department. The Nassau County Junior Firefighter’s Association (NCFJA) brings together high school students from 45 departments across Long Island to learn about the Fire and EMS service, and promote the spirit of volunteerism in the community. Kyra was elected and sworn in as President of the NCJFA this month, and is leading a board of all-female officers. At her installation dinner, President Kozey was recognized by Congressman Anthony D’Esposito, County Executive Blakeman, and Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan.

Outside of her fire department responsibilities, Kyra is a Forensics Debate and Robotics Champion. She will finish EMT school in two months, becoming one of the state’s youngest EMTs.

Wow. Congrats Kyra on this accomplishment – we are so proud to have you as part of our school community, and the Syosset community at large. 


_____

Enjoy the weekend!

#SyoSpecial
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

Although every week brings some wonderful news to report, this update starts on a somber note as we continue to grieve with the Daggett family over the loss of Ben. We’ve received expressions of sympathy from around the Long Island education community. I’m so proud of how our High School students expressed their support by creating a memorial near the tennis court, and wearing blue to school in Ben’s honor (his favorite color). Our support staff remains available to assist any students or staff struggling with the impact of this sudden loss. 

A reminder that on Monday at 8pm, there will be a monthly Board of Education meeting at South Woods Middle School. This is our budget information meeting, where we will begin to discuss the 2023-2024 school year budget. This will be a challenging year given the sudden spike in inflationary pressure facing all school districts. Increased aid from Albany has been welcome, but comprises a narrow part of the District’s revenue. Other items on the agenda include a presentation on our K-12 Coding and Robotics programs, and project presentations from our Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars. 

Athletics Update

Two more of our newer athletics teams are making a name for themselves, despite being young programs. Boys and Girls Varsity Fencing began in Fall 2018 and this year, both teams are undefeated and were named Conference 1 champions. They occupy the top seed going into the County playoff matches. We will host the semi-finals this coming Wednesday, and I encourage anyone who has never seen a fencing match to come support our teams and appreciate this remarkable sport. Even with my superficial understanding, it’s been impressive to see the students’ lightning reflexes and athleticism. I will never challenge any of them to a duel!

After hitting their milestone wins, Boys Swimming and Diving and Girls Gymnastics both went on to finish their seasons undefeated and are also headed to county championships. For the second consecutive season, our wrestling team finished the season as Conference champions. And, next week, our cheerleading team heads out of state for Nationals. 

Spotlight on Instruction 

Our 7th grade scientists at South Woods have been doing experiments to understand cellular respiration well enough to decide whether it is an endothermic or exothermic reaction. Collaborating with classmates, the students mixed yeast and water in a beaker subsequently covered with a balloon. They then measured the circumference of the balloon over time. Using “accountable talk” prompts as a framework to agree or disagree with each other, students discussed their data as scientists would. The students continued to analyze their data and made predictions about how the balloon would grow and change.  



Bright Spot 

Answer: He's a social studies teacher who appeared on Jeopardy.
Question: Who is Daniel Wohl?

This coming Wednesday, February 8th, one of our own will appear as a contestant on Jeopardy! It was SHS teacher Mr. Wohl’s lifelong dream to compete on the legendary game show. About 100,000 people apply every year, and only 400 are chosen. High School students interviewed Mr. Wohl about his experience on Jeopardy during today’s morning announcements. Fun fact: In his first year at Syosset, our senior class voted Mr. Wohl "Most likely to win Jeopardy." Were they right? We’ll find out Wednesday! 

_____

I’m told the Groundhog weather predictions are mixed this year. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the next few weeks bring. Meanwhile, we know for sure it’s going to be a chilly weekend. Bundle up!

#SyoSwaddle
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

On Monday night, the Board of Education held its monthly meeting with a special focus on science and technology education. This was also the first of several budget presentations and discussions with the Board for the 2023-2024 school year budget. I want to share a few highlights with the community

First, the good news: we have an amazing science and technology program! Each of our Regeneron scholars had the opportunity to summarize their winning science research projects for the Board, and we honored the captains of our Science Olympiad team - a perennial powerhouse, with this season still ongoing, they are the #1 ranking team in New York State!

We then had an in-depth presentation on our “algorithmic literacy” program. In Syosset, we treat coding and robotics as a vehicle to teach the deeper concept of how machines and even artificial intelligence works. We analogize this learning to the concept of literacy:

• We first learn to read in order to eventually read to learn. 
• Similarly, we learn to use technology so we can then use technology to learn. 

Just as a good book is the best incentive to read, robots and projects turn coding into a tool to be wielded rather than a skill to be memorized. Moreover, we start right in Kindergarten, hoping students develop their own sense of proficiency long before any gender stereotypes take root. 

The more sobering news is on the financial front. Schools haven’t faced an inflationary year like this one in decades. Many costs outside our control – transportation, interest rates, health insurance, electricity, and pension contributions – are growing rapidly. Increases in state financial assistance will only partially offset these costs, and in Syosset we have the added challenge of enrollment growth. However, our priorities are clear: as we build the budget, we are working hard to preserve the programs that make Syosset such an attractive community for families. Follow this link if you’d like to view this week’s budget presentation. Our next Board Meeting will be on Monday, March 13th, and will begin with another budget discussion. I encourage anyone interested in learning more about the upcoming year to attend. 

We also discussed a potential new program that we may be required to offer. The New York State Education Department requires schools to offer instruction in a different language if there is a concentration of English language learners (ELLs) who speak the same home language. Syosset has reached the threshold for Mandarin speakers in Grades 1 and 2. This program, called Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE), would teach academic subjects (math, social studies and science) in Mandarin alongside both Mandarin and English language classes. Our current program to support ELLs is very successful – typically students reach English proficiency in 2-3 years while taking classes with their peers. 

The new TBE program would be housed at a single elementary school and would involve eligible 1st or 2nd grade students taking a bus to the program, regardless of which elementary school they would normally attend. The new program is not mandatory, so to help parents make an informed decision, we will be holding information sessions (with translation available) after the February break to explain both the existing program for ELLs as well as the proposed TBE program. To learn more, you can see the presentations about the program at this link in both English and Mandarin. 

Music & Arts Update

Syosset has long prided itself on its music and arts education. We've even won a Kennedy Center Award! This week’s update gives a “full-circle” glimpse into how we do it.

Syosset students descended on Walt Disney World last week. Nearly 300 students from the Music and Art Departments traveled to Florida to participate in workshops with Disney musicians, artists, and “Imagineers.” Music students also performed at the Waterside Stage in Disney Springs. They had some fun too, and it feels like they brought the weather back with them!

The trip illustrates the success of our music and arts department. From Kindergarten to 12th grade, we have over 300 all-county musicians, 29 all-state, 5 all-eastern, and two all-national. Three of our chamber groups have been accepted to compete at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Regional Competition later this Spring. 

Similarly, our visual artists have been having wonderful success. Syosset students’ art has been hanging in galleries and exhibits across the region: 

• 12 Pieces Included in the Nassau County HS Juried Competition
• 6 Photo pieces accepted in the Art Guild Photo Exhibit
• 4 Pieces accepted to a Huntington Art Council Exhibit
• 6 Students accepted to the Lunar New Year Art Exhibit in Brookhaven
• 2 pieces selected for LIU Advanced Visions Exhibit
• 2 pieces at the Go APE Exhibit at the Art League of LI
• 2 pieces featured in the Cornell Cooperative Annual Calendar

You might ask where this all begins. Senior Michael Sabatino might be a wonderful illustration. He was named a Finalist in the 2023 YoungArts Competition for his accomplishments as a vocalist. Out of 700 students nationwide, he was the only classically trained Tenor selected as a Finalist, and invited to attend National YoungArts week in Miami. There, he enjoyed an intensive program, collaborating with peers and further developing his craft with internationally recognized leaders in his field. 

But closer to home, on Monday, the Board and the PTA celebrated Michael as a regional winner in the PTA’s Reflections competition. Reflections winners use art - written, visual, photographic, videographic or dance - to express themselves on a theme. Regional winners range from our youngest elementary students to Seniors like Michael. But it’s a wonderful illustration of how year after year, the PTA Reflections competition inspires and showcases our young students’ skills, while our arts programs hone them until – who knows – they become a YoungArts Finalist as a senior! 

Spotlight on Instruction 

In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Syosset High School held its annual day of programming for Sophomores in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center (HMTC). Each year, the Center helps us plan an informative and impactful day for our students. This year's keynote speaker, Rosalie Simon, shared her heartbreaking experiences as a pre-teen living through the Holocaust where she lost much of her family and only narrowly escaped herself. Her courage in telling her story was matched by her generosity as she stayed to answer thoughtful questions from the student audience. Later in the day, students were afforded an additional, more intimate opportunity to hear from a second-generation survivor. 

This visit coincided with English students’ in-depth study of Elie Wiesel's memoir, Night. Students concluded their unit of study with a research project in which students chose a Holocaust survivor to research. Their findings incorporated primary sources, maps, videos, and other visuals. We hosted a "publishing day" during which students presented their projects in small groups and wrote meaningful reflections about each other's work.  

Although this is always a sobering day, it is a crucial part of our students’ education. I joined both the morning and afternoon sessions and was proud of how seriously our students took the event. Programs like this not only make good on the promise to “Never Forget,” they illustrate for students where hate and inhumanity lead, while inviting them to fight injustice as an “upstander.” A very special thank you to the HMTC, the faculty and staff who helped plan this day, and especially all of our guest speakers. 

Bright Spot 

If you’re trying to figure out how to manage your high cholesterol, why, there’s an APP for that! Sophomore Annie Qiu has created the Cholesterol Ease app using published research and personal data to build meal plans for those controlling their cholesterol. Annie was inspired to create this app after watching her uncle struggle to sift through all available resources and follow a plan that worked for him. When she realized there was nothing out there to help… she built something herself! 

Annie entered her app into the Congressional App Challenge and was chosen as a winner by Congressman Thomas Suozzi, the now retired representative for New York’s 3rd District. The national challenge saw over 9,000 student applicants and reviewed 2,700 fully functioning apps. 

Annie hopes her app will become a helpful tool for health clinics. I’m personally thrilled because faster than you can say “algorithmic literacy,” she’s used coding as a tool to solve a larger problem. Way to go, Annie! 

