Announcements:

Reopening Message from the Superintendent

Dear Connetquot Community,

As you are aware, over the past several weeks the district has been working to prepare a plan for reopening our schools in September. I thank the more than 500 parents, residents and educators who took part in our reopening committees and thousands that shared their input through our parent survey. The conversations and feedback we received through these platforms, coupled with the comprehensive reopening guidance documents provided by the New York State Education Department and Department of Health, were the guiding forces behind the development of the draft reopening plan for our Connetquot schools.

As I know this topic is important for so many in our community, I encourage all our residents to join us this evening as our administrative team presents our proposed reopening plan during our Board of Education meeting, beginning at 7:30 p.m. While no in-person attendance is permitted due to current meeting restrictions, the community can view the meeting live via the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCStvmlXTIJiKVLZOZY7Z8EQ

While our proposed plan will be discussed this evening, I wish to remind our families that the final decision on how and when schools will reopen rests solely with Governor Cuomo. Although our plan will be submitted, as required, by this Friday, the Governor has stated that he will render his decision on reopening New York schools the first week of August (Aug. 3-7). In short, that means he not only has the final say in determining whether our plan is approved, but also in unilaterally deciding how all schools, per region, will begin instruction this fall, regardless of our proposal.

I know that this process has brought forth a number of unanswered questions for our students, staff and families and has been a stressful one for all. Once we present the plan tonight, I know there will be even more questions that you will want to have answered. We will be sending out a survey tomorrow morning for you to ask questions that remain unanswered after tonight’s Board presentation. The District will answer these questions in FAQ document, which will be posted on the website under our “Reopening plan 2020 link”.

I thank all of our stakeholders for your support and patience as we navigate these most unprecedented waters. Please be assured, our main goal has been to develop a plan that is not only safe but educationally sound for all in our Connetquot community.

Please consider joining our virtual meeting this evening and visiting our school reopening webpage, which will be developed on our district website in the coming days.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lynda G. Adams

Superintendent of Schools

Summer Learning Opportunities

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As the end of the school year approaches, I wish to thank all our families for their support and effort during the past several months, particularly as education shifted from the traditional classroom to our distance learning platform. I know that the move not only required our students, but also their families, to adapt and learn in new ways. Your efforts were commendable and integral in helping our students stay connected while learning remotely.

With the start of summer vacation around the corner, we know many families have begun to plan summer activities and are looking forward to a much-deserved time of relaxation. As you begin to unwind, we ask that you also help your children continue to find fun ways to stay connected and further foster their love of learning. To help guide this effort, the district is excited to launch a new and optional Summer Connection Learning Series. The program was designed to be fun, low stress, and require limited adult oversight. Details about the different offerings are listed below:

Summer Reading:

Students’ recreational reading efforts will be recognized on a Summer Reading Honor Roll at each of our elementary schools in the fall. Students interested in participating are encouraged to enjoy a book of their choice and log the titles of the books they complete via the following Google Form: https://forms.gle/KcZhFv9iVivhiW29A

Additionally, through our K-12 “Catch a Reader and Writer” program, we invite parents and guardians to submit photographs of your child reading/writing throughout the summer to the email address summerELA@ccsdli.org. Photographs should be accompanied by the child’s first and last name, grade they will be enrolled in September, and the name of their home school. Submissions will be celebrated in posts on social media and on our district website.

Should you wish to obtain suggestions for summer reading materials, please contact your child’s teacher, building reading teacher, or library media specialist. Additional summer reading resources can be found at Summer Reading at New York Libraries and New York Public Library Summer Reading Programs. Elementary students will be able to access their Raz-Kids accounts throughout the summer months.

ESpark Digital Learning – Interactive Math and Reading Games:

All students will have access to eSpark – an online, interactive learning resource the district utilizes in the classroom to help students build strong mathematics and literacy skills. Their work is independent and the program is adaptive to their individual learning levels. Students are already familiar with eSpark from previous use and often remark how much they enjoy competing in the game “challenges” to advance their learning levels and build new skills. Your child’s home elementary school will be providing individual student login information shortly for those interested in signing on this summer.

In addition to the supports offered to our students, the district is also in the process of planning a number of online video tutorials/workshops for our parents that will focus on myriad topics including, but not limited to, the use of various digital learning resources. Greater details on this will be coming shortly!

We hope you will take part in one or all of these programs this summer. Please accept our best wishes for a summer vacation filled with wonderful family and learning experiences!

Yours truly,

Dean L. Mittleman

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction