School News

Valley Stream Schools: Back in business

Teachers ramping up for schools’ opening on Sept. 7

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Chairs and carts full of supplies lined a hallway of the William L. Buck Elementary School, just outside the classroom where Chris Chruma, a fourth-grade teacher, affixed nametags to the desks of his future students.

“Right now I have them set up as is,” he said. “I’ll know within the first 10, 15 minutes if something’s not going to work. That’s the challenge — you have to get to know the kids.”

Chruma, who has taught in the district for 21 years, said that on the first day of school, he does a lot of the talking — telling students about himself and his background to try and make them comfortable. “They come in looking for a fresh start, but also a little nervous,” he said.

The newest items in the classroom are reading textbooks, which now align with the state’s Common Core curriculum, though Chruma said he is always reinventing his approach. “I always try new things,” he said. “I try to make it fun … Finding a common interest with these kids goes a long way, and that’s why I like to share personal stories of my own. I have three 15-year-olds at home, so I have triplets.”

He also said that a big part of what he does, involves what’s called a “mood meter,” to measure the emotional health of the students in the classroom. Every room in District 24 comes with one.

“That’s a program that really teaches children how to recognize their emotions — how to deal with their emotions and talk about them,” said Superintendent Ed Fale. “So that’s really one of our goals, is to really make sure that we’re focusing on the whole child. Education is much more — I mean, academics certainly is a major part of education — but it’s much more than just tests and New York state assessments.”

Fale said that District 24 implemented the RULER program, an acronym for recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating emotions, about 12 years ago — and was one of the first districts in the state to do so.
The first day of school, he said, brings a “spirit of freshness” to the buildings, and administrators enjoy touring the classrooms in the first month of school.

He also indicated that the district’s burgeoning enrollment, although still a concern for the administration, will be less of one this year: It has decreased by about 20 students. Fale said that the drop in enrollment was unusual, given the data from the past three years, but was consistent with population changes in Nassau County.

The Board of Education has monitored enrollment increases closely in recent years, and in January trustees learned that architects priced one possible remediation plan for the district’s outdated facilities at $18.5 million.

Celebrating opening day in District 13

District 13 Superintendent Constance Evelyn said that to her, the first day of school is always a celebration.

“I always say that our No. 1 job as educators on the first day of school — for the whole school community, for everyone, but particularly for students — is that they’re really excited about coming back the next day,” she said.

All four buildings now have new concrete walkways, chimneys and roofs, Evelyn said, adding, “Some of the work we did this summer is remarkable.”

New this year is an enhanced Chromebook initiative, which provides all students in grades four through six with their own devices. The district’s technology department has been reorganized to adapt to this change. “A lot of really good things are happening in Valley Stream 13, and it’s not just technology,” Evelyn said. “Before you can enhance the use of instructional technology, you have to be working on improving your core curriculum and instruction.”

She also said that a team of school officials were trained at Yale University this summer, and the district will implement the same emotional intelligence program — RULER — used at its sister schools in Districts 24 and 30.

“I just felt it was important that as a community, we have a shared language about social-emotional learning, because [the students are] all rising to the Central High School District,” she said.

iPads galore in District 30

According to District 30 Superintendent Nicholas Stirling, there isn’t a sudden ramping up for school in August, because the preparation never stops.

Stirling said that the district has purchased enough iPads so that every student in grades three through six will have his or her own, and for every two students from kindergarten to second grade, there will be an iPad available.

“We really have done a lot last year in terms of piloting [new technology] and getting our staff prepared,” he said. “It’s not just the professional development and the iPads for students; we also have new equipment in terms of Macs for teachers, so they themselves are being exposed to new technologies for them to integrate into the classroom.”

Nicole Schimpf, the district’s director of special services, cited the example of a student whose grades were impeccable, despite the stress of having an ill relative, as proof of the effectiveness of the RULER program — which will now be in effect in all three elementary school districts — because it teaches staff to recognize behavioral cues, and it teaches students that it’s OK to discuss their feelings.

Stirling said that although he is always dropping in on classrooms, the first day is different because students and staff have gone months without seeing one another. Also different this year is the look of some of the buildings. The two-story addition to Clear Stream Avenue Elementary will include two classrooms, two resource rooms and a new elevator. Similar expansions are being planned for Forest Avenue and Shaw Avenue elementary schools.

School board President Jim Lavery said that the capital projects at Clear Stream, which began in June, were progressing nicely. “To see all this work that’s been done in just seven or eight weeks is amazing,” he said. “Just walking into the rooms, the brightness — it just has a whole new look. And it’s going to look even better by next week.”

Central High School District

Superintendent Bill Heidenreich said that the first day of school hasn’t lost its allure over the course of his career.

“I’ve been in education for 23 years,” he said. “This is probably close to my 40th first day of school. No matter how many times you’ve had a first day of school, there’s something exciting about it. It’s like Opening Day in baseball.”

Students will arrive at all four buildings with brand new computer labs ready for use, he said, adding that maintenance crews have worked throughout the summer on masonry and building upkeep.

“We probably have about a hundred year-round employees — whether they be administrative, clerical, custodial or maintenance,” Heidenreich said. “Even though school is on vacation from July to August, these employees don’t take vacation.”

Michael Kaplan, former assistant principal of Memorial Junior High School, was recently appointed to fill a vacancy left by the departure of MJHS Principal Anthony Mignella last month. Heidenreich said that Kaplan was “very familiar with the school,” and would hold the position until a replacement was found.
The best part of the first day of school, according to Heidenreich, is that “You get to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.”