From the desk of Dr. Charles Murphy: October 4, 2012

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From the desk of Dr. Charles Murphy: October 4, 2012

Written by Dr. Charles Murphy, Island Trees Superintendent of Schools Friday, 05 October 2012 00:00

New York State has adopted a new curriculum K-12 – The Common Core. The Common Core is a nationwide effort to introduce new rigorous content and knowledge-based problem-solving standards into all subject areas. The Common Core initiative is intended to produce students who are prepared to compete with students from high performing international educational systems. In fact, 45 states have signed on and are modifying their curriculum to meet these new lofty expectations.

Earlier this summer, the New York State Education Department (SED) finally provided a few sample questions for the upcoming “Common Core” assessments, grades 3-8, planned to rollout in April.

The model questions are very challenging and far more complex than the prior subject matter revamped in 2005. Despite the fact that State Education Department has not completed the Core Curriculum maps for school districts to follow, our students will be assessed on the new concepts.

At present, our staff is working to prepare the students for the known and unknown associated with the new curriculum. We hope to have the students prepared for this challenge by springtime.

Naturally, parents can help support the school by reinforcing schoolwork at home. In English Language Arts, the new Core Curriculum focuses on more informational reading passages. Reading more non-fiction will be an immense help to your children in all grade levels.

In addition, the Core Curriculum calls for more math fluent students. This is a fancy way to say they need to have their facts memorized. There’s no easy way to learn this, but by hard work through drill and practice—flash and index cards still work best after all of these years. If you hope to learn more about the Core Curriculum, please see the State Education Department’s “EngageNY” website at http://engageny.org/common-core/.

News

Bonsai Takes Over East Meadow

Friday, 24 May 2013 00:00

Memorial Day weekend is always filled with backyard barbecues, family gatherings, block parties and more, but if you are looking for something different to do during the long weekend, look no farther than the East Meadow Farm.

Levittown's Final Deficit Budget

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

As the budget season drew to a close this week, the Levittown Board of Education did everything in its power to make sure that all residents were fully armed with the correct budget information as they headed to the polls.

Dr. James Grossane, superintendent of schools, went through the most recent budget numbers with attendees at the most recent public meeting on May 14, telling the group that the board decided to go with a 2.98 increase for the 2013-14 school year, within the 2 percent tax cap levy. The district is looking for about $131.9 million from taxpayers for the upcoming school year.

Sports

Two Generations Of Generals

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

On a beautiful Tuesday afternoon, Frank DeNunzio sat in the bleachers and watched as his son Anthony prepared to bat for the MacArthur Generals. He closed his eyes for a second and was transported back in time to 1981, and for a brief moment he remembered that once-in-a-lifetime feeling of being a member of the Generals Nassau County Championship baseball team. Suddenly, the crack of the bat jolted his eyes open and he watched his son successfully rip his third hit of the game.

Seaford Football Team Honored

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

Seaford High School’s Varsity Football Team has a long tradition of success on the playing field, but its service off the gridiron also won praise from the Nassau County High School Football Coaches Association (NCHSFCA) this year. The Conference IV regular season undefeated champions and New York State Scholar Athlete team was awarded the first-ever Community Service Award from the organization during the NCHSFCA Grid Iron Dinner.