On the last day of April, 2015, the PTA at M.W. Downing elementary school held a sale of flower plants in the garden adjacent to the school. The plants were beautiful and were going fast. Soon we had to go to the local store, Cross Island Fruits, to purchase some more. The classes were coming in predetermined order and parents were helping kids select the right plant for their money. The plants were arranged … Continue reading →
Originally, only the instructional part of the budget review was on the BOE agenda for February 23rd, but a regular “meeting in public” was added in order to make up the Feb. 9th meeting. The evening started by a quick budget review followed by birthday celebration of Mrs. O’Connor, school board trustee. As a perk of low attendance, all attendees were offered a piece of the cake. The BOE announced that at the Annual School District … Continue reading →
The residents’ representatives modified their regular “meeting in public” on February 9th, as only two of them were present. The management showed again their prezi they have shown at the LICEE meeting in January. Three district delegates will travel to “A Deferred Dream” conference organized by the College Board in Charlotte, North Carolina. (The College Board is home to David Coleman, the author of the Common Core Standards. He now moved on to “reform” … Continue reading →
At the residents representatives’ meeting on January 12th, the management presented slides entitled “…” (pdf) with motto “Excellence for All.” It was a shorter, modified version of a presentation that they had shown at a meeting of the Long Island Consortium for Excellence and Equity (BOCES). Malverne UFSD was one of 6 districts that presented and in Mrs. Ricca’s opinion the presentation was very well received. It certainly caught my attention. There were really … Continue reading →
Last week, Project Enroll Now promoted the open house at the Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA). They posted a promo flyer at one of the Malverne FB groups dedicated to education. (The post has been deleted since then). Project Enroll Now is a Malverne UFSD-based group. At the time of its founding, in 2004, its original purpose was to promote public schools located within the district. As the group members’ children … Continue reading →
Few reflections on two Malverne school board “meetings in public” that took place on 11/24/15 and 12/8/2015, respectively. Two days before Thanksgiving and in anticipation of being served something better than “cookies and common core,” I attended a special BOE meeting on 11/24/15. It was supposed to start at 7 p.m. At 7:25, an absent board member was contacted by phone. While waiting, we shared our family Thanksgiving habits. The socializing came to the … Continue reading →
Both, but with the emphasis on the social aspect. If you go on Twitter and type #gomules in the Search field, you’ll see an unusual trending of the hashtag between 7 and 8 pm on Jan. 21. The Malverne UFSD organized a “session” on how to use social media for telling the story of district schools. It was not the first gathering on the topic. This project, still in development was presented at the … Continue reading →
This post was updated on 1/15/16. On Jan. 7th, I attended my first PTA meeting ever at the Davison Ave. school, as I transitioned to a higher grade. (After attending many meetings at M.W. Downing primary school previously). Davison Ave. school serves students in grades 3-5. It was not a totally strange environment, as I recognized few familiar and friendly faces. Fair part of the meeting was dedicated to the upcoming Bingo and other … Continue reading →
“When I don’t keep abreast with opportunities, don’t write my representative in Assembly and Senate, and don’t rally in front of their offices, I’m depriving my child of an excellent education …and leaving $10K to $15K annually on the table.” This is a conclusion parents may have come to after following the recent news about the Long Island High School for the Artsi (LIHSA) and the Doshi STEMii program it houses. The amount is … Continue reading →
The representatives of Malverne UFSD residents met in public on November 10th. This was the second time I regretted the meetings are not recorded or streamed. The first occasion being their meeting in October during which Dr. Romano, the high school principal, had students performed “il teatro delle molte lingue,” described in my previous post. I was not the only one impressed by the show. “…15 high school students individually thanked the Board using … Continue reading →
