Friday, December 5, 2025
Vol. 85, No. 49
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Barbara Buco vetsky Sells Homes! There Must B e A Reason.. “I am GRATEF UL and THAN KFUL for you— all my clients and customer s, past, presen and future! M t, ay the Holiday Season bring you happines s and joy.” Barbara Buco vetsky
Licensed Ass ociate Real Esta te Broker barbara.bucove tsky@compa ss.com
M: 516.428.2016
JHS celebrates Future Authors, book release
Students, their families, teachers, and district staff joined together at Jericho High School to celebrate the release of “Inkstrumental,” the latest publication produced through the Future Authors Project – a collaborative writing workshop supported by Canon U.S.A., Inc. This year’s edition was inspired by the powerful connection between music and memory, where participants
reflected on how songs can evoke emotions, bring people together, and shape individual identities. The Jericho School District began participating in the Future Authors Project in 2017 to provide select high school students with a unique opportunity to experience the full writing process, from conceptualizing their ideas and developing their voice, to editing and publi-
cation. As part of the program, participants learned the fundamentals of photography during a presentation that was led by a Canon professional. The students used Canon-provided Rebel SL2 cameras to create original images to complement their written work in the book. This year, 34 participants, encompassing 23 students and 11 teachers, contributed See page 8
The Syosset Advance Published every Friday by Litmor Publishing Corp. Periodical Postage paid at Hicksville, N.Y. 11801 Telephone 931-0012 - USPS 3467-68 Postmaster: Send Address Change to: The Syosset Advance, 821 Franklin Ave., Suite 208 Garden City, N.Y. 11530 • Meg Norris, Publisher
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Syosset reviews World Languages program, student trends BY RIKKI MASSAND
Jericho students and staff joined together to celebrate the publication of "Inkstrumental", the latest publication of the Future Authors project.
| O: 516.517.486
Barbara Bucove tsky is a Licensed Compass is a Associate Rea Licensed Rea l Estate Broker l Estate Broker affiliated with and abides by Compass. Equal Housing Opportunity Law s.
At the November 17 meeting of the Syosset Central School District, the World Languages program and curriculum came into focus with an emphasis on intercultural skills and global citizenship in one of the nation’s highest-ranked school systems. Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment David Steinberg told the board, “We know the program is about more than just acquiring vocabulary; it’s about preparing students to become globally minded, articulate, and well-rounded students ready for both college and career. We use data for decisions to ensure we are responsive to student needs and that our work supports the board goal for transparent and efficient operations.” Another board goal reflected in the World Languages program centers on family engagement, student choice, and “heritage language recognition.” A key learning outcome shared during the presentation was “building trust, engagement, and belonging across cultures.” Steinberg outlined several components of Syosset’s World Languages curriculum, beginning with elementary-level exposure and culminating in advanced coursework for high school upperclassmen. Program Coordinator Dr. David Balsamo explained that during the
transition from elementary to middle school, fifth graders and their families make the important choice of which language to study. “Teachers in our elementary program engage them in a series of lessons focused on how to make this decision,” he said. “Some choose a language for practical reasons, like future career pathways, while others select a language tied to their family background. Everyone has their own personal reason for selecting a language and we encourage students to let motivation be their guide – there’s a strong correlation between motivation and achievement, especially when it comes to language learning. The district’s responsibility is to make key programmatic decisions based on the choices students make – we take steps to continually monitor language choices we offer, to be responsive to student interests and needs,” he commented. In 2022, the district conducted a comprehensive review of language offerings. As a result, Korean was introduced for grades 6–12 for the first time in the 2022–2023 school year. The following year, another review—along with community feedback—led to the discontinuation of two courses. Level 1 Japanese and Level 1 Latin did not receive sufficient enrollment to launch new cohorts, though students already enrolled were See page 8
Masquers brings 'Frankenstein' alive PAGE 6 BOE honors Outstanding students PAGE 15