UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT iller P lace Spring 2014 www.millerplace.k12.ny.us • National Honor and Junior Honor Society Inductees (Page 3) • Check Out What’s Happening Around Our Schools (Pages 4-5) Inside This Issue The State Board of Regents recently adopted several changes to adjust the implementation of the Common Core Standards. The changes are intended to delay the impact of Common Core-related state assessments on students and educators, and reduce the level of local testing associated with both higher standards and the new teacher evaluations. The changes comprise a series of adjustments that will improve implementation without sacrificing high standards. They will provide the necessary time to adjust to new curriculum without halting progress toward the goal of college and career readiness for every student. The requirement to pass Common Core-based Regents exams will be extended; the class of 2022 will be the first that is required to pass English and Math Regents at college and career level (80 percent and 75 percent, respectively). Furthermore, there will not be any new tests. The approved modifications will reduce testing by increasing flexibility for districts to minimize local assessments. They will also create an expedited review process for districts that propose to amend their teacher evaluation plans to reduce local testing. Local traditional standardized tests for grades K-2 used to inform teacher evaluations will also be eliminated. Students with severe disabilities who were not eligible for alternate assessments will be allowed to be tested at their instructional level rather than their chronological age level. Likewise, English Language Learners (ELL’s) will be allowed to be tested in their native language for their first two years of assessments. Moreover, the Department of Education approved the request that students who take Regents exams in mathematics when they are in seventh or eighth grade will not need to take the state mathematics assessment. This will effectively end the “double-testing” of approximately 50,000 students, for the spring 2014 Math 8 assessments only. In light of these recent adjustments, The Miller Place School District remains committed to the Common Core Learning Standards. Providing assistance and guidance toward college and career readiness, reducing the achievement gap and helping every student improve are priorities in our District. The Path Forward Adjustments to the Implementation of the Common Core Learning Standards, Assessments and Evaluations by the Board of Regents • Music and Arts News (Page 6) • Congratulations to our Scholar-Athletes (Page 7-8) The Miller Place School District Board of Education and Administration would like to thank the community for its input and participation in developing the bond referendum put before voters March 24, and for the overwhelming support of the referendum – 70 percent of the votes cast were in favor of the bond. Now that the bond vote is decided, we look forward to your continued input and involvement in our annual budgetary process. We are grateful for the many questions and suggestions from residents who have emailed, called and met with us regarding the now approved bond issue and the 2014-15 proposed budget. Thank you again for your support and dedication to the children of our community and the Miller Place School District. Sincerely, Dr. Marianne F. Higuera Superintendent of Schools To the Miller Place School District Community:
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U N I O N F R E E S C H O O L D I S T R I C T
iller PlaceSpring 2014
www.millerplace.k12.ny.us
• National Honor and Junior Honor SocietyInductees (Page 3)
• Check Out What’s Happening Around OurSchools (Pages 4-5)
Inside This Issue
The State Board of Regents recently adopted several changes to adjustthe implementation of the Common Core Standards. The changes areintended to delay the impact of Common Core-related state assessmentson students and educators, and reduce the level of local testingassociated with both higher standards and the new teacher evaluations.
The changes comprise a series of adjustments that will improveimplementation without sacrificing high standards. They will provide the necessary time to adjust to new curriculum without halting progresstoward the goal of college and career readiness for every student. The requirement to pass Common Core-based Regents exams will be extended; the class of 2022 will be the first that is required to passEnglish and Math Regents at college and career level (80 percent and75 percent, respectively). Furthermore, there will not be any new tests.
The approved modifications will reduce testing by increasing flexibilityfor districts to minimize local assessments. They will also create anexpedited review process for districts that propose to amend theirteacher evaluation plans to reduce local testing. Local traditionalstandardized tests for grades K-2 used to inform teacher evaluationswill also be eliminated.
Students with severe disabilities who were not eligible for alternateassessments will be allowed to be tested at their instructional levelrather than their chronological age level. Likewise, English LanguageLearners (ELL’s) will be allowed to be tested in their native languagefor their first two years of assessments. Moreover, the Department ofEducation approved the request that students who take Regents examsin mathematics when they are in seventh or eighth grade will not needto take the state mathematics assessment. This will effectively end the“double-testing” of approximately 50,000 students, for the spring 2014Math 8 assessments only.
