Dr. Manning's 5-Minute Weekly Newsletter - February 9, 2025
Superintendent's Message
This is Mr. Bill Siele, our high school's Chief Custodian. As they always do, our building custodial teams and district facilities teams did an amazing job after the recent storm. Thank you!
Our New Website Is Here!
After months of behind-the-scenes work, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our new website! We hope you will enjoy the sleek and accessible layout. As always, we will continue to add content and enhancements over time. Click on the picture of the homepage below to begin browsing our new site.
I must thank our Director of Public Relations, Ms. Nasso, for her tremendous efforts with this website.
Another Amazing Black History Month Celebration!
Cold temperatures and wintry weather may have arrived last week, but nothing could freeze the momentum of our amazing students and staff. They continue to astound me with their talents and accomplishments! Those talents were on full display at the district-wide Black History Month celebration. This year’s theme, “Legacy: Making an Impact on the World,” came to life through the talented student performers. The audience was treated to beautiful renditions of songs, poetry readings, and an informative peak into history. Ms. Cheryl Wills returned to Harborfields and shared an update on her family legacy and 3x great-grandfather, Civil War veteran Sandy Wills. Her words inspired us all to reflect on the impact we can make in the world! Thank you to the planning committee who organized such a meaningful and enjoyable event.
A big Thank You goes out to our Black History Month Celebration Planning Committee who have been working on this event for nearly a year.
Click the picture below to see many more photos from the evening.
Winter Athletics Kudos
There have also been numerous accomplishments throughout our Athletics programs. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our winter teams and athletes! We are thrilled for all those moving onto the playoffs. Please join me in recognizing a few of the recent athletic accomplishments:
Hartley Semmes won the County Championship in the 1600M.
Sayla Fives placed second in the 3000M with a new school record and third in the 1500M.
Sean McNally earned a spot to represent Harborfields and Section XI in the state bowling tournament!
The Steven J. Mally Memorial Tournament was held over two days and Harborfields had impressive stats in both boys and girls wrestling.
Way to go Tornadoes!
OMS Teacher For A Day
OMS Teacher For A Day is a strong tradition that has been a fan favorite for the past 13 years. Take a moment to watch this highlight reel of OMS students and staff celebrating the 13th annual Teacher-For-A-Day!
Northwell Newsletter
Through our partnership with Northwell Health, all Harborfields Families have access to a dedicated Behavioral Health Center which provides timely access to mental health services. For more information, click here to review their February Newsletter which contains many resources for our families.
UPK Lottery Application Open
Families with a child/children who will be four years old on or before December 1, 2025 are eligible to participate in the UPK lottery. Applications must be received no later than March 7, 2025.
The application and additional information about the program can be found on the UPK web page underneath the District tab, or by clicking here.
Here are some of my favorite moments from this past week:
Harborfields High School:
The power of persuasion is strong within the high school’s Mock Trial team. The team, advised by Mr. Flynn, held its first competition and defeated West Islip! Way to go!
Oldfield Middle School: Students attended impactful assemblies on Bullying, Harassment, and Hate Crimes, presented by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. They learned a tremendous amount about these very serious and important topics that align with the district’s Anti-Bias curriculum.
Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School: Fifth graders were fully dressed with big smiles at the first rehearsal of the TJL theater club! They kicked off the rehearsal with a conversation about creating characters and then started their first table read. Mark your calendars for what’s sure to be spectacular performances of Annie, Jr. on June 13 & 14.
Washington Drive Primary School: Will the groundhog see his shadow? That question was posed to all Washington Drive students last week. They enjoyed learning about the traditions of Groundhog Day, making predictions, and wearing crowns, of course!
Board of Education Meeting Preview
The Harborfields Board of Education will hold its next Regular Meeting on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at Oldfield Middle School. The public portion of this meeting is expected to begin at approximately 7:45 p.m. Doors will open to the public at 7:20 p.m. The public does not need to register in advance to view the meeting remotely. All meetings will be live-streamed on our student-run Tornado News website. The link is also provided on the monthly Public Notice document posted on our website.
The Board of Education welcomes and encourages the public to attend its meetings. The agenda for this meeting is posted on the Board of Education page of our website along with a brochure describing Board of Education meetings and an informationalletter describing the public comment process.
Highlights of this month’s meeting are as follows:
Students and staff will be recognized for their accomplishments during the Board recognition program.
My Superintendent's Report will include a spotlight on our Helping Hands Program at Harborfields High School.
The second presentation in the 2025-2026 Budget Development process will be provided following the Superintendent's Report.
Following the Superintendent’s Report, the Board will act on items included in the agenda. We hope you will be able to join us at this upcoming meeting of the Board of Education.
Thank you for your continued support of our students and our schools!
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