Slideshow: Lynbrook, East Rockaway students return to school

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The Lynbrook and East Rockaway school districts each welcomed back students Wednesday for the first day of school. Both districts are set to roll out several new programs and courses in 2019-20.

Lynbrook

Lynbrook is a strong, academically focused school district where students excel not only in the classroom, but also in athletics, the fine arts and other extracurricular activities, and ahead of the 2019-20 school year, there is plenty to look forward to.

Lynbrook High School will continue to offer students a wide array of courses and extracurricular activities in the 2019-20 school year. It is the richness of these offerings that has, in part, earned the school the designation of a New York state Recognition School. LHS will also partner with Syracuse University for the first time to offer Syracuse University Project Advance Forensic Science, a new and exciting course for which students can receive college credit. In addition, the English 12R course will move to more contemporary works to represent more current fiction and nonfiction literature.

At the elementary and middle school levels, schools will implement the Teachers College Reading and Writing program to foster literacy. Both middle schools will implement the Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention program, which was previously used at only the elementary level. All three elementary schools will also see an expansion of the integrated co-teaching program through fifth grade.

Along with these program enhancements, much work has been completed in the district’s facilities to ensure students are learning in a comfortable environment. Officials and administrators strive to maintain and update the buildings for all students and staff, and use various sources of funding to provide students with the spaces needed to grow and develop. Over the summer, all buildings were painted, certain classrooms underwent renovations and a new classroom was created at the Kindergarten Center to accommodate its growing enrollment. With funds from the Smart School Bond Act, security vestibules were also installed and are receiving final technical modifications. In addition, the new Voyager classroom was completed at West End Elementary, which will inspire students to think on a new level.

The first phase of the bond referendum was also implemented over the summer. In addition, air conditioning was installed in middle and elementary school gymnasiums and the middle school locker rooms and the wrestling room housed at Atlantic Avenue underwent major renovations.

Administrators have expressed their gratitude to the community for its support. To stay up to date on district news, visit lynbrookschools.org, or download the Lynbrook Schools app. The 2019-20 calendar can be found on the district’s homepage. The community is welcome to attend the many concerts, theater productions and sporting events that will take place throughout the year. School highlights can also be followed on Twitter. Look for @LynbrookSupt and hashtag #GiveAHootFor.


East Rockaway

As East Rockaway enters the fourth year of its five-year strategic plan, an emphasis remains on innovation, achievement, opportunity and connection.

In keeping with that, the 2019-20 school year will see plenty of new courses and curricula offered. At the high school level, anatomy and psychology, general chemistry and emergency medical technician courses will be offered. At the eighth-grade level, some students will be eligible to study an accelerated living environment Regents course and there will be an extended math period offered to all seventh grade students.

One of the new programs offered in the school district is the addition of Eureka Math for kindergarten through fifth grade students. In addition, all students will receive an implementation of techbooks in all math and science classes from sixth through 12th grade, along with social studies courses in seventh and eighth grade, to further advance the use of instructional technology tools and the devices that all students use for learning.

There are also new faces in the district, as Ayesha McArthur will serve as the new principal of Rhame Avenue Elementary School, and Vincent Healy will now serve in the new role of the assistant director of pupil personnel services.