Huntington School Board Notes
Huntington School Board members accepted a donation from the Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education in the amount of $1,242.63 to cover grants the organization approved for Jefferson and Southdown schools.
The Southdown grant, formally titled “Finding My Way: A Field Trip Alternative,” will bring the Cornell Cooperative Extension into the school for one-hour presentations to four classes of second graders. “Starting with local maps, students will discover what a map represents and how to use a map key,” wrote teacher Karen Grosso in the grant proposal. “Students develop a firm understanding of direction and learn how to read and analyze different types of maps. In a group activity, students collect precipitation data and make a topographic weather map.
Teacher Susanne Kaczor landed a grant worth $642.63 for an outdoor garden and science exploration center at Jefferson. “The Jefferson Primary School family has worked steadily over the past 11 years to develop our courtyard into a special place for the students, as well as the community,” Mrs. Kaczor wrote in the grant proposal. “In order to complete this project we need to establish raised planting beds, we well as insert a variety of items to afford our students hands-on opportunities to learn about weather and many other science-related concepts with the science curriculum for second grade.”
Two raised garden beds of fast growing vegetables and herbs will be planted, observed and cared for. “Surrounding the garden would be items that would promote discussions about the seasons, allow students to measure rainfall and outdoor temperature as well as see the effects of wind,” according to the proposal.
Trustees also took the following actions:
• Appointed Marcy Rhodes, Camille DeCanio and Bernadette Walsh as faculty advisors for the Huntington High School internship program.
• Approved long-term substitute teaching assignments for Victoria Lombardi (Huntington High School/English), Eric Filardi (Huntington High School/English), Jennifer Brady (Huntington High School/English) and Ashley Williams (Flower Hill/special education).
• Authorized Director of Science and Instructional Technology David Casamento to provide up to 18 hours of professional development/SMART Board training at $75 per hour.
• Approved child care related leaves of absence for teachers Nadine Araoz (Sept. 1 through Jan. 2011), Kimberly Gilroy (Feb. 1 to June 30, 2010), Danielle Walsh (2010/11) and Marissa Damiano (March 1 to March 14, 2010).
• Authorized Christina Droskoski to return from a child care related of absence for the 2010/11 school year.
• Accepted the resignation of Huntington High School special education teacher aide Karen Hagerman.
• Approved part-time appointments for high school food service worker Mirza Cordero and Flower Hill School monitors Carolyn Dejesu and Junette B. Gunter.
• Appointed James Graber as the literary and printing faculty advisor for the high school student newspaper, The Dispatch.
• Authorized teachers Dawn Ginty, Heather Spatafora, Patrice Monks and Cynthia Palmirotto to work on social studies curriculum mapping in March for up to three sessions/six hours each. They will be paid stipends of $48.01 per hour.
• Appointed Claudia Gonzalez to the faculty of the Saturday Academy, which started on Jan. 21 and will run through May 1. She will be paid $48.01 per hour, which is covered by a Title I ELL grant.
• Appointed Jennifer Brady as an English teacher in the alternative high school program. She will be paid $52.21 per hour.
• Authorized English teacher Kelly Quintero to provide up to five hours of English review sessions for English Language Learners at the high school. She will be paid $48.01 per hour, which is covered by a Title I grant.
• Approved teachers Allison VonVange and Peter Ravo and teacher aide Jacqueline Smith to work in the Jack Abrams Intermediate School homework help program. The teacher ($48.01) and aide ($19.13) stipends are funded through a Title I grant.
• Appointed Kelly Krysinski (.2) and Gina Colica (.8) as the high school Key club faculty advisors.
• Approved a contract with The Daytop Preparatory School to cover the costs associated with the education of a school age district resident who is attending school there on a placement.
• Authorized foreign language teacher Gina Trigian-Molvaut to receive mileage reimbursement for district related travel between buildings.
• Approved a request by Southdown School Principal Michelle Marino to declare two card catalogs as surplus so they can be disposed of. “These items are no longer being used since the Southdown library is fully automated,” said David H. Grackin, assistant superintendent of finance and management services.
• Authorized the disposal of two Luxeon digital zoom projectors.
• Approved a consultant services contract with author Eddie Bell for classroom performances at Huntington High School. He will be paid $1,323.
• Held a second reading of a proposed “confidential Medicaid disclosure policy.
• Approved budget transfers to cover costs associated with physical education supplies ($1,000) and paper at Huntington High School ($7,500).
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