|
South
Orangetown Central School District
160
Van Wyck Road • Blauvelt, NY 10913 • (845)680-1050 • Fax
(845)680-1900
kmitchell@socsd.org
Dear South Orangetown
Families:
Welcome to the
2011-2012 school year!
On
behalf of the Board of Education and all staff, I once again
offer best wishes for a successful and enjoyable learning
experience for our students. The leadership and staff of South
Orangetown are dedicated to ensuring that our students are
provided with the skills and knowledge that will prepare them
for a complex and constantly changing world. Given the rate of
change and the extent of challenges that our society faces, this
is a daunting task. To take it on, we must employ a systemic and
systematic approach.
Almost four years ago, the district identified a set of
priorities based on staff and community input that have served
to guide us in our efforts towards continuous improvement. We
remain on the path that we established back then and continue to
review evidence that we are making progress.
As many of you know, South Orangetown has identified these
major goals:
-
Provide Students with Skills for the 21st Century
-
Address the Diverse Needs of Learners
-
Foster a Respectful Learning Environment
-
Enhance Student Literacy
Each of these goals is
accompanied by district and building action plans that are
posted on the SOCSD home page and at the various building web
pages. Updates regarding events and progress in meeting these
goals have been and will continue to be posted to keep parents
informed.
It is important that parents and other caretakers stay current
with what is happening in our schools. When a community is
supportive of education and parents are involved in helping
their children develop a value of learning - informal as well as
formal - children in such families thrive. This has always been
the case, but given the pressures on today’s families, it is
difficult to do so with consistency and fidelity.
For the past few years, school districts across the country have
been beset with significant fiscal challenges. In South
Orangetown, the school board, administrators, and staff have
collaborated to reduce costs without significantly impacting
instruction. With the legislation of a tax cap and the potential
reduction of state aid, we again face daunting funding
challenges.
South Orangetown will continue to do its best to operate within
its fiscal means and to find the kinds of reductions and savings
that we have achieved over the past few years without harming
instruction or eliminating programs. We will, however, need your
support, attentiveness, and assistance.
I encourage parents to participate in their children’s learning
or find ways to partner with the schools. In addition to the
PTA, which has multiple volunteer opportunities, the newly
revived South Orangetown Education Foundation, is also seeking
assistance. Each of these groups is supported by committed
volunteers – parents and former parents – who recognize that not
everything that needs to be done to support our students can be
funded through tax dollars. Information about volunteer
opportunities can be found on our website via the PTA or
Foundation link. Each of these groups would greatly appreciate
your involvement.
In the first half of the 2011-2012 school year, the district
will be contacting families to once again participate in a
district-wide survey to assess community perceptions on the
progress that the district has made in achieving its goals. We
had an excellent participation rate in 2009 which will serve as
our year of comparison. Please take a few moments to respond
when you receive information.
We have many challenges ahead, but our schools are about the
future of our children and the world in which they will be
living and leading. Once again, I ask you to join us in a
partnership to help them to succeed and wish great happiness,
success, and health to all students and district families as we
begin this school year.
Sincerely,
Ken Mitchell, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools
kmitchell@socsd.org

Tappan Zee High School South Orangetown Middle School
Cottage Lane Elementary School
Tappan Zee
Elementary School William O. Schaefer Elementary School
Early Childhood Program
|