 
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Have a great weekend, everyone!

#SyoSmart
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

I hope you are all looking forward to the Winter Break next week, though the recent weather makes the term seem oddly out-of-place (maybe we gave Winter a break this year?). Hopefully students and staff alike will come back refreshed and recharged for the remainder of the school year. 

Performing Arts Update

Syosset has long been known for its arts programs, winning a Kennedy Center Award and being named a “Best Community for Music Education” 21 times! This week, the spotlight is on our performing arts program – and I’m shamelessly plugging our High School musical.

Our production of Legally Blonde the Musical involves 67 students and 14 staff members who have been working on the show for months. Opening night is March 9th. There will be singing, dancing, and (I’m told) adorable dogs. I’m not sure how they’re getting around the policy prohibiting dogs on campus. I guess I’ll have to see the show to find out! 

The musical builds on the success of our Fall theater production, Puffs (a Harry Potter spoof), which was honored with seven awards by the Theatre Association of New York State. The recognitions included Excellence in Acting, and Meritorious Achievement in the categories of acting, set design, ensemble performance, and directing. 

Our 22nd Annual “Winter Showcase: An Evening of Improv”, allows our students an opportunity to showcase their talents between our Fall show and Spring musical. Teams of actors, 28 students in all, competed for the coveted title of Kings and Queens of comedy! The winning team donates the show’s proceeds to a charity of their choice. This year’s team, The Genies, chose to donate to Cancer Kids First. The event’s success has inspired students to consider inaugurating an annual “Spring Showcase” as yet another fundraising opportunity for the causes they passionately support. 

Seventeen of our student performers and theater technicians attended the New York State Theatre Educators Association Student Conference upstate last month, participating in workshops led by theater professionals. Two Syosset students, Mara Sparacino and Sally Jamieson, were chosen to showcase special performances before the statewide group of 600 peers. No pressure! 

We had two groups of High School students who are members of ACT, the Association of Creative Thespians, travel to their former Middle Schools to speak with students about what they are now learning in High School. They introduced some of their improvisation exercises, and taught their younger peers the first part of "Positive" using the Jerry Mitchell choreography from the original production of Legally Blonde. This annual acting clinic is just one of the ways our older students encourage their younger peers to develop a passion for theater. We aim to create a welcoming and affirming bridge between the middle school and high school theater programs. 

Big Robots / Little Kids 

Speaking of high school students creating bridges, while taking a celebratory photo with our 6 NAfME finalists, I ran into Senior Anoushka Rishi (who last year won the Dean’s Finalist Award for FIRST Robotics). She, along with some Robotics teammates, were headed to one of our elementary schools as part of a districtwide volunteer effort among her teammates to engage all our 5th graders in a robotics demonstration. That is #SoSyo!

Sports Update

As the Winter Sports season has been wrapping up, we’ve had some amazing news. We were proud to host the Boys Varsity Fencing Long Island Championship here at the high school. We were prouder still when our team took home the trophy in a tense matchup against reigning champions Newfield/Miller Place! This was our young team’s first appearance at the championship. Coach PJ Moon was also named Nassau County boys fencing Coach of the year by the Nassau County Coaches Association. 

We were also proud to host the Nassau County Gymnastics Championship at the high school. Despite the home team advantage, it all came down to an amazing final floor routine by Sophomore Leah Chin whose score of 9.425 lifted the team to their third Championship title in a row! Congratulations, girls! 



I left campus Wednesday night and headed to Bethpage Ice Rink to see our boys club hockey team who were also locked in a Long Island Championship witnessed by a standing-room-only crowd. It was my first chance all season to see them play and lucky me, I was able to watch their breathtaking come-from-behind win to sweep Bellmore-Merrick and take the crown! Congrats, boys (and don’t judge my photography skills).



Spotlight on Instruction

Third graders at Willits have been promoted to “Endangered Animals and Earth Activists!” At the start of the year, students took on a big question: How can we raise awareness or create solutions for the endangered animals of the world? This lesson melded non-fiction research science and writing by asking students to analyze primary and secondary sources and describe how human activities affect the environment of our world community. The students then engaged in creative problem solving by creating WeVideos, informative posters, and persuasive essays to raise awareness on factors impacting endangered animals. Willits’ music teacher had the children modify and create their own rendition of the song Eye of the Tiger, reiterating the message protecting and saving endangered animals. As a culmination to this amazing project-based learning activity, third graders shared their newfound knowledge with their families detailing how acts of sustainability can save endangered animals and the environment.

Bright Spot

South Woods 7th grader Trinity Suh will be representing the United States at the Jr. Pan-American Taekwondo championship! Trinity won gold at the national team trials to secure her spot on the National Cadet Taekwondo Team for 12 to 14 year old black belts. At just 12-years old, she will travel to the Dominican Republic to compete. Taekwondo is a style of martial arts that features fast kicking combinations. It is the only full-contact martial art that is also an Olympic sport. Her mom tells us that after school, she goes straight to her family’s Taekwondo studio to help teach classes and practice herself. On top of it all, she is an A+ student here at South Woods. Way to go, Trinity!!


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I hope you all enjoy the break from school. I’ll be taking a week off from my newsletter too. Have a restful week! 

#SyoSabbatical
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

I generally avoid myself as a topic in this newsletter – our families and staff should be our newsmakers and I’m content to serve as narrator. But something remarkable happened to me this week that was #SoSyo that I had to share.

I visit lots of classrooms, always as a learner, but seldom as a student. Syosset High School music teacher Paul Caputo learned I picked up guitar during the Covid shutdown and invited me to join his Rock History and Performance class – as a musician. As I entered the class of mostly strangers, I felt a vaguely familiar sensation I ultimately recognized as “new kid jitters” compounded by stage fright. Not to worry, the students warmly welcomed me. Not because of my role or skill (which is meager), but as they explained, their classroom community chooses to value contribution rather than judge imperfection. Wow. It takes special people – students and staff alike – to create special places where risk taking and exploration are cultivated and celebrated. Butterflies averted until Spring!

Speaking of Spring, notwithstanding the first meaningful snowfall of the year this week, Spring sports are starting and it’s still light outside when the late buses are rolling! Spring also means it’s time for our high school musical. Beginning next Thursday, our students will perform Legally Blonde the Musical throughout the weekend. I caught the beginning of a rehearsal yesterday and I know how excited the cast and crew are for you to see them perform. Great seats are still available (yes, it’s reserved seating), and you can buy tickets at this link (I just bought mine!). 

Our Prekindergarten program is another place with great seats still available! We conducted the placement Lottery today, but since the State increased the funding, for the first time we have more seats than students! So if you have a child who will be 4 years of age on or before December 1, 2023, there’s still time to register! For more information, follow this link to our UPK website.

Another programmatic reminder: we are also hosting information sessions for parents interested in learning more about the Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) program the District is offering to Mandarin-speaking English Language Learners entering 1st or 2nd grade next fall. More information about the TBE program can be found at this link.

Spotlight on Instruction

Project Beyond sixth graders are creating, and escaping, their own “escape rooms” using problem-solving strategies. Students write short scripts and create videos that introduce each escape room for their classmates, who then try to solve the challenging puzzles that have been created. Here’s a scenario created by one group: a student steps into the library and opens a book. They fall through it and are transported into a world with mashed up classic fiction stories.The only way to escape the room is to help Alice navigate Wonderland through a series of puzzles, leading them from one hidden location to the next. The problems include algebra, logic puzzles, riddles, cryptograms, and other math-based problems. Students simultaneously become the story-writers, designers, problem creators, and problem solvers all at once. When they are finished, students will have the challenge of escaping from an escape room that another class created. Learning so much has never been so much fun! 

Budget Update 

As I’ve mentioned in previous updates, inflation is not only hitting families in the pocketbook, it’s affecting the District as well. And, like a family, we’re making some adjustments to live within a budget. 

We’ve been fortunate to have had almost a decade with both very low inflation and low interest rates. Our revenues (from state assistance and from local taxes) were able to keep pace with modest cost inflation. And – even though the District has had the second highest rate of enrollment growth since 2015 in all of Nassau County – we were able to accommodate that growth and even identify some efficiencies that allowed us to shift resources to start programs like Virtual Enterprise and Robotics, enhance classroom technology for students, add new sports like Gymnastics and Fencing, and repair our aging facilities.

Scouring the budget for additional efficiencies never stops, but now we’ll be shifting the resources freed up to offset some of the inflationary costs we’re seeing for energy, transportation, and health insurance, to name a few. I mention it to ensure you’re informed, not to make anyone nervous – which would be understandable because we all value the incredible education Syosset provides. 

This thrift will sometimes result in inconvenience: for example, an important field trip might need to be rescheduled so the bus can be shared. But, I want to reassure folks that I don’t think those efficiencies will result in fewer opportunities for students, only the need for patience with the changes in the way they are accomplished. 

As we look ahead to next year, all Districts are planning for continued inflation, but every District’s situation is unique. Syosset is fortunate that the State provided a generous increase in monetary aid, but this funding stream only provides about 10% of Syosset’s current revenue, so its impact on the overall budget is modest. Most school districts in Nassau have been losing enrollment (down 3% county-wide since 2015), but our enrollment grew 13% since 2015.  

Families live in Syosset for the excellent education we provide, and our staff loves working here for the same reason. As we work through this budget process, all of our effort will be dedicated to preserving the excellence of what we do, the things that make us #SyoSpecial.

We will discuss this more in depth over the next couple of months as we go through this budget process. Our next board meeting, which includes a budget information session, will be on March 13th at South Woods Middle School. Feel free to tune in or stop by. 

Bright Spots

Syosset High School Sophomore Zach Kaufman biked 100-miles to raise money for a charity with personal significance. Cancer has had a tremendous impact on the Kaufman family. With the help of the Syosset community, and after 6.5 hours of riding with his dad by his side, Zach was able to raise close to $1,300 for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in South Florida. Zach’s sister, HBT 8th grader Reese, joined him in running a 5k for the same cause. Zach’s varsity soccer and JV basketball teams, and Reese’s gymnastics team all offered their support from home. Aside from their physical accomplishments, this is a victory for those adversely affected by cancer. Way to make a difference, Zach and Reese! 

