Dear Averill Park Central School District Community,
I hope this update finds you and your loved ones well!
Just like that, summer is winding down and the 2024-25 school year is around the corner! District employees have been hard at work this summer preparing for the upcoming school year. Below are some of the highlights of what we have been up to.
Instructional:
- Over 500 hours of summer work on curriculum completed by teachers across all five buildings.
- Teacher leaders participated in a two-day workshop to support our ongoing work with collaborative teams and annual goal setting. Our focus this summer was on how we can better identify and provide support for students that are struggling in the classroom.
- K-5 Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) teams continued their work as part of a three-year New York State grant.
- The Special Education Department again delivered a successful ESY program for our students.
- The Technology Department configured over 450 Chromebooks to roll out to our incoming 5th and 9th grade students, as part of our 1:1 program.
- Averill Park High School Principal Heath Quiles was interviewed by the Times Union in regard to dual-credit programs offered at the high school, allowing students to earn college credit. You can read the article by clicking here.
Food Services:
- Continued to upgrade old and outdated kitchen equipment.
- Filed with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to extend free meals through the 2027-2028 school year.
- Renovated the dry storage area of the Miller Hill-Sand Lake Elementary School kitchen.
Facilities:
- Enclosed the front canopy at West Sand Lake Elementary School.
- Annual cleaning of all buildings to prepare for the return of staff and students.
- Put down new tile in the West Sand Lake Elementary School faculty room.
- Installed three new metal door jambs to replace old wooden jams in PFA5 and PFA6 at Algonquin Middle School.
- Sanded floor and six workbenches for fresh recoat of poly on PFA5 at Algonquin Middle School.
- Completed painting projects in all buildings.
- Renovated Room 627 and Room 304 at Averill Park High School.
- Relocated all summer school programs due to construction, as part of our ongoing Capital Project
- Replaced old scoreboards at Algonquin Middle School.
- Installed kitchen ovens in the majority of the buildings.
Transportation
- Upgraded three buses with storage boxes for athletic team transportation.
- Increased fleet by one wheelchair bus, based on student need.
- Applied to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for funding for a fleet electrification study.
Human Resources Department
- Welcomed the new Special Education leadership team of Sarah Flannery as Director of Special Education and Christina Mein as Assistant Director of Special Education, along with a new 10-month Assistant Principal at Averill Park High School, Evan Klauber.
- Planned for the arrival of nine new teachers who will provide high-quality instruction to our students, as well as a new teaching assistant joining us at the elementary level and an occupational therapist who will be providing support to students districtwide.
2024 Capital Project Referendum
Members of the Averill Park Central School District community will vote on a proposed Capital Project on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. This project focuses on items that are critically important to the operations and maintenance of our school district. For more information, please go to our website.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Sincerely,
Dr. James Franchini
Superintendent of Schools
Averill Park Central School District
#AP_EveryStudentEveryDay