The challenge facing every educator today is to provide competency andproficiency in basic skills, which will be so necessary for student successthroughout their educational careers and into their work careers. This is howroots are provided to students, grounding them in the essential learning skills.Along with this challenge comes the ever-present goal of providing exceptionallearning opportunities to students, stretching their thinking, building criticalanalysis skills, touching their artistic and humanistic capabilities, and educatingthem to be well-rounded citizens in a democratic society. Giving them, inessence, the wings to achieve their dreams and do magnificent things withtheir lives!

As one of its goals for the 2005-06 school year, Sayville’s Board of Educationhas put forth the following: TTo ffully engage all students in meeting andexcceeding rigorous standards ffor learning and cconducct by providingopportunities to exccel.

• Meeting and exceeding rigorous standards = roots.• Opportunities to excel = wings.In reviewing the accountability reports from New York State for Sayville

Public Schools, one message is clear. We are meeting and exceeding thestandards set forth by the federal and state governments. In one area afteranother, Sayville outperforms the Annual Measurable Objectives set by NewYork State for our specific district and ranks at or near the top of the EasternSuffolk BOCES districts. These areas include English Language Arts,Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, as measured by the annual stateassessments. Our students are consistently averaging scores on both the NYSAssessments and the Regents exams far above the goals set for us by the state.

Students are also learning to spread their wings as they pursue activitiesacross the K-12curriculum, activities that expand their thinking and excite theircuriosity. Whether participating in a MOON TO MARS MISSION at Stony BrookUniversity, taking a course in Robotics, pursuing research and a place as anIntel semifinalist, writing and presenting poetry at the Common GroundsCoffee House, participating in a presidential debate, pursuing numerous APcourse offerings, or creating something where nothing existed before throughmusic and art, our students are soaring!

As a school district, we are striving each and everyday to make the rootsdeeper and stronger and to increase the wingspan of opportunities for ourstudents. We strive always to reach even greater heights of excellence for all ofour students, for the pursuit of excellence reflects our natural desire to begreater today than we were yesterday.

CURRENTS

Newsworthy

IN SAYVILLE CURRICULUM

The Sayville InformationTechnology Academy at Sayville HighSchool has recently become an officialMicrosoft IT Academy. This alignmentwill provide many benefits to theprogram and will allow students totake Microsoft Office certificationexams at a discount. In addition,students who pass the Microsoft OfficeSpecialist exams may qualify forcollege credit as these exams arerecognized by the American Council onEducation.

Microsoft Office Specialistcertifications for Microsoft Office 2000and Microsoft Office 2003 have beenrecommended by the AmericanCouncil on Education (ACE) for onesemester hour of college credit in lowerdivision "computer applications" or"information technology." Studentsenrolled in semester-long businesselectives in Word/Powerpoint andExcel/Access will be prepared to takecore-level certification exams in each ofthese programs. As a benefit tobecoming a Microsoft IT Academy,Sayville High School is also a 'secure'location for administering the OfficeSpecialist exams.

In addition to our regular schoolprogram, The Adult Educationprogram also offers preparation classesfor members of the community wishingto pursue Microsoft Office Specialistcertification.

Dr. Geraldine Sullivan Keck,Assistant Superintendent

SECONDARY

EDUCATION EDITION

FROM THE OFFICE OFCURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

What does it mean to give our students

RRoooottss aanndd WWiinnggss??SAYVILLE HIGH

SCHOOL HAS RECENTLYBECOME AN OFFICIAL

MICROSOFT ITACADEMY.

Winter 2006Volume 7, Issue 1

2

With new courses offered thisyear and existing courses"revitalized" to encourage NEW

learning experiences, theincreased enrollment is a suresign the Science Department is onthe right track.

To keep at the forefront of New YorkState Math, Science, and Technology(MST) standards, the Science Departmentfaculty constantly evaluates its programseach year to make necessary adjustmentsso all students will have the maximumpotential for success. The result has been aseamless transition from the old to thenew, accompanied by excellent studentperformance on the Eighth-grade ScienceAssessment and the new Regents exams atboth the Middle School and High Schoollevels. In fact, prior to these assessments,the Secondary programs had already beenrevised to align with Intermediate LevelScience Core Curriculum and the PhysicalSetting (Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics)and Living Environment (Biology)commencement level core curricula.

Among this year’s new courses:The High School program's new

Human Anatomy and Physiology courseoffers students topics no longer includedin the regents Living Environment/Biology course and are covered in theSAT II in Biology.

