Community Update

Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed a relaxing Thanksgiving break. Each year this marks the beginning of a season of concerts and celebrations. But this year, we had a few special extras!

Thursday morning, we officially opened the brand new library at H.B. Thompson Middle School! The beautiful space is the last of our library renovation projects districtwide. I can’t believe how much lighter and more spacious it seems. There is flexible furniture, a maker space, collaboration/study spaces – and more! We saved money by performing as much of the construction work “in-house” as possible, and the Facilities team absolutely crushed it (check out the curved soffits over the circulation desk)! It’s great to see how much the new space excites our students!

It’s the most wonderful time of year – but also the most germy time! We received an advisory from the New York State Department of Health warning of an increase in Pertussis, better known as ‘whooping cough.’ You can read that advisory here.

Please help our community stay healthy by keeping your child home if they are not feeling well. A student must be fever free for 24-hours, without the help of any medication, to come back to school. Please contact your building's nurse if you have any questions.

The annual trip to Washington, D.C., represents a milestone curriculum experience for our 8th graders, comprising enriching, real-world history lessons in the seat of our democracy. Students and chaperones from both middle schools embark on two separate trips, sharing powerful moments at iconic landmarks such as the U.S. Capitol, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, among others. This year, our students also had the distinct honor of participating in the wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Whether exploring the Smithsonian museums, reflecting at the national memorials, or learning about history at the National Archives, the trip serves as a bridge between academic lessons and real-world history, complementing and deepening the 7th and 8th grade social studies curriculum. Teachers also play a vital role in preparing students, offering insightful context and background knowledge that help ensure the experience is both educational and unforgettable.

Our Winter sport season kicked off in late November – but before we start celebrating some winter wins, let’s celebrate our Fall success.

Here’s a full recap:

• Boys Cross Country placed 3rd in the County Championship Meet but bounced back a week later to win the State qualifier and ultimately place 8th in the State tournament.

• Girls Cross Country became county champions for the 13th consecutive year! The team also won the State qualifier and placed 6th in the State Tournament.

• Football finished 4th place in Conference 1, becoming Big 4 Champions before bowing out in the semi-finals.

• Boys Soccer became Nassau County Class AAA Champions and went on to play in the Long Island Championship game against Walt Whitman High School, narrowly losing in overtime after an intense match.

• Girls Soccer finished the season as a Nassau County Class AAA semi-finalist.

• Girls Swimming and Diving became Nassau County Champions, and many members of the team went on to compete at states.

• Girls Tennis finished the season as the Nassau County Large School Champions and Long Island Champions. The team made it all the way to the state finals.

• Girls Volleyball finished the season as a Nassau County Class AAA semi-finalist.

• Boys Volleyball finished the season as a Nassau County Class AAA quarterfinalist.

• Boys Badminton finished their season as Nassau County semi-finalists.

Congratulations to all of our athletes for giving us so much to be proud of!

Every high school star obviously begins as an elementary student. We proudly partner with Girls on the Run and I loved joining teams from South Grove and Village at their chilly, season-culminating 5k race in Eisenhower Park last month. We’re hoping to find more volunteers to host teams and open more elementary chapters. You don’t have to be a runner, just a good cheerleader who likes to see kids thrive. Please consider reaching out to your elementary school and volunteering to help give our girls a running start.

Junior Nitin Rajagopalan is passionate about golf – and the environment – so he hosted a fundraiser that fulfills both those passions. The “Beyond Mini Golf” clinic at Eisenhower Park taught over 50 participants the basics of golf – like putting, chipping, and full swings – through a series of stations staffed by volunteer junior coaches (also Syosset students!). Nitin worked closely with local golf coaches to create workshops that would appeal to novice players of all ages – participants were as young as 12 years old. The event culminated in a competition involving every aspect of the game. In all, $1,400 was raised to support the ReWild Long Island Project, a student-led effort that promotes sustainable landscaping by providing education and tools for community members to plant wildlife-friendly vibrant native and organic gardens.

Nitin plans to work with Junior Coaches to show them how he put the event together – so that they may put on similar events and donate the money to charities of their choice. Congrats, Nitin, on this successful first fundraiser and for helping create a new generation of fellow philanthropists.