Education comes alive when students can touch and build what they are learning. This week at Albany Avenue, the curriculum moved off the page and into the hands of eager students. Kindergarten Teachers Ms. Buckley and Ms. Mastropasqua introduced a dynamic lesson focused on geometry, specifically the concepts of composing and decomposing shapes.

A Foundation for Learning

The lesson resulted in a classroom filled with unique designs. Students proudly displayed their 3D masterpieces, trains, towers, castles, and more. This interactive approach helps students visualize mathematics in the real world, laying a strong foundation for their future education in the district.

Hello, Farmingdale Family!

This is Paul Defendini, and as we look at potentially messy weather on the horizon, I want to share a quick update on how we’ll handle school closures this year.

As many of you know, New York State has some pretty specific rules about how much time students need to spend in the classroom. While we’ve built 183 days into our calendar (three more than the state minimum), we also have to meet a specific number of instructional hours.

This is where it gets a little tricky:

Elementary & Middle Schools: Because of their daily schedules, we have enough "banked" hours to allow for a traditional snow day without needing to make it up later. Farmingdale High School: Our schedule is much tighter. We are just a tiny bit above the state requirement, which means even one traditional snow day would force us to add a makeup day to the calendar later in the year.

To protect our future breaks and keep things simple, here is our plan if we have to close:

Elementary & Howitt Middle School: A True Snow Day Business as usual—or rather, no business as usual! There will be no remote school or assignments. My hope is that our younger Dalers get outside to build a snowman, grab some hot chocolate, and just enjoy being kids.

Farmingdale High School: Flexible "Asynchronous" Learning To avoid having to change the calendar later this Spring, our high schoolers will transition to a flexible learning day.

• No "9-period" schedule: Students won't need to log in at a specific time.

• Google Classroom: Teachers will post assignments that students can complete at their own pace throughout the day.

• Support: If students have questions, they are encouraged to speak with or email their teachers to ensure they understand their expectations in advance of next week’s potential storm.

We are already looking at ways to build more flexibility into the high school schedule for the future, but for now, this is the best way to keep our school year on track while staying safe. As a reminder, if we close schools, all after-school activities for all of our students are cancelled as well.

If we need multiple days this season, we will need to consider future calendar changes, which will be shared in a future communication.

Stay warm, stay safe, and as always, it’s a great day to be a Daler!

Warmly, Paul Defendini, Superintendent of Schools

While much of the conversation around Artificial Intelligence in schools focuses on risks, two teachers at Howitt Middle School are proving that technology can be a powerful tool for literacy. Mrs. Hilton and Mrs. Solomon recently transformed their reading block into an interactive digital theater to help students connect with text in a new way.

Creating a Shared Reading Adventure

The teachers used Google’s "Read Along" integration to create a unique experience for the class. They did not just pick a book from a shelf. Instead, they used AI to generate personalized stories tailored specifically to their students' interests. By projecting these stories onto a Newline interactive board, the class turned individual reading into a shared adventure. Students took turns reading aloud and clicked on challenging words for instant pronunciation help.

Engaging Students and Building Fluency

The interactive approach has sparked excitement in the classroom. The teachers noted that the students were not just reading, as they were fully engaged in the process. The results have been clear, including increased student confidence, better fluency, and a classroom full of students eager for the next story.