Happy Monday CS! It's the perfect day to go on a hunt for leaves, chestnuts and other fall foliage. Take a look at Mrs. Scully and Mrs. Brucculeri's class. Remember outdoor learning transforms nature into a hands-on laboratory!
#RamCulture
WHe just had our first, very successful, Writing Celebration in Mrs. Angelo's Class! This is a class event that honors the writing process, student growth, and creative effort with completing a book!
#RamCulture
Designed with Purpose: Instructional Rounds at Chestnut Street
This week, the West Hempstead UFSD district leadership team, made up of cabinet members, Directors of Learning, and building principals, visited four kindergarten classrooms at @WHChestnut for Instructional Rounds.
Instructional Rounds are about learning, not evaluation. WHe go into classrooms to learn alongside our teachers and to celebrate the great work happening every day. WHe study what students are doing and what that tells us about our instructional system as a whole.
During writing workshop, literacy stations, morning meeting, and Fundations, WHe watched our youngest learners label pictures of their favorite foods and favorite people, using letters and sounds to put their ideas into print. Our focus was intentional design. Every child works toward the same learning goal, and teachers adjust the support, materials, and ways children show what they know. As the Chestnut Street team puts it: “WHe don’t just remove. WHe replace. WHe don’t just differentiate. WHe design with purpose.”
The visit ended with a team debrief. WHe shared what WHe saw, found patterns across classrooms, and connected them to our district key results. Thank you to the Chestnut Street teachers and students for welcoming us! 🖤💛
Families: Encourage your child to draw and label at home. Every letter and sound they try builds a strong foundation for reading and writing.
#WHeRiseTogether
This week, the West Hempstead UFSD district leadership team, made up of cabinet members, Directors of Learning, and building principals, visited four kindergarten classrooms at @WHChestnut for Instructional Rounds.
Instructional Rounds are about learning, not evaluation. WHe go into classrooms to learn alongside our teachers and to celebrate the great work happening every day. WHe study what students are doing and what that tells us about our instructional system as a whole.
During writing workshop, literacy stations, morning meeting, and Fundations, WHe watched our youngest learners label pictures of their favorite foods and favorite people, using letters and sounds to put their ideas into print. Our focus was intentional design. Every child works toward the same learning goal, and teachers adjust the support, materials, and ways children show what they know. As the Chestnut Street team puts it: “WHe don’t just remove. WHe replace. WHe don’t just differentiate. WHe design with purpose.”
The visit ended with a team debrief. WHe shared what WHe saw, found patterns across classrooms, and connected them to our district key results. Thank you to the Chestnut Street teachers and students for welcoming us! 🖤💛
Families: Encourage your child to draw and label at home. Every letter and sound they try builds a strong foundation for reading and writing.
#WHeRiseTogether
Literacy Parade 2026: Stories Came to Life
Storybook heroes, fairy-tale royalty, pirates and superheroes filled our blacktop and fields for this year’s Literacy Parade. Every costume celebrated a book, a character or a story that sparked a child’s imagination.
What made this year special was seeing our whole RamFam come together. Our secondary string musicians played live music, student performers read aloud at the microphone, and teachers and staff joined in with costumes of their own. When older students lift up younger ones and adults model the joy of reading, our children learn that literacy is something WHe share as a community.
Thank you to the teachers, staff and families who made costumes, organized the route and cheered from the sidelines and to our student musicians and readers for showing our youngest learners what’s ahead.
Keep the story going at home: Read together tonight, and ask your child which character they’d pick next year. 🖤💛
#WHeRiseTogether
Storybook heroes, fairy-tale royalty, pirates and superheroes filled our blacktop and fields for this year’s Literacy Parade. Every costume celebrated a book, a character or a story that sparked a child’s imagination.
What made this year special was seeing our whole RamFam come together. Our secondary string musicians played live music, student performers read aloud at the microphone, and teachers and staff joined in with costumes of their own. When older students lift up younger ones and adults model the joy of reading, our children learn that literacy is something WHe share as a community.
Thank you to the teachers, staff and families who made costumes, organized the route and cheered from the sidelines and to our student musicians and readers for showing our youngest learners what’s ahead.
Keep the story going at home: Read together tonight, and ask your child which character they’d pick next year. 🖤💛
#WHeRiseTogether
Enjoy Halloween today! We had a fun filled parade yesterday and loved seeing all the costumes and classroom celebrations! Take a look....
