Welcome back to an exciting new school year. I invite all district residents to pay particular attention to the school activities and special events in 2006-2007. This year marks a special observance in the history of the East Williston School District: the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The Wheatley School, October 20-22.

Fifty years ago, our district also expanded to a K-12 district. At that time, there was a shared vision that the East Williston School District should become a "Lighthouse District" built upon the core values deemed most important in the education of youth. This dream has become a reality.

Over the years, the foundation of the district has been firmly established and sustained. The major strengths of the district have stood the test of time and have been reaffirmed continuously in our discussions and in our interactions with students, parents, teachers and members of the community:

• Concerned and involved parents who support education

• Close-knit, caring community

• Culture of collegial decision making and caring for each other as family

• Caring for all students, including those with special needs

• Support for the arts as a part of the essential curriculum

• Creative, hardworking, talented professional faculty and staff dedicated to children

• Community that wants great schools at a reasonable cost, which as we have found out, is a fine line to walk

As we diligently strive to improve our exemplary school district, my hope is that we also continue to nurture our inspiring teachers, outstanding students and supportive parents and community who have high expectations for success.

Last January, we were privileged to employ Ms. Maureen Kenney, our new assistant superintendent for business, who has quickly gained an understanding of the district's budget and operations. Ms. Kenney came to us with more than 20 years of school business experience, most recently in the Syosset School District. Her intensive work with this year's successful budget is most appreciated.

We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Karen Klapper has assumed the role of assistant principal of The Wheatley School. Mrs. Klapper succeeded Mr. James O'Brien who retired from Wheatley after many years of dedicated service to the district. Mrs. Klapper, previously taught English at The Wheatley school and served as curriculum associate for English Language Arts in 2005-2006. Parents and colleagues consider her a resourceful, creative problem solver who cares deeply about students and staff.

Dr. Paul van Wie, a distinguished member of the Wheatley faculty, and former New York State Teacher of the Year, was recently appointed curriculum associate for social studies, succeeding Mr. Glenn Pribek who retired. Dr. van Wie has taught at The Wheatley School since 1984, during which time he received numerous awards, authored publications and volunteered in civic activities.

Mr. Stephen Collier is our new curriculum associate for English Language Arts. Mr. Collier served as an English teacher at Syosset High School from 1985-2006. An outstanding scholar, he is highly acclaimed as a truly collaborative leader. He replaces Mrs. Karen Klapper. We are indeed fortunate to have such exceptional professionals join our administrative and instructional team.

This year, in our efforts to improve communication and to provide timely information, we will continue our emergency notification system of telephone and email messages to parents and guardians. The district will also continue to have a dedicated telephone number, 333-8560, for special/emergency announcements and school closings. In addition, we are improving our website so that residents will be able to register for email updates from selected website pages. The community will be receiving information about this service as soon as it is available.

Thank you for your continued support of our schools. On behalf of the faculty and staff, I encourage all residents, including new residents, senior citizens and those without children in our schools to attend community meetings, board of education meetings and special school events. The district calendar of events has been mailed to each resident and is available on our website, www.ewsdonline.org. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact me at 333-3782 or via email at harrisc@ewsdonline.org.