Island Trees Schools will welcome approximately 2,800 students to a new and challenging school year on Wednesday, Sept. 4. This is an exciting year for Island Trees as it marks the 100th Anniversary of the creation of the Island Trees School District.

The district will hold a staff conference day on Tuesday, Sept. 3. 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. to 2:16 p.m. The middle school is scheduled to start at 8:25 a.m. and end at 2:47 p.m. The 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 Island Trees School District, the board of education, in cooperation with SCOPE (Suffolk County Organization for the Promotion of Education), will be offering quality child care programs in a supervised setting.

The Before School Program is entering its eighth year. It will begin at 7 a.m. The program will be located at the J. Fred Sparke Elementary School in the GPR (General Purpose Room). Parents are responsible for transportation to the program and for signing their children in each morning. The minimum monthly rate for children attending 10 or fewer days per month is $85. The full time monthly rate for children attending all 180 days beginning in September is $144. (Daily rate of $8 is calculated for the school year and divided 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 ninth 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 relations. The minimum monthly rate for children attending 10 or fewer days per month is $115. The full time monthly rate of children attending all 180 days beginning in September is $198. (Daily rate of $11 is calculated for the school year and divided 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 family, same program.

*Special a.m./p.m. monthly payment plan: $325.

The Preschool Program is a self-sustaining non-profit program sponsored by SCOPE in cooperation with the Island Trees School District.

The program includes three morning classes (9 to 11:30 a.m.) and three afternoon classes (12:30 to 3 p.m.) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Geneva N. Gallow School on Farmedge Road. The program runs from September 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 $900 for district residents and $1,100 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 certificate 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 with respect to the bond issue that was approved in Dec. 2001. In addition, the district's maintenance staff, custodians, cleaners and secretaries put forth much effort throughout the summer to have the buildings ready for the Sept. 4 opening.

Island Trees High School

The high school auditorium roof has been replaced. In addition, the cinder track is under renovation and will be replaced by an all-weather rubber track. Areas for field events such as high jumping, pole vault, long jump, discus and shot put are being installed. The two new tennis courts are being renovated and the basketball court will receive new asphalt topping and stripping.

Computer wiring was run to several classrooms to allow for a direct internet connection from the classrooms for teacher and student use.

Island Trees Middle School

The floor tile in the attendance and nurse's offices was removed and replaced. The parking lots were resealed and re-striped. There were 11 trees planted in the field behind the middle school. The heating univents in every classroom were cleaned and the steam traps replaced.

Michael F. Stokes Elementary School

Asbestos floor tile was removed and replaced in six classrooms on the second floor. The classrooms were also completely repainted. The elementary computer servers were replaced and 30 new computers were installed in the computer lab.

Every heating univent throughout the school was cleaned and all steam traps replaced.

The kitchen was refurbished with new equipment. Electrical power was upgraded to accommodate a new stove, warmers and kettle. New lighting fixtures were installed and the kitchen received two fresh coats of paint. A new serving line was created, containing warmth lights and refrigeration for food and drinks.

J. Fred Sparke Elementary School

Asbestos floor tile was removed from every classroom, office and closet in the entire school and new non-asbestos floor tile was installed. Every classroom was painted, windows were washed and the heating univents were cleaned and all steam traps replaced. The main office was painted and re-tiled and a new drop ceiling was installed.

The hallway ceilings and lighting were removed and replaced with a drop ceiling and new energy-efficient lighting. The elementary school servers were replaced and 30 new computers were connected in the computer lab.

Geneva N. Gallow Elementary School

The preschool classrooms were cleaned and four new Apple computers were installed in each of the five preschool rooms. Preschool and kindergarten software was purchased and will be available for all of the preschoolers in September.

Stephen E. Karopczyc School

The old roof of the Stephen E. Karopczyc School was removed and a new roof was installed with a 20 year guarantee.

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 K-12.

At the Island Trees High School, several teachers worked on the curriculum areas of biology, chemistry, math B and Java. Spanish teachers concentrated on improving the Spanish foundation curriculum.

Middle school teachers spent many hours reviewing the communication arts curriculum, the technology curriculum and the area of reading comprehension. Science teachers worked on improving the grade seven science curriculum while the social studies teachers studied the material used to support the services preparing for the grade five social studies assessment.

Elementary teachers, assisted by Reading Director Jean Ryan, focused on reading comprehension in the social studies area.

For 2002-2003, the Island Trees School District will provide transportation to 2,000 eligible students enrolled in the district's 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.

This will be the second year that the Transportation Office has planned carefully for the inclusion of kindergarten students on "big buses" with their grade 1-4 schoolmates.

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.

Residents may address questions concerning transportation by calling 520-2110.

The district calendar and information guide has been mailed to all residents. The booklet is not only a detailed calendar of the district events, it 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 Geneva N. Gallow School or in the Main Office of each school building.

New families who have moved into the Island Trees School District are urged to register their children before school starts on Sept. 4. The registration office at the Gallow School on Farmedge Road is open every day from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Questions regarding registration can be answered by calling Mrs. Lofaso at 520-2111. The Island Trees/SCOPE Staff Child Care 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. to 4 p.m. will be $185 per week. The staffing ratio for the youngsters ranging from two months to four years of age is one adult for 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 Richard N. Segerdahl. "We all look forward to welcoming our new and returning staff members on Sept. 3 as we plan to offer another year of exciting, quality education for Island Trees students."