The eight school districts within the town of Huntington are busy throughout the year. Here are a few highlights about what staff, students and parents are accomplishing in their districts.
Huntington school superintendent James W. Polansky wrote the following Thanksgiving letter to the community.
Dear Members of the Huntington School District Family,
The first three months of the school year have flown by. Students and staff are well
settled into classes and programs. The first quarter is behind us. Incredibly, the
Thanksgiving holiday is here!As we reflect on the many things for which we are thankful in 2019, I’ll share just a
few. We are grateful for our students. They come to school each day ready to learn.
They give us all a daily reminder of what is important and why we are here. We are
thankful for the faculty and staff who so genuinely care about our students’ well-being,
and have their best interests and success in mind and at heart always. We appreciate
the support of parents and family members in maintaining the critical home-school
connection, and the support and assistance provided by the many PTA and other
community volunteers who contribute so much to our schools.Regardless of the successes or challenges behind or in front of us, we witness dedicated and tireless individuals going above and beyond to make sure that great things happen and exceptional strides are made within our school community routinely. These efforts do make a difference. Each of our children, in their own individual ways, benefit from them every day.
I, personally, remain thankful for the privileges of being an educator and for the
opportunity to pursue my life’s work as a member of the Huntington school district
community. On behalf of the Board of Education, administration and staff, I thank you
for sharing your most valuable possessions with us and for your involvement as
partners in providing ongoing opportunities for our students.
I wish all of you and your families a very happy, healthy and relaxing Thanksgiving
holiday!
New and Newly Tenured Harborfields Staff
The Harborfields Central School District recently honored new and newly tenured staff.
New staff members:
Sharon Donnelly: assistant superintendent for business
Anne Marie Dunn: special education chairperson
Christopher Coffey: mathematics teacher, Harborfields High School
Gina Aline: LOTE teacher, Oldfield Middle School
Gregory Antonelli: music teacher, Oldfield Middle School/Harborfields High School
Timothy Barbuscia: social studies teacher, Oldfield Middle School
Kristin Cleary: special education teacher, Oldfield Middle School
Melissa Dowd: teacher, Oldfield Middle School
Kacey O’Brien: LOTE teacher, Oldfield Middle School
Taylor Soete: teacher, Oldfield Middle School
Jessica Volpe: special education teacher, Oldfield Middle School
Shari Collins: special education teacher, Oldfield Middle School/Thomas J. Lahey
Elementary School
Stephanie Buscemi: art teacher, Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School
Melissa Gonzalez: social worker, Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School
Lauren Kane: special education teacher, Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School
Meaghan Smith, physical education teacher, Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School
Kelly Lewis, special education teacher, Washington Drive Primary School
Kaitlin Reese, elementary teacher, Washington Drive Primary School
Nicole Napolitano, ENL teacher, Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School/Washington
Drive Primary School
Receiving tenure:
Amanda Hammerschmitt, ENL teacher, Oldfield Middle School
Robert Franco, physical education teacher, Harborfields High School
Erica Beitter, special education teacher, Oldfield Middle School
Charles Lubliner, special education teacher, Harborfields High School
TJ Lahey Musicians at PEAK Festival
Five Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School students recently participated in the Parents Educators and Kids, or PEAK, Music Festival, for fourth graders recommended by their music teachers.
Students participated in workshops such as musical theater, ukulele, folk dance, singing games, chorus and music of Australia. The day concluded with a performance where each of the students showcased what that they had learned throughout the day.
“Congratulations to Gianna Ballard, Ben Cammarota, Olivia Drew, Peyton McQuade and Sean Whelan on their musical accomplishments and on representing TJL so well,” music teacher Catherine Ferraro said.
Using Maker Space
Second graders at Bellerose Avenue Elementary School spent time using various gadgets found at four different stations, which included Magformers, KEVA Planks, Cubelets and MPies. The students were allotted four minutes per station and, after neatly putting their creations away to prepare for the next group, recorded what they liked about each station in their maker journals.
The school’s makerspace is one of three within the district.
Superintendent of Schools Robert Banzer said the spaces align with th district’s goal to maximize student opportunities in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
Photo captions: Second graders at Bellerose Avenue Elementary School “tinkered” with gadgets in the school’s makerspace on Nov. 15./District photos
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