Letter from Mr. Schmidt

Dear SLCD Woodside Parents,

It has been a fruitful year at SLCD Woodside filled with learning and personal growth for all of our youngsters. Our instructional programs have been finely tuned through the combined efforts of our Executive Director, Dr. Ellenmorris Tiegerman, Director, Dr. Christine Radziewicz, Curriculum Specialist, Dr. Connie Russo and the SLCD Woodside administration/teachers. Every effort to align our curriculum with NYS Dept. of Ed.'s requirements has been made. All of our curriculum (Grades 6-12) has been formally approved by the NYC Department of Education. These efforts ensure that all of our students will have an approved diploma path.

Equally as important as our student's attainment of diplomas are the vocations that our students will choose for their life's work. Our SLCD Transition team has been exploring the workplace for jobs that would be appropriate for our young adults. This team consists of Dr. Jeremy Tiegerman (Psychologist), Mrs. Toya Davis (Parent Liaison), Ms. Lindsay Rich (Psychologist), and Mrs. Nancy Vukosa (Guidance) and Judith Rodriguez (Bilingual TA Career Advisor). This team has been assisted by a professional transition consultant, Mr. Joseph DeRiso. The Transition team will be meeting with all of our parents once a year.

Furthermore, in-service professional workshops have been held to enhance the delivery of instruction to our youngsters. Those workshops have included topics such as differentiation of instruction, classroom management, types of learning styles, and curriculum standards.

In order to bolster our curriculum we are adding to our school library. Many of the added volumes will align with the core curriculum of each grade. It is expected that students will become familiar with the research process by using the library resources.

Reading instruction remains a strong component of the educational process at SLCD. A highly structured, sequential computer-based program, "Fast ForWord" has been integrated into the reading program for some of our students. We continue to utilize the Wilson Reading Program for many of our students. The Wilson Program is a systematic and explicit phonemic awareness and spelling program. This program is designed to help reduce reading/spelling failures. It serves to supplement our literature-based literacy curriculum.

Our Transition Math Program and Algebra Rescue Program address math remediation within the NYS Curriculum framework. Through differentiation of instruction within these programs we have provided students with the most appropriate lessons.

Within the area of technology all of our students have completed exercises employing MS Word, Power Point and Inspiration software. A "Smart Board" had been used across the curriculum areas.

Our music/art teacher, Ms. Carla Mattia after presenting our successful Holiday Concert is now producing the play "High School Musical." Every student who signed up for this show has been included in the production.

As always, I will endeavor to keep you informed of all pertinent information.

Sincerely yours ,

Robert L. Schmidt

Assistant Director