Island Trees Schools will welcome approximately 2,600 students to a new and challenging school year on Wednesday, Sept. 5. The district will be holding a staff conference day the day before school opens, Sept. 4. The professional staff will be greeted back with a faculty breakfast at 8 a.m. followed by a district-wide staff meeting. In preparation for the opening of school, the custodians and maintenance men have been working diligently to paint rooms, wax floors, accept deliveries of supplies and prepare all of the rooms for the incoming students. The Island Trees High School hours will be from 7:35 a.m. until 2:16 p.m.; the middle school is scheduled to start at 8:25 a.m. and end at 2:47 p.m. All elementary schools will commence at 9 a.m. and dismiss at 3:20 p.m.

In an effort to support working parents and to extend a commitment to the children of the district, the board of education, in cooperation with SCOPE, will be offering quality child care programs in a supervised setting.

The Before School Program is entering its seventh year. It will begin at 7 a.m. and operate until the start of school. The program will be located at the J. Fred Sparke Elementary School in the GPR. Parents are responsible for transportation to the program and for signing their children in each morning. The minimum monthly rate for children attending 10 days or fewer per month is $75. The full time monthly rate for children attending all 180 days beginning in September is $126. (Daily rate of $7.50 is calculated for the school year and divided up into 10 equal monthly payments).

The After School Program is in session on all school days and begins immediately following dismissal and closes at 6 p.m. This program is entering its eighth year and will be located at the Michael F. Stokes Elementary School in the GPR and the J. Fred Sparke Elementary School in the GPR. There is a ratio of one staff member for every 10 children. All activities are scheduled either in groups or on an individual basis and are designed to encourage skill development and peer relationships. The minimum monthly rate for children attending 10 or fewer days per month is $105. The full time monthly rate for children attending all 180 days beginning in September is $180. (Daily rate of $10.50 is calculated for the school year and divided up into 10 equal monthly payments).

*There is an annual non refundable registration fee of $30 for one child and $10 for each sibling. Discounts: 20 percent for each additional child in the same program. Special a.m./p.m. monthly payment plan: $285.

The Preschool Program is a self-sustaining nonprofit program sponsored by SCOPE in cooperation with the school district. The program includes three morning classes from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and three afternoon classes from 12:30 to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Geneva N. Gallow School on Farmedge Road. The program runs from Sept. through June. Each class is limited to 20 children and is supervised by a licensed teacher and an aide.

A $50 fee is collected at registration. This fee is non refundable and is applied toward the cost of accident insurance. The cost for the year, 100 days, is $880 for district residents and $1,080 for non residents, if applicable.

The program is for children between the ages of three (as of Sept. 1) and five. Each child must be completely toilet trained. Proof of age must be presented (birth or baptismal certificate). Island Trees residents must present proof of residency (tax bill or lease agreement).

All of the Island Trees/SCOPE programs are financed by the parents whose children attend the programs.

Over the summer months, many capital improvements have been taking place in the district to accommodate the needs of the growing student population. Much effort has also taken place to prepare the elementary schools for full day kindergarten which will start this September. The first floor corridor spine and sheet rock ceilings were removed and replaced with a drop ceiling. Original hallway ceiling fixtures were removed and replaced with more efficient incandescent fixtures. Computer Cat-5 wiring was run to approximately 38 classrooms to allow for computer hookups. Two classroom areas that were former art rooms were painted and renovated with new lighting, floor tile and furniture. A former custodial area was renovated into a new office for the district athletic director. His original office was converted into a classroom for the growing middle school enrollment. A portion of the classroom was renovated to provide additional space in the Student Support Center to accommodate an added school psychologist. The nurse's office was relocated to house a second school nurse and to cater to the needs of the increasing student body. The area formerly occupied by the district business offices was renovated into kindergarten classrooms, enabling the Stokes School to offer full day kindergarten. Several classrooms, the main office complex and the cafeteria were painted, in addition to the removal of asbestos floor tile. The library circulation system was computerized and automated. Computer stations and a circulation desk were built and installed in the library, as well as installing the newly purchased computers. A closet was constructed in the cafeteria for folding chair storage and cabinets were built in the kitchen to aid the cafeteria staff. The former music room was converted into an additional kindergarten room enabling Sparke School to offer full day kindergarten. Two additional classrooms were renovated by BOCES. Several classrooms and the principal's office were painted. The parking lot and driveway will be resealed and restriped. The district business office and central administration were moved to the second floor of the Gallow School. The electrical service was upgraded and the parking lot was expanded to accommodate approximately 47 more cars. An elevator is in the process of being installed. The front of the stage in the gymnasium/cafeteria was reconstructed and a sound system was installed. The gymnasium was also painted.

