Community Update

Nobody does a Multicultural Expo like Syosset! Last night, Walt Whitman Elementary hosted their annual event – the family table was overflowing with delicious dishes and smiling faces eager to learn about each other's cultures. And today was HBT Middle School’s celebration of the diverse fabric of backgrounds and heritage that make up the HBT educational community. The yearly event always fills my heart with joy (and my stomach with happiness). I remarked to a fellow staff member how I love seeing all of the pride on display – pride in cuisine, clothing, tradition, and cultural performances. Our students authentically travel the world without ever leaving the gym, and parents form friendships that weave us all into one Syosset community.

It’s a tremendous amount of work, so I want to thank all the parents and families who participate and offer to share a small piece of their culture with all of us. There were 18 countries represented and eight different student performances. Each year, our student and parent volunteers take this event to new heights. In addition to old favorites, I always try to sample something new. I tried Haitian Freedom Soup (Soup Joumou – so savory!) and learned how it was tied to independence from France in 1804. I got my first ever henna tattoo (“SYO”) in India and enjoyed a performance by one student on a Guzheng, a traditional Chinese string instrument. My world grew again today!

I wanted to update the community on two important aspects of the State Budget that was proposed this week by Governor Hochul. First, I’m relieved to see that she reversed her long-threatened cuts to State support for local schools and instead proposed a modest funding increase. The Governor was aided by an uptick in State revenues (as I’ve earlier reported), but this represents a significant (and most welcome) change in direction.

Second, the Governor proposed a “distraction-free schools” initiative which will basically require schools to implement bans on student cell phone use during the school day. The proposal is short on detail, and will likely go through iterations and amendments during the legislative process. The final budget is due to be adopted on April 1, so we’ll follow both of these issues closely as the Legislature now begins the process of reviewing and amending the Governor’s proposals.

South Woods students took their 3-D printed pets on a trip to the Bronx Zoo in a lesson that combined life skills, environmental awareness, and themes of personal connection, belonging, and ingenuity. Let me explain…

In advisory, students read the book Made by Maxine, by Ruth Spiro, which tells the story of a child whose class was having a “pet parade” at school. Maxine’s pet was a fish, so she created an invention using an upcycled container to bring her pet to school safely. This led to a conversation in Advisory about the principles of inclusivity (how can a fish participate in a parade?) and led to a collaborative Family and Consumer Science lesson where students created Ozobot (mini-robot) “pets” and designed a field trip to the Bronx Zoo. Students selected their pets, 3-D printed them in the library, and designed a parade route based on an exploration of resources from the Wildlife Conservation Society. Talk about project-based learning!

When we hire teachers relocating from NYC, they’re of course impressed with our students and resources, but they often rave about the availability of parking! Senior Aditya Varma recognized the scarcity of public parking in urban areas through conversations with his mom – and designed an app to help. “Rent Your Driveway” is like AirBnB for your private driveway, expanding available parking near essential locations like schools, hospitals, and train stations while giving homeowners the opportunity to turn their driveway into cash while they’re away or at work.

Village third grader Skyler is a budding artist – he has loved to draw and paint since he was a toddler. Over the past couple of years, he has submitted his work to several art contests, but was discouraged never to have won a prize. Undaunted, Skyler kept on creating. He recently submitted one of his works to the New York State Youth Art Month Flag Design contest. This annual competition invites students from across the state to create original flag designs that represent the spirit and purpose of Youth Art Month. Skyler’s flag, titled, “Healing Polluted World Through Color," won him an Honorable mention. His family tells us that when he heard the news, he was “jumping and screaming in excitement!” His story illustrates the power of resilience at any age!

A reminder our District is closed this coming Wednesday, January 29th. Best of luck to our Bowling team...

#SyoStrikesAgain!

Tom Rogers