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January 2009 PortAdvances Port Washington Union Free School District Port Schools Lead the Outreach Efforts Help Families Way in Green Practices The Port Washington School The Port Washington School District is working hard to ini- District has been part of an an- tiate and continue programs that develop a culture of environ- nual Coat Drive since 1990. This mental responsibility in every school building. Students, year, the program was the most teachers, staff and administrators are working with parents and successful ever. “So many the community to make real and lasting changes in their school people help with this project that district – changes that will make the environmental impact of it would be impossible to say every decision of primary importance. what made this such an out- Our school community makes every effort to protect children’s standing year,” says Regina health and safety through environmental stewardship. Dr. Farinaccio, Director of Educa- Geoffrey Gordon, Superintendent of Schools, spearheaded the tional and Community Services. effort to adopt a “no idling” policy for school buses, protecting “We had the support of Parents children and the environment from toxic fumes – the first in New Council and the parent organi- York State. Moving forward, the district is committed to using zations and teachers, adminis- only green cleaning products. In that regard, the Board of Edu- trators and support staff from cation is exploring a “green policy” for the district. In lieu of every school – including St. Peter’s and Chabad – as well as the herbicides, manual weeding is the preferred method to elimi- Town of North Hempstead and the district’s Outreach Commit- nate weeds and poison ivy in the district. There is an integrated tee. More than 3,000 coats were collected, sorted and distributed pest management program using the least toxic approach to com- within a one-week period.” bat undesirable pests. “Many chemicals routinely used expose Information about the Coat Drive was sent home with stu- people in buildings to uneccessary risks,” says Jim Ristano, Di- dents in six languages – English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, rector of Facilities and Operations. “These products can com- Japanese and Korean. Coats and winter clothing were brought promise air quality and present a health hazard to everyone to the lobby of the Manorhaven Pool where volunteers sorted continued on page 3 continued on page 9 Dear Neighbors – There is so much going on in the Port Washington schools that it would require a book to document it all. The Port Advances highlights in each issue just a few of the achievements of our students and staff. Every program we do is geared toward student achievement and helps to turn our young people into adults who will be successful and productive members of society. In Port Washington “green” is not just a color or a buzzword. It is becoming a way of life that has been em- braced by both students and staff. We are proud that in conjunction with the PWEF, Residents for a More Beauti- ful Port Washington, Grassroots, PW Green, and the Town of North Hempstead we have dozens of ongoing environmental education and re- source management programs which include student participation at all levels. Port’s Marilyn Sanchez schools, under the leadership of new Facilities Director Jim Ristano, are continuing and enhancing our commitment to people-friendly and environmentally-friendly prac- Wins $30,000 tices. The Board has also established a committee of community members, staff, stu- dents and BOE members to look at alternative sources of energy, and ways to conserve Scholarship energy usage in our buildings. Marilyn Sanchez, a mem- Four Schreiber musicians were recently selected out of 170 from New York Sate to ber of Schreiber’s class of 2009, be part of the All-Eastern Music Festival. More than 150 students are taking Advanced recently received a 2008 Dis- Placement Art classes. Winter concerts are presented in every school so that family cover Scholarship of $30,000 and friends can enjoy the performing skills of students of all ages. We expect the Arts to be used for her post-high Department to continue to grow in innovative ways under the watchful eye of new school education. Only ten Director Rose Marvel. students nationwide are Programs in the arts as well as athletics provide ways for some of our more non- awarded these scholarships. traditional learners to be connected and empowered in the school community. They The Discover Scholarship are of critical importance to our overall success rates which are the envy of many Program awards up to other districts. For example, our graduation rates are among the highest in the region $300,000 annually to high including our most academically gifted students to students with learning and other school juniors nationwide to disabilities that could impact their academic success. support the costs of post-sec- Of course we are not perfect and the Board, administration and staff are always ondary education. The pro- looking at ways to improve our programs in a cost effective manner. Schreiber High gram recognizes students who School just completed a rigorous self-evaluation and has developed an eight year have shown initiative, creativ- plan for the school under the auspices of Middle States. While not as formalized, ity, determination and per- similar processes take place at other levels and we will continue to strengthen these sonal results, and triumphed in programs. all aspects of their lives – not The Board of Ed doesn’t exclude itself from this process. We have held two Board just academic excellence. Development sessions so that we can be as effective and efficient as possible. We have Marilyn is a high-achieving also sent representatives to the NYS School Boards’ Association convention to see what Schreiber student who is in- other districts are doing that could benefit us. Earlier this year the Board established a volved in school activities and Legislative Task Force to provide us with information so that we can effectively work has earned a 3.3 GPA. In her with our governmental representatives to push for a review of unfunded mandates that application for the Discover cost taxpayer dollars and do little to improve student achievement. Scholarship, Marilyn wrote a We all know that the economic downturn has taken its toll on our community as powerful essay on several fam- well as elsewhere. These are difficult times for all of us, and together we must face ily health crises that she has some tough choices. We will continue to review every program for not only educa- faced and dealt with effec- tional effectiveness but for cost effectiveness as well. To paraphrase President-Elect tively. As a result of her Obama, it is not a question of bigger or smaller. It is a question of smarter. family’s challenges, Marilyn Port embodies America’s resilience: in times of crisis, hope is what resonates in- said that, “I am trying my very stead of fear. The immediate future looks daunting, but the long term outlook for our best in school so I can obtain schools and community continues to be positive and if we all work together we can an excellent education and a achieve great things. better life for myself in the fu- ture.” Marilyn’s English teacher Lynn Kennedy has ad- vised Marilyn on her essay submissions and talks with en- Larry Greenstein, President thusiasm about what Marilyn has accomplished as well as her bright future. 2 Port Schools Lead the Way continued from page 1 nearby.” In Port Washington, we are reducing the use of clean- ing supplies that contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and petrochemicals to minimize air pollution and damage to soil and groundwater. As part of this work, the Board of Education has established an Alternative Energy Committee, chaired by board member Rob Seiden. The committee includes community volunteers with ex- pertise in the areas of environmentally sound business practices and help explore how to best manage buildings that are used by hundreds of people every day. “We know that people want to do the right thing,” says Mr. Seiden. “We are working with the Town of North Hempstead to implement school-wide recycling because when students and staff are given information, procedures and The Board of Education’s Alternative Energy Committee, chaired by Rob the recycling bins, we know we will be able to do something good Seiden, meets regularly to explore ways to improve energy use and for the environment.” The Town’s Keeping It Green School Outreach implement environmentally sound practices. Program has helped us increase school participation in recycling of electronic and comingled waste (cans, bottles, paper and card- board) and lamp bulbs which contain mercury. Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman visited the school district to present the recycling con- tainers and has also given the school free pick-up service for re- cycled materials for two years. In this regard, Dr. Gordon says, “Our partnership with Residents for a More Beautiful Port Wash- ington has resulted in both an advanced environmental curricula and a pilot recycling program. Port schools are recognized as county-wide leaders.” Employees are encouraged to implement environmentally sound practices. Computers and lights are turned off every night. Lights in many areas only go on when the room is in use. Ther- mostats are set no higher – and often lower than – 68° in the win- ter and 74° in the summer. Many communications – from memos to homework assignments – are e-mailed and not printed. The school district supports a broad-based, three dimen- sional approach to environmental education. Some of the cur- rent practices are featured in this publication.