Calling all witches, ghosts & goblins! The @wh_secondary Student Council invites kids in grades Pre-K–6 to a Halloween Party, Fri. 10/30, 4–5:30 PM at WHSS. Free snacks, crafts, games, music & dancing! Wear a costume. $5 suggested donation. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.
What a WHonderful day for a fall festival at Chestnut Street School! Take a look at our youngest Rams enjoying games and pumpkin picking! Thank you PTA!
#RamCulture
Calling all witches, ghosts & goblins! The @wh_secondary Student Council invites kids in grades Pre-K–6 to a Halloween Party, Fri. 10/30, 4–5:30 PM at WHSS. Free snacks, crafts, games, music & dancing! Wear a costume. $5 suggested donation. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.
In kindergarten, the outdoors is more than a place to play. It is a place to explore, wonder, experiment, create and discover! Remember some of the most meaningful learning happens when we give children the time and freedom to simply be children! Happy Monday!
#RamCulture
Families, join West Hempstead SEPTA for its 1st meeting of the year! 🖤💛
📅 Wed., Oct. 28 | 7 PM
📍 @WHGWRams Cafeteria
Meet our Special Ed staff with Bridget Karis & celebrate our October Super Achievers! WHe hope to see you there!
#WHeRiseTogether
📅 Wed., Oct. 28 | 7 PM
📍 @WHGWRams Cafeteria
Meet our Special Ed staff with Bridget Karis & celebrate our October Super Achievers! WHe hope to see you there!
#WHeRiseTogether
Calling all witches, ghosts & goblins! The @wh_secondary Student Council invites kids in grades Pre-K–6 to a Halloween Party, Fri. 10/30, 4–5:30 PM at WHSS. Free snacks, crafts, games, music & dancing! Wear a costume. $5 suggested donation. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.
Thank you to our Board of Education! 🖤💛
At Tuesday’s Board of Education Appreciation Night, WHe honored the dedicated public servants who give their personal time to advance excellence in our schools. Whether they’re at the board table, at school events, or advocating for our students, their leadership shows up in every lesson, every program, and every student we serve.
A special thank-you to the students and staff who made the heartfelt videos and gifts for our Board members. Your thoughtfulness was touching!
#WeAreRamProud #RamFam #WHUFSD #SchoolBoardAppreciation
At Tuesday’s Board of Education Appreciation Night, WHe honored the dedicated public servants who give their personal time to advance excellence in our schools. Whether they’re at the board table, at school events, or advocating for our students, their leadership shows up in every lesson, every program, and every student we serve.
A special thank-you to the students and staff who made the heartfelt videos and gifts for our Board members. Your thoughtfulness was touching!
#WeAreRamProud #RamFam #WHUFSD #SchoolBoardAppreciation
Thank you to the WHFD! Firefighters taught our youngest Rams how to be prepared during a fire. They even practiced how to "stop, drop and roll!" Thanks again for your service!
Chestnut kindergartners are using their "thinking poses" to master sight words and reading signs from our neighborhood. Ask them later to read to you. Remember, reading is everywhere!
Happy Wednesday from Chestnut Street. Kindergartners are practicing bus protocols and engaging in our first bus drill! We use quiet voices, know the emergency exits and listen to our bus drivers for directions!
Happy Friday from Chestnut Street! We are excited to be taking pictures and enjoying the sunshine!
📸 Picture Day is FRIDAY! Photos taken will be used in the 6th Grade Yearbook! Parents: join the 6th Grade Committee to help fund Fun Day, the dance & more. Scan the QR code on the flyer to sign up!
@WHChestnut @WH_Cornwell @WHGWRams
#WHeRiseTogether
@WHChestnut @WH_Cornwell @WHGWRams
#WHeRiseTogether
Chestnut has ended the first month of kindergarten with a joyful stop at our school's book vending machine. Take a look at our September birthdays!
Sal Khan and West Hempstead: Building for New York's New Graduation Requirements
Live Conversation | September 23, 2026 | 12:00 PM ET
West Hempstead UFSD has spent eighteen months turning Khan Academy from an informal classroom tool into a districtwide practice, now used daily by classroom teachers, ENL staff, intervention specialists, speech therapists, and PE teachers, reaching approximately 1,660 students across the district.