When it comes to curriculum enhancements...

. . . Sayville students are being providedwith exciting opportunities to gainadditional experiences in the sciences. Inmany cases, they can earn collegecredits during their High School careers.The Syracuse Project Advance ForensicScience and the Stony Brook Geology 121programs have seen tremendous growth

The Syracuse Project AdvanceForensic, spearheaded by scienceteacher Sally Stoll-DePompeo, hasexpanded to three sections, and thisyear is providing more than fiftystudents the opportunity to earn threecollege chemistry credits from SyracuseUniversity. "CSI Sayville" employs thelatest technology. With guest lecturesand demonstrations by the SuffolkCounty Police Department, the studentshave real-life applications of biologicaland physical sciences. An additionalForensic Science course initiated this yearprovides students who are not interestedin taking a college-based forensic sciencecourse the opportunity to explore theworld of a forensic scientist.

The Geology 121 program, which hasbeen delivered in partnership with StonyBrook University's GeosciencesDepartment since 1995, once again hastwenty-seven sophomore enrolled.Qualified students from the Ninth-gradeHonors Earth Science program, building

on their geology experiences from theprevious year, work on authenticresearch projects in small groups,culminating in a comprehensive report.

Students work independently,supported by bimonthly meetings withadvisor/mentors Janet Kaczmarek andBrian Vorwald, along with support ofStony Brook's Geosciences Departmentfaculty. This year, two studentsconducted research supported by theUniversity’s Center for EnvironmentalMolecular Science. Students will beawarded four credits for Geology 121,Principles of Geology, from theUniversity upon successful completion oftheir projects.

Advanced PlacementEnvironmental Science

continues to cover the AP curriculum byproviding students unique hands-on fieldexperiences with the guidance of scienceteacher Maria Brown.

• Students continue to workcollaboratively with the Town of Islip byconducting studies within the Green'sCreek Watershed to identify priorityproblems and make recommendation tothe Habitat Subcommittee.

• This year students will initiate a two-year pilot program in which they willmonitor pollutant point-source areas usingbiofilters that will be provided by theTown of Islip.

Scientific Currents IN HIGH SCHOOLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL

CURRICULUM

Physics class

(Two photos right) For the Chemistry Halloween Fire Show,Mrs. Adler and Ms. Stoll-DePompeo gave demonstrations of

the special effects used in movies and stage along with the science behind them.

MS Planetarium: Diffraction glassesStudents in SUPA Forensic Science

• Mrs. Brown's students, in collaborationwith the South Shore Estuary Reserve, aredeveloping an educational flyer for allGreen's Creek Watershed residents that willfocus on point source and non-point sourcepollution and invasive species.

• Mrs. Brown received a $1,500 grant toraise trout in the classroom, which uponmaturity, will be released into Green'sCreek accordance with a permit from theNew York State Department ofEnvironmental Conservation.

• Notification should be forthcoming inFebruary with regard to a $10,000 grantproposal to Seaworld/Bush Gardens tocollaborate with several organizations inthe construction and monitoring of a tidalrestoration project on Suffolk Countyproperty along the Great South Bay.

• Facilitated by a $1,200 grant from theGreat South Bay Audubon, students MattFrench and Neil Nayi, under the directionof Tom Cullen from the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture, are studyingdragonflies as ecological indicators forwater quality at Brooksite County Park.

And THREE NEWcourses are planned

for next year:1. Qualified students who have taken

Advanced Placement EnvironmentalScience or are taking the course for the firsttime will have opportunity to take APHuman Geography, which will also betaught by Mrs. Brown.

2. Mr. Louis Gittler's successful andpopular physics program will be expandedwith the offering of Advanced PlacementPhysics.

3.The third new offering planned fornext year will be a Science Researchprogram. This independent study programwill be intended for self-motivated studentswho have an interest in developing andimplementing a project that explores indetail an area of science. Students fromthe Middle School's Honors BiologyResearch Program and the High School'sGeology 121 program are among thestudent population for whom this course isintended.

Not everything happens at the High School level.A new addition to the Middle School

program this year is the Honors BiologyResearch Program. Under the guidance ofscience teacher Gabrielle Lambiase,qualified students working in collaborativeresearch groups, are working on researchtopics in the biological and related sciences.Students have selected areas of interest, arerefining them into research topics, and thenare designing experiments that they willjointly conduct. The program's goals arefor students to gain skills that will facilitatecontinuing science research in their HighSchool experience, assist them in attainingsuccess in all future courses, and lead themto becoming life-long learners. Uponsuccessful completion of their projects,students will be awarded Honors credit fortheir regents Living Environment/Biologycourse.

