Reflecting upon the end of the school year, I found myself looking forward to school starting again in September with so many wonderful programs to help enrich our students both educationally and personally. I'll get to that in a moment, but I wanted to provide you with a brief summary of some of our accomplishments during the 2007-2008 school year.

District-wide, all of Westbury's public schools have been designated by the NYS Education Department as being in "Good Academic Standing." Our students' achievement test scores have increased and are expected to continue to improve, while student suspensions decreased during the school year.

Students in grades 3-8 demonstrated marked improvement over the previous year at all grade levels in English Language Arts and mathematics and performed at a higher level than students in geographically adjacent communities in English language arts, mathematics and science.

Our English Language Learners demonstrated improvement over the prior year on the Language Assessment Battery and New York State ESL Achievement Test and all of our schools met their Adequate Yearly Progress targets. Westbury High School's graduation rate is projected to increase significantly over the previous school year, too.

We recently issued an annual report that provides you with a snapshot of our schools and the district office departments that serve our students, as well as the outstanding educational progress we have made toward meeting the needs of all of our students. The report is available on our website, www.westburyschools.org.

Looking ahead, two new exciting initiatives, the Magnet Academy at the Cradle of Aviation Museum and full-day pre-kindergarten, will greatly benefit our students in a number of ways. The Magnet Academy at the Cradle of Aviation Museum will provide selected incoming freshman the opportunity to develop academic success through higher levels of science and mathematics. Students will turn the Cradle of Aviation into their classroom to explore math, science and aeronautics. A summer aviation program will help hone students' skills in mathematics and science, while exploring career opportunities and experience training towards aviation certification. In September, students will attend the Cradle of Aviation every day for a half-day for a hands-on learning approach in Regent's physics, mathematics, global history and advanced aeronautics.

Full-day pre-kindergarten is an extension of the Dryden Street program and part of the district's full-day pre-kindergarten initiative. Funded through state Universal Pre-K appropriations and the Contract for Excellence, full-day pre-K is wholly consistent with federal and state education goals. A 2006 study conducted by The National Institute for Early Education Research, shows that children in such programs, especially from disadvantaged homes, perform better on literacy and mathematics tests than children in a traditional three-hour preschool program, while narrowing the educational gap between those from more affluent homes. This early intervention is essential in helping children to prepare for the years of schooling that lie ahead.

I am proud and pleased to congratulate our graduating seniors as they embark on the next chapters in their lives and want to wish everyone a safe and fun filled summer.