Mrs. Hatton’s class from Maplewood had the opportunity recently to visit the SHEF Makerspace located at the James Kaden Administrative Offices (JKAO) for 2 field trip sessions. Under the guidance of Mrs. D’Elia, our district’s Technology Coach, students had the opportunity to collaboratively problem solve as they designed and built ‘Milo’ the Science Rover Robot and then programmed him using code. Some programmed the robot to change colors, make sounds and loop through previous commands. Students enjoyed working with the Lego Wedo 2.0 software and the Chromebooks in this 21-Century setting and are excited to use the materials to create other structures in the near future.
↧
SHEF Makerspace Promotes Collaboration
↧
The Future Looks Bright and it’s Happening Right Now
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Curriculum Dr. Jared Bloom is pleased to share that at our October 18th Board meeting, we were treated to the first of our District Academic Presentations, which highlighted English Language Arts programs and progress throughout the schools. We thank John Murphy, Jon Macaluso, April Poprilo, Eddie Smith, Steve Toto, and Joann Hili-Carbone for providing such an informative session for our Board of Education, administration, staff, and community members. You can view the full presentation on our district website at SHUFSD.org.
↧
↧
Careers Ahead
The Career Pathways Advisory Council convened at Walt Whitman where representatives from over 40 local businesses met with business students from Mrs. Stueber’s, Mr. Nappi’s, and Mr. Smiloff’s classes. The council, coordinated by Robert Callahan and Cheryl Irizarry facilitates the interaction between South Huntington students and faculty with local businesses, college representatives, and not-for-profit organizations.
The meeting began with an overview of Whitman’s Business courses, which are designed to provide our students with the transferable skills they need to become workplace ready. Those skills include using Microsoft Office software products such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, check writing, budgeting, understanding credit cards, career planning, and understanding and practicing appropriate workplace protocols.
Students from Mrs. Stueber’s Virtual Enterprise class explained how they employ all of those skills and more as owner/operators of their virtual global business. Chris Adams, CEO of one of two firms in operation delivered his firm’s elevator pitch and asks for any businesses who may want to serve as mentors for our students.
Mrs. Irizarry explained the nature of Mock Interview Day and requested business members to consider participating in this year’s upcoming Mock Interview event on December 14th and 15th at Walt Whitman. If anyone would like to participate please contact Mrs. Irizarry at Cirizarry@shufsd.org
Mr. Callahan informed the council of the need for students to gain valuable work experience and asked for members to consider some of the ways in which businesses can participate, include hosting internships, participating in job shadow days, Mock Interview Day as an Interviewer, guest speaking in our classrooms, mentoring our Virtual Enterprise students and providing part-time job opportunities.
Please contact Mr. Callahan via email Rcallahan@shufsd.org if you would like to learn more about how you or your business can help our students in their journey to become the next generation of our workforce.
↧
PTA Pizza with a Purpose Fundraiser- Tuesday!
“DASH on over to California Pizza Kitchen,TOMORROW,Tuesday, November 7th
for lunch, dinner, or take out and show the attached flyer (printed or on
your phone) and 20% of your total bill will be donated back to South
Huntington PTA Council to use for district programs and scholarships.”
↧
Solid Gymnastics Season Closes
Congratulations to Sarah Astegher, Shannyn Cory, Danielle DeGaray, Danielle Harris, Carly McEntee, Brianna Scala, and Ariana Weindling of the Varsity Gymnastics team with a great effort at the Suffolk County Coaches Invitational Meet. Senior Danielle Harris had a fantastic meet finishing 3rd on the vault, 3rd on the balance beam and 5th on the floor exercise. She placed 5th in the All Around. Carly McEntee placed 2nd on the Vault, 2nd on the balance beam and 1st on the floor exercise. She placed 2nd in the All around. Sarah Astegher also had a great meet finishing 1st on the balance beam. Great job to the entire team on an amazing season.
↧
↧
The Giving Season Has Begun
The spirit of giving is alive and well at Walt Whitman High School! The Fall Blood Drive held on Friday was a huge success due to the efforts of our captains and senior class officers. 124 pints were collected. This is truly amazing. Each pint touches 3 lives- close to 400 people will be impacted by these donations here on Long Island. So whether you were a captain, donated blood, offered to give or were turned away due to weight or low blood iron, you were part of this amazing day. Also, many thanks to Mrs. Papianou who helped supervise this busy event. If you did not donate and would like to give, there will be another Blood Drive in the Spring.
