A Look On The Light Side

The Attack of the Zombie Drones

Somebody in upstate New York wants a contract to develop civilian uses for military drones. “Unmanned aircraft could be used for everything from agriculture to mail delivery,” says the press release.

Things must be waaaay more boring upstate than I ever thought (not to mention, much farther apart); but if they are willing to do the heavy lifting, and the research, I can think of a few applications. 

Letter: More On Lawsuit

The full story of my lawsuit against East Hills is available on my website, Planet-in-Peril.org (“Seeks Tree Removal Nullification”, The Roslyn News, April 5). 

The lawsuit is not just about trees but also about oversize houses. It is also about bad government.

At 31 Pinewood Road, the new proposed house is about 100 percent larger and 50 percent taller than the existing one. When I so informed one neighbor, they were so surprised that on about two hours’ notice they came to the Architectural Board hearing to try to politely oppose it. 

A Look On The Light Side

The Cobbler’s Tale

Once upon a time, there was a cobbler whose child ran around town without any shoes.

“Look at her,” one villager whispered to another. “Barefoot again! Is he such a workaholic he can’t make his own daughter one pair of shoes?” 

“Maybe he’s lazy,” continued a third. “Or greedy, and wants to keep all the merchandise for himself.”

Letter: Joey’s Legacy

Nice work by John Owens on the “...Buttafuocoed” article (Anton Weekly, March 22). His take on what is needed to revitalize Long Island makes a great deal of sense. The problem, as I see it, is that we lack political leadership that has any sense of vision for this area. The politicians are too vested in partisan politics and patronage. They lack the intelligence, experience and commitment to develop any bold, creative solutions to Long Island’s challenges.

From The Desk Of Superintendent Dr. Elaine Kanas

Budget Update

At the March 13 budget workshop, the athletics, special education and technology departments presented their budget details for next year.  These presentations can be found on our website at www.ewsdonline.org  > click on District tab > Departments > Business & Finance > Budget Info > 13-14 Budget Info. 

This year, the district needed to reduce the budget by $2 million in order to fall within the property tax levy cap. Through the restructuring and reallocation of district resources, as well as leveraging grants and cost-sharing with other districts, program and class sizes are being maintained, with some new class offerings at Wheatley.

APPR: Evaluation Costs Outpace Funding 

Submitted by NYSSBA Executive Director, Timothy G. Kremer

School districts outside the state’s five largest cities expect to spend an average of $155,355 to implement the state’s new teacher and principal evaluation system this year, based on an analysis of 80 districts that submitted cost data to NYSSBA. Those one-year costs are nearly $55,000 more than the average four-year federal grant awarded to New York school districts to implement the program.

A Look On The Light Side

Real Estate Non-Logic

When I first moved to Long Island and started driving the expressways of Queens, I became seriously confused. No matter which one I wanted, be it the Clearview or the Cross Island, I somehow always ended up on the other one. My husband thinks this means something negative about my map-reading skills, but of course he is wrong.

From The Desk Of The Nassau County Executive

Need A Job? ‘Nassau Works’ Can Help

When I was elected County Executive, in the midst of the worst economic downturn in decades, I knew I would need some creative ideas, call it a new way of thinking, to help people who had lost their jobs get back to work. 

Recognizing that jobs are the key to a growing economy, I instituted job fairs to link the unemployed with businesses and corporations in need of workers. I also invested funds in job training and retraining centers with our local towns. In partnership with the County’s Industrial Development Agency, I offered incentives that helped create and retain more than 3,500 private sector jobs. My administration worked hand-in-hand with businesses and corporations to ensure they–and their employees—stayed in Nassau County. 

Wake Up!

The announcement last week by Northrop Grumman Corp. (Grumman to those of us who have been on this Island awhile) that it will transfer 850 jobs from its Bethpage facility to Florida and California should come as no shock.

The company, once Long Island’s largest and best-known employer, has been sending jobs South for more than two decades. At one point, the in the 1980s, the company employed 25,000 people on the Island, built the Navy’s premier fighter, the F-14 Tomcat, and, in the 1960s, built the Lunar Lander that took Apollo astronauts to the moon.

Superintendent’s Column

Around The District

Strategic Planning – Can You Help?

Thank you to those of you who helped us ‘try out’ the important priority survey we will be distributing to the entire East Williston School District community in March. 

Dr. Feeney On The Radio

On Monday, Feb. 18,  Dr. Sean Feeney, Wheatley Principal, was a special guest on WNYC-FM’s The Brian Lehr Show, which featured a Principals’ Roundtable.  The discussion focused on being a principal in today’s world.   You can hear a recording of the broadcast by going to http://www. wnyc.org/shows/bl/2013/feb/18/principals-roundtable/  

Leveled Literacy Intervention

Recently, North Side reading and other support teachers participated in a two-day training session in Leveled Literacy Intervention for third grade. (Note: This training is supportive of one of this year’s curriculum goals, implementing our District Response to Intervention Plan.)  The Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention System (LLI) is a small-group, supplementary intervention program designed to help teachers provide powerful, daily, small-group instruction for children in the early grades.  Next month reading teachers and grade K, 1 and 2 support teachers will participate in the training. 

High School Course Selection

Wheatley is now in the process of scheduling for the 2013-14 school year.  

A Reminder from the Guidance Department:  Have a thoughtful conversation with your child about their course selections.  Students are encouraged to choose courses that challenge their intellect and stimulate their minds. Building a schedule that provides opportunities for research, exploration and critical thinking is important as students look forward to the college years.

New College Seminar Courses Added 

Next year’s juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to take two brand new courses.  One is the Junior Seminar, which will involve preparation for the SAT and ACT exams as well as support students in the college search process.  Seniors have the opportunity to sign up for the Senior Seminar where they will work on essay writing, building a resume and other activities designed to support them in their college application process.

Budget 2013-14

Wednesday, Feb.27 was the first Budget Workshop.   At this meeting the district presented an overview of the budget, as well as the administrative and capital components of the budget. Other parts of the budget will be highlighted at upcoming workshops, the calendar of which is listed on our website. Each Friday, I will highlight the key details from each budget meeting in this newsletter. You will also find the Budget Info page on the website updated after each workshop.  [Start at www.ewsdonline.org and click on the District tab > Departments > Business & Finance > Budget Info > 13-14 Budget Info. You may also find the Budget Info page in the news box on the home page of the website.]  

Boys Varsity Basketball – What a Team!

Congratulations to Wheatley’s Boys Varsity Basketball team, the number one seed in the Nassau County Class B Championship Tournament.