A rundown of back-to-school building improvements, new staff and administration hires and new classes and clubs for North Fork students this fall.
Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District
First day: Tuesday Sept. 3
The students on the second-floor classrooms and kindergarten wing at Cutchogue East will enjoy air conditioning this year. It was installed over the summer. A walkway was also installed from the kindergarten classrooms to the playground. The PTA donated furniture used to create an outdoor learning center in the library courtyard.
At Mattituck High School, the tennis courts were resurfaced, and the JV playing field was leveled and sodded. A walkway was installed from the parking lot to the track with protective fencing and inside, the auditorium lobby woodwork was sanded and stained, and stairwell non-slip treads were replaced in the math and science wing.
Tucker students can also look forward to new programming such as pre-AP global for freshmen, AP European history, adaptive art and adaptive music. The Eastern Suffolk BOCES regional carpentry program, which is open to students from Mattituck, Shelter Island, Greenport, Southold and Riverhead school districts, will be housed in the school’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics wing. Juniors and seniors can opt to take the class for one or two years. Through the course, students earn high school and college credits as well as industry certifications.
There are various staffing changes starting with Patrick Burke, who is the new principal at the high school. He came in from Riverhead Central School District after two decades there and started at Mattituck-Cutchogue School district July 1. Adam Tesoro was hired as the BOCES carpentry instructor, and Brandon Kelly as the U.S. Coast Guard NJROTC’S leave placement instructor.
At the elementary school, Cutchogue East, there were eight new hires among the teaching and assisting staff, and at the high school, the district hired new teachers for Spanish and special education, two permanent substitutes and a Library Media Specialist.
New Suffolk Common School
The school district became non-instructional on March 5. All 15 students that had been enrolled in the district are attending Southold schools through tuition payments. This summer, the red schoolhouse was leased to Just Kids Early Childhood Learning Center, who will operate out of the three-classroom building.
Southold Union Free School District
First day: Tuesday Sept. 3
Aside from touching up painting throughout both elementary and junior/high school buildings, Southold School District installed new flooring in the cafeteria and second floor hallway of the elementary school and the first floor hallway of the high school.
The outdoor basketball courts were resurfaced “with the addition of two pickleball courts,” superintendent Anthony Mauro said.
The school also started the first phase of replacing all four boilers, an expense approved by voters in the 2023 school board election.
This year marks the first full year of the school’s three-season esports club. The middle school also added homework assistance provided by two teachers during lunch periods.
In terms of new hires, Baylee Gatien is a new English as a New Language teacher. Two new special education and a math teacher were hired, as well as a leave replacement elementary school social worker and a leave replacement school psychologist.
Greenport Union Free School District
First day: Wednesday, Sept. 4
Construction took place all summer to complete the Greenport Union Free School District’s bond work, which included repainting and sealing the east side of the building to repair a water intrusion issue and repairing cafeteria floors.
The new automotive shop is close to completion, which features a garage door on the building exterior.
The district created an ENL Academy to give English language learning students extra practice. It runs in the mornings and evenings to accommodate employed students and will continue to run in the evenings throughout this school year.
Greenport schools welcomes several new administrators, teachers and staff members: Elizabeth Clark, John Chewens, Marcus DiDonna, Isabel Shepard, William (Liam) Harley, Kelly McLaughlin, Izabela Radziwonski, Ruth Rodriguez, Katherine Gonzalez and Andrew Wilke.
Ryan Case is currently serving as acting superintendent, filling in the role for Marlon Small. The Board of Education is conducting its superintendent search to permanently fill the position.
Oysterponds Union Free School District
First Day: Tuesday, Sept. 3
Oysterponds initiated a number of capital improvements that focused on health, safety and security over the summer.
The school will have a new lockdown system once the new hardware and electronic access locks on the doors are complete. Under recommendation of Southold’s police department, the school also added several security cameras to the property.
They also added a paved walking path to the west side of the campus that provides wheelchair access to the basketball and tennis courts and playground.
Utility improvements were made in the boiler room, and a building management system is close to completed to improve efficiency and monitoring of the building’s HVAC system.
The school is piloting an additional pre-k classroom to allow instruction for 3- and 4-year-olds. There are a total of 25 students enrolled in the program currently. Nicole Pollina, who used to work at New Suffolk Common School District, was hired as the pre-k teacher. The school also hired Tara Haas as a teacher’s aide to support students in the program.