They’re not the only students making a difference. Robbins Lane students wanted to support the people of Turkey and Syria who are recovering from the devastating earthquakes. Fourth grader Aydin Zakaria, with the help of his family, asked his classmates to bring in blankets and sleeping bags to be sent overseas to help earthquake survivors stay warm. The supplies the students collected were brought to the Turkish Consulate in NYC to start their journey to Turkey to help those in need.

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Enjoy your weekend! 

#SyoSpecial
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

So the best thing to happen to me this week was a #SoSyo moment I just have to share. Our tight budget nevertheless has more than enough room to make sure our special students have special opportunities. This Spring, we started a “Challenger Basketball” team and our first home game was last night against Massapequa. I was thrilled to see the HBT gym full of parents, staff and students, joined by our Varsity cheerleaders, all rooting for our athletes (and their opponents!). 

Years of experience have taught me to keep a wary eye on the middle school boys lining the top row of the bleachers, but this group brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye when, after the first Syosset basket, they chanted the name of their beaming classmate who had just scored. It’s amazing to be part of a community that embraces all its members – living out our values of inclusivity and empathy. I’ll confess, I forgot the final score (it was close!), but I’ll never forget the event being a huge victory. Every last person in that gym – from the athletes to their fans – made me so #SyoProud!

Wonderful programs like this were top of mind for members of the PTA Budget Committee we met with last week. Their number one priority is maintaining our range of student opportunities despite the headwinds of inflation, and I was able to reassure them that we felt confident we’d be successful. The whole point of being thrifty is to avoid programmatic austerity. 

School Start Time Survey 

As I’ve mentioned a few times in this space, the District has extensively studied the challenges associated with establishing a later high school start time. Research shows that older adolescents may benefit from more sleep, but rearranging busing to do so will have a ripple effect that impacts every other school. 

We engaged a consultant to lay out all scenarios that were financially and logistically practical for shifting our school start times to benefit our students. Now we’re seeking the community’s input on these proposals to inform our consideration. 

To gather your feedback, we are using an online tool named ThoughtExchange which will provide everyone an opportunity to share their perspectives. All voices matter, and your participation is crucial and valued. 

Please click here to participate in the Thought Exchange

At this link, you will find descriptions of all proposed start time scenarios and be asked to rate which one appeals most to you. You will then have a chance to rate the thoughts of others. This exchange will be open to all members of the Syosset learning community, including residents, staff, community members and students. Please be mindful that the responses you contribute, though anonymous, will be displayed for everyone to see, and remember that this is a wonderful opportunity for adults to model respectful communication for the younger community members who are also participating.

Sports Update

We had 15 athletes compete in their respective state championship match last weekend in track, gymnastics, and swimming. 

The following students earned All State honors: 

• Parker Kim came in 3rd place in the State in the weight throw;
• The Girls 4x800 relay team (Jessica Alessi, Julie Shaugnessy, Melissa Tanyeri, Ashley Wong) finished in 6th place in the state;
• Swimmer Jack LaBianca finished in 6th place in the State in the 200 meter freestyle; 
• And four of our gymnasts earned All State across different events: Leah Chin, Camryn Platt, Arlene Osei-Pokua, and Ilana Slade.

They’re not the only teams competing at the highest levels, last week our Varsity Kickline team made us proud at Nationals, where over 400 teams competed from 35 states. Syosset placed 13th in the Jazz category, 5th in the Team Performance category, and an amazing 2nd in the Nation in Hip Hop! Congrats, girls! 

We’re so #SyoProud to see everyone’s hard work and talent pay such rich rewards! 

Our students’ athletic success is facilitated by our dedicated coaching staff – their success, in turn, is supported by our Athletic Director Scott Stueber. We are excited to announce that Mr. Stueber was named the Nassau County Athletic Director of the Year by the New York State Athletic Administrator Association. Mr. Stueber just joined us last year after serving the Valley Stream District for many years. We are so lucky to have him as a member of our Syosset Team. 

Off of our campus, but still in our community, I’m excited to announce that Syosset’s Club Hockey team won the New York State Championship this past weekend! They defeated Jamestown 6 to 1. This is the first State Championship win in the team’s history. Congrats! 



DECA Update

Our athletes aren’t the only ones winning medals. Our DECA students went to Rochester for the New York State competition this week. Of the 165 Syosset High School students who attended, 124 of them earned medals… and many won multiple! In total, Syosset brought home 252 medals. Roughly 55 students will move on to compete at the ICDC - the International Career Development Conference later this year. 

Junior Mollie Falkove was elected the New York State President for DECA. She is the first Syosset student ever elected to this position – and will lead all of the students in DECA clubs across the state as a student executive officer. 

Way to go #SyoBiz!

Spotlight on Instruction

The weather hasn’t cooperated, but Robbins Lane second graders are still trying to catch a snowman! Students read the book “How to Catch a Snowman,” and then worked with the enrichment and library media specialists to bring the story to life. They created their own snowman traps, and then used their Ozobots (coding robots) to test to see if the traps would work. The combination of coding and creative reading allowed students to flex two sets of mental muscles simultaneously – and successfully catch that rowdy snowman! 



When they weren’t busy catching snowmen, students at Robbins Lane were dancing in honor of two special holidays: Holi and Purim. Students explored several digital platforms and began learning how to compose their own music. The integration of music with this school-wide multicultural celebration allowed students to share their customs and learn more about others. The goal is to raise awareness of the cultural diversity both in our district and around the world. Next week, students will have their dance break to Celtic Music in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

Bright Spot 

Sticking with basketball bright spots – this week, our HBT and South Woods girls basketball teams played each other in a friendly matchup. The teams of 8th graders were competitors, but as of this September, they will be teammates on the High School team. The inter-school competitions are among my favorites: the games (like this one) are always well-attended by our community, and in the end, Syosset always wins! 


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A reminder that you still have three opportunities to see Legally Blonde The Musical this weekend. Tonight (within 30 minutes, run!), tomorrow night, and Sunday afternoon. Tickets are on sale at this link.

Daylight Savings Time is this Sunday. Don’t forget to “spring forward” your clocks. This is my favorite time of year, as it greatly increases my chances of leaving work while it’s still light out, and I get to see all of Syosset’s Spring sports athletes out on the fields getting ready for the season! 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

#GoSyo
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

The School Board meeting Monday kicked off with a performance of the opening song from our Spring musical Legally Blonde, which broke Syosset box office records exceeding 1,600 attendees over the four performances. Net proceeds go to the PTA scholarship fund, so it’s a double win! 

The high-energy student recognitions continued as the three CEOs of our Virtual Enterprise (VE) businesses delivered their one-minute elevator pitches. The VE program creates instant entrepreneurs by offering teams of students the chance to develop a “start-up” idea like entrepreneurs would – in the process developing a suite of real-world business skills. This year, all three of our teams qualified for the National Business Plan Competition in NYC on April 17th, besting over 100 other schools from Long Island to take three of the top 10 spots! Check out their websites: Drip, Thrive Healthy Living, and Lunch BX. Nationals are a month away – and we are rooting for them to go all the way! 

Around Town

I stopped by Walt Whitman to greet arriving students yesterday and was pleasantly surprised that I got to greet a number of our parents too! They were in the library for our annual Book Fair. We’re so appreciative of our parents for making the time for this important event and so glad to be able to host the event inside this year! I even got some tips on what books are popular with kids these days. 

Budget Update 

Our Board meeting this past Monday covered the program aspects of the 2023-2024 budget. Despite the challenges presented by historic levels of inflation, we’re focused on the goal of maintaining existing programs and adding support for our students’ post-pandemic mental health. We are also planning several facilities projects to maintain our aging facilities. 

Our next Board Meeting and Budget Information Meeting will be on April 18th, at which time we will present the Board with our final budget recommendations for the 2023-2024 school year. 

Start Time Survey

A reminder to share your thoughts on the District survey regarding changing school start times. No matter the age of your children, a change to any school’s start time could shift pickup times for your children. The goal of any start time change will be to allow adolescent students to get more shut eye, but since our buses can only service one school at a time, everything is interconnected. We’ve had questions about the costs of making a change – we intentionally asked the consultant to only develop proposals that would have modest cost increases (which is why they come with some limitations, but might nevertheless require a few more buses). 

This survey is open to all members of the Syosset learning community, including residents, staff, community members, and students. Please be mindful that the responses you contribute, though anonymous, will be displayed for everyone to see. We ask that respect for all opinions is modeled for our younger community members who are also participating.

Please click here to participate in the Thought Exchange. 

#SyoProud moments 

Syosset is the only school in the state to have had two students qualify for the New York State Poetry Out Loud finals last weekend. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry through a nationwide high school recitation competition. Senior Ayush Kishore recited To have without holding by Marge Piercy, and Junior James Masson recited Poor Angels by Edward Hirsch in the final round of 5 competitors. James won the state championship title, and now will travel to Washington, D.C. to compete for the National title. Way to go, James and Ayush! 

Another highlight to share: South Woods Middle School 6th graders have won the Long Island Water Quality Challenge Competition! Students in the Enrichment Lunch Workshop participated in the STEM competition, which is presented by the Long Island Regional Planning Council in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The students' project (which you can see here) proposed ways to improve the eco-friendliness of our school’s landscaping and reduce nitrogen pollution. The group was awarded a $2,500 grant to be used exclusively toward the implementation of their proposed project. 

Congratulations to the 10 student participants: Katelyn Chantemsin, Ettan Dai, Brandon Gimm, Arjun Jhaveri, MacKenzie Knox, Jiachen Liu, Eden Roniger, Isabella Sagles, Declan Wiley, and Veronica Zielinski! And, a special thanks to teacher Mr. Aronin for helping facilitate this project. 

Spotlight on Instruction

I’ve seen a lot of amazing lessons during my time in Syosset and I’m excited to share the latest. The molecular biochemical processes inside living cells can often be challenging to visualize (I know first-hand, I was a Biochem major in college). But in Mr. Zito’s Biology Honors class, students solved this problem by creating “stop motion” videos. In this example, a Protein Synthesis process called Translation comes to life through the power of animation. Students transformed ordinary materials like notecards and beads into ribosomes, tRNA (with anticodons dropping off amino acids), mRNA coding for anticodons, and amino acids forming a polypeptide chain. This innovative approach changed the learning process from rote memorization to leveraging creativity and fun to make challenging material much more memorable. Where was this when I was an undergrad!!?? 

