Long Beach Public Schools

West Supports Mustaches for Kids

West School raised approximately $850 in donations that will go to Memorial Sloan Kettering Kids’ Mustaches for Kids Long Island Chapter. Board of Education Member Sam Pinto is a participant in the program, and the contributions from West families will go toward his fundraising efforts to help MSK Kids provide treatment and research of childhood cancer. Many students decorated their face masks with mustache cutouts and illustrations to help promote the endeavor.

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Early Dismissal Drill 11-25-20

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Message From the Superintendent Nov. 17, 2020

Good Evening Parents,

I just wanted to keep you up-to-date. We have had several reports of positive COVID cases this week: at West, Lido, the High School, and Lindell. With the exception of Lindell, we have notified nearly all of the affected students and staff who may need to quarantine. Today's Lindell case came in very late in the afternoon, and we need time tomorrow for the Department of Health to conduct contact tracing. Lindell, therefore, will shift to remote learning tomorrow. The process of contact tracing is very thorough and time-consuming, so often late notices will unfortunately trigger a closing for a day. We expect Lindell to open again on Thursday.

This is the same scenario that is being replayed in schools across the County. Superintendents are notified by Nassau BOCES of all school closings each morning, and there have been between six and eight steadily each day.

With good news this week about potential vaccines, I am sure that you felt as I did---there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Maybe the spring will bring a return to more normal times. In the meantime, we continue to do everything we can to keep our students in school as much as is safely possible. As always, we appreciate your cooperation in following mask and social distancing rules, in reporting positive cases to us as soon as possible, and in keeping your children home if they are ill or if someone else in your home has tested positive.

I know these times are hard, but I also know that by working together as a Long Beach community, we can get through these difficult months and look forward to spring!

Dr. Jennifer Gallagher
Superintendent of Schools
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Buenas noches, padres,

Solo quería mantenerte al día. Hemos tenido varios informes de casos positivos de COVID esta semana: en West, Lido, High School y Lindell. Con la excepción de Lindell, hemos notificado a casi todos los estudiantes y el personal afectados que pueden necesitar una cuarentena. El caso Lindell de hoy llegó muy tarde en la tarde, y mañana necesitamos tiempo para que el Departamento de Salud realice el rastreo de contactos. Lindell, por lo tanto, cambiará mañana al aprendizaje remoto. El proceso de rastreo de contactos es muy completo y requiere mucho tiempo, por lo que, a menudo, los avisos tardíos desafortunadamente desencadenarán un cierre por un día. Esperamos que Lindell vuelva a abrir el jueves.
Este es el mismo escenario que se está repitiendo en las escuelas de todo el condado. Nassau BOCES notifica a los superintendentes de todos los cierres de escuelas cada mañana, y ha habido entre seis y ocho de manera constante cada día.

Con buenas noticias esta semana sobre posibles vacunas, estoy seguro de que se sintió como yo: hay una luz al final de este túnel. Quizás la primavera traiga un regreso a tiempos más normales. Mientras tanto, continuamos haciendo todo lo posible para mantener a nuestros estudiantes en la escuela tanto como sea posible de manera segura. Como siempre, agradecemos su cooperación para seguir las reglas de la máscara y el distanciamiento social, informarnos los casos positivos lo antes posible y mantener a sus hijos en casa si están enfermos o si alguien más en su hogar ha dado positivo.

Sé que estos tiempos son difíciles, pero también sé que al trabajar juntos como una comunidad de Long Beach, ¡podemos superar estos meses difíciles y esperar la primavera!

Dra. Jennifer Gallagher
Superintendente de escuelas
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LB Schools and community groups unite in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dedication

In a collaborative effort with several other community entities and individuals, the Long Beach Public Schools dedicated a plaque honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the boardwalk at Riverside Boulevard. The project was developed with input from Long Beach High School students as a way to signify unity and celebrate diversity in the community.

The Long Beach Public Schools Board of Education, Bay to Beach Civic Association, Concerned Citizens of North Park, the Long Beach City Council, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center Inc. and the Long Beach Historical Society made this endeavor possible with special thanks to Phyllis Libutti, Anne Conway, Jackie Odom, Elizabeth Treston, Monique Powell, Miguel Rodriguez, Jim Kirklin and Evita Hernaneanz. Members of the high school’s LB United club, along with athletes and individual student volunteers, spent time brainstorming ideas during the initiative’s planning phases.

“It’s going to be their community forever,” said teacher and LB United adviser Geoffrey Noss. “It’s one thing that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.”
“We wanted to get as many different parts of Long Beach involved as we could,” said student Theresa Tarantino.

Although attendance at the Nov. 7 plaque unveiling was limited due to COVID-19, a small group of the involved parties was invited to view the plaque and celebrate and share reflections on the boardwalk. The event was livestreamed for those unable to participate in person, and Long Beach High School students led a ceremony that highlighted the plaque’s significance and Dr. King’s impact on their own lives, the community and the nation.

“It represents the equality and diversity shown in Long Beach, the importance in being together as one,” said student Maura Conway.

Students took turns at the podium and discussed Dr. King’s legacy and his visits to Long Beach in the 1960s. They described the diversity and equality in the community and acknowledged the ways that Long Beach embraces and exemplifies Dr. King’s principles.

Attendees applauded as the plaque was revealed, and Natalia Hakimzadeh, one of the student speakers, sang the famous John Lennon song, “Imagine.”

“We are the next generation of leaders and activists,” Hakimzadeh said. “We the children have grown in a community that fosters the growth of tolerance through love and respect. We must set the example for future generations and show them how we hold hands and embrace our differences.”

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