Chestnut Street School

📖 Story time just got a science upgrade. 🔭
Once Upon a STEAM Night is almost here!
📅 Thursday, May 28th | 6:00–8:00pm
📍 WH Secondary School
FREE for all families with kids in grades K–6. Come explore where books, science, art & imagination collide! 🚀
#SaveTheDate

🎨 Celebrating Art With Heart: A Community Event You Won't Want to Miss

West Hempstead UFSD is proud to invite our entire community to Art With Heart — a joyful, free celebration of creativity, performance, and togetherness taking place on Sunday, May 17.

The afternoon will feature the grand opening of our District Art Gallery, live performances, and a one-of-a-kind collaborative community art project. Whether you're coming to create, watch, or simply soak it all in, there's a place for you here. Children are warmly encouraged to participate.

Following Art With Heart, we invite families and community members to experience the District Art Show Exhibition:

📅 Monday, May 18 & Tuesday, May 19
🕓 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM

This two-day showcase highlights the remarkable artistic work of our West Hempstead students — a powerful reminder of what our young people are capable of when given the space to create and express.

Are you a performer? We are looking for musicians, singers, dancers, and artists to share their talents on this special day. Contact Laila Sales, Director of Fine, Performing & Culinary Arts, at 516-390-3173.

This event is FREE and open to all. We hope to see you there.

Chestnut kindergarteners had a guest today during P.E. Classes. Darth Vader took the lead and played tag games with our littles. Take a look and may the force be with you!

Thanks to our teachers and parents for joining together to solve problems and enjoy math game day! WHe loved spending an afternoon of learning with you! Be sure to play some games at home with the materials we sent home!

🎉✨ You're invited! WHUFSD PTA/PTSA/SEPTA 2026 Installation Dinner — Thu, June 11 @ 7PM at Meta Osteria & Barra, Oceanside. Meet new officers & celebrate our district superstars! 🥂 Tickets $60. Register: https://forms.gle/FWEHFDYs572P3SPN8

Happy Earth Day! Chestnut Street kindergarteners are figuring out ways to protect the Earth. Be sure to ask them "how" when you see them later! #RamCulture

👕👗 Clothes Drive Fundraiser! Drop off gently used clothing, shoes, handbags & linens at West Hempstead Secondary School (400 Nassau Blvd) this Sunday, April 19, from 8 am–2 pm. All profits go to student scholarships! 📦✨ Questions? swelti1@verizon.net #WHCSF

Kindergartners are actively learning and managing their impulsivity this first week back....way to go K! Some classes are celebrating their good works with "stuffy" friends, while another enjoyed playing together around the sand table. Take a look at our happenings this week!

Welcome Back Chestnut Street Learners! UPK students are excited to explore planting and space exploration this week. Take a look at what's going on today in our classrooms.... #RamCulture

School is open tomorrow!

Good Morning. Please be on the look out for a traveling Leprechaun! He came to Chestnut Street and left quite a mess....take a look and help us find him! Happy St. Patrick's Day! #RamCulture

Chestnut students enjoyed an author visit this morning from Mr. Ross Burach. Thank you to our WHPTA for sponsoring this literacy learning event! #RamCulture

Chestnut is celebrating Read Across America today. We've had so many of our administrators come into classes to share their love of reading. Thanks to our team for making the morning memorable! Be sure to ask your kindergartner about the day.... #RamCulture

Chestnut Street welcomed back our students with lots of love & learning. We wrote about our favorite activities during the break and reviewed making healthy food choices today. Take a look.... #RamCulture

A huge THANK YOU to our incredible grounds and facilities crew for going above and beyond to ensure a safe return for our students and staff! 💪❄️ Busted hoses, faulty snow blowers, and transmissions on the fritz? Not even close to enough to stop them from getting the job done! Their dedication and hard work across all of our buildings — 🐏 @WHChestnut 🐏 @CornwellAveES 🐏 @WHGWashington 🐏 @wh_secondary — is a true testament to what we're all about. #WHe are so grateful for everything you do behind the scenes to keep our school community safe! #RamPride #WheRiseTogether #ThankYou #Unsung 🦸

February is National Children's Dental Health Month. At CS we have been focusing on promoting good oral hygiene and making healthy food choices! Today we have a visit from Dr. Dan Bamshad to show us all the best ways to brush our teeth!! Take a look.... #RamCulture

2026 - 2027 District Calendar
#WHeRiseTogether

Energy Performance Contract Approved: $12.86M Facilities Upgrade with Zero Tax Impact

The West Hempstead Union Free School District is pleased to announce the approval of a comprehensive Energy Performance Contract (EPC)—a transformative facilities modernization project that will upgrade aging infrastructure, improve student and staff comfort, and dramatically reduce energy costs without any new capital funding or tax increase.

Project Overview
The EPC represents a $12.86 million investment in our schools, addressing critical mechanical systems, energy efficiency, and sustainability goals. Through guaranteed energy savings and rebates totaling $1.57 million, the District will fund these essential upgrades over an 18-year term while realizing $556,000 in average annual savings and reducing energy consumption by 54%.

Scope of Work

This district-wide project includes:

Mechanical & Heating System Improvements: Replacement of aging boilers and domestic hot water systems, fuel switching for improved efficiency, new rooftop units and ventilators, and system optimizations
Building Controls & Energy Management: Upgraded automation systems for better temperature, ventilation, and humidity control, plus enhanced monitoring to reduce waste
Building Envelope & Infrastructure: Targeted improvements to insulation, system efficiency, and correction of deferred maintenance items
Renewable Energy & Lighting: Over $4.39 million in rooftop solar installations across district buildings and new energy-efficient LED exterior lighting

Benefits to Our Community
This budget-neutral project delivers multiple benefits:

Improved comfort and learning environments for students and staff
Increased reliability of mechanical systems
Reduced operating costs and energy consumption
Lower environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions
Long-term infrastructure improvements without new capital debt

Timeline
Installation is expected to take approximately 18 months. Energy Systems Group (ESG) will deliver this as a turnkey solution, coordinating design, construction, incentives, and verification while guaranteeing performance throughout the project term.

West Hempstead's Energy Performance Contract represents our commitment to fiscal responsibility, environmental stewardship, and providing safe, comfortable learning environments for our students—today and for years to come.

Congratulations to our CS Kindergarteners! We are celebrating 100 days of learning here today. Take a peek at what's to come....