Bright Spot 

Sophomore Maya Sharma recently returned from a remote village in South India where she was visiting an orphanage for 12 boys – that she independently funded(!) through the nonprofit organization Angel House. Maya sold handmade bracelets online and at jewelry shows, and in three years raised more than $20,000! The home opened in June 2020, and when Maya got the chance to visit last month, she found the boys flourishing. Even more remarkable, she launched a second orphanage in June 2022 for 12 girls in East India. Now, she’s busy raising funds, hoping to open a third home next year. Maya – you are a reminder of how persistence and dedication can pay off in astonishing ways. You’ve changed two dozen lives (so far) and made us all so #SyoProud!
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Enjoy your weekend! 

#SyoSpring
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

Today, the Board of Education Trustees and I toured each building in the District. I know it’s one of their favorite days, not because they get to ride a yellow school bus, but because they have the opportunity to meet students and experience the unique educational experience our staff’s hard work provides. It’s an important opportunity to see how their mission, vision, and resources translate into tangible results for kids. 

With Innovative Curriculum Cross-cutting as a theme, we illustrated how interdisciplinary lessons maximize instructional time and contextualize the content. Unlikely subjects make great partners: Math and Physical Education, Science and Music, even Business and Poetry. 

For example, South Woods leveraged its multicultural week by creating an entrepreneur’s International Food Festival. Students created small businesses by researching and developing an actual food product reflecting cuisine from one of 26 countries, tested and prepared in family and consumer science class, backed by a business plan developed in business class. Navigating around my dairy allergy, everything I sampled astonished me with how appetizing the food – and the marketing pitches – were. The lesson incorporated geography, varied cultures, math, business, writing, teamwork and public speaking skills - not to mention cooking! 

We later stopped by Baylis for a round of Make it & Roll it, a bespoke basketball math game that teaches students number fluency, while also working on their dribbling and shooting skills. This is nothing like the gym classes I remember from my youth. Students at Robbins Lane took us on a thrilling roller coaster ride, where we learned about potential and kinetic energy, and then wrote news stories to inform the community about our new rides. With a total of 10 visits in all, we got our fill of coding, singing, jazz bands, problem-solving, team-working, dulcimer-playing and more. In short, it was another #SoSyo day of learning! 

Science Stars

Our Science Olympiad team is heading to Nationals for the first time since 1986! This past weekend, Scioly (as the cool kids call it) took first place out of 59 teams that qualified for the State competition – achieving their first #1 finish and notching the second highest score in the competition’s history. The team competed in 23 science-related events running from constructing devices to conducting lab experiments, and given the strength of this year’s team, they’ve set their sights on a strong showing at Nationals in Kansas this May. We are rooting for you, Team Scioly! 

SyoBots 

Team Scioly aren’t the only ones headed to Nationals – I was literally dragged off the high school stage between the Honor Society induction ceremonies (congrats inductees!) on Wednesday by our First Robotics team. Their bus had just returned from Hofstra and they couldn’t wait to share the news that they were named “Rookies of the Year” and thus qualified to head to Houston in April. Although we’ve competed in robotics for years, we just stepped up to the premier FRC league (with the biggest, most complex robots). I had stopped by Hofstra earlier Wednesday to see the excitement first hand, seeing competing teams from as far away as Taiwan and watching our team notch two big comeback wins on their way to their Nationals bid.

Spotlight on Instruction

Our curriculum is not all work and no play – in fact, PLAY is a critical part of our students' work. Village Elementary students participated in Global Play Day this week. Students enjoyed a day of unstructured play, which is scientifically proven to foster cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. It allows students to think creatively, imagine, problem-solve, and work on social skills through activities with friends. Throughout the day, students played board games together, completed puzzles and STEAM activities, as well as arts and crafts. We also encouraged students to visit other classrooms and make new friends in different age groups. 

At South Woods, our 7th grade Social Studies students brought history to life by creating a “Living Wax Museum Project.” The students have taken a true “historical journey” from September to now, learning how our nation started as a small outpost in a faraway land and grew to become a sovereign nation. Their studies culminated in a wax museum where students dressed in creative period costumes and provided a one-minute informative presentation in the role of the historical figure. Visitors to the museum tapped red “play” buttons with their feet to “launch presentations” by notable figures such as Queen Isabella (with a pitch-perfect English accent), Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, and current Vice President Kamala Harris. Museum visitors were also invited to scan QR codes for more information about each historical figure. A creative and engaging way to embrace history!

Bright Spot

Junior Kelsey Jung wants to make sure our local animals are comfortable while waiting for a new home in the shelter. Kelsey recently gathered a group of school friends to purchase materials and make handmade blankets for the Oyster Bay Animal Shelter. The blankets will provide warmth and comfort to the animals under the shelter’s care. Thank you, Kelsey, for bringing together a group of like-minded students to make a positive difference for the furry friends in our community. #SyoSnuggly!

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Have a wonderful weekend! 

#SyoScioly
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community, 

Spring break is just around the corner! A reminder that school will be closed beginning next Thursday, April 6th, through Monday, April 17th. 

The Spring sports season is in full swing (baseball/softball pun, y’all!) and already Newsday is recognizing our amazing athletes. Senior Parker Kim has been named one of Newsday’s top 25 boys outdoor track and field athletes for his amazing accomplishments in weight throwing. Junior Katelyn Lee has been named one of Newsday’s top 100 Long Island girls lacrosse players for being a fierce defender. We can’t wait to see what trophies our teams will bring home this season! 

South Woods Patriots 

As the son of a veteran, I consider it a privilege to pay it forward by supporting our local veterans community. For the last several years, we have been promoting the VFW’s annual Patriot’s Pen competition. The nationwide competition gives students the opportunity to write essays expressing their views on a patriotic theme – this year’s prompt was: “My Pledge to Veterans.” 

Early Monday morning, I was delighted to see two uniformed members of our local VFW in the South Woods lobby. They were about to present medals and certificates to three students from South Woods who were this year’s top three essayists. Commander Caputo and Quartermaster Grehan said our three students’ essays were chosen as the most poignant in Nassau County. We’re so proud of Simon Kontos, Faye Kontos, and Cameron Weiskopf not only for the quality of their writing, but more importantly for honoring all of our men and women in uniform with their thoughts! 

More Board Tour 

As I mentioned last week, the Board hopped on a school bus for their annual trip around the District. They saw more than I could squeeze into my last update, so this week, I wanted to share some details about the ICT classes we were able to visit. ICT stands for “integrated co-teaching” – an instructional model designed to integrate students with learning differences into the general education setting by staffing the classroom with both a general education and a special education teacher. Since all students learn different things at different paces, the flexibility of the ICT model supports every student’s learning difference while keeping peers together as friends and community. At A.P. Willits, we visited a fifth grade ICT classroom where students worked together to produce podcasts, while at Robbins Lane, the fourth grade ICT class designed roller coasters. Our ICT classrooms have been a successful mainstay of the middle schools for years, and our recent expansion into the upper elementary grades and early high school classes have already started yielding benefits.

Spotlight on Instruction

High School students in the College Nanotechnology class (which wasn’t even a thing when I was in college) are working to redesign an age-old device: the rehabilitation ankle boot. Using computer-based modeling programs OnShape and Tinkercad, students designed and built a physical therapy boot that flexes the foot at a 20 degree angle using a wire circuitry unit. One group used our 3D printer to create the boots’ pieces, and the others used a laser cutter to create the foam core inside the boot. The focus of the project was to determine how to use nanotechnology, instead of motors and gears, to make the boot move. Students researched shape memory alloy, noticing that when wire heats up, it contracts. Students are now attaching their handmade circuits to the boots, adding weight and testing for design issues. I broke my ankle years ago playing volleyball in Atlanta and the low-tech rehab took almost a year. I can only imagine how much faster it would have gone with this gadget!

Bright Spot 

Kids, don’t try this at home! (Seriously, don’t!) Junior Kimberly Saltsberg hosted an axe throwing foundation to “Chop Away” Crohn’s and Colitis. Her AXE-cellent event raised over $11,000 for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Over the past four years, Kimberly and her family have raised over $46,000 to help find a cure for these diseases, which together affect more than three million Americans each year, including some 60,000 people on Long Island. The next fundraiser she’ll be throwing (sorry, I couldn’t resist) will be on May 20th at Adventureland. Way to go, Kimberly!

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You won’t hear from me again until after the break. Until then… 

#SyoSpringBreak 
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community, 

This weekly update is coming to you a day early. As a reminder, tomorrow, our District is closed for Eid… so this week it’s a Thursday update! 

A “Senior” Prom in April? 

Our High School’s Future Leaders of America Club hosted their first Senior Citizen Prom since 2019. This event has been a tradition in our District for more than 30 years. Earlier today, the students welcomed more than 100 seniors from our community into the High School gymnasium to enjoy a delicious meal, student performances, and line-dancing. More than 30 student volunteers hosted and served their fellow community members and made new friends. I’m terribly fond of acapella music, and when our choral groups – Choral Pride and the Adelettes – at the end of their planned repertoire did an impromptu rendition of Twist & Shout, they brought the house down. I’m so happy we were able to resume this tradition after the unfortunate pandemic hiatus. 

Spring sports has Newsday keeping a close eye on our athletes! Syosset eighth grader Taylor Renny was named one of the top 100 Long Island softball players to watch this season. Senior Ansh Chadha and Freshman Evan Lee are being recognized for their savvy on the tennis court. 

And if having both the Rangers and Islanders in the playoffs wasn’t enough hockey for you, our Nassau County (and NYS) Champs will take on St. Anthony’s, the Suffolk County Champs, this coming Saturday, April 22nd at Bethpage Rink. This is the Syosset Hockey Club’s second annual charity hockey game. They’re raising money to fight ALS – a disease that claimed the life of a dear friend of mine several years back – so they can be sure to count on my support. 

2023-24 Syosset School Budget

Our Board of Education approved the District’s budget proposal for the 2023-2024 school year. Although inflation made this a challenging year, we were able to maintain all existing programs and remain below the tax cap. The next Board Meeting on May 8th will be a budget information meeting. I encourage you to attend to learn more about the budget ahead of the annual district election and budget vote on May 16th. More information can be found here. 