This summer, the board of education supported curriculum development that involved more than 60 teachers. This effort has been primarily in response to the requirements of the State Education Department to improve the rigor of the curriculum in all areas.

That this is not strictly academic, in the narrow meaning, is amply demonstrated by the efforts of the music staff, under the leadership of Peter Gibbons, director of music, to revamp the curriculum from grades K-12.

Steve Connell, director of athletics, PE and health, directed the attention of his department in two areas: the physical education programs at the middle school, grades five through eight, and the health curriculum for grade seven.

A major effort for the elementary grades was the creation of a curriculum for the full day kindergarten that will be introduced this September. All of the kindergarten teachers worked with the principals, Mary Modica and Madeline Montone, to ensure that these children will experience an enriched and appropriate school day.

The teachers from Stokes School studied the grade four curriculum to assist teachers to meet the needs of all students, including those with disabilities.

The English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum for grades five through eight at the middle school was rewritten by a team of six teachers. The social studies curriculum for grade five was reviewed in order to be certain that it is aligned with the NYS curriculum. This is particularly important in view of the new state-mandated test that will be administered on Nov. 14 through 15.

Other efforts at the middle school this summer included improvements to math 8 RP, social studies 8, study skills, communication arts, document-based questions for grade five and the science curriculum for grade six.

At Island Trees High School, teachers worked on the chemistry curriculum, the course called college English, and several courses in Spanish and French. With the mandated change to an examination called living environment, replacing biology, it was essential to review the curriculum for both the one year and two year courses. The physics advance curriculum was also revised.

In social studies, the world history advanced placement course, offered to advanced students in grade 10, was reviewed and revised. The mathematics curriculum received significant attention from several teachers. This effort is absolutely essential due to the replacement of sequential math 1,2 and 3 by Math A and B. Sequential 1 and 2 have already been phased out and Sequential 3 will be taught for the last time in 2001-2002.

For the 2001-2002 school year, the Island Trees School District will provide transportation to over 1,600 eligible students enrolled in its four schools or in approximately 30 non public schools serviced by the district. In addition, transportation is provided to several BOCES schools for children with disabilities or with special needs, including occupational education. The big change for the transportation office has been careful planning for the inclusion of kindergarten students on "big buses" with their 1st through 4th grade classmates. Although this will mean that kindergarten children will not automatically be picked up at their residence, it has allowed bus routes to be shortened and capacity limited to 44 to 45 students. The effect of this will be that every child can have an assigned seat, barring last minute enrollment changes. There will be seats reserved for kindergarten children in the front of each bus so that they can receive the special attention they deserve at the beginning of their public school career. Please address questions regarding transportation by calling 520-2110.

The district calendar and information guide has been mailed to all residents. This booklet is not only a detailed calendar of district events but is also a detailed information guide which can answer many of the questions residents may have about the many programs offered in Island Trees.

Additional calendar and information guides are available in the superintendent's office at the Gallow School or in the main office of each school building.

New families that have moved into the Island Trees School District are urged to register their child before school starts on Sept. 5. The registration office at the Gallow School is open everyday from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Questions regarding registration can be directed to Mrs. Lofaso at 520-2111.

The Island Trees/SCOPE Staff Childcare Program will once again be offered this year. This program is a service to district staff who need child care while they are working. The program will again service the child care needs of teachers from Island Trees. The cost of the program, which will run from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. will be $180 per week. The staffing ratio for the youngsters from two months to four years of age is one adult for every three children. Questions regarding this program can be answered by calling the superintendent's office at 520-2100.

"We are very fortunate in Island Trees to have put together such an excellent staff of teachers and administrators who are so dedicated to our children," said Superintendent of School Richard N. Segerdahl. "We all look forward to welcoming our new and returning staff members on Sept. 4 as we plan to offer another year of exciting, quality education for Island Trees students."