226 Shelter Island students start classes September 9
Superintendent Leonard Skuggevik, is preparing his faculty and staff for the academic year 2015-16.
Didn’t the class of 2015 just graduate a couple of weeks ago?
It certainly seems that way. But even with a late start this month since Labor Day comes in the second week of September, students, school staff and parents no doubt feel like another summer has flown.
Shelter Island is expecting to welcome 226 students on Wednesday morning, September 9 as the 2015-16 term gets under way.
Among the plans for the school year will be continuation of multi-age classrooms. It’s been done in the past with first and second graders and the prekindergarten and kindergarten class. This year, because of class sizes, the district is combining only a pre-kindergarten and kindergarten class.
The older children will mentor the younger ones and the younger students, experience has shown, often make more progress than is typical for pre-schoolers learning together.
The multi-age class “has shown great promise,” Superintendent Leonard Skuggevik said. “We will continue to monitor the students in the class and the students moving forward to see how they progress.”
The administration and faculty will continue to build on the two separate secondary “houses of instruction” — humanities and math, science and technology established for grades 6 through 12.
In line with new state requirements, the district has hired Laura Mayor to teach English as a second language. She will help facilitate progress those students make as their English language skills improve.
“Collaborative teaching” will continue to be encouraged, with teachers from various disciplines work together to focus on subjects from different perspectives.
What has been a successful Intel science research program will continue and there will be advanced placement high school classes in seven disciplines.
In addition, Mr. Skuggevik has been elicited cooperation from Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) to certify members of his staff to teach courses that can earn students up to 28 college credits.
In addition, St. John’s University has struck a similar arrangement that will offer students an opportunity to gain credits for a college English course.
Students will be greeted by a new Academic Hall of Fame in the main lobby that will complement the Athletic Hall of Fame established in June of 2013.
The Academic Hall of Fame will feature pictures and information about the 2015 valedictorian, Olivia Garrison and salutatorian Tommy Card. Adding to that, as the semester progresses, there will be recognition of top student performers from the humanities and science, math and technology houses.
It will eventually include students from previous years.
Brian Becker, president of the Shelter Island Faculty Association, told the Board of Education last April his union would bear most costs for creating the Academic Hall of Fame. A committee of faculty, board members and others have been working on its development and design since last spring.
As for the building itself, work has mostly been routine maintenance typical of a summer period — some new flooring in part of the second floor; new flooring in one of the stairwells and one of the first floor classrooms; new carpets in the band and music rooms; and a new fire detection system.
After months of delay, the State Education Board has finally approved a project to start next summer to replace the antiquated heating and ventilation system. It has been limping along since the fall of 2013 and even though voters approved floating a bond for up to $1.6 million to do the upgrades, the project has stalled.
Still awaiting state approval is a performance contract with Johnson Controls that promises to save the district more in energy costs than will be spent for upgrades to various systems in the building.
The performance contracts calls for the district to allocate $75,503 a year for the work and to realize an anticipated $14,000 more per year than it will cost for the work.
The project includes lighting, building winterization, energy management via computers to maximize savings, installation of window films to block the sun’s heat in summer and protect from winter cold, plug load controls and solar panels on part of the building.
