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September,
2003
Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to the beginning of the 2003-04 school year.
Our schools are in full swing, and we are anticipating
an extremely successful year. On the first day of school
I visited each and every school in our District. During
the visits I had the opportunity to visit most of our
classrooms, meeting many of our students for the first
time. I must say that I was more than impressed by the
preparation and organization demonstrated by the administration,
faculty and staff, and as always, I was very proud of
our students as they quickly adapted to their new teachers
and program. Without hesitation I can state that we
had a wonderful start to the school year.
This year our new Language Arts program, which utilizes
a balanced literacy approach, is in full implementation
in each of our elementary schools. Should you have any
questions regarding this program, please contact your
child’s teacher, building principal, or our Assistant
Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Mrs.
Peggie Staib.
This year, a task force of K-12 teachers and members
of the administrative staff will examine the best practice
for the instruction of mathematics. The task force will
make recommendations, supported by research and data,
to improve the instructional program. I will share their
recommendations with you throughout the year, and will
be providing updates to the Board of Education at our
scheduled monthly meetings.
This month I was invited by Senator Kenneth LaValle
to be a member of his financial committee to examine
school funding. I will be participating as a member
of this committee to ensure that the Riverhead Central
School District is represented. I will work toward the
appropriate funding of education, and make certain that
the needs of the Riverhead School Community are heard.
The start of the school year is always exciting. Our
main concern is always for the safety of our students.
Please discuss school safety with your children. Many
of our children are transported to school on school
buses, others walk to school, and for high school students
with senior drivers licenses, some drive cars. Please
encourage your children to follow the instructions of
all bus drivers, staff and crossing guards, and to comply
with all traffic and safety laws. Working together we
can help to ensure that all of our children arrive safely
to school, and return safely home each day.
Parents are reminded that it is important that emergency
contact information be up to date in the main office
of your child’s school. Please return all emergency
contact information sheets as soon as possible. Should
this information change during the school year, please
notify the main office of the school(s) your child(ren)
attend(s).
This year’s Homecoming is scheduled for Friday
and Saturday, September 19 and 20. I hope that you will
be able to attend the games and activities scheduled.
All of our Blue Wave teams enjoy having their relatives,
friends and community members attend.
The Board of Education meets on the second and fourth
Tuesdays of the month. Parents, students and members
of the community are encouraged to attend these meetings.
I wish all of our students a very successful year.
Sincerely,
George L. Duffy III
Superintendent |
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