On behalf of the Farmingdale Federation of Teachers, I welcome you to another school year in the Farmingdale Public Schools.

Clichés become clichés for a reason. It is impossible to talk about the opening of school without using the words "new" and "beginning." That's because, as much as we lament the earlier sunsets and cooler days and groan at those ever-earlier back-to-school ads, as much as we would all like to experience more of those beautiful summer days, we are still excited about yet another new beginning.

There is so much that is new for us this September. As we returned to our schools and classrooms, we saw many new faces and many familiar faces in new positions. Some of us have new assignments, new subjects or grades, new buildings. Physical changes have been made in several buildings, often to accommodate our ever-changing student population. And, of course, all our buildings had their "summer spruce-up" so we returned to a clean and shiny, if not new, environment. We, as teachers, came back with fresh sets of ideas, of plans, and of hopes. We eagerly anticipated what is always new and exciting - our students. September is, of course, a beginning for them, too. They came to us with new clothes and school supplies, sometimes a little reluctance - maybe even trepidation - but all of them, secretly, hoped for a fresh start and a wonderful experience.

That brings me to what is not new in Farmingdale. This faculty remains dedicated to its mission -to educate, nurture, and encourage the children of this community. As always, we walked into our classrooms prepared with our knowledge, our goals and our concern for our students.

The residents of Farmingdale have always taken great pride in their schools - and with good reason. This is a school system that is committed to meeting the needs of a diverse student body. On every grade level, in every subject area, in a wide range of extracurricular activities, Farmingdale has always offered a quality instructional program. The results of this commitment have been obvious - award-winning artists, musicians, and athletes, students encouraged to reach their maximum potential, high school graduates starting college thoroughly prepared and often well ahead of their peers. We, as the faculty of this school district, remain committed to seeing that Farmingdale continues on this path.

We invite every group in the school community to join us. We must work in a spirit of cooperation, never losing sight of what is most important-to achieve what is best for the children of the Farmingdale schools.

I wish all of you a wonderful new beginning that leads to a happy and successful year.