JerichoSchool News

-Board of Education Adopts Budget

-Get Healthy Week a Success

-Nutrition a Top Priority

-Common Core Algebra Regents &Integrated Algebra Regents

VOLUME 30, NUMBER 43 March 2014

Jericho High School Students Shine in Intel CompetitionPreeti Kakani and Kaitlyn Shin, both

seniors at Jericho High School, are two ofonly 40 students from across the UnitedStates that were named finalists in the IntelScience Talent Search. Kakani’s project is entitled Differential

Gene Expression Prior to Eye Opening inMouse Superior Colliculus, and Shin’s pro-ject is entitled Photon and PositronEmission from Primordial Black HoleClusters.Last month, it was announced that eight

Jericho seniors were named semifinalists inthe Intel competition chosen from almost1,800 entrants. In addition to Kakani andShin, Ken Aizawa, Matthew Chun, Chenle(Leo) Hu, Xingan (Ian) Hua, Dohee (Diane)Na, and Amy Zu were named semifinalists. “This is an unprecedented year for theJericho High School family of academi-cians. It is an unusual feat to have eight stu-dents from Jericho High School acknowl-edged as Intel STS semifinalists; coupledwith two students’ earning the most presti-gious award of Intel STS finalists,” saidSerena McCalla, Science ResearchCoordinator for Jericho High School.

The students worked on the following pro-jects: *Ken Aizawa - Interrogating SGK3

Function in Cancer*Matthew Chun - Stoichiometric Laser-

Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy forSimple and Cost-Effective Laser MaterialFabrication: A Case Study ofPolycrystalline Yttrium Aluminum GarnetCeramics*Chenle (Leo) Hu - The Effects of SRSF1,SRSF6, TRA2b, and HNRNPA1Expression on Human Breast Cancer Cells*Xingan (Ian) Hua - RNA-Seq IdentifiesCritical Genes Deregulated in SpinalMuscular Atrophy*Dohee (Diane) Na - Elucidation of RacialDisparity Between Caucasian and AfricanAmerican Prostate Cancer for theDevelopment of PersonalizedPharmacogenetics*Amy Xu - Host-specific Binding of ClfBin Staphylococcal Nasal Carriage“Most of the Intel STS semifinalists and

finalists have been in our research programfor three consecutive years and have gainedinsight in a scientific discipline that

enthralls the student learner,” said McCalla.“The students systematically complete thescientific method, including conductingexperiments and writing journal worthypapers and essays that culminated with theworks submitted to Intel STS. The studentsshould be extremely proud of their accom-plishments and I am humbled by their dedi-cation to this course and the scienceresearch process. Jericho research studentsare outstanding scientists and epitomize thewell-rounded, resolute, assiduous studentbody of Jericho UFSD. I congratulate theIntel STS semifinalists and finalists, theirfamilies, Jericho HS teachers and adminis-tration whose collaborative efforts haveensured such noteworthy accolades.”Each of the 300 students named a semifi-nalist in the Intel STS 2014 will receive a$1,000 award for his or her outstandingresearch. Additionally, to recognize excel-lence in teaching and school support of indi-vidual student research, every school willreceive an award of $1,000 for each semifi-nalist named in the Intel STS 2014. Thisaward is used to further excellence in sci-ence, math, and/or engineering education.

Pictured (L-R) are Preeti Kakani, Matthew Chun, Ken Aizawa, Chenle (Leo) Hu,Xingan (Ian) Hua, Amy Xu, Kaitlyn Shin, and DoHee (Diane) Na.