Senior Officers-who organized the event: Jack Anest, Niki Brigante, Kristy Campana, Kayla Campana, Timothy Jobson, Katie Latko, Brenda Mendez, Daniela Pasquerello and Liliana Pelliccia.
Captains: Heather Aadal, Joshua Berger, Leevon Black, Andrew (AJ)Brookman, Noelle Bryggman, Kristen Coletti, Angelina D'Amico, Matthew Haddock, Danielle Harris, Kathleen Hoppe, Julia Iovino, Meaghan Liegey, Kyla Magrane, James Mattutat, Delaney Mena, Hapi Morancie, Sean O'Donnell, Shailee Patel, Jenna Scheiner, Jamie Silverman, Tania Sood, Colin Stengl, Julio Taku, Alec Wurtz, Natalie Zakrzewski, and Michael Zimmerman
↧
Swimmer Emily Fung Heads to States
Varsity Swim Coach Rufus Shepard is happy to announce that the combined swim team of Huntington/South Huntington (HUSH) finished in 5th place overall in the Suffolk County Championships. Whitman Sophomore Dana Keogler swam the third leg of the 200-yard Freestyle Relay in a time of 28.10 earning a second place finish.
Senior Emily Fung swam the 200 Medley Relay and missed out on States by 2 one hundredth seconds. However, she placed second in the 100-yard backstroke while setting a new school record (57.33). Emily has qualified for New York State Championships and will swim the 100-yard backstroke at Ithaca College next week.
↧
Third Consecutive State Championship for Marching Band
Congratulations to the Walt Whitman Wildcat Marching Band for an awesome 2017 season which concluded last Sunday at the US Bands National Championships in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Fresh off their 3rd straight NY State Championship win, the Band scored an impressive 86.425 for the performance of their show: 'Question - The Journey Through Curiosity.' Congrats to Drum Major Miles Lewis, Field Majors Brenda Mendez and Nadia Lubrano, our Section Leaders, and the entire Band for all it’s hard work and commitment to excellence. We look forward to seeing and hearing you again soon!
↧
Mr. Smith Goes to New York City
Congratulations to Stimson Middle School Principal Edwin Smith for completing the New York City Marathon. In doing so, he also raised over $3500 for charity. "After 56,000 steps, 5 boroughs, 8,000 calories burned, 4 hours and 46 minutes, and 26.2 miles I crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon,” said our exhausted but thrilled middle school principal.“I know this would not have been possible without the support of my South Huntington family. THANK YOU!"
↧
↧
Character, Reliability, Dependability…Birchwood’s Safety Patrol Inducted
Birchwood Intermediate School’s fifth-grade students were recently inducted into the AAA School Safety Patrol Program. In an effort to help create and maintain traffic safety, AAA has sponsored this program for the past 97 years.
Being part of the School Safety Patrol offers students the opportunity to meet and interact with the law enforcement community as partners in safety. This helps them grow into law-abiding citizens with a healthy respect for officers and their duties.
The students are selected on the basis of leadership potential and character, reliability, punctuality, ability to follow rules, dependability, and interest in traffic safety, good judgment, and respect for classmates. Parents of the Safety Patrol officers were invited to attend the ceremony, which was led by Karen Blackburn and Gerri DeSalvo, representatives from AAA.
