From the Desk: Holiday Recess

Dear Island Trees School Community,

This year’s New York State school calendar is rather unusual.   As a result, the upcoming holiday recess is incredibly long.  The vacation begins Saturday, Dec. 21 and has students returning to school on Monday, Jan. 6. More than two weeks.  

I would guess most of our children will be thrilled by the extended recess. On the other hand, the students may not be so pleased that they will be attending school until June 26.  

Since the vacation is much longer than normal, student skills could erode during this extended period of time. Therefore to prevent regression, a number of our teachers have organized assignments to attempt to minimize the holiday time loss. 

If your child receives vacation homework, it is better to do a little each day rather than trying to complete the assignments in a frenzied rush on Sunday night, Jan. 5. Equally important, we suggest a few visits to the Island Trees Public Library which is opened for almost the entire vacation, including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve (closed Christmas, New Year’s Day and Sundays).  

Sincerely,

Charles Murphy, Superintendent of Schools