At a briskly conducted Bellmore school board meeting recently, Joe Hendrickson, director of facilities and transportation for the Bellmore School District, told the board that work facilities operations staff and district contractors were able to accomplish much during the summer.  Staff this year performed normal summer cleaning and preventive maintenance tasks, but completed several other projects.  “The facilities staff and student workers worked very hard this summer,” Mr. Hendrickson said.  

Among some of the items completed were:

• Winthrop: asbestos floor tiles removed and new tiles added, gym floor sanded and relined with new logo, gym painted, sidewalks repaired, asphalt repairs made to the parking lot, several classrooms painted, and new entrance mats installed. 
• Shore Road: auditorium painted, stage curtain replaced, gym floor sanded and relined with new logo, one room prepared for use as a classroom, and electrical service repairs  done to main lines.
• Reinhard: asbestos floor tiles removed and new tiles added, ceilings replaced in hallways and main office, sidewalks repaired, asphalt repairs made to the playground and drains installed, selected classrooms painted, the handball court repainted and gym floor recoated.  According to Mr. Hendrickson, all asbestos tile removal operations followed standard safety procedures for this work.  

In business news: 

• The district accepted a $263 donation from Target Inc.’s Take Charge of Education program.  
• The district earned $6,598 on its investments for the period ranging from July 1 through August 31.  
• Eleven additional SMART Boards were installed in special-area rooms to compliment the SMART Boards in each of the district classrooms. Computers were replaced with the older machines being repurposed throughout the district, where possible.
• The board approved the cafeteria milk bid, a cooperative effort between the Central High School District, and the Merrick and Bellmore school districts. 

In educational news

Joanne Dacek, assistant to the superintendent for instructional services, reported that a 19-day summer school program focusing on math and reading for incoming third- and fourth-grade students was held this summer.  

District staff worked on a number of summer curriculum projects that addressed character education, teambuilding activities for fifth- and sixth-grade students and alignment of sixth-grade math topics to the state test.  Teachers and teaching assistants attended a number of summer professional development opportunities focusing on the curriculum areas of literacy, math, science, SMART technology, writing, problem solving and CPR/AED training.  Each of the three schools held successful back-to-school nights at which parents had the opportunity to meet the classroom teachers, special area teachers, support staff, and learn about the expectations and plans for the 2010-11 school year.

By Bill Fonda