Community Update

October 31, 2024

Dear Syosset Community:

Welcome to our special Halloween edition update!! When I first came to Syosset 10 years ago, I was blown away by how clever and imaginative the costumes and celebrations were. And now, having seen my 11th Syo Halloween, I’m more impressed than ever. There’s always something special going on at every school – parades, pumpkin carving, musical performances, and fall festivals – #GoBigGoSyo!

Regionalization Update

One thing that has been a little scary this Halloween season has been some concerning characterizations circulating regarding the Regents’ Regionalization Plan I referenced last week. I promised to keep you updated and informed. So I’ve researched and compiled the attached information to address some of the concerns I’ve heard.

Quick summary? Leaders at the State Education Department held a webinar this week addressing many of the concerns and emphasized that the plan would not merge school districts, nor is Syosset required to implement any aspect of the plan against our will. I appreciate that they put these assurances in writing on their website as well.

#SyoSports

Congratulations to our Boys soccer team for its double-overtime golden-goal win over Uniondale Tuesday night! Next stop: the Nassau County finals against Plainview-Old Bethpage at SUNY Farmingdale, this coming Sunday at 6:30pm.

Also on the docket:

Girls tennis is playing this Saturday in the Long Island Championship against Half Hollow Hills East at 2pm at Shoreham-Wading River high school.
The first Boys volleyball playoff against Great Neck South is this coming Tuesday at 4pm on our home court #SyoHomeCourtAdvantage.

#SyoStars ⭐

Look out. Sixth grader Safia Rizvi is on the run – literally! Earlier this month, Safia ran the Town of Oyster Bay’s 5k, finishing in 5th place in her age group. At the end of the race, she received a medal from Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. Safia is one of many students who developed a love of running through Girls on the Run – a program we offer at the elementary school level. She participated for six seasons during her time in Elementary school, completing six 5ks! No wonder she was unstoppable! Now Safia is gearing up to join the HBT track team as a 7th grader next year. In the meantime, she will continue to run 5k races throughout Long Island. Girls on the Run is always looking for volunteers - so be sure to reach out to your elementary school if you’d like to help out!

Fresh off being honored as the National School Library of the Year by the American Association of School Libraries, our High School librarians have reaffirmed their dedication to our students through the Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP). Ms. Holzweiss, Ms. Sergi, and Dr. Wasser have each earned the “Certified Sustainable” designation.

This achievement reflects the strong collaboration among our innovative faculty, passionate students, supportive administration, and the Board of Education, all of whom believe in the transformative power of school libraries. Thank you, Ms. Holzweiss, Ms. Sergi, and Dr. Wasser, for keeping our library on the cutting edge!

I love reading to kids. Although I’ve read to every elementary age group, each time I walk out of a class, I say to myself – now THAT’s my favorite grade! Last week, I stopped by Ms. Abrahamsen’s class to join in Berry Hill’s baseball-themed “Take Me Out to the Ball-PARP” event. Knowing I have a deaf sibling, one of our District librarians, Ms. Falck, loaned me a book about a deaf baseball player from the 1800s: The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game by Nancy Churnin. William Hoy endured prejudice and intolerance to eventually become a fan favorite, setting records and working with umpires to introduce the now-familiar hand signals for balls and strikes, as well as “out” and “safe” calls. The best part of the morning? When I was done, without prompting, the students gave me “deaf applause” – waving “jazz hands” instead of clapping. Gosh, isn't 2nd grade the best?

Bright Spot

The Village Elementary Student Council wanted to express their gratitude to their bus drivers! About 20 students brainstormed ways to say “thank you” to the dedicated individuals who safely transport them to and from school every day. What better way to show their appreciation for the people who go door to door all year than to save them the trouble of going door to door to collect Halloween goodies?

After school, the students gathered to assemble bags of candy, which they then delivered to each bus driver as a heartfelt thank you. If there’s one thing we like to teach in Syosset… it’s that you can never be too kind — or too sweet — to the special people in your life. Thank you, students, for spreading kindness via treats and smiles!

Reminder the District is closed tomorrow – and schools are closed to students on Tuesday, November 5th. The clocks also turn back an hour on Sunday for daylight savings. Enjoy the “extra” long weekend (+1 hour!) – and we’ll see you Monday.

#NotSoSpookySyo
Tom Rogers