Dear Herricks School District Community,

Happy Wednesday! I hope this email finds you all doing well and that you are enjoying the summer. I hope the last couple of months provided time and opportunities to create beautiful memories, connect with those who encourage you, and be focused on the activities that bring you happiness and fulfillment. My family and I enjoyed our summer together, and in addition to our getaways to Aruba and Lake Placid, we also made sure to savor the slower pace of summer. We took the dog for longer walks, went for relaxing bike rides, and spent lots of time tending to our garden. It was also great to have our son around, who took a course and worked part-time this summer. Paul moves into his dorm during the upcoming weekend, when he will officially start his junior year at Hofstra (I cannot believe he is halfway through his college experience). While I am definitely going to miss summer, and specifically having Paul around, I also cannot wait to start a new school year together! 

We are so excited to welcome the children back on Tuesday, September 3, 2024 (day after Labor Day) for the first day of the 2024 - 2025 school year. To help ensure a smooth and seamless start to the school year, I am sharing the following important updates with you:


Herricks’ Happenings ‘24 - ‘25: Special Summer Update

In case you missed it last week, we shared our first official Herricks’ Happenings video update. This video update highlights many of the summer programs for our students, several of the renovation projects overseen by our amazing Facilities Team, and even gives you a snapshot of our New Teacher Orientation experience, which took place last week. Please click on the picture below to access the Herricks’ Happenings video update (it is 2 ½ minutes that will certainly bring a smile to your face) and if you have any feedback after watching it, please email me (tsinanis@herricks.org).


Facilities Update

As you might imagine, it has been a busy and productive summer in Herricks. Our amazing Facilities Team has been particularly busy with a variety of projects that enhanced our facilities district-wide this summer. These projects include a renovation project at the Community Center to create a new UPK classroom and a new professional learning space, an upgrade to several classrooms throughout the district, renovations to several bathrooms at HMS, and new fencing and dugouts for the baseball and softball fields at HHS. A special thank you to Mr. Marty Abrams and our entire facilities team for their incredible work this summer. 

 

Curriculum Update

A number of summer programs took place in our schools this year that engaged, challenged and supported our students. From our ESY program to our Summer Music Camp to our various JumpStart programs at the elementary level, our students had various meaningful and impactful learning opportunities. A number of our colleagues also engaged in various curriculum writing projects (ex. Social Studies Research Writing & A.I. and K-12 Art Department website upgrade) this summer to help enrich and enhance the learning experiences for our students. The curriculum writing projects are aligned to the District Strategic Plan and will help reinforce the various competencies associated with our Portrait of a Graduate. You can learn more about the Strategic Plan and Portrait of a Graduate by exploring the Herricks Compact. We are excited for the start of the 2024 - 2025 school year because we know it is going to be a fantastic year of learning! 

 

Communications Update

This summer has also been a busy one for our district as we work to continue refining and enhancing the communications aspect of the organization. Our goal this summer, leading into the new school year, is to build on our successes from last year. For example, as you may recall, we worked hard last year to limit the number of emails that went out to families featuring different flyers. Instead, we organized all these flyers under the “Flyers” tab on the website, which you can find here. The link to the flyers page will be shared periodically in other district communications. As a result, you will primarily only receive emails associated with district activities, school activities, and PTA activities. 

 

In addition, we have been rolling out our new communication platform called Parentsquare. Over the last few months, families have been receiving invitations to activate accounts in Parentsquare. Activating your account will enable you to verify your contact information and allow you to customize how you would like to receive information from the school, including emails, texts and app notifications. Click here for more information.  

We are also going to continue amplifying our social media presence and video content this year (our reach grew exponentially last year on IG) so we can highlight our students, staff, and community. If you are interested, you can learn more about the daily experiences here in our district by following us on social media. You can like the Herricks School District Facebook page, follow us on the Herricks Schools Twitter account, or check out our Herricks Public Schools Instagram account. We are excited to spotlight the many wonderful things unfolding in our schools, highlight the incredible accomplishments of our students and share our district story! We are excited about the evolution of our communications and welcome any feedback and suggestions.

Health and Safety Update

As we prepare to begin this school year, it is incredibly important that we work together to ensure the health and well-being of our students, staff, and community. This summer we have maintained our thorough cleaning protocols. As our children prepare to return to school, we ask that you review the following important reminders to promote a healthy and safe environment in our schools, as the well-being of our students and staff is the priority:

  • If your child is sick, please keep them home until they are fever free for at least 24 hours and their symptoms are improving.

    • If your child exhibits flu, RSV or Covid symptoms, you are encouraged to keep them home and have them tested as these viruses are highly contagious.  

  • Wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.

  • Cough/sneeze into a tissue or upper shirt sleeve covering the mouth and nose.

  • Avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth.

Thank you for your attention to these important reminders. Should you have any questions, please contact your school nurse. Your partnership and cooperation are critical factors to ensuring the health and safety of our students, staff and families. 

 Other Important Updates

  • BOARD NOTES: You can check out the Board Notes for all of our Board of Education Meetings by clicking here.

  • IMPORTANT DATES:

    • The first day of school for students is Tuesday, September 3, 2024. 

    • Our next Board of Education Meeting will take place on Thursday, September 12, 2024 at the Community Center at 7:30pm - please join us! 

Thank you for taking the time to review this information. I am so excited about the start of the new school year and look forward to welcoming back our students and seeing many of you at upcoming meetings and gatherings. I, along with our Board of Education, administrators, faculty, and staff are looking forward to having all of our students rejoin us on September 3, 2024. 

It is an incredible honor to serve you as your superintendent and I am grateful for your partnership and support!

Sincerely,

Dr. Tony Sinanis

Superintendent of Schools
Herricks School District
#WeAreHerricks
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