The Science Department's successfulprograms are the results of theinnovations, dedication, and hard workof the teachers who deliver them.Several of the department's teachershave been recognized by otherorganizations for their exemplary workin science education.

• In 2002, the Suffolk Section of theScience Teacher's Association of NY Statehonored chemistry teacher/research mentorAdriana Adler with its Suffolk CountySecondary Science Teacher of the Yearaward.

• In 2004, Maria Brown was alsorecognized with Suffolk County SecondaryScience Teacher of the Year award. Thisfall, Mrs. Brown was named as a 2005/2006 Dowling College/News 12 Long Island

Educator of the Month. (photo above)

• Science Department ChairpersonBrian Vorwald, also a past recipient of theSuffolk County Secondary Science Teacherof the Year award, was honored with a2005 "Golden Apple" award from theMarch of Dimes.

S C I E N T I F I C C U R R E N T SContinued from page 2. *****

MS Planetariu: Spectrascopes

HS Intel Semifinalists

HSBiology

Class

Earth Science Class

Life Science: Evolution Activity

LOTEChairperson LisaGray says the abovestatements are justa few of the factsstudents learn whenthey are enrolled ina LOTE class. LOTEstudy in Sayvillebegins in the Sixthgrade with anexploratory courseand goes through toa C.W. Post Collegecourse and Advanced Placement Level 5.As a department, we are dedicated tomaintaining the nearly 100% passing rateof the Comprehensive Second LanguageExam in Level 3, which leads to anAdvanced Designated Diploma.

The language experience is not allacademic. Students also enjoy fun activitiesthroughout the year in class and during

Foreign Language Week in March. Such

activities includesalsa dancing (seephotos below),movie night,guest speakers,and preparationof internationalfoods.

Also, 2006 hasbeen designatedthe "Year ofStudy Abroad".The followingresolution wasreceived by theSenate: “Whereas

study abroad programs help people fromthe U.S. to be more informed about theworld and to develop the culturalawareness necessary to avoid offendingindividuals from other countries.” Last year,three Sayville students, Marissa Foti, KatieCannon, and Alexandra McGrath returnedfrom Brazil, Argentina, and Francerespectively, all fluent and enthusiastic toshare their experiences on tolerance ofdiversity.

4More on Secondary Math What is LLOOTTEE?

MMaatthh DDeeppaarrttmmeenntt CChhaaiirrppeerrssoonnKKaatthhyy BBeerrnnsstteeiinn rreeppoorrttss ggoooodd nneewwss::

• Sayville students successfully tookthe recent Math A Regents with apassing rate of 99 percent and amastery rate of 68 percent. Thanks tothe dedicated staff, additional reviewclasses were offered afterschool,during evenings, and on weekends toaccommodate our students prior tothe exam.

• The Math Department anticipatesmore changes in secondarymathematics education. The New YorkState Education Department hasrevamped the curriculum once again,replacing Math A and Math B withIntegrated Algebra, Geometry, andIntermediate Algebra, and Trigonometry.These changes will appear as early asSeptember 2006, with the primarytarget date set for total retoolingSeptember 2007. Curriculum writingwill begin once the State finalizes acore curriculum.

• The Middle School is preparingstudents for the new Sixth and Seventh-grade Assessments, scheduled for March.Based on State recommendations, allcourses were revised and divided inGrades 6-8 into preMarch andpostMarch categories. (Post March topicsbegin the next year’s curriculum.)

• Middle School students will onceagain enter the Suffolk County MathTeachers contest and are working onprojects for presentation at the GoudreauMuseum of Mathematics in Art andScience. This is in conjunction with themuseum’s Annual Pi Day MathematicsAwareness Contest. The theme this year is“06, the Perfect Year for Math.” [Hint: 6 isa perfect number.]

• In January, Mr. Surrusco and hisHigh School Mathletes sent twenty ofSayville’s best and brightest to SCCCfor the Suffolk County MathTournament. High scorers includedNinth graders Jason Cromwell andAlex DeRidder; Tenth graders MelissaDomenchello and Ericka Schreiber;Eleventh Grader Viral Patel; andTwelfth Grader Dan Hahn.Congratulations to all whoparticipated and to the team itself,which came in ninth place among theUpper Division teams.