Spotlight on Instruction

This Saturday is Earth Day, and at South Grove Elementary, students have been learning how they can contribute to taking care of our planet. Students school-wide did coding exercises to practice doing their part. In Kindergarten and First grade, BeeBots acted as recyclable material (newspaper, glass bottles, organic material, and plastic bottles), which the students had to code to get through the maze to the correct recycling bin (plastic, glass, organic material, and paper). In grades two and three, students worked with Ozobots, writing code on their Chromebooks with the program Ozoblockly. They then paired bots via Bluetooth to run the program they wrote and get their recyclable object to the correct bin. By the time this group is in middle school, they’ll hopefully have reprogrammed one of those automated-vacuum robot things to take out my recycling! Sign me up!

Bright Spot 

Baylis Elementary students returned from break hopscotching their way down a new sensory hallway due to the work of students in Syosset High School’s work-based learning program. Through a collaborative cross-cutting project, students Sofia Alomia, Aly Elman, and Julia Del Monaco worked alongside their teachers to design and install a customized sensory walk. Sensory walks help to promote inclusive learning environments by increasing engagement, focus, and attention.  

After researching sensory walks, students worked together to brainstorm designs, budget out the cost of supplies, pitch the idea to the Baylis principal, and learn how to use the Cricut machine to design and cut the decals. Then, came the install! You can see a video about the sensory walk from idea to ribbon cutting at this link.

Legislator Josh Lafazan’s office heard about the project, and presented Sofia with the Making a Difference Award for her commitment to the school community.

It’s a truly #SoSyo moment when I see the hard work of our older students reinvested in their younger peers. Due to the success of this project, the work-based learning students are determining where they can build a sensory walk next! I hear the Central Administration office is in the market for one… 
_____

Barring any truly weird weather (and hoping not to tempt fate by saying so), it does not appear that we will need to open school on May 25th and 26th this year. We’ll be sending out the official memo shortly, but thought I’d take this opportunity to give you the good news. 

#SyoSpring 
#SnowNewsIsGoodNews
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community, 

Back from a three-year hiatus, it was South Woods Middle School’s turn to host their multicultural festival. I circled the gym, literally eating my way around the world – devouring delectable dishes and discovering delights! Our students gave musical and dance performances and our parents showcased cultural treasures from the many rich heritages represented in Syosset. One parent even constructed a miniature landscape composed of dried spices found in South Asian cuisine -- mind-blowing and mouth-watering all at the same time – #SoSyo! 

I so appreciate the effort and enthusiasm of every parent who worked so hard to make this such a special day for the students and staff - introducing and underscoring the beauty and importance of each heritage that makes up Syosset’s rich tapestry. Looking across the gym, I was reminded of one of my favorite phrases: “unity, not uniformity." My #SyoPride (and my plate) overflows. 

2023-2024 Budget

The Board has adopted the Budget that will be presented to voters on May 16th. Although inflation has made this a challenging year, the proposed budget maintains all existing educational programs, makes new investments in student mental wellness, continues investments in facilities maintenance, and preserves all extracurricular opportunities for students. More information on the budget will be mailed to residents and can be found here.

Spotlight on Instruction

It was Book Day at our Middle Schools this week! Our 7th grade English Language Arts curriculum unit, Count Me In, culminated in a grade level experience with author Varsha Bajaj. Throughout the unit leading into Book Day, students read and discussed non-fiction articles related to the themes addressed in Count Me In such as the value of intergenerational connection, the concept of the inner self versus the outer persona, and using social media to make the world a better place. 

One theme of the day was identity. Ms. Bajaj highlighted the role identity played in her journey to becoming a writer and students reflected on how their diverse backgrounds and cultures can be different, yet keep us connected to each other. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a Q & A session with the author, asking her for a peek inside her writing process. Others elected to participate in a Writer’s Workshop with Varsha where they spent time drafting story ideas and sharing them with their peers. Book Day is one of the students’ (and staff’s) favorite days and we’re so grateful to Ms. Bajaj for her time and generosity.

April Observance

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which recognizes the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect. Syosset, of course, is doing its part: all faculty and staff are required to undergo training to recognize and report signs of child abuse. New York State recently adopted “Erin’s Law,” which mandates informing students about how to identify abuse and report it to a trusted adult. You can learn more about this law and how Syosset is working to comply with it at this link on our District website.

Barn 2.0

Anyone who’s been to the turf field knows Syosset’s iconic red barn, home to our groundskeeping crew, and the PTA’s football season concession stand. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I saw the candy and chip cornucopia (I worked hard for that alliteration) open for business during the girls’ lacrosse game. Even better, I was able to pay for everything with my smartwatch (I love my sugar and salt indulgences). Our PTA has always been “next-level”--now they’re high-tech too! We’re going to have to rename it the Barn-o-matic or something!

Bright Spot 

SHS Junior Jason Lee and his classmates are working to spread love through their music. Jason recently founded a non-profit organization called Talented Young Musicians, or T.Y.M. for short. The group is comprised of Syosset student musicians whose goal is to use the power of song to empower others. Just recently, they performed a concert at the Life Enrichment Center at Oyster Bay, surely bringing smiles to the faces of our local Senior Citizens. 

The group consists of Jason (Clarinet), Aaron Liu (Clarinet/Piano), Justin Mok (Clarinet), Kathleen Cheng (Clarinet), Boaz Gluck (Saxophone), Allison Lee (Violin), Adrianne Mok (Violin), Matthew Kim (Viola), and Anthony Wong (Cello). 

It’s music to my ears when I learn that our students go above and beyond to use their talents to better our community. I personally can’t wait to hear this group perform. Way to go! 

____________

The local forecasters warn of a chilly and rainy weekend ahead… it’s a good weekend for a good book!

#SyoSoggy
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community, 

I love how our community comes together in tangible ways to illustrate that every member is important. Tonight our new Unified Basketball home opener against Manhasset was played to a packed crowd in the high school gym with students and parents alike cheering thunderously for both their classmates – and their opponents. The game tied at the end of regulation and when Syosset clinched the win with its second basket in overtime there was a roar. Words can’t describe how proud I am to be associated with this program and everyone who came out to support our athletes. 

I’m also very proud to hear from students twice a year as they visit my administrative cabinet to offer a consumer’s-eye view of what it’s like to be a student in Syosset, and many great suggestions and sometimes insightful critiques have come from our students both young and old(er). Students shared thoughts ranging from the stress of midterm week to available mental health resources to cafeteria items. Our Elementary students offered perspectives on our Math and English curriculum, and they shared their concerns about aspects of our aging facilities. Their feedback will help us shape how we move forward in educating their younger peers. I’m always amazed at the students’ poise and thoughtfulness!

College Decision Day

From our youngest students to our eldest students – Monday, May 1 was National College Decision Day! Students at Syosset High School streamed through the doors donning their college gear with pride. As we rapidly approach graduation, this special group of students is slated to go all across the country: Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, California, and more. It’s always hard for us to say goodbye to our extraordinary seniors – but they leave us beaming with pride.

Meanwhile, our current Juniors are beginning to think about what’s to come – and our Guidance department ensures it is simple for them to explore all options. Our annual College Night saw over 700 parents and students in attendance in the High School gymnasium. The evening allows families to meet with admissions representatives from over 125 colleges and universities. They come with critical questions about the application process, campus life, and other special programs. 

#SyoMedals

Our DECA club received a special achievement award for being the organization’s largest New York chapter! But, that’s not all we brought home from the International Career Development Conference (ICDC). Syosset sent 56 students to compete against more than 20,000 students from across the globe. We came home with 35 medals – and our 10 finalists finished Top ten in the world. Wow! #GoSyo 

High School Virtual Enterprise firms have been working tirelessly all year to prepare for the Youth Business Summit, the VE Super Bowl. All three of Syosset’s firms were national winners in the National Business Plan Competition! Businesses “Drip” and “Lunch BX” were semi-finalists, finishing in the top 1% of all companies, and “Thrive” competed in the QuickBooks competition, placing third in the nation! The Javits Center conference allowed our students to overcome language barriers and cultural differences to work with students from across the globe. Plus, they left that day extremely excited about the new friendships they formed.

And finally, Syosset’s Forensics team is once again the New York State Champion! This marks the 6th consecutive year Syosset’s speakers, actors and debaters have been named the best in the state. This year’s tournament saw nearly 1,000 students from 60 schools. Forensics team members next head to Kentucky and Arizona for the national championships. 

Phew – I’m out of breath, and out of room in the trophy case. 

Spotlight on Instruction

My favorite class in college was gross anatomy. I liked it so much I ended up becoming a TA for the class in grad school. Donning gloves and goggles, Village fourth graders dissected squid this week as part of their Life Science curriculum. Students worked in groups to identify and learn about the squid's internal and external structures, including the creature’s three hearts (what!), the chromatophores (organs that enable them to change color), the suckers (that help them grab food), and the only hard part of their body: the beak. Dissection gives insights and clarity into why any organism has certain traits and behaviors. Comparing structures and functions of different organisms demonstrates the similarities and differences between species. I hope they found dissection every bit as engrossing (that may be my worst pun ever) as I once did.

Bright Spot round up

It’s a Bright Spot bumper crop (to purloin a lyric: our students are so bright, I gotta wear shades). So forgive me for trading brevity for breadth - I’m sure you’ll want to celebrate with me: 

Senior Maximus Lu was one of three Syosset students to qualify to take the USA Mathematical Olympiad exam – high scorers earn a seat in a three-week intensive math camp at Carnegie Mellon University. Maximus had a perfect score – and won gold - becoming the only gold medalist from New York. Congratulations, Max! 

I’ve recognized senior Sabrina Guo previously for her service and her scholarship. Governor Hochul similarly issued Sabrina a Certificate of Recognition for starting a nonprofit called Girl Pride International that empowers women and girls to reach their full potential by supporting their education and leadership skills. Likewise, her scholarship earned Sabrina a 2023 GE-Reagan scholarship from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, making her eligible for internships at the White House or on Capitol Hill after her first semester of college. Our community is so proud of you!

