YOUR SCHOOLS

NEWSLETTER OF THE ROCKVILLE CENTRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS Volume 40• Number 1 October 2018

October

3

5

8

17

November

1

6

12

14

21-23

To All Rockville Centre School District

Residents If you believe that your

school-age or preschool child

may have a disability, please

contact Dr. Noreen Leahy,

Assistant Superintendent of

Schools for Pupil Personnel

Services and Special Education,

(516) 255-8928, or Dr. Orly

Gadon, Chairperson of the

C o m m i t t e e o n S p e c i a l

Education/Preschool Education

at (516) 255-8942.

SSHS Named National Blue

Ribbon School

Security in Our Buildings

SSHS Recognized as

Scholar-Athlete Team

School of Excellence

Meet Our New Staff

Upcoming Events

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

DATES TO REMEMBER

Board of Education Public

Work Session

Annual Test of

“Early Dismissal Plan”

Schools Closed for Students

—Columbus Day

Board of Education Meeting

South Side High School Named

National Blue Ribbon School

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education seeks out and

celebrates great American schools by awarding the National

Blue Ribbon School recognition. Schools are selected based

on their overall academic excellence and their progress in

closing achievement gaps among students. All Kindergarten

through 12th grade public schools in the Nation are eligible;

this year, 7 schools in New York State were selected. We are

proud to announce that South Side High School received this

honorable recognition.

South Side High School’s reputation and success stem from a

personalized approach to learning and universal acceleration.

At South Side all students are enrolled in IB English and

History in grade 11. As seniors, all students are enrolled in

English 12, where they have the opportunity to take the IB

Language and Literature exam in May. All students experience

a rich and dynamic curricula and have access to a variety of

support services.

In 2018, 61% of the graduating class completed the

requirements for a full IB Diploma. 90% of all South Side

graduates completed one or more IB or AP courses. Students

at South Side balance academic success with a healthy

involvement in extracurricular activities, and can choose from

over 70 clubs and organizations.

The National Blue Ribbon School award affirms the hard work

of the students of the Rockville Centre School District, its

educators, families, and the community.

Board of Education Public

Work Session

Schools Closed —Election

Day

Schools Closed —Veterans

Day

Board of Education Meeting

Schools Closed —

Thanksgiving

Security in Our Buildings - Working Together Rockville Centre UFSD, Rockville Centre Police Department

and Northwell Health Emergency preparedness is given the highest priority in our School District. The safety,

security and well-being of all students and staff is central to our core mission. To ensure

collaboration and communication during an emergency, the District has established a close

working relationship with Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Vafeades, the Nassau County

Police Department and Assistant Vice President of Northwell Health, Nathan Christopherson, and

is committed to working side-by-side on reinforcing preparations for emergency situations.

In June, prior to the end of the school year, the District, together with the Rockville Centre Police

Department and Northwell Health, simulated an ‘Active Shooter’ and a ‘Stop the Bleed’ drill at

South Side High School. The drill included two hours of classroom and hands-on instruction

during which faculty and staff were given a look at how law enforcement handles an emergency

situation and were trained on how to prolong victims’ lives while waiting for emergency care to

arrive. We are planning additional Emergency Response Drills throughout the District during the

school year.

Drills continue to be the best way to prepare for an emergency. Our students practice a number

of drills throughout the school year, including Fire, Emergency and Early Dismissal. We will

continue to work collaboratively with the Rockville Centre Police Department, the Nassau

County Police Department and Northwell Health so that everyone knows their role in an

emergency situation. In the coming weeks the District will release a special Your Schools

Edition, Security in Our Schools.

We are proud to announce that South Side High School was named a 2017-2018

Scholar-Athlete School of Excellence by The New York State Public High School Athletic

Association (NYSPHSAA). This prestigious award recognizes schools in which the athletic

teams excel scholastically. Individual teams qualify as a “Scholar-Athletic Team” when 75%

of the students on the team’s roster have a total Academic Grade Point Average (GPA) of 90

or above. Schools qualify as a “Scholar-Athlete School of Excellence” when 75% of the

Varsity Teams receive the Scholar-Athlete Team Award. The award is evidence that our

schools, administrators, coaches and student-athletes focus on excellence in the classroom

as well as the playing fields.

Throughout the 2017-18 school year, South Side athletes demonstrated poise, composure and

sportsmanship on the fields, on mats and courts. This was a collective effort by all South Side

Cyclones. This recognition reflects our student athletes’ abilities to excel in their academics as

well as on their sports teams. We congratulate our coaches, their staffs and our student athletes

on their success.

South Side High School Recognized as

Scholar-Athlete Team School of Excellence

Mr. Nicholas Boyiatzis earned his Bachelor of Arts at Hofstra University and his Master of Science at

Hunter College. Mr. Boyiatzis will be working as a Guidance Counselor at South Side Middle School.

Ms. Jessica Cheliotes earned her Bachelor of Arts and her Master of Arts at Binghamton University.

