Winter 2019 Syosset Pride
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FALL 2013 FALL 2013 SyossetThe Leader SyossetThe Standard A Publication of the Syosset Central School District A Publication of the Syosset Central School District www.syossetistops.org www.syossetistops.org Winter 2019 FALL 2013 Syosset Pride Syosset The Connect A Publication of the Syosset Central School District A Publication of the Syosset Central School District www.syossetschools.org www.syossetistops.org InnovativeFALL 2013 Spaces, Collaborative Places FALL 2013 TheCultivate a Love of Learning The Syosset students started off the the new space has to offer. The 2018-2019 school year with new lab provides students with the technology and renovated spaces opportunity to create, invent to ignite their curiosity, spark and learn while engaging them inquirySyosset and motivate them in their with exciting technology such as Shines Syosset Scholar learning journey. The District has robotics, green-screen technology A Publication of the Syosset Central School District A Publication of the Syosset Central School District taken an intentional, purposeful and video game design. It’s a www.syossetistops.org www.syossetistops.org approach to integrating technology collaborative environment where into the curriculum, with the goal teamwork is emphasized and of creating a student-centered students develop communication FALL 2013 learning environment that engages, and leadership skills as they excites and motivates. Along with work through complex problems the integration of new technology, together. Remarked ninth-grade classrooms and libraries have student Jake Miller, “We did many The been remodeled to allow for more teambuilding activities, including collaboration and experimentation. building a Hot Wheels track and The areas are not only enhancing programming a robotic mouse classroom experiences, but also to get to a piece of cheese.” His vocabulary by using imagery class researched a chosen topic and encouraging individual exploration classmate Josh Burrows added, to construct a video. The work then created a persuasive website Syosset Chronicle and creativity outside of the typical “These activities helped us the students are engaging in on the topic using the website A Publication of the Syosset Central School District classroom parameters. Both the demonstrate leadership because in demonstrates the breadth creation tool Weebly. www.syossetistops.org advancements in the technology some cases, we had to collaborate of opportunities available. And if all that wasn’t impressive made available to the students and on ideas in order for the mouse to Students have completed mini- enough, the Innovation Lab the enhancements to the physical follow the maze.” documentaries, created visual even has the ability to create environments in which students The lab is a place where memoirs, and reflected on their superheroes! Ms. Leonardi’s learn underscore the District’s students are encouraged to take learning experience and shared child study class recently visited commitment to creating a cohesive risks, and failure is actually their impressions with others the lab where, with the help of K-12 learning community encouraged. Students are through the video discussion green-screen technology and some predicated on meaningful empowered to express themselves platform FlipGrid. creativity, students were turned collaboration that engages all. in a manner that plays to their After reading Elie Wiesel’s into superheroes complete with individual strengths. If writing “Night,” 10th-grade students in capes, masks and the ability to SHS Learning Commons a traditional essay is a struggle, Ms. Badolato’s English classes scale tall buildings in a single An Innovation Lab was a student can create a website further researched Holocaust bound! constructed at the high school to explore a topic. If written survivors and shared their The lab, together with the over the summer, and students words are difficult, students can knowledge and personal feelings newly redesigned library and the are taking full advantage of all build their descriptive language on what they discovered through pilot classroom, form the SHS mini-documentaries they created Learning Commons, which has utilizing the web-based video already become the hot spot at Syosset Central School District Nonprofit Organization editing platform WeVideo. Ms. the school, with many opting to Syosset, New York 11791 U.S. Postage PAID Blaney’s ninth-grade Honors spend their lunch hour or start Permit No.36 English students reflected on a their day off in the new space. Syosset, NY 11791 challenge they faced in their lives Comfortable places to read, and created visual memoirs using workspaces that lend themselves the graphic design tool Canva. to collaboration, flexible furniture ****ECRWSS**** Resident of The students used images, colors, and even a smartboard for student Syosset Central School District text and fonts to represent their use create an environment personal feelings. And students in that students enjoy being in. Ms. Blaney’s 11th-grade English The result is engaged students continued on page 3... A Message from Your Superintendent Dear Syosset Community, robots more appealing if tasked with “putting on my added an orientation Just before the New Year’s break, I met with my makeup,” reminding us adults that the more typical night just for parents, “Student Cabinet” – groups of youngsters representing fighting (remember BattleBots?) or competing might an interactive online the elementary, middle and high schools – to get a narrow the underlying coding work’s appeal. catalog and an in- kids’-eye view of their Syosset experience and to hear Students have also led us to identify prerequisite person meeting with what’s on their minds. These are some of my favorite courses at the secondary level that act as filters and a guidance counselor. days of the year, both because our students are a bottlenecks. The student-led G.I.R.L. Talk speaker As part of this effort, delight to be around and because they never fail to series is addressing stereotypes by inviting women we’ve refined the share profound insights. role models in leadership positions to share their course descriptions I open each meeting by letting them know that experiences. The District is also making some with sensitivity the event is not just some formality – we take their instructional shifts that may have the collateral benefit toward gender- thoughts seriously, and we’ve made some significant of addressing enrollment disparities as well. neutral descriptions, changes after reflecting on previous student input. My First, we are approaching technology instruction, and the consultations with the guidance counselors first year, our fifth-graders worried that science and particularly coding, as an emerging literacy for all, are designed to help families see beyond some of social studies were being crowded out by the state’s rather than a discrete skill to be acquired by some, and the stereotypes associated with different courses or emphasis on testing English and math. We’ve since we are starting with all students at an early age. Specific departments. restructured the elementary day to find more time, coding languages will undoubtedly evolve, so the The goal is not to steer students, but to help them shifted our elementary science curriculum to offer fresh goal isn’t necessarily a particular proficiency, which is steer themselves, and not just through the courses lessons to pursue and incorporated some of the new ephemeral, but rather an understanding of algorithmic and professions that exist today, but to empower their social studies frameworks. thinking, which is fundamental. Our elementary minds to roam toward what may exist tomorrow. More recently, we’ve focused on technology and the library/media specialists have been leading the way – Whether it’s the libraries or makerspaces in every classroom environment. It is clear students are excited teaching colleagues and students alike – and sending building, the Districtwide coding curriculum, the by collaborative tasks and the adaptable learning spaces students to the new middle school EV3 robotics use of technology or even the very furniture in the that support them. We recently showed the Board of program with a deeper foundation. The strategy is classroom, each shift we make is designed to spark Education the results of a series of redesigned pilot not unlike the one that has made the District’s music creativity and imagination – those most irreplaceably classrooms, where the focus is shifted from the front programs so successful – empower every student to human of traits – through engagement and empathy. of the room to interactive learning stations that can be make music from an early age and support each as far It only takes a few moments chatting with students grouped and re-grouped around the room with flexible as they wish to pursue it. When technology becomes to realize the tremendous potential of their generation. furniture and agile technology. These classrooms have both a toy and a tool for all, students will pursue They’ll inherit some thorny problems to solve, but become thriving hubs of activity that we are beginning proficiency long before the stereotypes set in. they’ll have more powerful tools at their disposal to expand Districtwide. Second, we’re also focused on the important than we can yet imagine and a stronger intellectual We’ve also asked students to reflect with us as transition from eighth grade to the high school. foundation than ever. I’m a natural optimist,