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Schools

Super: Welcome Back, Half Hollow Hills

Superintendent Sheldon Karnilow, who is starting his 10th year on the job, updates parents as the school year is about to begin.

Welcome Back to the 2010-2011 School Year!

Don't you just love the fall with the crispness in the air and the turning of the leaves?   After one of the warmest summers in a long time, the cooler temperatures will be a welcome change.  This change in season also signifies the return to school.  Our buildings have been shined and polished and are now ready for the 10,000-plus students that will be arriving this September 7th.

Half Hollow Hills is referred to as a Triple A District because we perfectly blend academics, athletics and the arts into our curriculum.  Building an educational institute of excellence takes the hard work and dedication of our Board of Education, our administrative, teaching and support staff, our students and our Parent Teacher Association.  Without the collaboration of all of our stakeholders, Half Hollow Hills would not be able to maintain the fine reputation that we possess today.

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Recognized again as a High Achieving Gap Closing School District, our student achievement levels rank among the highest in New York State.  Over 93.4% of our June graduates were college bound, with many gaining admission to some of the top colleges and universities in the nation.

A new math series, "enVision," for grades K through 5, will be introduced this fall.  It is based on national math standards and enables teachers to present a constructivist program – helping children to create meaning and, therefore, develop a deeper understanding of mathematics.  This on-line series will eliminate the need for textbooks at home; will serve as a resource for parents; and provide homework pages on its site.

Find out what's happening in Half Hollow Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At the middle school level, honors classes in ELA and Social Studies were eliminated and replaced with mastery level classes that were more inclusive.  These classes proved to be a resounding success.  Our preliminary numbers indicated that we will have our highest percentage of students in Regents level classes in 8th grade this year.  Thanks to a grant from The Hills Foundation, we will be establishing STEM 1 (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) as an 8th grade elective in both of our middle schools.  Enrollment in this course will satisfy the technology requirement.  Curriculum will be built around Science Olympiad and the FIRST Lego League competitions, as well as various other activities.

The global economy and STEM education remain a major focus in schools across the United States.  High school students must adapt to the ever-changing global economy so that they can strengthen our workforce.  Nowadays, employers are seeking workers who have the ability to think critically, work independently and apply an ever-widening set of sophistical skills.  "Even entry-level jobs require these sophisticated skills from their "unskilled" workers, according to The High School Alliance.  Increasingly more college graduates are opting out of technical fields like engineering and the hard sciences, reducing the supply of potential workers for America's emerging needs within these fields.  As current workers in the engineering and hard science fields reach retirement age, the United States will not be able to fill these positions to keep itself competitive in the international labor market."  Our District-wide Research Program provides opportunities for students to do independent research in Math, Science and/or the social sciences.  Students are provided with the opportunity to work with top researchers and hone the skills necessary for them to successfully compete in national research competitions.

Our athletic program received outstanding recognition when both High School East and High School West were named 2009-2010 Scholar/Athlete Team Schools of Distinction by the New York State Public High School Association - an award given to high schools in which all teams have a grade point average above 90 for the entire school year.  In addition, our District has been named as the "Top Suffolk Athletic Program" for the 2009-2010 school year by Ultimate Athlete magazine.

The Half Hollow Hills Art Department boasts a robust curriculum with four core courses and 34 electives in the high school program.  As a result of their comprehensive coursework, our students are able to be consistently acknowledged in many local and regional competitions, including this year's Long Island Scholar Artist's Award of Excellence and Best in Show at the Heckscher Museum's "Long Island's Best" high school competition.  Additionally, two of our high school productions, The Laramie Project and Pippin, received Babylon Arts Council 2010 Toby Awards.

Please visit our Half Hollow Hills website frequently (www.hhh.k12.ny.us).  It provides a plethora of information about what is happening in and around our schools.  Teacher eboards have become an invaluable resource for students and parents; elementary report cards and accompanying parent guides are now available on-line; and our parent portal provides information about student progress in real time.  We have added a community tab on the home page of our website.  It is an easy way for you to find out what is going on in our District with just the click of a button!

We realize that we all need to take responsibility for our planet and reduce energy costs whenever and wherever possible.  Doing our part to "go green" is of the utmost importance to us.  We have entered into an energy performance program which will provide cost-saving measures throughout the District.

The District's financial operations are in good hands as evidenced by a positive New York State Comptroller's audit – the highest grade a district can receive.  Out of 200 school districts across New York State that were audited in 2009, we were one – of only six statewide and the only one on Long Island – to receive this superlative distinction.

I know that I speak for the Board of Education and Central Administration when I say that we appreciate the confidence you have displayed by your overwhelming support of the 2010-2011 budget.  We will continue to make Half Hollow Hills a source of great pride for you and your family.

I look forward to what I know will be another incredible year for the Half Hollow Hills school community.

Sheldon Karnilow is starting is tenth year as superintendent of the Half Hollow Hills School District, where he has lived here for 26 years and raised his two sons. Before serving as superintendent in Half Hollow Hills, he was an assistant superintendent in Port Washington. Previous to that, he served as principal both in the New York City Schools and in Merrick.

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