MathReports

LOTE stands for Language Other Than EnglishForeign Language instruction

for young children increases readingskills and motivates the study of

cultures which is increasinglynecessary in this global society.

Actually, 75% of the world does NOT know English.

French is widely spoken on FIVE continents

and in many countries as a nativetongue, language of instruction,

language of diplomacy, and lingua franca of business.

** **

For more information, please contact the following websites as resources:www.peacecorps.gov/wws

www.nclrc.org (National Capitol Language Resource Center)http://international.loc.gov/intldl/intldlhom.html (Library of Congress)

Spanish is expected to be the firstlanguage of 50% of the U.S.

population within fifty years–Englishwill NOT have the field to itself.

Speaking Spanish will increase jobopportunities, salary potential,

and travel experiences.

O ne might list the elements ofSocial Studies (history,

geography, government, oreconomics) as required milestones onthe road toward earning a high schooldiploma. Yet, thanks to a dynamiccurriculum, a diverse and popularelective program, and support of avery enthusiastic Social Studiesdepartment staff, many Sayvillestudents are enjoying the journey.

As a subject matter, Social Studiesholds a mirror up to the face ofhumanity and asks students to reflecton “how far we have come as apeople and how far we have yet togo,” to quote DepartmentChairperson Walker Hall. This isaccomplished through the “dedicationof professional teachers whose toppriority has been to connect withstudents while maintaining theintegrity of the curriculum.” Althoughthe standard success of thisDepartment can be measured inimpressive Regents testing results*,more Advanced Placement coursesoffered than any other department,and electives such as You and theLaw, Urban Studies, Psychology,Current Issues. Long Island History,Ethics & Decision-Making, Mr. Hallfeels the Department’s relatedactivities contribute to the vitality ofthe students’ participation.

• Starting with the Social Studies-related clubs, which provide thefoundation for many activities, thedepartment proudly acknowledges theMiddle School’s History League forbecoming the 2005 Suffolk CountyChampions. At the High School, therecently BOE-approved History Clubhas arranged guest speakers, walkingtours, cultural dinners, charity work,and fund-raising, as well as overnighttrips to historical sites.

• The Quiz Bowl competitiongrows in popularity each year.

• Celebrations of Diversity havecommemorated Black History,Women’s History, and AmericanIndian Heritage months with teach-ins, guest speakers, performers, filmfestival, and visual displays. ForVeterans Day, a Vietnam Vetrecounted his experiences (photo belowright). Suffolk County Police, DistrictAttorneys, local politicians, and specialinterest groups have been invited tospeak to the students in various classes.

• The Department sponsors studentparticipation in worthy causes such asHabitat for Humanity and Oxfam, aswell as organizes school-wide debateson the War in Iraq, PresidentialElections, and Is Wal-Mart Good forAmerica?

• With Quarterly Social Studiesmovie presentations, students canreceive extra credit for attending andwriting reaction papers relevant to theselected films.

• Field trips offer walking tours ofNew York City (Urban Studies),Suffolk County Court andCorrectional facility (You & the Law),Cradle of Aviation Museum and SagHarbor (Long Island History) Harlem(Black History Month) Ellis Island,Metropolitan Museum of Art,Holocaust Museum, etc.

• The Department collaborates withSayville Historical Society and the LongIsland Maritime Museum with work-study and volunteer programs.

• At the Middle School level,simulation activities such as theWestward Expansion and the StockMarket, broaden student awarenesswith hands-on projects andinterdisciplinary workshops.

• Keeping pace with technology,the Social Studies Department hasrecently created a website with a linkat www.sayville.k12.ny.us.

Imbuing the curriculum with extrasthrough related activities, the SocialStudies Department does more thansatisfy requirements. It inspires Sayvillestudents to understand their socialrelevance in the human condition.

_________________* In 2005, 97% of the students passed Global History &Geography 97%, with 45% at mastery level, and 94%passed U.S. History & Government with 53% at themastery level.

5

Above HS faculty: Back row (l-r): Robert Hoss, James Lecci, Michael Pace, Brian Bennett, WalkerHall, Steve Aronsen. Front row (l-r): Michael Huggins, Kevin Recker, Matthew Tornetta, DebbieArmendinger, Susan Hart, and Alisa Kremer ; Below MS faculty: Top row (l-r) Garret Lynch, JanineMarie Fitje, Bottom row (l-r) Eileen Walsh-Aherns, and Louis Lowe.