On September 23, Sal Khan will join the teachers and leaders behind that work for a live conversation:
Dina Reilly, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Katie DiGregorio, Director of Learning — ENL, Data, & Student Success
Ms. Brianna Monzert, Cornwell Avenue School
Ms. Kelly Lynch, George Washington Intermediate School
Ms. Catherine Klein, Secondary School
Ms. Erin Geiger, Secondary School
Topics will include:
Why West Hempstead built toward New York's new graduation requirements before the rules were finalized
What skill-level mastery data reveals that a report card cannot
Why teachers were asked to try AI tools a set number of times, not to master them, and why that approach succeeded where a mandate would not
How the district responded when students began prompting AI for answers instead of using it to learn
Districts navigating the same shift toward demonstrated proficiency are encouraged to attend.
Register now: khanacademy-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5217811152917/WN_av6ySJpkSpOL6C4kUVtcjA
Live Conversation | September 23, 2026 | 12:00 PM ET
West Hempstead UFSD has spent eighteen months turning Khan Academy from an informal classroom tool into a districtwide practice, now used daily by classroom teachers, ENL staff, intervention specialists, speech therapists, and PE teachers, reaching approximately 1,660 students across the district.
On September 23, Sal Khan will join the teachers and leaders behind that work for a live conversation:
Dina Reilly, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Katie DiGregorio, Director of Learning — ENL, Data, & Student Success
Ms. Brianna Monzert, Cornwell Avenue School
Ms. Kelly Lynch, George Washington Intermediate School
Ms. Catherine Klein, Secondary School
Ms. Erin Geiger, Secondary School
Topics will include:
Why West Hempstead built toward New York's new graduation requirements before the rules were finalized
What skill-level mastery data reveals that a report card cannot
Why teachers were asked to try AI tools a set number of times, not to master them, and why that approach succeeded where a mandate would not
How the district responded when students began prompting AI for answers instead of using it to learn
Districts navigating the same shift toward demonstrated proficiency are encouraged to attend.
Register now: khanacademy-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5217811152917/WN_av6ySJpkSpOL6C4kUVtcjA
Sal Khan and West Hempstead: Building for New York's New Graduation Requirements
Live Conversation | September 23, 2026 | 12:00 PM ET
West Hempstead UFSD has spent eighteen months turning Khan Academy from an informal classroom tool into a districtwide practice, now used daily by classroom teachers, ENL staff, intervention specialists, speech therapists, and PE teachers, reaching approximately 1,660 students across the district.
On September 23, Sal Khan will join the teachers and leaders behind that work for a live conversation:
Dina Reilly, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Katie DiGregorio, Director of Learning — ENL, Data, & Student Success
Ms. Brianna Monzert, Cornwell Avenue School
Ms. Kelly Lynch, George Washington Intermediate School
Ms. Catherine Klein, Secondary School
Ms. Erin Geiger, Secondary School
Topics will include:
Why West Hempstead built toward New York's new graduation requirements before the rules were finalized
What skill-level mastery data reveals that a report card cannot
Why teachers were asked to try AI tools a set number of times, not to master them, and why that approach succeeded where a mandate would not
How the district responded when students began prompting AI for answers instead of using it to learn
Districts navigating the same shift toward demonstrated proficiency are encouraged to attend.
Register now: khanacademy-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5217811152917/WN_av6ySJpkSpOL6C4kUVtcjA
Live Conversation | September 23, 2026 | 12:00 PM ET
West Hempstead UFSD has spent eighteen months turning Khan Academy from an informal classroom tool into a districtwide practice, now used daily by classroom teachers, ENL staff, intervention specialists, speech therapists, and PE teachers, reaching approximately 1,660 students across the district.
On September 23, Sal Khan will join the teachers and leaders behind that work for a live conversation:
Dina Reilly, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Katie DiGregorio, Director of Learning — ENL, Data, & Student Success
Ms. Brianna Monzert, Cornwell Avenue School
Ms. Kelly Lynch, George Washington Intermediate School
Ms. Catherine Klein, Secondary School
Ms. Erin Geiger, Secondary School
Topics will include:
Why West Hempstead built toward New York's new graduation requirements before the rules were finalized
What skill-level mastery data reveals that a report card cannot
Why teachers were asked to try AI tools a set number of times, not to master them, and why that approach succeeded where a mandate would not
How the district responded when students began prompting AI for answers instead of using it to learn
Districts navigating the same shift toward demonstrated proficiency are encouraged to attend.
Register now: khanacademy-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/5217811152917/WN_av6ySJpkSpOL6C4kUVtcjA