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In this Issue:

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Middle & High School Diversity Performances Showcase Talent

This Korean Traditional Dance with Tae Kwon Do was a great success

Josie Adefuye sings Let it Be p

pA beautiful Indian Fusion Dance

Matt Watterud made a greatentrance on his skateboard

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“Dances From OurWorlds” was a fan-favorite

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Saipranavi Kethireddy & Saipranati Kethireddy performed “Kolanidopariki”p

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Jericho School News March 2014

Jericho High School was recently named aSchool of Distinction for the ninth consec-utive year. Jericho qualified for this presti-gious award after 100% of all varsityteams during the 2012-2013 school yearwere declared Scholar/Athlete Teams withacademic averages above 90%. Jericho’snine years in a row is the most of anyschool in New York State. From left: BobStulmaker, Assistant Director, New YorkState Public High School AthleticAssociation (NYSPHSAA) and StephanieJoannon, Director of Health, PhysicalEducation and Athletics, Port WashingtonUFSD and President, NYSPHSAA SectionVII present School of Distinction Award toJericho School District’s CurriculumAssociate for Health, Physical Educationand Athletics John Mankowich. Theawards were distributed at a Section 8Executive Committee and AthleticsCouncil meeting hosted by NassauBOCES’ Interscholastic AthleticsExecutive Director, Nina Van Erk.

Jericho High School Named School of Distinction

Dr. Stephen Dewey meets with MiddleSchool students after his presentation.

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The Jericho Wellness Coalition, in cooperation with Jericho Middle Schooland High School, recently completed a successful Get Healthy Week for staffand students.Staff and students were encouraged to participate in the Fitness Walk, whichwas an indoor route that was mapped out throughout the school, and log howmany miles they walked. High School staff members were given prizes for themost miles walked and students earned points toward Battle of the Classes.Yoga classes were offered throughout the week as well. The week also included a powerful assembly program with Dr. Stephen

Dewey, a distinguished scientist and researcher at the Feinstein Institute onMedical Research. Dr. Dewey shared his research with middle and high schoolstudents on how drugs and alcohol impact the developing brain. Feedbackfrom students was extremely positive, with many kids sharing that his non-judgmental scientific approach to drug prevention was very refreshing andenlightening.Middle School Principal Don Gately and High School Social Worker ToddBenjamin held a Book Talk during the week entitled “Come Fail With Us – theGrowth Mindset.” This was well attended by parents and was based on thebook Mindset by Carol Dweck. The premise of the Book Talk was to explorethat success often occurs when we embrace and learn from our mistakes, whichis part of the Growth Mindset. The week concluded with a Health & Wellness Expo that included healthyfood, recipes, demonstrations by Whole Foods, and a lesson about essentialoils. The Coalition hopes to make this a yearly event.

Jericho Wellness Coalition Supports Successful Get Healthy Week

March 2014 Jericho School News

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Board of Ed Adopts 2014-2015 Budget That Freezes the Tax LevyJericho’s Board of Education unanimously adopted the proposed 2014-2015

school district budget at an open meeting on March 20, 2014. The $119,572,384 budget represents a 1.44% budget increase and a flat tax levy.

Since January, the district hosted a series of public workshops to review the financial status of the school dis-trict and create a budget for the coming year. The Board of Education and district administration requested inputfrom members of the school community at these workshops. “We have worked collaboratively to create a fiscalplan that continues the highest quality instructional program, expands investment in technology, and is extreme-ly mindful of our taxpayers,” explains Jericho Superintendent Hank Grishman. Below is an outline of some significant items that impacted the budget development process. A full BudgetNewsletter will be mailed to residents in May.

On the Ballot...Proposition #2

Shall the Board of Education be authorized to appro-priate and expend a total amount of $3,800,000 fromcurrent funds available within the general fund for theprojects listed below, including incidental and neces-sary expenses in connection therewith: *Jericho High/Middle School Auditorium Asbestos

Abatement and renovations*District-wide security upgrades

BUDGET VOTE Tuesday, May 20, 20146 AM – 9 PM

Jericho MS/HS Samuel Springer GymnasiumVoter Qualifications:

• A U.S. citizen • Over the age of 18 • District resident for more than 30 days(Bring 2 documents for proof of district residency i.e.: drivers license, telephone bill, utility bill,

and house deed or rental agreement.)NEW VOTERS MAY REGISTER IN THE GYM ON THE DAY OF THE VOTE.Please call 203-3600, ext. 3214 for more information or to

request an absentee ballot.Visit www.jerichoschools.org to view proposed budget

BUDGET STRATEGIES:• Remain committed to being a premier district • Commitment to our District’s mission and goals• Keep a multi-year perspective on the budget• Long-range planning for our educational programsand goals• Maintain our building reconditioning projects• Continue our technology replacement plans and expand technological initiatives district-wide• Continue to pursue efficiencies in all areas of the school district.

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 2014-15:• Increase Wi-Fi access throughout the school district• Introduce 460 iPads throughout the district• Incorporate an additional CNC 3-D printer• Upgrade Network connectivity between buildings• Maintain our building reconditioning projects• Increase network speed and reliability• Back-up Internet access• Additional iMacs for video editing classes

POSITIVE OUTLOOK:•NYS Mandated Employer Contribution Rates to Employee Retirement System will decrease for 2014-15•Although the NYS Mandated Employer Contribution Rates (ECR) to the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) will increase in 2014-15, itwill not be as significant as 2013-14. Additionally, the ECR could potentially plateau which is good news for future budgets•Health insurance premiums for calendar year 2014 reflected nominal increases•Tax Certiorari: the NYS Court of Appeals on February 18, 2014 issued a 30-page opinion in whichit confirms that Nassau County violated the State Constitution when it acted by local law to repeal theCounty Guaranty. This eliminated what would have had a $3-$6 dollar million annual impact to Jericho School District.

March 2014 Jericho School News

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Nutrition a Top Priority in Jericho School DistrictJericho School District’s NutritionCommittee, comprised of parents,school lunch personnel and adminis-trators, holds ongoing meetings todiscuss Jericho’s School Lunch pro-gram. At these meetings, TracyGilet, the Director of Jericho’sSchool Lunch Program, explainsstate and federal policy, listens torecommendations and gets valuablefeedback from attendees.At the most recent meeting, Ms.

Gilet explained that nutrition stan-dards for K-12 students are set inaccordance with the “HealthyHunger Free Act of 2010,” whichaims to improve child nutrition andrequires the USDA to establish stan-dards for all foods sold in schools.Foods sold at an afterschool eventare not subject to these require-

ments. This legislation, which wasenacted in 2012, promotes the avail-ability of healthy snack foods withwhole grains, low fat dairy products,fruits, vegetables or protein foods astheir main ingredients and ensuresthat snack food items are lower infat, sugar, and sodium. They mustprovide more of the nutrients kidsneed.While maintaining the nutrition

standards, Jericho offers manyhomemade menu items, such asMiddle Eastern vegetable salad,Rachael Ray’s tomato salad, hum-mus (made with dried beans), tacos,whole grain penne pasta with home-made meat or marinara sauce, Israelicouscous salad with vegetables, andTuscan vegetable soup.Over the past decade, all kitchens in

the Jericho School District havereceived “A” ratings duringDepartment of Health inspections,while maintaining state and federalstandards. As standards change, Jericho adapts.The most recent changes allowschools to serve larger portions oflean protein and whole grains. Thesechanges were adopted in Jan. 2014. To keep current, the district is in theprocess of researching Point of SaleSystems, which is a software prod-uct that enables families to pay forand monitor their child’s meals online.Information about Jericho’s schoollunch program is available on theschool district’s website at jeri-choschools.org/departments/school_lunch_program.