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Mission Statement:

• •

••

LOOKINGBACKWARDSAND FORWARDSwith Social Studies

Why Art?6

Getting the most from Sayville�s Art curriuclumTThhe Sayville AArt Program (K-112))

goals incclude hhaving studentsexperiencce thhe ffull range off thhe VVisualAArts withh an emphhasis on thhe NYSStandards ffor thhe AArts.

Learning to respond to, perfform,and ccreate workks off art teacchhescchhildren and young people thhe skkills,values, and hhabits off mind thhat are

ccruccial to thheir personal growthh anddevelopment and whhicchh will hhelpthhem assume roles in our soccial,ccultural, and ecconomicc liffe.

Not only do thhe arts require selff-disccipline, ccreativity, and cconffidencceto succcceed, but also thhese and othherimportant hhabits will stay withh thhestudents and ccan hhelp thhem succcceed in

othher areas off scchhool, liffe, as well asworkk.

In New Yorkk State, one thhird off allthhe jobs are in an arts-rrelated ffield.TThhat’s thhe seccond hhighhest perccentagein thhe state! AAlso, TThhe College Boardreports thhat ccollege-bbound studentswhho hhave hhad arts educcation hhavehhighher SAATT sccores thhan othher students.

7

WWHHYY AARRTT??• The Visual Arts utilize a system of unique

languages and symbols for communicatingideas and perceptions about ourselves andthe world.

• The Visual Arts engage the wholeindividual in acts of creating andresponding that involve the intellectual,the intuitive, the emotional, and thephysical being.

• The Visual Arts provide a record ofcivilization through diverse culturalartifacts that reflect aspects of humanthought, action, and experience, and assist

students in making connections acrosssubject matter.

• Most importantly for students, the VisualArts develop essential workplacequalities of teamwork, collaboration,flexibility, and appreciation as well asrespect for others’ ideas and personalexpressions.

• The richness of the Visual Arts and itscontribution to thinking and learningdemands that every student have access tothe knowledge, skills, and understandingof a Visual Arts education.

A Poet’s Voice, the first poetryreading session, drew record-

setting crowds at the High Schoolcoffee house, The CommonGrounds. Most students came tolisten; a few braved the crowds torecite original works or perennialfavorites, but the opportunity toappreciate the written word asspoken artistic expressions was thegoal of this gathering.

This ground-breaking activitywas the result of class discussion bystudents enrolled in an Englishelective course, Creative Writing,taught by Mrs. Sinishtaj. Duringclass, the students expressed thedesire to give voice to poetry asthey learned of and listened to theworks of other poets. As theirenthusiasm built, Mrs. Sinishtajagreed that, for the class’s finalproject, the students could organizea poetry reading session. Formingcommittees for Advertising,Invitations, Food, Running theReading Session, and evenarranging for live music, enabledevery student in the class toparticipate in the planning stages.With their motto “Beat theGenerations,” the students launcheda campaign to spread the word.They asked to speak at otherEnglish classes to raise awarenessand also provided sign-up sheets

prior to the event. Some studentsfrom other classes also requested tobe readers.

If success were measured by thenumbers of students attending APoet’s Voice, then it was anoverwhelming success! The coffeehouse was packed. High SchoolSenior Connor Febos (in photobelow) served as Master ofCeremonies, introducing the poetsin an orderly fashion. Obviously,the bohemian venue of TheCommon Grounds was the perfectlocation for the students toappreciate “that a poem should notmean, but be.”(Archibald McLeish)Many began to rap, tap, beat, orsnap to the rhythms of the spokenexpressions. It was such an upbeatexperience for all the students, thatanother poetry session is beingplanned for National Poetry Monthin April.

99 Greeley AvenueSayville, NY 11782

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. Postage

PAIDSayville School

District

ECRWSSPOSTAL CUSTOMER

CURRENTS IN SAYVILLE CURRICULUM

BBOOAARRDD OOFF EEDDUUCCAATTIIOONNKEVIN L. SPELMAN, PRESIDENT

DEBORAH VAN ESSENDELFT, VICE PRESIDENT

TRUSTEESALLISON J. CRUZNORM DEVENAUMAUREEN DOLANRAYMOND J. NELSON

JOHN VERDONE

Dr. Rosemary F. Jones,Superintendent of Schools

School Tax Code 566

Recipient of New York State Public Relations Association Awards

Linda A. Mittiga, Editor

High School English Studentssuccessfully sponsor poetry sessionPoetry finds

aVoice