This morning, I celebrated with Senior Scott Wong, who was named a Nassau BOCES Farber Award winner for character and achievement. Scott’s on a roll, he just repeated as NYS Champion in the Audio/Radio Production category at SkillsUSA and his team (from the Long Island High School for the Arts) also came in first place. Scott’s a contributor at Syosset High School as well, serving as President of the mental health awareness club Bring Change 2 Mind, and hosting his own YouTube channel. 

Meanwhile, way off-campus, I have an update about 7th grade Taekwondo star Trinity Suh, who competed in the Jr. Pan-American Taekwondo championship held in the Dominican Republic. One of the youngest black belts on the team, this was her first international tournament representing the U.S.A. and… guess what … Trinity took home the Gold! She defeated Canada and Puerto Rico to become the 2023 Jr. Pan-American Champion, the best in North and South America. 

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A reminder that this coming Monday, May 8th is the District’s Annual Budget Hearing beginning at 8pm at South Woods Middle School. A Board of Education Meeting will immediately follow. I encourage you all to attend the hearing to learn more about the 2023-2024 school budget ahead of the District vote on May 16th. 

Have a great weekend!

#SyoShades
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community, 

A reminder that our District budget vote and Board election will take place this coming Tuesday, May 16th. Polls will be open from 6am to 9pm. Voter information, as well as details about the budget, is available on our District website. 

As I mentioned early this year, inflationary increases were going to make it very challenging to propose a budget that could both preserve our educational opportunities for students and remain under the tax cap. But, knowing the value this community places on education – and that families are facing the same inflationary pressures – we’re pleased to report that the proposed budget manages to do both. If approved, all existing programs and opportunities for students will be preserved while keeping the tax levy increase under the State tax cap by about $180,000. The only proposed staffing increase is for two additional social workers to reach one full-time person in every building supporting student mental health. 

I just returned from a lecture by Professor Po-Shen Loh, Professor of Mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University and National Coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad team. He was sponsored by our Varsity Mathletes, and held the audience of middle and high school students at rapt attention for over 90 minutes. He titled his talk "Building human intelligence at scale, to save the next generation from ChatGPT," and offered wonderful insights into the opportunities and challenges represented by Artificial Intelligence (AI). He’s a brilliantly engaging speaker, and he offered some really interesting insights while having ChatGPT answer some of his math questions in real time both correctly – and incorrectly – in front of a live audience. One point from his talk: AI will eventually get better at math, but it will still lack important human qualities – kindness and “likeability” - so our students should work as hard on those as they do on math. I couldn’t have said it better myself. 

I stopped by my first regatta ever last Sunday (well, my second if you count the Ya Gotta Regatta I paddled as a middle schooler) – the Long Island Scholastics Regatta at Hempstead Harbor in Port Washington. I loved seeing our Syosset rowers slicing through the water in unison, and even better, saw one of our boats medal! By the end of the day, the team had earned two Gold medals, two Silver medals, and two Bronze medals, and shared in another Gold and Silver finish. They now head to the State championship in Saratoga Springs  – good luck!!

Syo in the National Headlines 

Two of our Syosset Stars are being recognized by the National PTA for their entries into the annual Reflections student art program. Thousands of students from across the country submitted creative interpretations of the theme Show Your Voice. SHS student Maxwell Greene Received an Award of Excellence in Music Composition for his piece Song of the Travelers. This is Max’s second year as a finalist in the PTA reflections competition. A.P. Willits second grader Minka Van Berkel was awarded the Outstanding Interpretation Award in the Literature category for her story The Girl Who Was Loud Even Though She Didn’t Speak. Minka’s piece reads like a children’s book FOR second graders, not BY a second grader! Her school’s PTA also received a financial scholarship to help her and other students further pursue their craft. Congratulations Max and Minka – your voices are amazing! 

Senior Sabrina Guo, who I featured just last week as one of my Bright Spots, was just named a U.S. Presidential Scholar. Sabrina is one of only 161 high school graduates nationwide selected for this high honor. Candidates must be nominated by the State Education Department and are selected by the U.S. Department of Education’s Commission on Presidential Scholars based on their academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character, and involvement in the community. Kudos, Sabrina!

Spotlight on Instruction

Have you ever chased down the local ice cream man? Or grabbed barbecue at a street fair? Had Spiedies in upstate NY? Well, students at South Woods wanted to understand food trucks’ appeal and business model. Eighth grade 21st Century career and technical education (CTE) students became resident experts after participating in a cross-curricular project. Teams of students developed ideas for a food truck business and created business plans, learning every aspect of the industry along the way. 

Incorporating the New York State CTE standards, as well as Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards, this unit engaged students in planning, problem-solving, marketing strategy, and creative menu and logo design. Students studied the impact of food trucks on local communities and researched creative, compelling menu items. As part of their business and marketing plan, students designed prototypes of their food trucks’, business logos, and menus. Once their logo and truck designs were finalized, the students used TinkerCad to model and 3D print their designs and a commemorative cookie cutter to represent their business. Wow! I wonder if we can launch some of these trucks in time for next year’s Carnival (just food for thought…).

Bright Spot 

Junior Hayley Ji and Sophomore Sophie Wang are helping in the fight against cancer. Our two students teamed up with a friend from Great Neck High School to manage a seven week long fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Their team, comprised of ten people, was named “Rekindling Hope” to inspire those fighting the disease to remain optimistic for a cure. Rekindling Hope was announced as the second runner up for the 2023 Long Island Student Visionaries of the Year title. In total, the team raised $54,000 for LLS – that truly is hope-inspiring
________________

With the sudden shift from rainy and raw to hot and humid, it feels like every plant is panicked that they might miss the Spring pollination window! I can’t remember an allergy season quite like this one. I have to use the wipers even when the car is bone dry. Let’s hope it ends soon!

#SyoSneezy
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community, 

The results of Tuesday’s election were published earlier this week – the District budget passed and three Board members were re-elected to office. We are appreciative of the support for the District budget and looking forward to maintaining the excellent academic, artistic, and athletic opportunities that our community has worked so hard to build for our young people. 

Our Seniors started the day with a remarkable opportunity to hear from one of our most illustrious graduates, Secretary Elaine Chao, who served in the cabinet of two presidential administrations, and led both the Peace Corps and United Way among other notable accomplishments. Secretary Chao shared her story of being a first generation immigrant, English language learner, and Asian-American trail-blazer who achieved many “firsts” and in so doing, broke many glass ceilings. She generously answered students’ questions about public service, her leadership during the Hurricane Katrina and COVID pandemic crises, and her life in the public eye.

No Place for Hate

We are so proud to report that A.P. Willits, Robbins Lane, South Grove, and Berry Hill will be awarded the No Place for Hate (NPH) designation by the Anti-Defamation League at a ceremony in New York City next month. The NPH framework encourages schools to develop inclusive climates that meet the needs of the community. We are so proud to add these four schools to our list of NPH designated schools – all three secondary schools have had this designation for years, and our remaining three elementary schools are deep in the process and looking forward to receiving their designations soon.

Intentional Inclusivity

The purpose of the NPH designations is to illustrate that we take intentional steps to make our schools welcoming and inclusive places where all students feel they belong. May is both Jewish-American Heritage and Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. These cultural heritage recognitions encourage us to celebrate the values and traditions of different cultures – which is a year-round focus for Syosset both in our curriculum and our extracurricular activities.

We’ve worked to expand our library collections to include stories, authors, and characters that reflect the diversity both in our District and across the planet. Our art and music classes are rich opportunities to incorporate Bollywood dancing, Japanese Taiko drumming, origami, and Chinese prints. And of course, no study of history is complete without exploring the impact of important historical events and the influence of cultural contributions.

These opportunities are intentionally woven throughout the year so they’re not episodic, but a celebration and a reminder that in Syosset, everyone belongs.

That inclusivity also encompasses some of our newest athletic opportunities. Our “Challenger Track” team had their first meet in Massapequa this week, following on the heels of the overwhelming success of our “Challenger Basketball” earlier this year. And one more story illustrates how this community truly values inclusivity.

This time of year we do a lot of interviewing and I often answer candidates’ questions. Yesterday, I was asked what made me proudest. That’s like asking which child you love most, so I instead offered to share the most recent #SoSyo moment that made my heart swell and eyes blur. Wednesday night, our Unified Basketball team played their final home game of the season. The enthusiasm from the first game hadn’t waned as the season went on, but instead grew – students stayed late, other athletes flooded the gym after their own practices ended, and people were holding signs with the Unified athletes’ names on them. After the game, Coach Cardona told me that the officials had complimented Syosset – we were unmatched in our support of these important members of our community, and in our cheering for our guests which made them feel included too.

Schools use lots of tests to measure academic achievement, but there’s no canned assessment for kindness. On Wednesday night, however, I didn’t need one to know our community deserved an A+.

Mental Health Awareness Month

For the first time this year, we celebrated Mental Health Awareness month led by the social work team Districtwide. It culminated in a WEAR GREEN DAY last Friday and every district building held activities to illustrate the importance of mental health awareness.

At the elementary level, students learned about mental health – what is it? How do we keep our heads and hearts healthy? Berry Hill students identified characteristics they liked about themselves, wrote them on index cards, and then built card towers – what a metaphor for supporting each other! On Monday, Willits students will participate in movement workshops and a school-wide thoughtfulness walk. Our goal is to teach students reflective skills that are both fun and healthy!

At the secondary level, students received resources for recognizing when they’re struggling. Middle Schoolers focused on stress management, coping skills, and mindfulness in advisory. High Schoolers based their programming around the theme “Let your mental health bloom.” Students were encouraged to participate in Mindful Mondays, Wellness Wednesdays, and workshops about managing exam stress (just in time for AP testing week!). They also helped out their fellow classmates, writing down their stress management techniques on flowers to create a paper garden of hope.

Spotlight on Instruction

We like to use all the tools at our disposal to teach our students – including our outdoor spaces! Kindergarteners at Walt Whitman participated in Outdoor Classroom Day this week. The day is meant to inspire and celebrate outdoor play, which is proven to be beneficial for child development and health. Our students were able to enjoy a nature scavenger hunt, reading circles on the grass, math lessons about measurements using items found in nature, chalk drawing, and mindful outdoor movement. It was a beautiful day to learn and play – and a memorable experience for all.

