_______ Malverne/West HeMpstead ______
HERALD Also serving Lakeview
State senator is sworn in
Queen of the toy drive
Teacher honored with Hero Award
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Vol. 32 No. 3
JANUARY 16 - 22, 2025
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English classes for students new to the U.S. them in learning English while respecting their native language and allowing them to The West Hempstead School flourish,” Klafter said. “It’s District has been offering Eng- very rewarding — in the beginlish as a New Language classes ning of the year, some of those for students entering the coun- students might come in not try, teaching them to speak, knowing any English at all, and read and write in a new lan- by the end, you really see a guage and helping integrate great improvement.” Debra Schiavo, a them into the local Chestnut Street community. School teacher for Formerly known 18 years, co-teaches as English as a Secthose classes with ond Language proKlafter and gram, ENL classes instructs her own are taught to stuclasses exclusively dents in kindergarfor English lanten through the JAClYN KlAfTER guage learners. 12th grade at Chest- teacher, “They really nut Street School, Chestnut Street enjoy it,” Schiavo Cor nwell Avenue School said. “They receive School, George individualized Washington School and West Hempstead Second- attention — it’s a small group ary School. Multilingual edu- when I do my standalone sescation programs became a state sions. I teach my class like any requirement for public schools other class, because in kinderin 1974 to accommodate stu- garten all the students are dents struggling with a lan- working on reading, writing, listening and speaking.” guage barrier in the classroom. Katie DiGregorio, the proJaclyn Klafter, a teacher at Chestnut Street School, has gram’s director for five years, worked with elementary school said, “We have a lot of students English language learners in coming from various different her general education classes countries all over the globe. We have students who speak a varifor four years. “We are here to support Continued on page 9
By JoSEPH D’AlESSANDRo
jdalessandro@liherald.com
Holden Leeds/Herald photos
Turning Christmas trees into mulch Kristyl and Robert Siskol brought their live Christmas tree to be made into mulch. Above, with Town Supervisor Don Clavin and Town Clerk Kate Murray. If residents didn’t want mulch, their trees could be donated to the town’s Nigerian Dwarf goats, that live at the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve in Merrick. John Vulpe, at right, showed off some of the mulch. Story, more photos, Page 10
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ou really see a great improvement.