Dear Herricks School District Community,

Happy Wednesday and Happy October! I hope this email finds you all doing well and everyone is having a wonderful week. We are excited to kick off the second month of the school year here in Herricks because not only are there a number of meaningful learning experiences currently unfolding, but we are also looking forward to several special events in the coming weeks, including Board of Education Recognition Week and Herricks High School’s Homecoming. We hope everyone can join us on Friday, October 18, 2024 for Homecoming starting at 4:15pm, at HHS, for various activities and culminating with the start of the game against Hicksville at 5:30pm. Go Highlanders!

October is also National Principals Month and I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Keegan, Ms. DeGiorgio, Ms. Ho, Mr. Bierwiler, and Mr. McConaghy. Their leadership is crucial in shaping the educational journey of our students and supporting our educators. Principals are not only the visionaries behind our schools but also the key figures who foster a positive learning environment, ensuring that every student feels safe, valued and supported. Their commitment to academic excellence, community engagement, and the overall well-being of our students plays a vital role in our district's success. Let us take this opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the hard work and passion that our principals bring to their roles every day. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to the Herricks community! 

Herricks Herald

We are also excited to share the first edition of the Herricks Herald newsletter for the 2024 - 2025 school year; it is the September edition. As a reminder, the Herald serves as a monthly district newsletter that spotlights various district events, activities, and special moments. In this issue, you will get a glimpse into each school by learning about the various activities our students engaged in. For example, you can learn more about the Denton Avenue POG Pep Rally, International Dot Day at Searingtown, and the Family FUNdraiser at Center Street. You can check out the latest edition of the Herricks Herald here. 

District Goals

At last Thursday’s Board of Education meeting, I had the opportunity to present the District Goals for the current school year. The goals touch on a continuum of focus areas, from our instructional priorities to our goals for human resources, facilities and finance. One of our primary goals is focused on the continued implementation of our Strategic Coherence Plan (click here to see an Executive Summary), which is highlighted below where I introduce “Snacks with the Superintendent” as another pathway for meaningful community engagement. Our instructional priorities touch on three critical areas: nurturing welcoming and affirming environments, engaging in meaningful technology integration with an emphasis on AI, and thinking about the connections between intended learning and assessment within our learning spaces. We are excited about our areas of focus for this year. If you are interested in reviewing the goals, you can click here to access the District Goals presentation.  

Snacks with the Superintendent… Coming Soon

As mentioned above, one of our goals for this year is the implementation of the Strategic Coherence Plan. The plan, which was developed by a committee of members from each key stakeholder group, helped identify five focus areas for the district. One of the focus areas identified was the need for enhanced and improved opportunities for meaningful community engagement in Herricks. To that end, this year I will be launching Snacks with the Superintendent, which will be an opportunity for a small group of family members to join me for a community conversation focused on two overarching questions… What is working well in our district? Where can we continue to improve? I am excited to launch this experience and am really looking forward to spending time with our families in discussion and partnership. Please be on the lookout for more information as the first Snacks with the Superintendent sessions will take place later this month!   

 Other Important Updates

• FLYERS: As you know, community information can be found under the FLYERS tab on the homepage of the district website. For example, you can learn more about the Community Fund Dinner Dance or Girls On The Run by clicking here where you can see the latest community updates!

• VIDEO UPDATES: If you missed any of the Herricks’ Happenings Video Updates, click here to find the video.

• BOARD NOTES: Click here to view the Board Notes for all of our Board of Education Meetings.

• IMPORTANT DATES:

  • Schools are closed on Thursday, October 3rd and Friday, October 4th. 

  • Our next Board of Education Meeting will take place on Thursday, October 10, 2024 at the Community Center at 7:30pm - please join us! 

  • Schools are closed on Monday, October 14th. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to review this information - I value and appreciate your partnership and engagement.  

Enjoy the extended weekend! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Tony Sinanis

Superintendent of Schools

Herricks School District 

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