Island Trees Schools will welcome approximately 2,800 students to a new and challenging school year on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

A district-wide staff meeting will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 1, followed by a "welcome back breakfast" to be hosted in the high school.

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. 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, will be offering quality child care programs in a supervised setting.

The Before School Program is entering its 10th 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 or fewer days per month is $95. The full-time monthly rate for children attending all 180 days beginning in September is $162.

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 11th 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 $125. The full-time monthly rate of children attending all 180 days beginning in September is $216.

* 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 same family in same program.

Special a.m./p.m. monthly payment plan: $360.

The preschool program is a self-sustaining nonprofit program sponsored by SCOPE Education Services in cooperation with the Island Trees School District. The program is located in the Geneva N. Gallow School on Farmedge Road and is in session from September to June.

Children who are 3 by Sept. 1 are eligible to enroll in the three-day program, which meets on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. The tuition for this 100-day program is $970 for district residents and $1,170 for non-residents providing there is room in the program. Children who are 4 years old (by Dec. 1) will attend class Monday through Thursday. This 135-day program costs $1,310 for district residents and $1,510 for non-residents (if applicable). Morning hours are 9 to 11:30 and afternoon classes meet from 12:30 until 3.

Included in the tuition is a non-refundable $60 registration fee, which will be collected upon registration. Each class is limited to 20 children and is supervised by a licensed teacher and an assistant. Children must be completely toilet trained. Proof of age must be presented (birth certificate or baptismal certificate). Island Trees residents must present proof of residency.

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

The high school roof and boilers are presently being completely replaced. The computer rooms and teachers' faculty room were painted and all of the asbestos floor tile was removed. In addition, the boys locker room and the nurse's office were painted. One hundred additional corridor lockers were installed for students. The gym lighting is being replaced with more energy-efficient fixtures. The middle school roof and boilers are presently being completely replaced. Both the Special Ed suite and Tech Ed lab were painted and the carpets were replaced with new floor tile. The Child Care Center was also painted. For increased security, barrier gates on the north parking lot were installed. The APR (All Purpose Room) lighting was replaced with more energy-efficient fixtures. The boilers are presently being replaced. The parking lot was seal coated and re-striped. A storage container was installed between Stokes and Sparke Schools for the safekeeping of athletic equipment. The boilers are presently being replaced. The parking lot was seal coated and re-striped. The kitchen was painted and a new serving center containing a warming area and refrigeration was installed. The Gallow roof replacement has been completed. The boilers are presently being replaced with more efficient ones. Replacement of the kitchen fire suppression system is underway, and the building fire alarm system was replaced. The boilers are presently being replaced with more efficient ones.

This summer the board of education supported curriculum development that involved 32 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 staff members refined courses in several areas: Spanish 4 Advanced, Statistics, Calculus Advanced Placement, English 9, Psychology Advanced Placement, Global History RP, Conflict in the 20th Century and Chemistry Advanced.

At the middle school, improvements in several areas were developed by the staff: Grade 5 Social Studies, Grade 5 Math, Grade 7 Science RP, Grade 7 Science, Grade 7 Social Studies, Grades 7-8 English, Grade 7 Math, and Grades 7-8 Foreign Languages.

For 2004-05, the Island Trees School District will provide transportation to over 2,000 eligible students enrolled in our 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.

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 about 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 that 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 which operates from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. will again service the child care needs of staff from Island Trees. The staffing ratio for the youngsters ranging from 2 months to 4 years of age is one adult for 3 children. Questions regarding this program can be answered by calling the superintendent's office at 520-2100 or Mrs. Kathalina Howard, the program supervisor, at 520-1658.