In light of these recent adjustments, The Miller Place School Districtremains committed to the Common Core Learning Standards.Providing assistance and guidance toward college and career readiness,reducing the achievement gap and helping every student improve arepriorities in our District.
The Path ForwardAdjustments to the Implementation of the
Common Core Learning Standards, Assessments and Evaluations by the Board of Regents
• Music and Arts News (Page 6)
• Congratulations to our Scholar-Athletes(Page 7-8)
The Miller Place School District Board ofEducation and Administration would like to thank the community for its input and participation in developing the bondreferendum put before voters March 24, andfor the overwhelming support of thereferendum – 70 percent of the votes cast werein favor of the bond.
Now that the bond vote is decided, we look forward to your continued input andinvolvement in our annual budgetary process.We are grateful for the many questions andsuggestions from residents who have emailed,called and met with us regarding the nowapproved bond issue and the 2014-15 proposed budget.
Thank you again for your support anddedication to the children of our communityand the Miller Place School District.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marianne F. Higuera Superintendent of Schools
To the Miller Place School District Community:
As we make our
way through this final
stretch of the school year,
the District is preparing
for required assessments,
final exams and the
annual budget vote.
It’s also that time of year
to look forward
to graduation and
moving-up ceremonies.
Miller Place is
committed to providing a
rich and relevant education for its students, who face an
ever-changing academic and professional world as
young adults.
As highlighted throughout this newsletter, our District is
enhancing learning at all levels, with particular focus on
literacy and mathematics. Now, more than ever, we must
maintain our vision for providing our students with the
experiences they need to be prepared to successfully
meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Preparation for the 2014-15 budget, as always, presents
fiscal challenges. State mandates continue to raise costs,
but our recent voter-approved bond referendum
provided a chance to use significant aid to make an
impact. Miller Place administrators have been working
closely with the Board of Education and the community
to balance our students’ academic and extracurricular
needs with our community’s financial ability to support
the programs and services that fulfill those needs. In
order to ensure our students’ continued growth and
success, we must keep working together on their behalf.
Thank you for your participation in the budget process.
Please see the caption box to the right regarding the
upcoming budget vote. In addition to preparing
a budget this spring, Miller Place will continue to
prepare its students for a number of assessments,
Regents and AP exams over the course of the next three
months. Please visit the District website calendar
page to find information regarding all upcoming student
and community events.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marianne F. Higuera
Superintendent of Schools
A Message From Your Board of Education
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A Message From the Superintendent
2014-15 Budget Calendar
Budget HearingMay 13 • 7:30 p.m. • Miller Place High School
School Budget Vote & Trustee ElectionMay 20 • 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
North Country Road Middle School
While this Board of Education has a reputation forfocusing on maintaining excellent fiscal performance andcontinues to pave the way toward a balanced budget forthe 2014-15 school year and beyond, we are also veryproud of the educational initiatives implemented this year.In the wake of last year's decision to hold off on full daykindergarten, we installed a tremendously successful andwell-received expanded kindergarten program through ourvalued SCOPE partners. We also are wrapping up the veryfirst year of an in-house SAT prep program at the highschool which had enrollment beyond our expectations.Both of these are just examples of curriculum additionsthat we were able to install during a time of restraint.
I thank current and former board members as well as Dr.Higuera and the entire staff, especially our teachers, forthinking outside of the box and helping us improve thequality of our children's education. We are not done yet.We have presented a well-balanced and fiscally soundbudget to the community that will sustain all currentacademic programming and even adds back a number ofprograms. We continue to exercise fiscal discipline whilebalancing both classroom and community priorities.
As we move forward, it is crucial that the Districtadministration and Board of Education continue to worktogether to ensure long-term sustainability andaffordability. It is also of paramount importance that thecommunity as a whole is active in the budget process. Wethank you for being such an important part of that process.Having to answer to individuals and or groups keeps uskeenly aware of all issues and it makes us a better board.
