NEWSDAY IN EDUCATION

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The Center Moriches School District Web Site is easy to navigate through and well organized with cyber post-it notes assigned to current academic topics and concerns. Budget information, calendar events, PTA issues, school closings and even a link where rumors are dispelled are all contained here.

Check it out!

The Deer Park eCommerce Web Site is generated and maintained by a Deer Park business class comprised of 9-12 graders. Students are organized into teams with project managers and assistant project managers. They make managerial decisions on what to sell and promote in their online store and make group decisions as to what features the site will offer. Goals are set and teams follow through to make the Web site a viable entity in their high school and community. The marketing and sales teams make sales calls on local businesses to sell ad space on the site, generating scholarship funds that are awarded at their annual Business Awards ceremony.

Thirty-eight schools maintaining Web Sites across New York State submitted business plans to Genium Corp. who hosts scoresup.com where the site resides and the Deer Park e-Commerce Site won first place. Since Sept. 26th, when the site went live, they have had over 87,000 hits.

Kudos to the site developers!

Each Deer Park School District Web Page showcases a variety of collaborative and independent class events and projects.

Check out the Teacher Web Pages under eBoards. You'll find web pages to reinforce lessons, list homework assignments and test schedules, class projects and outlines, activities, test dates and more to help their students in and out of the classroom. Then check out the Parents Resource eBoard for ideas on how you can get involved in your child's future.

"The Standard" district newspaper, found under eBoards, features district-wide news, PTA and Board of Ed info and meetings and a look at the latest happenings at all the schools. Have an idea, problem or question? You'll find email links to principals and other school officials on each school's Web Page.

• The Locust Valley Central School District Web Site serves residents of the community with information for all ages. This well-organized and easy-to-navigate site boasts newsletters and school calendars as well as the Continuing Education Catalog and Budget and Voter Information. Each school posts Department and Course Listings and pages for school events, clubs, activities and sports schedules. The teacher web pages offer an assortment of student information.

The Library Media Center has grade-related resource links as well as access to online databases that include the full-text of hundreds of periodicals, primary sources, images, and audio and video clips. Just ask a staff member for the username and password.

We especially liked the news show feature, written, filmed, edited and produce by students. Each edition is available for viewing after it's been watched by the students at the high school and middle school.

• A letter from the Superintendent of the Glen Cove School District boasting the year's accomplishments and a list of the Class of 2006 College Acceptances greets visitors to the District Web Site.

Teacher and department Web pages take you into the classrooms and each school has its own newsletter to keep you abreast of the latest happenings. You'll find resource links for parents, teachers and students as well as elementary and secondary curriculum links.

We especially liked the eLibrary and the teaching and learning area.

• The East Islip District Web Site, a user-friendly site, offers visitors quick connections to lunch menus, athletics, upcoming events, the school budget and more. Classroom pages boast a variety of information -- online projects, homework assignment, email links to teachers, showcase areas for completed student projects, art displays and more.

We especially liked the District Artwork page where you'll find a "must-see" collage of district artwork. Click on the photos to enlarge the artwork.

• You can visit the East Quogue Union Free School District classrooms via teacher eBoards. Here you can meet the teachers, find homework assignments and test schedules, ascertain what's expected of students, as well as email teachers.

The Educational Links are listed by subject and feature recommended sites in each area. The Support Services area is well organized and the appropriate contacts are clearly listed.

• The Lynbrook Public Schools Web Site opens with Today's Events and a Monthly Calendar, links to district news and school web pages. One of the schools pages we liked was the Lynbrook North Middle School with daily announcements, upcoming events and a hosts of relevant student, teacher and subject links. Students, for example can access clubs, sports, current projects, a schedule for extra help, a homework hotline and more.

We also thought the informative gang awareness area, coupled with Report-it.com, an "early warning system that students use to alert school administrators if they feel their safety or the safety of others may be at risk," was an important feature.

• The Comsewogue School District Web Site is well organized and easy to navigate. For town residents, there's an online schedule of adult education classes and a registration form to print and mail. New families in the district can find an informational welcome page about the district. The school pages boast online projects, homework assignment pages with email links to teachers, showcase areas for completed student projects, art displays and more. All sports schedules, results and even direction to away games are online. Check out "related links" under Curriculum Resources for some great sites for teachers, students and everybody else.

Need more? Click here and go to the Comsewogue Web Designer's page.

• Once you're on the Freeport Public Schools Web Site click on "Select Chorale" under "New Features" to listen to some wonderful performances as you explore.

Students as well as parents and teachers will find categorized Web Sites you'll want to bookmark and an assignment area where students can access forgotten homework assignments. District news and special announcements, an Adult Ed Course Catalog and Special School Reports are just a few of the links offered. Curriculum is presented by subject/grade and is available in three formats.

We especially liked the "Linking Alphabet" where you can click on a letter or number and hear an example of how it's pronounced and used.

• The Rocky Point School District Web Site offers visitors the latest news and announcement links right on the home page. Updated throughout the summer, it's a great resource for teachers, students, parents and community residents.

Some of our favorite offerings are the Summer Reading Tree Program where students and parents can find recommended reading that's rated easy, average, challenging. The program culminates with a Summer Readers' Social. You can also find information on an Instrumental Music Program, Community Education, a Field Hockey Clinic and more.

Looking to the next school year? You'll find the forms you need as well as all there is to know about the Rocky Point Schools on their Web Site.

• The South Huntington School District Web Site offers extensive menu options for visitors to quickly access district and community information. A parent can easily access their child's school as well as the week's lunch menu. Teacher Web Pages take you inside the classroom featuring class projects, curriculum outlines and web sites to enhance the curriculum, weekly assignments, reading suggestions and some great WebQuests.

