Coalition for Glen Cove
Minutes
Meeting 27 October 2007
Deasy and Gribbin School Principals Speak at Coalition Meeting
Glen Cove Deasy School principal Julio Delgado and Gribbin School principal Francine Santoro were the guest speakers at the October meeting of the Coalition for Glen Cove.
The emphasis for the students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade who attend Deasy and Gribbin Schools is on reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Teachers present material in different ways, by hearing, by sight, and by touch, and test for understanding. Teachers aim for permanent understanding that comes when each student can apply what he or she has learned to new situations. Reading, writing, and math programs include books, objects that let students learn mathematical ideas, and well-regarded professional consultants for teacher training.
Reading classes are divided into small groups of students who are offered books that are appropriate for their reading ability. They meet in the classroom to read – often reading aloud to each other – and to discuss what they have read. Students pick their own topics to write about, eager to be little authors and to have their writing displayed and read by their teacher, their friends, and their parents. Each school has an occasional authors’ breakfast at which students can meet and talk with local “big”authors.
A district committee recently looked at eight different mathematics programs and chose “Growing with Mathematics,” a set of books and activities that encourages curiosity and the desire to learn more by using hands-on activities and real-life applications.
The number of students for whom English is not their first language has been steadily increasing. Most of these students have been born in this country but their parents speak little or no English. The schools provide ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) courses for one or two years for these students after which they can understand and speak English. Both Deasy and Gribbin Schools have three full-time English-as-a-Second-Language teachers. Students who come to the United States when they are in middle or high school have a more difficult time and often have trouble with the required standardized English tests.
Since the success of students depends heavily on the support and involvement of their parents, the schools help parents, especially those who speak little English, understand their children and their children’s education. Math books in Spanish are sent home to parents. Gribbin School teachers hold workshops for ESL parents, the middle school provides a bus to pick up parents for meetings in Spanish on raising teenagers, and retired teachers Liz Bouza and Laurent Caballera teach an ESL course for parents at the high school. Some parents struggle to survive, holding three jobs and having little time for school activities and no transportation, but they do come to PTA meetings and have an active interest in their children’s education.
Children who come to school with learning disabilities are assigned a committee on Special Education made up of their parents and teacher and a psychologist and social worker. By law each child has to be placed in the class or program that will restrict him or her the least, whether a regular classroom, a regular classroom with an aide, a special education classroom within the school district, a classroom run by the Nassau County Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or in an outside organization that provides help to children with disabilities. Each special education student is evaluated annually in an attempt to move him or her toward returning to a regular classroom.
Glen Cove has excellent well trained teachers. As the progress the district is making becomes widely known the district is continuing to attract excellent teachers. The district website at glencove.k12.ny.us has been rebuilt in the past few months and the sections for each elementary school are increasingly useful to students, teachers, parents who are considering moving to Glen Cove, and teachers who are considering applying to Glen Cove for a position.
Both Mr. Delgado and Ms. Santoro invited parents or other community members to visit their schools to see students and teachers in action.
Rose Sekelsky, principal of Glen Cove’s Connolly School, and Dr. Michael Israel, principal of Landing School, will be the speakers at the Coalition meeting at 7:30 PM on Monday, November 26th, 2007 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 28 Highland Road. They will speak about 3rd through 5th grade educational programs. For information call 674-4130.