During the district’s first Board of Education meeting since the start of the 2018-2019 school year on Sept. 25, the board and Valley Stream community heard about the two district summer programs that were held over the summer break.  

Summer School Coordinator Erica Suarez and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Roxanne Garcia France reported on the five-week Summer Program which had a 95 percent participation rate this summer. With a balanced mix of enrichment and academic studies for students entering grades K-6, Suarez reported how the program supports Response to Intervention Services and Academic Intervention Services in the areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics. She discussed daily schedules, the different Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics activities and the coding programs that students participated in. She also explained how the summer staff implemented progress monitoring throughout the program and the positive results from the end-of-summer student and parent surveys. 

Director of Special Services Nicole Schimpf presented on the seventh year of the district’s Summer Special Education Extended School Year Program. This program was designed by the district to meet the continuing needs of students with Learning Disabilities. She shared data results from the six-week program and proudly reported a zero percent regression rate among students. Schimpf also spoke about the program partnering with Forest Road School’s garden for the first time where students learned valuable life skills. 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Nicholas Stirling expressed his appreciation for the faculty who worked in these programs during the summer months to help students stay on track for the new school year.