By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

The Garden City Board of Education held its annual organization meeting on July 9th.

Since Kenneth Monaghan stepped down in June after serving on the Board of Education for nine years, Board members appointed trustee Colleen Foley as president and Barbara Trapasso as vice-president and welcomed Angela Heineman, who ran unopposed for the pending open trustee position in May.

The Board approved the hiring of Burton, Behrendt and Smith, a Long Island-based architectural and engineering firm specializing in educational design, to look at the district's facilities. The ad-hoc committee, charged with studying the possibility of issuing a bond to fund capital improvements in the district, will use the firm's expertise as they work toward presenting a preliminary plan to the school board in the fall.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen announced that the school district will begin working with a physician consortium affiliated with North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. He said being affiliated with a hospital will give the district access to more services. The district had employed three physicians, and decided to go with the consortium instead of renewing their contracts. Dr. Feirsen and school board President Colleen Foley thanked the physicians for their services.

Dr. Feirsen congratulated the class of 2008 and applauded all of those people who worked to make the ceremony a success. Due to inclement weather, the ceremony had to be held indoors.

Fino Celano, assistant superintendent for personnel, announced that they have had a successful hiring season and are 99 percent staffed. The district is looking to fill two vacancies, a high school social studies teacher and ESL teacher for the primary and elementary school levels. "We're in good shape," said Celano.

"The summer is a busy time for us," Dr. Feirsen said. Curriculum development projects are currently underway and the buildings are being cleaned in preparation for the first day of school in September. The transportation department is working on a comprehensive study of bus routes. Parents will be notified of any route changes.

Dr. Teresa Prendergast, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, gave an update on the mathematics curriculum review, which is currently in its third year. "We've had some interesting highlights over the course of the year," she said.

In 2007, textbooks were purchased for grades K through 5 so there is now a similar series in every building. Teachers in sixth through eighth grade have been working to refine the curriculum. An integrated algebra curriculum will be introduced to accelerated eighth-grade students and ninth-graders. Teachers have worked hard to ensure that the transition process will be smooth. A six-question survey was sent via SurveyMonkey.com to Garden City residents concerning the district's mathematics program.

Dr. Feirsen proudly announced that for the fourth time the high school has won a School of Distinction Award from the NYS Public High School Athletic Council. To receive the award, all members of all varsity teams must maintain an academic average of at least 90 percent.

The district is planning to launch SchoolTool, a student database, in the fall. Parents can submit e-mail addresses via an online form by visiting the district's Web site, www.gardencity.k12.ny.us. For more information, call the district's technology department at 478-1060.

SchoolTool is a Web-based product that can be accessed from any computer via the Internet and automates all of a school's daily activities. For example, administrators can view and report on the latest student data; teachers can have immediate access to the latest class lists, take attendance online, create and manage grade books and create discipline referrals; parents can access student grades online, communicate with teachers, and see their children's progress and attendance in real-time; and students can track grades, access assignments online and make course selections for future years. All data will be stored in one location and be encrypted. Access to certain information will be restricted depending on whether you are a student, parent or administrator.