Bright Spot

Village Girl Scout Troop 3399 is giving back to our community in a very real way. Touched by the impact of recent tragedies, the group set up an old-fashioned lemonade stand to raise money and awareness for M.A.D.D. – Mothers Against Drunk Driving. On Mother’s Day weekend, the girls raised $800 in just four hours. Inspired by their success, they plan to continue their efforts, and make a Mother’s Day lemonade stand an annual tradition.

Thank you to Desiree Ng, Samantha Dinkci, Kendall Kobler, Julia Campbell, Aviva Vohs, Alexandra Spanos, and Isabella Picatagi for reminding us that you’re never too small to make a big difference.

____

A reminder we are off next Thursday, May 25th and Friday, May 26th – so you won’t be hearing from me next week. Until next time… 

#SoSyo
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

We are in the home stretch and racing towards graduations and moving up ceremonies across the District. Elementary students have been racing too - at Field Day events - which have been a great opportunity to bring each school community together. I swung by Walt Whitman’s field day this morning and was recruited to the red team by a friend.

At the interscholastic level, Spring seasons have ended and the last of the playoffs are almost past. I’ll have a complete wrap up in a week or so, but I’m thrilled to share that after a very emotional season, the Boy’s Varsity Tennis Team is still going strong! On Wednesday, they defeated Commack to earn the title of Long Island Champions and advance to the state semifinal next week. Way to go, Guys!!

Spotlight on Instruction

With a constantly changing media landscape, Syosset High School is working to prepare students to become the next generation of multimedia content creators. In our expanding Communication Arts program, students are taking a deep dive into the principles of journalism: learning how to be responsible media consumers, investigating stories, asking insightful questions, checking facts, and editing copy. Through our partnership with Newsday, students also have the opportunity to meet and learn from local journalists working in the field.

Building on this foundation, the High School will be launching a new Broadcast Journalism class. Students will report on stories in our school community and the Syosset community at large. To get a taste of what’s in store, two students from The Pulse, the Syosset High School newspaper, recently produced a broadcast story about our College Night, which hosted over 125 colleges and attracted more than 700 attendees. You can see the report on the High School YouTube channel.

High School students aren’t our only journalists. At South Grove Elementary, the “Extra, Extra” club encourages fifth graders to become local reporters too. In another one of those #SoSyo moments, our eldest and youngest students collaborated via Google Meet last month to practice their interviewing and photo captioning skills. Extra, Extra club members interviewed The Pulse journalists about their experience covering the school news, and then High School students modeled for their young friends by interviewing guest speaker and alumna Leah Corcoran (Class of 2022) about her experience studying journalism in College.

It’s great preparing kids with marketable digital media skills. When I was in high school, the most sophisticated student business was a kid re-selling pieces of Bubblicious gum out of his locker (at a hefty markup!). But the explosion of digital marketing, and the major role played by young people has caught Uncle Sam’s attention. We were asked to share rules for social media “influencers” so students who may be earning income from their online presence don’t run afoul of the law. 

Bright Spot Doubleshot 

Humza Sheikh, a seventh grader at HBT, is thanking our veterans for their service in a very special way. His Boy Scout troop learned to tie intricate knots, which they then display on knot boards and often present as gifts to honor an individual’s achievements. Humza spends his Saturday mornings creating special boards to present to local veterans like U.S. Army Sergeant Ralph Mitchell, a retired Bronze Star recipient and Vietnam veteran, at the Heroes Among Us Annual Charity Gala. The local nonprofit is dedicated to supporting veterans to ensure they have every day necessities and services to live life to the fullest. Next up? Humza is working on an international knot board project to honor Ukrainian veterans via Heavenly Hundred Heroes. 

I’m so proud of the work that Henry and Chloe Berkowitz have done to raise money – and awareness – for mental health issues. After raising $10,000 for a NAMI Walk last year, Chloe broke her record by raising over $15,000 this year. She also designed and sold baseball hats and pajama pants to help fundraise for after school activities and summer camp programs for children affected by mental illness. Asked to speak at the Walk, Chloe advocated for early intervention when it comes to mental health and children. I couldn’t agree more – with the successful passage of the school district’s budget last month, we’ll now be able to staff a full-time Social Worker in every school.
_____

Have a great weekend, everyone!

#SyoSummerSoon
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community, 

Just when you think you’ve experienced every surreal challenge school leadership can throw at you… Syosset was smokin’! Well, not us exactly, but we awoke cloaked by Canadian wildfire smoke and visually transported to 1970s-era Los Angeles. Fortunately, our building interior ventilations systems have aggressive filtration upgrades from our COVID-era mitigation efforts, but some of the smoke detectors in our fresh air systems are so sensitive they were triggered by the ambient wildfire smoke as it entered the system to be filtered. Although the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation extended its Air Quality Alert until midnight tonight, for most of the daylight hours today, Syosset has been in the “green zone,” so we’ll begin warily resuming outdoor activities. Special thanks to all of our facilities staff for the extra work this event entailed. 

Spotlight on Inclusivity

Despite the haze in the air, representatives from four of our elementary schools accepted the No Place for Hate designation from the Anti-Defamation League at an indoor ceremony in New York City. The recognition highlights our schools’ year-round work through our curriculum, our programs, and our celebrations to make Syosset an inclusive and welcoming community for all its diverse residents. 

The PTA has been part of this effort too. Last week the PTA Cultural Unity committee held its Celebration of Culture culminating event at South Woods Middle School. Students illustrated aspects of their culture and heritage through various art projects, and all in attendance learned a little about each other. Inspired by Baylis 2nd grader Sienna Turner’s poem “Unique,” I remarked that the event summed up our Syosset ethos – Unique, yet United. So #SyoProud of everyone who worked so hard on both of these efforts! 

State Champions. Wait, WHAT!?

This just in!!!!! Our Boys Tennis team defeated Scarsdale this afternoon to earn their very first STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! I know this has been an emotional season for the team, so I’m thrilled that they will have this wonderful memory of a lifetime!

Our full spring sport wrap-up is coming, but I know the community has also been following our new Unified Basketball team closely. I’m thrilled to announce they received a trophy for earning second place in their inaugural season. So #SyoProud of the athletes and everyone who supported them. Next up… Challenger Bowling!

Spotlight on Instruction

South Woods and H.B. Thompson Middle Schools welcomed soon-to-be sixth graders to give them a taste of what September will be like. Each Spring, our 5th graders eagerly await the opportunity to board a bus and visit their future middle school. After meeting teachers, guidance counselors, and peer leaders, they enjoyed warm-up activities in the cafeteria where members of the middle school teams introduced themselves. Then, (this is #SoSyo), our middle school peer leaders took control, guiding building tours, ice-breaker activities, and media presentations about middle school daily life, including special tips for success.

It is so rewarding for us to witness our middle schoolers, who have thrived in the transition from upper elementary school to secondary school, answer questions with compassion, calm, and expertise about their schools. The fifth graders left feeling confident about what’s to come, and knowing there are many available resources to get their questions answered. They’ll have one more orientation in August to meet friends, follow a sample schedule, learn how to navigate their first day of middle school, and more.

Bright Spot

Our students really have the right CAT-itude when it comes to serving our community. A group of fifth graders at Village Elementary crafted 100 bookmarks as part of a fundraising effort for the Long Island Cat-Kitten Solution, a Syosset-based organization that finds homes for stray or abandoned cats in Nassau County. The students teamed up with the PTA, who gave away one bookmark to anyone who purchased more than $20 worth of books at the last fair of the year. For each bookmark, the PTA set aside $1 for an in-kind donation–talk about teamwork! The students were later able to visit the organization to give their donation, meet the president, and cuddle some beneficiaries of their hard work.

Thank you Emma, Samantha, Stephen, and Claire for your compassion, hard work, and creativity. The feline community, and we human counterparts, think you are all just PURRfect!
____

Tonight is Prom Night for Syosset High School Seniors. After several years of events distorted to varying degrees by pandemic safety measures, I’m thrilled that these young people can celebrate this important rite of passage unencumbered. Wishing everyone a safe and fun evening! 

A reminder that there is a Board of Education meeting this coming Monday, June 12th, at South Woods Middle School beginning at 8pm.

Have a great weekend!

#SyoSmokin’
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community, 

Graduation and moving up ceremonies are just around the corner. They mark an important milestone in the lives of our young people, and they are especially meaningful this year as we shook off the last vestiges of the pandemic, leaving just the excitement of the celebrations. Elementary School ceremonies are on Tuesday, High School commencement exercises are Wednesday night, and the Middle School moving up ceremonies are on Thursday, weather permitting. Congratulations to all our students, and especially our graduates – may your futures be bright with opportunity!  

They’re not the only group we’re honoring at this time of year. We just recognized our Silver Anniversary employees who have served the District for 25-years, and honored our retirees who have devoted their careers to the Syosset community. I can’t say enough about the dedication of #TeamSyo. Our employees’ #SoSyo “above and beyond” commitment to our students has never been more evident than during the extraordinary challenges of the past several years, and Board of Education trustees took the time to publicly thank this extended family on behalf of the entire community.

Spring Sports roundup

As promised – here’s a comprehensive update on where we finished an amazing Spring season of Syosset sports. Even before the athletic accomplishments, I’m super proud of the fact that every single Syosset team in all three seasons (Fall, Winter, Spring) was named a “Scholar Athlete” team by the New York State Public High School Athletics Association. This means that more than 75% of each team’s players carries an academic average over 90. Syosset now has the opportunity to earn a school of distinction recognition for this accomplishment. 

• Boys Tennis: For the first time in our school’s history, our Boys Tennis team finished as New York State Champions! We are so proud of these boys for their grit and determination. Way to go!
• Track & Field: Our Boys Track and Field Team came second in Nassau County and their 4 x 100 meter relay earned All State honors. Girls Track and Field were division champs, and also finished second at the county championship meet. 
• Golf: Girls Golf finished second in their conference, and 6th in the county tournament overall. Four members of the Boys Golf team qualified for the county individual tournament in a very competitive field. 
• Lacrosse: Our Girls Lacrosse team were Nassau County semi-finalists and our Boys were Nassau County Big 4 Champions. 
• Baseball: The boys Baseball team were Nassau County quarter-finalists.
• Softball: For the first time in over 30 years, the Girls Softball team made it to the Nassau County AA Championship, finishing second in the County. 
• Girls Badminton: The Girls Badminton team finished the season as Nassau County semi-finalists.  
• Girls Flag Football: In their inaugural season, the Syosset girl’s flag football team finished 6th in the conference! And, Sophomore quarterback/safety Ivy Matthews became our first ever all-county flag football player. 
• Rowing: Three Syosset students (Dylan Geissler, Marcus Hoshino, and Andrew Meneshian) made it to the National Championship Regatta, pulling the 10th fastest time in the nation in their category and going on to win the “C” finals. 