Enjoy the spring!
Sincerely,
Michael UngerBoard of Education President
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Environmental StewardsCongratulations to science teacher Laura Opitz and her inspired team of students Brianne Ledda, Sarah Manuello, Kristin Nappi and Patricia Stade, who were named People of the Year in the field of education by the Village Beacon Recordfor their environmental conservation efforts on a very local level. Their hard work and determination has ensured that theMiller Place Pond will get the attention it needs to remain a landmark for years to come. Brookhaven Town CouncilwomanJane Bonner has already been working with the town to rehabilitate the pond, but the initiative has been made even strongerdue to the actions of our young activists in collaboration with their dedicated mentor!
Miller Place Students Inducted into National Honor Society
This past fall, 161 Miller Place students were inducted into the National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society.These premier organizations recognize outstanding students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship,leadership, service, character and citizenship. Congratulations to all of this year’s inductees.
Over 100 fourth grade studentsand their parents from Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach Schoolparticipated in a Family FunNight on Friday, January 24. The event was organized by the School Improvement Team(SIT) and was supported by theMiller Place PTO. The school’shallways were decorated withboard games, and students werepartnered with their parents to participate in some of thesegames, as well as a scavengerhunt and a Jeopardy competition.The age-appropriate andacademically motivating eventused lessons learned during theschool year to challenge studentsand their parents through a series of fun activities and competitions.Students and parents alsoparticipated in physical-education,including a team-building parachutegame where everyone workedtogether on various tasks to succeed.The event proved to be a great timefor all, with the scavenger hunt beinga fun trip down memory lane and the parachute game much more of aworkout than expected for parents!
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AMPS
LADSBS
Around Our SchoolsAround Our Schools
This March, students at Andrew Muller Primary School had a blast during PARP week. They enjoyed reading at home andenjoying some special “Seuss” activities in school. From March 3 to March 7, all AMPS students incorporated the works ofTheodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, into their classroom routines. Each morning, an announcement was made andstudents had the opportunity to share a poem, joke, song or t-shirt they brought from home with a partner or the entireclass! Teachers organized special lesson plans inspired by Dr. Seuss’ works to help students with everything from creatingand describing their own Seuss characters to mathematics, SMART Board mystery readers and Skyping. As part of PARP,students had to make sure they took time to read each night,and would send in one Dr. Seuss Hat each day with the nameof the book read and thelocation where it wasread. On Friday, March 7,all of AMPS had a greattime at Lee Knight’sBook of Seuss Assembly,where they learned andlaughed, and all enjoyedDr. Seuss’ impact onPARP this year.
On a snowy Friday Valentine’s Day,students and faculty at Miller PlaceHigh School chose not to wearshades of red and pink, but purplein support of P.S. I Love You Day. P.S. I Love You Day wascreated by a West Islip teen afterher father committed suicide. Shetold the story of the last time shesaw her father, when he dropped her off for school on what seemedto be an ordinary morning. She toldhim “I love you” not knowing thiswould be the last thing she ever gotto say to him. As she worked to overcome her grief, she created a video andestablished P.S. I Love You Day to spread suicide-prevention awareness. TheMPHS Service Club embraced the day by selling purple ribbons to the facultyand student body. They encouraged everyone to wear purple on the secondFriday of February, which happened to fall on Valentine’s Day this year. Flierswere distributed around the school to spread awareness, and students watched thevideo in their English classes. The efforts of the Service Club and faculty shedlight on the topic throughout the high school and they raised approximately $200from their ribbon sales. All proceeds were donated to Brighter Tomorrows, alocal nonprofit domestic violence shelter.
