Riverhead Central School District, 700 Osborne Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901
Phone: 631.369.6717, Fax: 631.369.6816, District Office Hours: 7:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

AboutEducation
Working Together as a Community for Our Schools

Dear Families,

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Riverhead Board of Education, the Riverhead District staff, and the Riverhead community for their overwhelming support as I begin on a new journey as Superintendent of the Riverhead School District. During the past five years, in my position as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, and then as Deputy Superintendent, I have come to know and love this community. Riverhead is a district and community alive with talent, beauty and challenges. I am honored to be your new Superintendent and ready to face the challenges ahead.

In this competitive and global economy in which we live, we must fuse the three r’s with the four c’s (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation). These are the 21st century skills that our children will need to be competitive and successful.  In his book, A Whole New Mind, Why Right- Brainers will Rule the Future, Daniel Pinks writes, “The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind…creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people...artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consulars, big picture thinkers…will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.”  I believe that as educators, it is our responsibility to create learning environments that foster and build these qualities.

As a district, we ARE moving forward. By October of this year, we will have interactive white-boards (smartboards) installed in each of our classrooms. Our teachers and paraprofessionals are participating in ongoing professional development in integrating technology into the curriculum through collaborative and project based learning.  Our affiliation with Columbia Teachers College Reading and Writing Project continues as we work to strengthen literacy skills in all our children. Our district has recently been awarded a grant in collaboration with Eastern Suffolk BOCES Arts-in-Education program for the development of innovative programs that integrate the arts into the elementary and middle school curriculum, and we are actively pursuing grant monies for additional programs. In academics, athletics, music, theatre and the arts, our students continue to excel. Our annual concerts and performances are second to none. Our athletes continue to be recognized on the field, and off the field, for their sportsmanship and academic achievement. Our recent high school graduates are attending Princeton, Harvard, Byrn Mawr, Roger Williams University, Boston University, George Washington University, SUNY Colleges, amongst many others.  Eighty-nine percent of the class of 2010 is pursuing post-secondary education.

We are moving forward, but there is still much work to be done. We are engaged in ongoing reflection about our programs, curriculum, instructional practices, and facilities. This summer we have been engaged in analyzing the results of last May’s New York State Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics tests.  Our administrative team is meeting to identify areas of strength and need, at each school, in each class, and at individual student levels. Our administrators and faculty are committed to working together for continuous improvement.

I am optimistic about our future, and dedicated in my role as Superintendent of the Riverhead School District. I want to assure you of my personal and professional commitment to open dialogue about all district issues. Our three areas of focus this year will be on instruction and student achievement, addressing the condition of our facilities, and building relationships. Riverhead will be my new home as of September 1, 2010.  I am excited to become a part of the community. I am confident that together we will make a positive and lasting difference for our students and for the entire Riverhead community.

Respectfully,

Nancy Carney
Superintendent of Schools