Dear Manorhaven Families,
 
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year!
 
We are starting our new school year with approximately 480 students. All of our grade levels have four sections with one additional multi-age special education class. Our classes are well below the Board Policy of 23 students in grades K-2 and 26 students in grades 3-5. 
 
We have so much to look forward to this year including our new playground, thanks to your generous contributions and an amazing PTA fundraising committee. We also have our new wing open for student use. This space will be home to our band, strings and general music classes as well as our ESTEAM program and two second grade classes.  Our beautiful 1,600 square foot All Purpose Room is another fantastic new learning space included in our new wing.
 
This year, we have many exciting programs coming up thanks to our partners in education. We will be receiving grants from the Ed. Foundation and HEARTS as well as the Manorhaven PTA. Our first graders will be learning Spanish through music, and our kindergarten and fifth graders will be taking a buddy trip to see the Nutcracker at the Tilles Center again this year. We are fortunate to have our Chess Club, Early Bird Program and Yoga Club funded again this year. We also have Dancing Classrooms and our Manorhaven Mentor Program funded through grants.   
As always, we will open the year with an energetic Welcome Back Assembly program. The Port Washington Safety and Substance Abuse Task Force will sponsor our second program of the year on Mindfulness.
 
As we near opening day, I would like to update you on our staffing this year and welcome our new staff members. 
 
Please welcome:

• Russell Kupfer, Security Agent – Russell is joining us our new security agent.  He has been with the district in this role for 3 years. Meet Mr. Kupfer.
• Deirdre Fronda, 4th Grade Teacher – Deirdre began her teaching experience in Port Washington three years ago as a Reading Specialist. She continued as a first and second grade teacher at Guggenheim. Prior to joining our school district, Deirdre taught first and fourth grade in a private school setting. Deirdre lives in Rockville Centre. See Ms. Fronda's letter to families.
• Michael King, 5th Grade Teacher – Michael is a resident of Wantagh. He comes to us from New York City Department of Education District #27. He received his M. A. from Hofstra University in Elementary Education with a concentration in STEM. Michael is excited to be joining us as a 5th Grade Teacher. See Mr. King’s letter to families.
• Jennifer Szillus, 4th Grade Teacher – Jennifer is joining us from Sousa. She has 20 years of teaching experience. She has been in the Port Washington School District for 17 years. Jennifer lives in Bethpage and is mom to two amazing daughters. See Ms. Szillus’ letter to families.
• Theresa Wadkins –Theresa is returning to us in the role of Principal’s Secretary. We are so fortunate to have her back in our school. Meet Ms. Wadkins.

Good luck in a new role to:

• Nina Evans – 5th grade teacher at Manorhaven.
• Melanie Guarneri – 3rd grade teacher at Manorhaven.

• Kim Singh – ESTEAM in Manorhaven, Guggenheim and Daly School.
• Marlene Ruskin – ESTEAM in Manorhaven, Salem and Sousa School.
• Jeanne Zeh – ESTEAM in Manorhaven and Sousa School.

We say goodbye and best wishes to:

• Chantelle Persaud, as she begins her position as a Math AIS teacher in Salem and Daly Schools.
• Walter Clark in his new role at Schreiber High School Security.
• Diane Haut and Nancy Gardella in their retirement.
• Fannie Lee who will be taking a position as an EA in Weber.
• Jane Interdonati who will be taking a position as a TA in Weber.

Before you know it, we will be planning for Cultural Studies Week. This year, we will be celebrating the history and culture of Norway. This major event at our school is possible because of our dedicated staff and parent volunteers. Please join us in this collaborative effort as we prepare for Norway 2020, which will take place the week of January 27th.
 
Sincerely,
Bonni Cohen, Ed.D.