This winter, students at North Country Road Middle Schoollearned the importance of giving back. The students in Mrs.Marcott’s seventh grade family and consumer science classesexperimented with hearing and sight loss, and they spent a day –from sunrise to sunset – experiencing how thousands of peoplewith disabilities live their lives. The students covered one of theirown hands with a sock and went about daily activities, includinggetting dressed, eating, classwork and sports. The experience wasa challenge and gave students a new perspective on their lives.Also in January, students decided to help homeless animals bydonating blankets, towels, toys and other items — and they evenbaked doggie treats, 600 of them! Then, on January 9, Jonnie Coeand her dog Coco Chanel came from the Town of BrookhavenAnimal Shelter to speak about animal-related careers, humanetreatment and the responsibilities of pet ownership. Later in themonth, the NCRMS Student Government held the Zebras Rock!fundraiser during 6th, 7th and 8th grade lunch periods to raisefunds for the Primary Immune Deficiency Foundation. PrimaryImmune Deficiency is a disease that prohibits the body’s immunesystem from working properly. One of our students, JosephMaronski, met with our Student Government to discuss thedisease, as his brother Vincent lives with it every day. Like azebra, every patient’s case is different, and that makes treating it so challenging. Together, each grade collected donations, raising a total of more than $500! Finally, for Valentine’s Day, the NCRMS Student Government brought joy to young patients at the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital by purchasing 80 plushtoys and making cards for sick children who could not spendValentine’s Day at home.
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NCRMS
MPHS
Around Our SchoolsAround Our Schools
Students donated toys, necessities and even baked for homelessdogs at Brookhaven Animal Shelter
Our student government helped patients at Stony Brook Children’sHospital find joy this Valentine’s Day.
� The Miller Place High School music department is proud to congratulate Austin Hassel (Symphonic Band), RourkeFeinberg (Symphonic Orchestra) and Max Hanks (Symphonic Orchestra) for their participation in the 2013 New YorkAll-State Music Festival in Rochester, New York. This festival recognized the most accomplished high school musicstudents in grades 11 and 12 from throughout New York State. Students were invited to participate in the Festival based
on the individual student’s NYSSMA Solo Festival rating and nominations submitted by high school music teachers.
� Twelve students in grades five through twelve were selected, based upon their NYSSMA scores, to participate in the Suffolk County Long Island String Festival Association (LISFA).
� Over 61 students between grades five and ten participated in the three divisions of the Suffolk County Music EducatorsAssociation (SCMEA). Band, chorus and orchestra students took part in three days of rehearsals before their concert.Students were selected based on their NYSSMA scores as well as teacher nominations. Our 61 students were part ofmore than 3,000 who took part from all across the county.
� Twenty members of the Miller Place High School Symphonic Band were selected to participate in the Mid-Island Band Festival held at Hauppauge High School. They performed a concert along with students from five other local high schools.
� Instrumentalists and vocalists from both the middle school and high school were nominated for the Suffolk CountyMusic Educators Association (SCMEA) Jazz Day. Four participants — two from the middle school and two from the high school — were selected to perform at the SCMEA All-County Jazz Ensemble!
� One of our students was selected to be a member of the 16-student All-County Percussion ensemble!
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Music News
LADSBS SCMEA Division I and LIFSA students
All-County Jazz participantsSCMEA Division II musicians
Art News� The artwork of MPHS, NCRMS, LADSBS and AMPS students
were on display at The Long Island Museum “Colors of Long Island” reception on Sunday, March 16.
� MPHS student artwork is on display at the Crazy Beans coffeeshop in Miller Place. The owner has invited us to continue todisplay artwork in the coffee shop throughout the spring!
� MPHS students are also in the process of creating murals in thehallways of our high school. The murals will depict nature andlandscape scenes.
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Fall Accomplishments for Miller Place High School
Athletic news
So far this school year, every Miller Place Varsity team has qualified as a New York State Scholar-Athlete team. The Scholar-Athlete program is initiated by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and qualifiesteams whose GPA is 90 or better. Winter teams who also joined the ranks are wrestling, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball,girls’ winter track and boys’ winter track.
