Dear Cornwell Avenue Primary School Families,

Hello!  I hope you all have had a safe, happy and healthy summer.  I am excited for a new year at Cornwell Avenue Elementary School – the Primary Center!  Our school continues to serve grades 1 through 3 for West Hempstead families.  The past years have been such an incredible gift and I am thrilled for a new one. 

I know this will be a triumphant and memorable year for us all!  Getting to know your children and watching them grow is an honor I will never take for granted, I will say it and mean it EVERY YEAR. J   

This year should prove to be full of excitement, boundless achievements and great accomplishments.  I look forward to getting to know our new first graders and to seeing how much our second and third graders have grown over the summer!  I am confident that, together with our remarkable families and outstanding staff, we will make monumental progress for all of our children this year.  We will prepare them for what lies ahead; we will read, write, and think critically every day and we will ensure success academically, socially, and emotionally.  Every Child, Every Day, in Any Way!

For those who don’t know me, I was born and raised here on Long Island, a few minutes away in Garden City Park, by an incredible single mom with two kids, two jobs, and multiple dogs.  I went to Garden City Park Elementary School and New Hyde Park Memorial High School.  After attending SUNY New Paltz, I began my career as a teacher on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, became an Assistant Principal then Principal of a school in Brooklyn for almost a decade and spent a year as the Assistant Superintendent of District 15.  I LOVE being a Principal, I love that I had the opportunity to come back from the city to Long Island to live and work and consider myself a life-long student!  I am also a parent     .  My son, AJ, is starting High School this year – ACK!  Time does fly, I’m sure you feel the same! He loves history, loves to read, play video games (of course) and loves to singJ. 

I feel so fortunate to be a part of the West Hempstead community where a commitment to our students and families and a dedication to teaching and learning are deeply embedded in the everyday.  An enormous part of a school community is cohesion among administration, staff, parents, and students.  I assure you that I am fully dedicated to this warm, nurturing environment where students can grow and flourish and a place where you, the parents, feel welcomed and appreciated.  I am a “hands-on” leader and am very involved with the students.  I will be in and out of classrooms to participate, listen, observe, learn, and spend time with your children.  I will know the name of every child at Cornwell by the end of September!  That’s a goal I set every year and I believe it makes all the difference in building relationships with our students.  I began my career in education because of my love for children and a belief in their abilities. I get this quality, I believe, from my Grandmother.  She taught in Westbury for decades and instilled in me what whole child education truly means. This will never change.  Go hug a family member! J

I anticipate extraordinary things this school year for our students socially, emotionally, physically, and certainly academically.  I thank you for trusting us with your children.  We will not let you down.

 Our school times are 9:05 am to 3:20 pm.  Breakfast will begin at 8:35 am.  Students can enter at this time whether they are eating breakfast with us or not.  Please do not drop children off before that time.  We have a “kiss and go” procedure in the morning so if your child does not take a bus please pull up to the front door where staff will be waiting to receive your child and then go around the parking lot to exit back at the front entrance.  For everyone’s safety we ask that parents do not get out of their cars and do not make U-turns.  It helps the flow of arrival.  Please go slow and please be aware of what and who is around you.  This is for everyone’s safety.

Please feel free to come to me with any questions, comments, compliments, or concerns you may have.  My door is always open!  You can email me at dsinito@whufsd.com for an appointment.

Sincerely,

Deanna Sinito
Principal

Please check the calendar for the year on our WH website www.whufsd.com.  Also, follow us on Twitter @CornwellAVEES or @WHUFSDRams.  Finally, our app can be downloaded on Android: https://bit.ly/36PkW6e or iPhone: https://apple.co/2YGtOXc.  Finally, you can see our incoming parent orientation at Parent Orientation on the website for further information.

These are a few must know items:

Absences                      If your child is absent or late to school, we request that you:

Lateness

1.  Telephone the NURSE at 390-3145 after 8:00 AM

                                         PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE MAIN OFFICE NUMBER.

                                         THE NURSE MUST BE AWARE OF YOUR CHILD’S

                                         ABSENCE SO SHE CAN INFORM THE CLASSROOM

                                         TEACHER.

2.      Send a note when your child returns explaining the absence.

3.   If your child is late to school (arriving after 9:05 AM) you must

      sign him/her in at the front door.

CLOTHING: It is suggested that you label your child’s outerwear clothing. Each year

                                    there are many articles of clothing which are unclaimed.  These will be

                                    given away to charity periodically. Labeling your child’s clothing will

                                    assist in returning items to you.

Arrival:  Teachers and staff will meet and greet students in designated locations for the first few days of school. Starting on the third day of school, the following procedures are in effect:  

Bus students will enter through the front doors. Students will be staggered at the start of the day to navigate the hallways to their classrooms. Monitors are placed throughout the building to supervise.

Walkers will utilize the front entry as well.  Students will line up in designated areas.  Students will be staggered at the start of the day to navigate the hallways to their classrooms. Monitors are placed throughout the building to supervise.

Breakfast: Students purchasing breakfast will be sent to the cafeteria upon arrival. 

Lunch: Food sharing is prohibited. 

Recess: We will be going out as much as possible.  In the colder weather we will go out as long as the “feels like” temperature is 32 degrees.  

Clubs and After-School activities:  If your child will be attending anything after school (more information to come as clubs begin) like Scope or RamPathways and they will not be going one day you MUST send a note will your child.  It is very busy at dismissal and we to know where every child should be going.  This is imperative and much appreciative.

Early pick-up:  Students being picked up early must be picked up by no later than 2:55 pm as we begin calling buses at 3:00.  We would appreciate a call/note beforehand to make the process run smoothly.

Walker Dismissal: 

I will send a robocall closer to Day 1 as to where each grade will be dismissed. 

Thank you again and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Click here to view the letter in Spanish.