Congratulations to the following 2017-2018 Safety Patrol Members: Luca Cioffi, Jack David, Blake Donahue, Zachary Gluckstal, Heather Kowalczyk, Abigail LaRegina, Diego Lopez, Maya Wedner, Sam Creighton, Justin Gudiel Crukz, Riley LaRegina, Gerard Marrone, Shayleen Michel, Yaslin Reyes Alvarado, Julia Rombaldi, Eshel Sheikh, Gavin Supek, Julianna Betcher, Chris Flores, Jamie Ranieri, Axel Sarmiento Cisneros, Gabriella Avella, Lauren Breaton, Lemke Haylee, Samuel Lopez Cardenas, Carter Phillips, Jayson Sanchez Torres, Emily Simonetti, Kiara Bonilla Maldonado, Samantha Kaileh, Kimberly Rivas, Diego Saravia, Samantha Castano, Omar Contreras Reyes, Edward Flores Medina, Jexon Galdames Sorto, Daniel Ryan, Cristian Umana, Kare Velasquez, Kayla Garcia, Andy Yanes, Jeremy Canales Mejia, Daniel Flores, Angelin Fuentes, Ethan Jacoutot, Luke Pedretti, Brianna Verga, Shaiza Cheema, Bronsyn Chiechi, Marissa DeWitt, Sadie Fletcher, Max Fyfe, Ethan Guzman, Justin Morales, Demetri Parrish, Harpreet Rattu, Madison Tyburski, Ashley Ranieri, Zardana Ahmed, Eve Arevalo, Sean Burke, Jissel Campos Guardado, Juan Perez Pelaez, Karolyna Roman, Francheska St. Hilaire, and Michael Standel.
↧
Honoring Our Veterans Countrywood Style
Countrywood celebrated Veterans Day recently by inviting more than 24 veterans - Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine – to honor for this special event. The day’s event started with breakfast followed by a special program with Ms. Nicolino/Ms. Sullivan’s second-grade class singing a medley of patriotic songs. Led by our music teacher, Mr. Slawitsky, the songs included America, This Land is Your Land, and You’re a Grand Old Flag. The celebration continued with students from all of our classes presenting a special “thank you” to the group. Veteran Frank Ostroff was impressed with our students; “The ceremony was incredible as the children sang patriotic songs and made cards, posters, and drawings and handed them to each and every veteran.” All of the veterans had an opportunity to speak and shared what military branch they served in and where they were stationed. “I will never forget November 3rd [the day of the event]. How children that age were able to memorize the words to the songs I cannot comprehend. GREAT GREAT DAY,” added Mr. Ostroff.
↧
A True American Hero
On Wednesday night, November 8th, South Huntington School District was honored to present to George L. Kunz his High School Diploma from the Class of 1944. Mr. Kunz, at the age of 17, left South Huntington High School to enlist in the U. S. Navy and serve his country during World War II. Mr. Kunz actually turned 18 while on the train being transported to boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. He shipped out from Norfolk in 1944 as Motor Machinist’s Mate, Second Class, to Bizerte, North Africa, where he was assigned to the Landing Craft USS LCI-590 covering the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theater.
As an 18-year old sailor, Mr. Kunz participated in the landing of Southern France. His responsibilities included running the landing craft that delivered troops onto the beach while under fire. On one occasion, while approaching the shore, his craft was hit, killing at least one of his crewmen and paralyzing the landing craft on the beach. Mr. Kunz was stranded overnight in a foxhole on that beach, until being pulled off the next day by the Navy.
MoMM2C Kunz was honorably discharged in 1946 and was recognized with the American Theater Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Medal, the European Theater Medal (1-Star), and the Victory Medal.
We are indebted to this American hero and thank him not only for his patriotic duty but also for this unique opportunity to recognize him as one of our noble Nation’s “Greatest Generation.”
↧
Kindergarteners Love their Computer Lab
The school year got off to a great start in Mrs. Lamorte’s Kindergarten class as students experienced the excitement of making friends and having new adventures at Countrywood. Highlights for kindergarteners this fall include visiting the computer lab and using iPads in the classroom. Specific skills are incorporated into the computer lab and iPad sessions to provide students with an early foundation in technology. The skills they are acquiring can be applied to explore educational websites such as Reading Eggs, Raz Kids and Starfall. These educational programs benefit students by reinforcing the skills such as reading fluency, comprehension, and mathematical awareness being taught in the classroom. Children have fun strengthening their abilities while also utilizing their newly acquired technology skills.
↧
↧
Bringing the World into the Classroom
Last week Silas Wood was one of the first schools to have their students take part in the new Google Expeditions Augmented Reality (AR) Program. With Expeditions, teachers can take students on immersive, virtually augmented reality journeys.
Expeditions AR uses Google's Augmented Reality technology to map the physical classroom and then teachers are able to place 3D objects around the classroom. Students walked all around the objects, got in close to spot details, and stepped back to see the full picture.