Boys’ Varsity Soccer - NYS Scholar-Athlete Team� Cody Carey - All-League� Jacob Wente - All-League� Chris Moschella - All-Conference� Mike D’Agati - All-Conference� Noah Varonier - All-Conference, All-County
Boys’ Cross Country - NYS Scholar-Athlete Team� Jeremy Miekley - All-League, All-Division, All-County,
All-County Academic, All-State� Patrick Engel - All-League, All-Division� Robert Revera - All-League
Girls’ Cross Country - NYS Scholar-Athlete Team, Suffolk County Champions, Section XI Sportsmanship Winner� Tiana Guevara - All-League, All-Division, All-County,
All-Island, All-State, Suffolk County Runner of Year� Talia Guevara - All-League, All-Division, All-County,
All-Island, All-State� Laura Nolan - All-League, All-Division, All-County,
Varsity Football - NYS Scholar-Athlete Team, Division III Champions� Brett Osman - 1st Team All-Division, All-County� Austin Yezarski - 1st Team All-Division, All-County� Jake Buonaiuto - 1st Team All-Division, All-County� Chris Buchalski - 1st Team All-Division, All-County� Mitch Holsan - 1st Team All-Division, All-County� Liam Walsh - 1st Team All-Division� Nicco Narbutas - 1st Team All-Division� Ethan Fox - 1st Team All-Division� Austin Mooney - 1st Team All-Division� Joe Santoro - 2nd Team All-Division� Kyle O’Connor - 2nd Team All-Division� Kevin Lopez - 2nd Team All-Division
Girls’ Varsity Soccer - NYS Scholar-Athlete Team, Section XI Sportsmanship Winner� Kara Patrovic - All-Division, All-County� Krista Deleva - All-Division� Brittany Evola - All-Division� Danielle Bambola - All-Division� Anna Schoonen - All-Division
Girls’ Varsity Tennis - NYS Scholar-Athlete Team, Co-League Champions� Julianna Dolinski - All-Division� Kiera Pipe - All-Division� Natalia Dolinski - All-League� Amanda Post - All-League� Christina Yun - All-League� Rhianna Ruggiero - All-League� Alexa Menonna - Team Sportsmanship Award
Friday, May 23 and Monday, May 26Schools Closed – Memorial Day
Friday, June 13NCRMS Grade 8 Moving Up Night
Thursday, June 19 LADSBS Grade 5 Moving Up Ceremony
Friday, June 27Last Day of School
MPHS Graduation • 6 p.m.
M I L L E R P L A C E U N I O N F R E ES C H O O L D I S T R I C T
7 Memorial Drive, Miller Place, NY 11764
Board of EducationMichael Unger, President
Brian Neyland, Vice PresidentNoelle Dunlop, Trustee
Michael Manspeizer, TrusteeJohanna Testa, Trustee
Daniel Letterio, Student Representative
Superintendent of SchoolsDr. Marianne F. Higuera
Dates to Remember
Jordan Ceccarini (’17)competed for the third timein the NYSPHSAA GirlsGymnastics Championshipson March 1st in Brockport.Jordan placed 4th overall inNYS and medaled in eachof the four events (beam,floor, bars and vault). She was also a member of the Section XI team that placed 2nd overall.Congratulations Jordan!
Miller Place was well represented at the New York StateIndoor Track and Field Championships this year. JordanSullivan (’14) won the Section XI Boys State Qualifying meet in the high jump, soaring to 6’4”. Our girls’ 4x800meter relay team of Talia Guevara, Laura Nolan, LauraBarreca and Tiana Guevara represented Section XI along with Tiana in the 1500 meter.
Tiana Guevara (’14) won theNYSPHSAA 1500 meter runat the State Championshipsheld at Cornell University onMarch 1st. State ChampionGuevara edged out her closestcompetitor by .08 seconds to win the race. She has nowwon the Public School 1500meter in both her junior and senior years and this year added the FederationChampionship. Tiana and her twin sister Talia will berunning for Division I StonyBrook University this fall.
Athletic
news
AHERA NotificationIn compliance with AHERA (40CFR Part 763), theMiller Place Union Free School District is notifyingall parents, teachers, and employee organizations thatall required asbestos re-inspections and surveillanceshave been performed and copies of such and all otherreports documenting response actions taken, are onfile with the District Asbestos Management Planlocated in the District’s Facilities Office.
If you have any questions or wish to view thesedocuments, please contact Dennis Warsaw, District Asbestos Compliance Officer, at 474-2731 for an appointment
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