"Spotlight", the district newspaper, is a wonderful feature with district-wide news, PTA info and meetings, sports news, and a look at the latest happenings at all the schools.

• The Bay Shore School District Web Site opens with the latest information on school closings, construction info, music happenings, awards and more. Still in the holiday mood? Click on the Holiday Card Website and scroll down to find the sound files of their Winter Concert. The elementary school sites have seasonal learning activities and the artwork of upcoming artists.

The high school web team deserves special recognition for building the Bay Shore High School Web Site. Here you can listen to student compositions, view psychological montages, find out the winners of many awards and listen to the compositions they created in the Music Technology Lab.

• The Half Hollow Hills CSD Web Site brings technology and curriculum together to maximize the learning experience. The Student Gallery boasts an impressive variety of standards-based projects for independent and/or collaborative class projects. Be sure to click on Teacher Websites in each of the schools. Teacher-created "eboards" allow students and parents to find class projects and outlines, activities, assignments, test dates and more. The Library and Media Center is a must see if you are looking for subject-specific web sites.

• The Long Beach Public Schools: This Web Site is a showcase of information. The design enables visitors to quickly find their areas of interest -- district and community information, schools, online resources, teacher resources and more.

Be sure to check out the Teacher Web Pages under teacher resources. You'll find distinctive web pages created by teachers to reinforce lessons learned, link students/parents to relevant web sites, list homework assignments and test schedules to help their students in and out of the classroom. Click on the school names to reveal class-driven projects, curriculum and other grade-level information. Bonnie Foster's "Best of the Web" is not to be missed if you are planning to integrate the Web into your curriculum. You'll find it under Online Resources.

• The Great Neck South High School Art Department:

When you connect to this site, sit back and watch the art and photos of the artists at work. Then click on Student Projects to display the creative works of students as they explore painting, ceramics and photography. The concepts, techniques and skills involved in each area are posted along with the finished works.

This A+ site is "an impressive marriage between technology and creativity."

• The Jericho Public Schools are celebrating April being National Poetry Month in a big way. Poems are plentiful and each day a new poem, written or selected by a high school student will be posted. You can even signup to have the poem e-mailed to you as part of a unique Poem of the Day program.

The school pages reflect students' hands-on learning experiences and creative achievements. A variety of Webquests and categorized Web Sites are available as well as links to libraries.

• The Commack School District Web Site offers residents the latest news and announcements right on the home page. Excellent menu options quickly take visitors to the information they're looking for. Click on Schools, then Buildings to connect to individual schools where you'll find curriculum outlines, samplings of student art, webquests and photos that take you into the classroom and on field trips. Of special interest is the announcement of an upcoming Science Fair that spins off a page of links to Science Fair Ideas and resource guides. Science fair guidelines for a good project are available allowing parents, teachers and students to work together. Don't sign off without listening to a little music from the Burr Intermediate School. Click on music, sit back and listen as students sing their school song, "D.A.R.E To Take a Stand" and other selections.

• Saint Mary's Physics Online -- If you teach or are learning physics, this Web Site is a must visit. St. Mary's Physics Online offers tools to make physics interesting and fun. Web Links include Interactive, multimedia, and Phun (fun) physics Web Sites as well as links to tutorials, test prep and experiments. Relevant java sites are incorporated into homework assignments and students have access to weekly agendas, handouts and labs and can even check on their grades. Student-created web pages and crossword puzzles to do online are examples of lessons learned. St. Mary's Physics Online is fun, interactive and a great way for students to learn.

• Bethpage UFSD -- The Bethpage School Web Site offers district information, school news and report cards, teacher home pages, curriculum outlines, exam dates and preparation links, as well as software tutorials. Check out the Academy of Technology, a high-tech training center located within Bethpage High School. School sports coverage is impressive -- team rosters, schedules, photos, results, news links and more. Kudos to the team webmasters!

• Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District -- The Bellmore Merrick Central High School District Web Site is well designed and provides valuable educational content. The Site is user-friendly and well organized with Library connections to online databases, current news and reference sites as well as collections of categorized links for teachers, students, parents and seniors. Teachers will find lesson plans, curriculum materials, discussion groups and other useful information for educators. Teens can check out the college information, get extra help and access movie, tv and sports sites. Looking for a good book? Click on Summer Reading and you'll find books by title, a brief description and a review link.

• Longwood Central School District -- A well organized Web Site, the Longwood Central School District provides valuable educational content. Teachers can access WebQuests lessons created by Longwood teachers and categorized by grade and subject. On the News Bar check out "Frozen Worlds." Meet Longwood's pen pals in Alaska and visit their school Web Site. The "Frozen Worlds" project compares Alaska and Long Island -- the environment, geography, weather, culture and more. Click on the News Bar for more offerings and be sure to try MathQuest, a great online math game.

• H.B. Ward Technical Center -- Kudos to the students who created and maintain the H.B. Ward Technical Center Web Site. Photos telling the stories of prestigious awards the center's students have won are plentiful -- click on the Cosmetology Competition and VICA NYS Winning Members and Teams under HB Ward News. The online catalog deserves a special mention here for not only outlining the many courses, but letting inquirers know the job opportunities that will be available upon successful completion of the course they pursue.

• East Meadow School District -- Test Prep Help for all levels, standards and core curriculum information, a study skills guide and a great directory of bookmarks for all subject areas are just a few of the links offered here. A visit to the individual schools takes you into the classrooms with teacher and student web pages, class projects, sports and music pages. The East Meadow School District Web Site is an information oasis for teachers, students and parents.

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