Board Approves Policy onCoursework and AccelerationThe Board of Education

approved a policy on courseworkand acceleration at the MarchBoard meeting. The policy notesthat only courses taken in theJericho Public Schools will beawarded credit and included in thecalculation of GPA, a practice thathas been in effect for many years.Additionally, courses repeated inthe Jericho Public Schools willreplace previous coursework andwill be included in the calculationof GPA.Students who wish to enroll in

courses at a NYS accredited insti-tution that offers an approvedNYS Regents-level curriculum forpurposes of acceleration or to sat-isfy a pre-requisite may be award-ed credit. However, the followingrequirements must be met:

1. Courses must be preapprovedto be considered. The preapprovalprocess will be delineated in a let-ter sent to parents by the MiddleSchool and High School.2. Only those summer schoolcourses that end in a NYS RegentsExam, administered at the end ofthe summer course, will be consid-ered for acceleration or pre-requi-site purposes.3. A mastery score (85-100) onthe NYS Regents is required inorder for a course to be consideredfor acceleration or to satisfy a pre-requisite.Although credit will be grantedfor approved courses, the coursesand grades will not be included inthe calculation of GPA.

Students who are currently enrolled in an algebracourse are required to be instructed using theCommon Core State Standards, and they are man-dated to take the Common Core Algebra RegentsExam on June 3, 2014. Since this is a transitionalyear, the New York State Education Department willallow students to take the traditional IntegratedAlgebra Regents Exam on June 20, 2014 in additionto the Common Core Algebra Regents Exam. Anystudent who chooses to take the Integrated AlgebraRegents (optional) as well as the Common CoreAlgebra Regents (required) will be able to choosethe better of the two scores to appear on the tran-script. If you determine that your child will NOTtake part in the traditional Integrated AlgebraRegents on June 20, 2014, you will be able to noti-fy the school using a form that will be sent to you byyour principal. Please note that scores for theCommon Core Algebra Regents will not be avail-able from NYS prior to the Integrated AlgebraRegents.

Common Core AlgebraRegents and the Integrated

Algebra Regents

Please visit us at our websitewww.jerichoschools.org

and follow us on Twitter@JerichoUFSD

Jericho Union Free School DistrictJericho, New York 11753(516) 203-3600

Board of EducationWilliam Ferro, PresidentClaire M. Hochheiser, Vice PresidentShawn GladstoneBarbara KriegerJoseph H. Lorintz

Superintendent of SchoolsHenry L. Grishman

Newsletter EditorDenise Nash

Dates to Remember

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@JerichoUFSD Scan the code above tovisit our website

Alumni Hall of Fame InductionThursday, April 10thJericho Public Library

7 PM

Schools ClosedMonday, April 14th –Tuesday, April 22nd

Board of Education MeetingWednesday, April 23rdMiddle School Library

7:30 PM

Public Budget Hearing & Meet the Candidate Night

Tuesday, May 13HS Little Theater

7:30 PM

Budget Vote & ElectionTuesday, May 206 AM - 9 PM

MS/HS Gymnasium

Tony Sinanis Named New York State Elementary Principal of the Year

Tony Sinanis, principal at CantiagueElementary School, was selected asthe 2014 New York State ElementaryPrincipal of the Year by the SchoolAdministrators Association of NewYork State (SAANYS) and theNational Association of ElementarySchool Principals (NAESP). Thisaward is given annually to a memberof SAANYS and NAESP who hasset the pace, character, and quality ofeducation for the children in his orher school. Nominees are administra-tors who are committed to students,parents, and the community and haveshown exceptional contributions tothe educational process.“Tony is an expert in literacy and theresults are readily apparent,” saidSuperintendent Hank Grishman. “He

has also incorporated technology intohis school community in a seamlessfashion. Parents don’t ask their chil-dren what they did at school today,they already know by followingTony’s twitter account, which allowsfor deeper conversations betweenparents and their children. ”Sinanis will be honored for his

accomplishments at an awards cere-mony on May 9 at the Century Housein Latham, New York. As NewYork’s Elementary School Principalof the Year, Sinanis will be celebrat-ed as a National DistinguishedPrincipal by the National Associationof Elementary School Principals at arecognition program sponsored byNAESP and VALIC this fall inWashington, DC.

Jericho School News March 2014