Ms. Cheliotes will be working as a Special Education teacher at Covert Elementary School. Mr. Matthew

Formichelli earned his Bachelor of Science at Dowling College and his Master of Arts at Stony Brook

University. Mr. Formichelli will be teaching Science at South Side Middle School. Ms. Allison Gallagher

earned her Bachelor of Arts at The College of St. Rose and her Master of Science at Hofstra University.

Ms. Gallagher will be working as a Special Education teacher at South Side High School. Ms. Kelsey

Gregerson earned her Bachelor of Science and her Master of Arts at Hofstra University. Ms. Gregerson will

be teaching Physical Education District-wide. Ms. Emily Grillo earned her Bachelor of Science and Master

of Arts at Adelphi University. Ms. Grillo will be teaching Mathematics at South Side High School. Ms. Danyi

Hamilton earned her Bachelor of Arts and her Master of Science TESOL at Molloy College. Ms. Hamilton

will be teaching Foreign Language at South Side Middle School. Ms. Jade Jacobs earned her Bachelor of

Arts at Howard University and her Master of Science at Long Island University CW Post. Ms. Jacobs will be the

Library Media Specialist at South Side Middle School. Ms. Kayla Jorde earned her Bachelor of Arts at

Hofstra University and is pursuing her Masters degree at Mercy College. Ms. Jorde will teach STELLAR at

Hewitt Elementary School. Ms. Lacey Lohr earned her Bachelor of Science at SUNY New Paltz and her

Master of Science at Hofstra University. Ms. Lohr has been working as a STELLAR teacher at Wilson School

since December 2017. Ms. Kori Miller earned her Bachelor of Arts at Siena College and her Master of

Science at Queens College. Ms. Miller will be teaching Math at South Side Middle School. Ms. Joanna

Nazario earned her Bachelor of Arts at Molloy College and her Master of Science at Adelphi University.

Ms. Nazario will be teaching Speech District-wide. Ms. Codi Ng earned her Bachelor of Music at Crane

School of Music, SUNY Potsdam and her Master of Music at University of Colorado, Boulder. Ms. Ng will be

teaching Orchestra at Hewitt, Riverside and Watson Elementary Schools. Ms. Patricia Takach earned her

Bachelor of Science at the University of Delaware and her Master of Science at Molloy College. Ms. Takach

will be teaching Special Education at South Side High School. Mr. Patrick Walsh earned his Bachelor of

Arts and his Master of Science at Molloy College. Mr. Walsh is currently pursuing his Doctorate at St. John’s

University. Mr. Walsh will be working as an Assistant Principal at South Side High School. Ms. Katherine

Yamond earned her Bachelor of Arts at Siena College and her Master of Social Work at Fordham University.

Ms. Yamond will be working as a Social Worker at South Side High School.

L to R: Allison Gallagher, Patricia Takach, Katherine Yamond, Patrick Walsh. Not pictured: Emily Grillo

Lacey Lohr

Jessica Cheliotes

L to R: Nicholas Boyiatzis, Kori Miller, Danyi Hamilton, Matthew Formichelli, Jade Jacobs

Kayla Jorde Codi Ng

Kelsey Gregerson Joanna Nazario

Rockville Centre Public Schools 128 Shepherd Street Rockville Centre, NY 11570

(516)255-8957 JOHN O’SHEA, President

TARA HACKETT , Vice President SUSAN McNULTY, Secretary

LIZ DION, Trustee KELLY BARRY, Trustee

WILLIAM H. JOHNSON, Ed.D., Supt. of Schools ROBERT A. BARTELS, Asst. Supt. of Schools

CHRISTOPHER J. PELLETTIERI, Ed.D., Asst. Supt. of Schools NOREEN LEAHY, Ed.D., Asst. Supt. of Schools

Welcome to the 2018/2019 school year! We look forward to seeing you at some of our upcoming events:

High School Spirit Week is filled with events that unite the grades and emphasizes the importance of teamwork and helping others. Activities throughout the week include lip-synch, a pie-eating contest, tug of war, and Mind

Olympics. Students will collect canned foods and small toys to be distributed to those in need. The final

celebration of Spirit Week is the Homecoming Parade and Football Game which will be held on October 13th.

The parade features floats designed and created by students. The parade starts at 12pm on Long Beach Road.

Kickoff for the game is at 2pm at South Side High School.

The 7th Annual RVC Family Fun Fitness Fair and Substance Use Awareness Walkathon will be held at 9:30am on Saturday, October 20th at South Side Middle School. This event emphasizes the importance of creating positive

self-images and making healthy choices in our lives. Join us for fitness activities, nutritional information and

health checks.

Elementary students will show off their costumes to friends and family during the annual Halloween Parades on Wednesday, October 31st.

On Thursday, November 8th the community is invited to South Side High School’s 3rd Annual Open House.

Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the building and see how education comes alive in our high school

classrooms. Meet our faculty and students, learn about academic offerings and programs and visit

representatives from the many clubs and extracurricular activities that are offered to our students. The Open

House will be from 7-8:30pm.

Upcoming Events

First Day of School