Imagine staring into the eye of a miniature Category 5 hurricane or getting up close with a strand of DNA. With Expeditions AR, our teachers can bring the world into the classroom to help engage students with immersive lessons.
If you would like to see what our sixth-graders were seeing, check out this video from Google:
https://edu.google.com/expeditions/ar/#about
↧
K-12 Social Studies Program Highlighted
At the November 8th Board of Education meeting, the community heard about the District’s rigorous Social Studies curriculum beginning with our K-5 program and throughout our 9-12 program including changes to the Regents exam beginning in June of 2018. The presentation is attached below.
↧
Congratulations Students of the Month
“I’m really very proud of you all, so keep up the good work,” said Principal Murphy as he handed each student a certificate and letter of congratulations as our October Students of the Month. These talented Walt Whitman students have distinguished themselves in academic classes, earning the praise of the teachers and administrators alike. Our Students of the Month have successfully demonstrated the ability to juggle demands of increased academic standards, while simultaneously participating in numerous co-curricular endeavors. We congratulate all of our winners, as well as the teachers and dedicated parents who have contributed to their success.
October Students of the Month: Jake Barry, Christopher Borges, Raymond Matuza, Ackelia Bondfield, Kristy Campana, Sebastian Rosa, Emma Weigele, Max Eidinoff, Gil Lahoy Lahoy, Wilmer Valle, Julianna Villella, Alexa Betancourth, Diana Fogel, Wilmer Munoz Pena, Riley Wagner, Heather Aadal, Ashley Barker, Grace Buckshaw Veronica Martinez Rosales, Elena Davis, Marvin Saravia, Brenda Saravia Coreas, Jacqueline Wuestman, Joelle Koutsantanou, Alexandra Sherry, Logan Slansky, Jasmine Thai, Danielle DeGaray, Luke R McEvoy, Raj Shah, James Stanton, Hamza Farooq, Marisa Havekotte, Joseph Maldonado Gonzalez, Quinn O’Hara, and Aiden Smyth.
↧
Oakwood First-Graders Adopt Injured Bird
First-grade classes visited The Sweetbriar Nature Preserve in Smithtown this fall. In the woodlands, they observed the deciduous and evergreen trees and listened to blue jays and woodpeckers. In the sunny meadow, they saw butterflies and bees enjoying the last of the milkweed and the black-eyed Susans.
Since Sweetbriar is a refuge for wounded animals, so they also saw eagles, hawks, and owls that are being cared for by the Sweetbriar staff. It was a wonderful experience to see these magnificent birds up close.
In the reptile room, everyone observed a box turtle and felt his hard protective shell. Students were surprised when they felt the dry, scaly skin of the resident corn snake. In the mammal room, they met a rabbit and an opossum and discussed ways that they are similar and different from human beings.
Students prepared for their trip by reading, writing, illustrating, and discussing ways that mammals and reptiles are similar and different, by learning the attributes of birds and butterflies, and by practicing how to walk quietly through the woods.
Oakwood students had an enjoyable and educational visit to the Sweetbriar Preserve. Everyone looks forward to “adopting” a Sweetbriar animal and contributing to its care.
↧
↧
Got Gas? Propane That Is.
We hear from Assistant Superintendent of Business and District Operations Dr. Joseph Centamore that the District's first environmentally friendly propane-fueled bus embarked on its maiden voyage last week. This begins the District's plan to gradually replace large diesel-fueled buses with these cleaner and more economically efficient propane models. While a transition of this magnitude will surely take some time, we look forward to welcoming a second, new generation bus to the fleet in the weeks to come.
↧
Who Let the Dogs Out!
Therapy Dogs International visited Mr. Cardella, Ms. Commander, and Ms. Gray’s Countrywood students recently. Cutch and his handler, Ms. Semple, have visited various schools and libraries, and have had great success engaging the children with Cutch. The children can talk to, read to, or just sit with Cutch. Ms. Semple showed the children how to pet Cutch and they quickly got comfortable because of his gentle nature. Thank you to Ms. Scileppi for arranging to have these special visitors at Countrywood.
↧
Fall Spotlight News
↧