There are so many individual accomplishments to mention, we’ve created a complete list here. But I do want to pause for a minute to offer some shout-outs for our graduating Seniors’ athletic accomplishments (you can also see a full list of those outstanding seniors here):

• All-American athletes are recognized as among the best in the nation in their respective sport. Congrats to Jacob Brockey, Hallie Fleshel, Parker Kim, and Rebecca Millevoi! 
• The Strength and Conditioning award is presented to athletes who have committed themselves to improving their overall fitness. Congrats to Kevin Hargrave and Casey Ghamar. John Munoz earned All-American from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. 
• The Unsung Hero Award is presented to the student athletes whose positive attitude has strengthened team morale. Congrats to Brynn Schwartzman and Benjamin Marmor! 
• The Athletic Director’s Award is given to athletes for their outstanding contributions to the athletics program. Congrats to William Henry, Jalen Li, and Rebecca Millevoi! 
• The Syosset Brave Award goes to the student who demonstrates outstanding leadership and sportsmanship. Congrats to AJ Zuleta and Natalie Socci! 
• The John Pappas Award is given to athletes who demonstrate leadership, character and commitment to the athletic program. Congrats to Jordan Altman and Casey Ghamar!
  …and…
• The Frank Manarel and Connie Kulik awards are presented to the most outstanding male and female athletes of the year. Congrats to John Munoz and Samantha Mayer! 

A bit of music… 

It’s a little #SoSyo that before this school year is even wrapped up, we have an accomplishment from next year to celebrate already. Each year, NYSSMA selects a handful of ensembles to perform in their “Concert Hour” series at its All-State Conference in Rochester. These ensembles are considered to be the best examples of music education in the state of New York. Our orchestra and band directors each submitted recordings of Syosset’s chamber orchestra and wind ensemble for consideration – and both were selected to be featured performers at the conference this coming December. The last time our Chamber Orchestra was invited to attend this conference was in 1996! 

Bright Spot

Junior Sophie Sherman is making a BIG difference using some special little words: Good Enough. In collaboration with the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD), Sophie created personalized bracelets to hand out at school to provide her classmates with a daily reminder on their wrist to love themselves first. She distributed more than 350 bracelets along with brochures to raise awareness about resources available to anyone who may be struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues. 

Thank you, Sophie, for your commitment to your classmates and your community. 

_____

A reminder we are off this coming Monday, June 19th in recognition of Juneteenth.

Have a great weekend!

#TeamSyo
Tom Rogers

Dear Syosset Community,

Happy last day of school!!! Well, until summer school starts in two weeks, that is. After watching last year’s graduations on livestream while recovering from my own bout of COVID, it was great to be back in person with families, staff, and especially our students, celebrating their big day and an amazing year. It’s hard to believe that was only a year ago because we managed this school year with very few remaining vestiges of our pandemic mitigation efforts. These kids have truly lived through unprecedented times, and have impressed us all with their resilience and success.

So I personally found this week of celebration particularly inspiring this year. I couldn’t be everywhere, of course, and can’t possibly do all the ceremonies justice or quote every speaker. So forgive me. But I’d love to share some moments and glimpses that resonated with me, and hopefully with you too. This week, let’s consider this entire message my Bright Spot! 

Elementary 
(You can view photos of our Elementary moving up ceremonies here) 

It’s amazing how perceptive children can be. As adults, we try to shield them from the fears of the world – but, even our youngest students still recognize when times are tough. 

Class speakers and Walt Whitman fifth graders Leah Kralstein and Elliet Choi reflected on the challenges COVID presented throughout their Elementary education. Leah said that after months of being trapped inside (and admittedly a little scared), coming back to school felt like coming back home. But, even during those times, she felt like she had the support of her Walt Whitman family, even through a screen. Elliet echoed that same sentiment. She said despite COVID, there were ways to have fun in school – like listening to teachers read bedtime stories over Zoom. They both said that there are struggles as you grow up, but none that are too difficult to overcome. Trustee Jack Ostrick observed that “I don’t know…” can be one of the smartest things you ever say, provided you follow it with “... but I’m going to find out.”

Trustee Lynn Abramson reassured Baylis graduates that, like her son last year, they would seamlessly make the transition to HBT. The audience not only shared their goodbyes with the 5th grade class, they also wished Principal Lisa Greiner well on her own “moving up” ceremony as she retires at the end of this school year. Thank you, Lisa, for your wonderful leadership and many years of service to Syosset!

Moving on can be scary–but these students are confident that they are entering another safe space in their middle schools. At Village, student council Vice President Henry Pokrywka spoke to his class. He said, “Today, we celebrate the end of one chapter and the beginning of another… let us begin our new journey with curiosity, determination and courage while we meet new friends at South Woods.”

Robbins Lane students sang their class song – Believe by Shawn Mendes. The lyrics say: “Let your dreams take flight, and your heart ignite. Did you know that it's true? Everything is possible.There's nothing we can't do.” Trustee Brian Greico quipped that the school’s name has its own sign on the Long Island Expressway. 

A.P. Willits wowed the audience with a special renditions of Viva La Vida by Coldplay. The students created special lyrics about their time in Elementary School. The bridge went like this: “Class of twenty-three hear us singing H-B-T for we are leaving. Say goodbye, but we won’t forget in this special place that we met.” Trustee Susan Falkove thanked the teachers for helping our children “become creative thinkers, independent workers, and more empathic people… our students don’t just learn reading, writing, and math. They learn to be brave, to take risks, to persevere, and to find beauty in even the smallest moments.” 

Trustee Anna Levitan spoke to the class at Berry Hill. She encouraged the soon to be Middle Schoolers to “keep on learning, be curious, and have a positive attitude.” Principal Mary Kolkhorst shared this parting thought from Ghandi: “There are no goodbyes for us, wherever you are you will always be in my heart.”

I loved South Grove fifth grade class President Harrison Yoo who quoted Aesop to his fellow graduates: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” That truly is fabled advice. 

I am confident that this resilience and desire to spread kindness will follow these fifth graders as they move on to their respective Middle Schools. HBT and South Woods have bright futures ahead. 

Middle School 

At the South Woods Middle School graduation, pinch hitting for Board Vice President Lisa Coscia, Trustee Dr. Shany Park shared with the students an important reminder, quoting Lilli Vaihere: 

“Behind you, all your memories. 
Before you, all your dreams. 
Around you, all who love you. 
Within you, all you need.”

Principal Michelle Burget followed with a reminder of the Starfish Story – none of us can make all the difference to everyone, but each of us might make all the difference to someone. Student speaker Madeline Lee noted: “South Woods gave us a community of diverse individuals and opportunities to pursue our passions.” Anoushka Jhaveri concurred: “We have made lifelong friends, learned valuable lessons, and created lasting memories.”
(South Woods moving up images can be found at this link)

HBT managed to graduate their largest class in a long time – 350 students! – in record fashion. Working around today’s unsettled weather, the inside of the high school gym was festooned with balloons and students glimpsed their future home. The adversity set the stage for Trustee Carol Cheng’s reminder to be “tenacious!” Ten students collaborated to share their “Top 10” HBT moments ranging from Juha Kim’s humorous thank you to a lunch aide who always shared extra croutons, to Max Piel’s fond reminiscence on the resurrected trip to Washington D.C., to Saanvi Sanghavi’s poignant observation: “I arrived at HBT with uncertainties, fear, and self-doubt, but I will leave HBT with ambition, dreams, and beautiful memories.” 
(HBT moving up images can be found at this link)

This will be a Freshman Class for the ages!

High School 

The culmination of a Syosset education is the High School commencement exercise. It is a highlight for our entire community–many of us have watched these students grow from Kindergarteners, nearly swallowed whole by backpacks, to confident Seniors who fearlessly rule the halls. 

Class Speaker Anika Shah acknowledged the challenges of the past four years, and how her class was able to thrive despite them. “We definitely were not expecting an online freshman year, a hybrid sophomore year, and a junior year behind plexiglass and masks,” she said.

Board President Tom Rotolo surprised the students by asking them to hug one another as a reminder of the bonds we share, and the graduates surprised all of us by standing and doing it. We are one big Syosset family!

In speaking to the class, I reflected on what’s been a challenging time for all of us. As a community, we lost a student, we lost neighbors, and I lost a dear colleague. But these moments are reminders to live each day with intention, not waiting for tomorrow. Instead of being a cork swept along in the current, we should be steering our ship with a rudder – intentionally living the stories we will want someday to tell. 

Valedictorian Alex Lin Wang reflected on the question often asked of every child: what do you want to be when you grow up? “This is probably the worst question you can ask a kid,” he said. “As you know, dreams change.” But he pivoted to an observation wise beyond his years: “Whether you know what you want to do today, or discover it later—it will never be too late.”

I hope you enjoyed this synopsis of the graduation ceremonies and that you’ll enjoy this scene from the very end of the SHS ceremony.

(Additional photos of our High School graduation can be found here)

Until September… 

A reminder that our 2023-2024 school planning calendar is available on our website–you can find it at this link. A paper copy of our full District calendar will be posted online, and sent to your homes, sometime in mid-August.

My administration will be hard at work this summer preparing for another successful school year this September. There will be a lot of physical construction around the District - this is the time to get things done. But this will be the last Friday update I construct for a bit. If I have anything exciting to share, I know where to find you, and if you need anything, you know where to find us. 

School begins again on September 5th. Until then, whether your plans include camp, travel, surf, sand, sports, or a good book, I wish you all a wonderful, relaxing, rejuvenating summer. 

This week’s graduation-themed hashtag is courtesy of Ms. Kossof (whose Baylis twins just moved up to HBT).

#SyoSoars 
Tom Rogers