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Friday, December 16, 2016
Vol. 76, No. 49
TOYS FOR TOTS
Syosset schools to recognize additional religious holidays BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto (second from left), Councilman Joseph D. Muscarella (right), Councilman Anthony D. Macagnone (fourth from right), Councilman Chris J. Coschignano (second from right), Councilman Joseph G. Pinto (fifth from right), Councilwoman Michele M. Johnson (left), Town Clerk James Altadonna Jr. (third from right) and Receiver of Taxes James J. Stefanich (fourth from left) were recently on hand to display toys that were collected at the Toys for Tots toy collection drive held at Town Hall North in Oyster Bay. The toy drive, which included drop off points at facilities throughout the Town of Oyster Bay, is a part of the United States Marine Corp’s (USMC) Toys for Tots Program that delivers gifts to less fortunate families every year to ensure that they have a happy holiday. With the Town Officials are USMC Major Chuck Kilbride (third from left) and USMC Toys for Tots Co-Chairman John Blasig (fifth from left) who collected the toys.
Elementary School renamed in honor of Legislator Judy Jacobs BY GARY SIMEONE
At last Monday’s Plainview-Old Bethpage Board of Education meeting the Board made the unanimous decision to rename a local elementary school on behalf of the late Nassau County Legislator, Judith Jacobs who passed away in September. As of Monday, Parkway Elementary School, located on 100 Manetto Hill Road, is now known as the Judy Jacobs Parkway Elementary School.
“We are honored one of our buildings has been named in honor of distinguished Legislator, Judith Jacobs,” said School Superintendent, Dr. Lorna Lewis. “She gave so much to our community and so much to our schools.” Dr. Lewis said that Jacobs never turned down an opportunity to celebrate the children and staff in the schools and that her legacy will be very difficult to replace. “She was an amazing Legislator who See page 10
On Tuesday, December 6 in the Syosset High School Little Theatre a crowd of 35 people including parents, teachers a few students and curious residents turned up on a rainy night to hear the Syosset Central School District’s preliminary proposal for the 2017-2018 school year to incorporate four annual religious/cultural holidays. They range from the Hindu and Muslim faiths, respectively, with the Festival of Lights Diwali, Eid Al-adha and Eid Al-Fitr, and Lunar New Year (Spring Festival) celebrated in either late January or early February. The district typically coordinates and maps out the following school year’s calendar in November and December of the preceding year, but in this special case the plans have the backdrop of Syosset Schools making history as the first Long Island school district to recognize these holidays. Syosset made the original announcement for its planning in October at the school board’s monthly meeting, following a resident’s petition that spread far and wide. But at the Syosset Board of Education’s meeting on Monday, December 19, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Rogers and V. Dolly Kranz, Assistant to the Superintendent for Curriculum, Research, and Administrative Support, will present the administration’s formal planning of the 2017-2018 school calendar for board approval. A number of district parents helped the schools’ administration make strides with this effort. Formal adoption of school year calendars is generally done in January, and with
additional strategy needed Rogers says the advice and direction from the school board this October was timely. “At the November meeting we gave the school board two options to look at: less impactful ways to go about accommodating the days and more impactful ways of accommodating the days. More impactful would mean interrupting some of the larger breaks we take during the school year, and less impactful would be identifying some days that are not mandatory but that we typically have off,” Dr. Rogers said. School districts must schedule a minimum of 180 days of instruction per school year. For Syosset in 20172018, 181 days of school plus four snow days are being planned. The administration’s draft will be reviewed by board members on Monday night. Superintendent’s Conference Days generally at the very start of the school year, with students off, are one avenue for less impacts on the overall schedule. Kranz said one could be added to 2017-2018 under state rules, and another less impactful method would be incorporating school on Tuesday November 7, 2017, Election Day for students as 2017 doesn’t mark a Presidential Election year with high voter turnout at polls based in schools. Kranz added that during the same week Veteran’s Day doesn’t necessitate observance on a weekday under state rules as it falls on Saturday, November 11, 2017. “If we were to schedule a weekday to observe it we can add another Superintendent’s Conference day on Friday, November 10. Also, not precedent-setting but the Wednesday See page 10
Syosset Rotary hosts Disabled Vets PAGE 15 Robert Seaman School Sports Night PAGE 4