Community Updates

  

Dear Herricks School District Community,

Happy Thursday! I hope this email finds you all doing well and that everyone is having a wonderful week. Hopefully the recent December break was restful, rejuvenating, and filled with moments that brought joy, happiness, and special memories for each of you and your loved ones. For my family, it was a unique holiday season that invited us to slow down, reimagine a few family traditions, and focus on togetherness. We leaned into quiet moments, meaningful time with one another, and the simple joy of days without alarms. 

Across the district, we’ve seamlessly settled back into our daily routines, and our buildings are once again buzzing with purposeful activity. Students returned from the December break energized and ready to dive into meaningful learning, something I’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand in several classrooms already this week. A standout moment of 2026 so far has been the announcement of this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search Semifinalists—once again, Herricks shined, with four outstanding semifinalists. Congratulations to Abigail, Aarthi, Eli, and Emma for being named semifinalists, for which only 300 students nationwide are selected. We look forward to celebrating our Regeneron Semifinalists at a future Board of Education Meeting!         

Health Update

While we are excited about the start of 2026, we have also been dealing with an increase in various respiratory illnesses including the flu, pneumonia, the common cold, and other illnesses. To that end, once again, I want to share these important reminders to promote a healthy and safe environment in our schools, as the well-being of our students and staff is the priority:

• If your child is sick, please keep them home until they are fever free for at least 24 hours and their symptoms are improving.
  • If your child exhibits flu, RSV or Covid symptoms, you are encouraged to keep them home and have them tested as these viruses are highly contagious.  
• Wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.
• Cough/sneeze into a tissue or upper shirt sleeve covering the mouth and nose.
• Avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth.

Thank you for your attention to these important reminders. Should you have any questions, please contact your school nurse. Your partnership and cooperation are critical factors to ensuring the health and safety of our students, staff and families. 

Herricks Herald

In case you missed it before the break, we are excited to share the latest edition of the Herricks Herald newsletter; it is the December edition. In this issue, you will get a glimpse into the Searingtown musical performance for our senior citizens, the Denton Avenue Winter Wonderland, the HHS Chamber Choir performance at Radio City Musical Hall, and other wonderful events. You can check out the latest edition of the Herricks Herald here. 

Protocols for Inclement Weather

With January upon us where the threat of inclement weather is always a possibility I would like to review our procedures for snow days and other emergency scenarios. Please be aware that our school calendar this year includes 5 additional days (beyond the NYS requirements), which could be used for snow days or other weather emergencies if necessary. In the event that we need more than 5 days for snow or other weather emergencies, the district will transition to remote learning days, which we will be prepared for after our recent Remote Instruction Day. If we need to engage in remote learning, you will receive information from us about how that will work for our students.

You can click here to learn more about our inclement weather procedures. Additionally, you can click here to learn more about other emergency situations and our district protocols for those scenarios. We encourage you to review this information in an effort to be prepared in case of an emergency. As always, you will receive notification of a school closure or delay via email and phone call.

Curriculum Update

Recently I had the opportunity to visit various classrooms throughout the district and learn with our amazing students and colleagues. During one of my visits, I had a chance to spend time with kindergarten students in our Language Immersion program who were exploring mathematical concepts in Spanish. The students were learning about the number 8 and how to construct it in various ways. In addition to exploring the number 8, the students also worked collaboratively in small groups to further develop their broader mathematical understandings and it was impressive to watch them develop their math skills while speaking primarily in Spanish. I also had a chance to spend time in a seventh grade science classroom where the students were learning about chemical reactions. In addition to witnessing a chemical reaction and identifying the reactants and products, the students had to construct the different atoms using manipulatives. In the end, the students were challenged to communicate their understandings about chemical reactions by presenting a claim, evidence, and sharing their reasoning. Finally, I had the opportunity to spend time in a high school health class where the students had a visiting presenter. The presenter, a medical doctor from the community, shared facts and data about the impact of vaping, opioids, and other substance abuse. The data presented was incredibly compelling and the students were actively engaged throughout the experience. Overall, I learned a lot from watching our students and colleagues, and across each of these learning experiences it was amazing to watch our students access all of the 6 C’s embedded in our Portrait of a Graduate. 

Other Important Updates

• FLYERS: As you know, community information can be found under the FLYERS tab on the homepage of the district website. For example, you can learn more about the New Hyde Park PAL registration or the middle school Rec Program by clicking here where you can see the latest community updates!
• VIDEO UPDATES: If you want to check out our Herricks’ Happenings Video Updates, click here to find that video.
• HERRICKS HERALD: You can check out all the editions of the Herricks Herald here.
• BOARD NOTES: Click here to view the Board Notes for all of our Board of Education Meetings.
• IMPORTANT DATES:
  • Our next Board of Education Meeting for the 2025-2026 school year will take place on Thursday, January 15, 2026 in the Community Center Auditorium at 7:30pm. There will be a demographic study presentation happening that night. 
  • Please be aware that schools are closed on Monday, January 19, 2026. 

Thank you for taking the time to review this important information and I hope that everyone is enjoying the first week of school of 2026!

Sincerely,

Dr. Tony Sinanis
Superintendent of Schools
Herricks School District 
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