Chad Altman, a newly hired principal, will begin his first school year with Munsey Park Elementary School in Manhasset. He begins the year with plans to shift curriculum in order to help students and teachers stay motivated and excited throughout the school year.
One plan that Altman and Munsey Park Elementary have set in motion is introducing the reading workshop portion of the Teachers College at Columbia University Reading and Writing Project.
“We are introducing this curriculum to bring more resources for teachers into the classroom, and more strategies to help foster the love of reading in our students,” Altman said.
The workshop is also being introduced in Shelter Rock Elementary School. Students that participate in the program outperform students that aren’t enrolled in the program by approximately 10 percent in English Language Arts studies, according to the Teachers College at Columbia University.
The school is also introducing two “teacher-ready classrooms” which are meant to enhance the learning environment by providing additional technology and strategies to engage students, keep them motivated, and enable them to take ownership of their own learning. “We want kids to be motivated to want to learn,” Altman said.
Altman wants to try to increase parental involvement and teamwork between every teacher, administration and staff. “We want to continue to find the value of collaboration between every person who is involved in a student’s learning.”
“Manhasset has a long history of success, traditions and values,” said Altman “If I do my part right, it will be to value those traditions. I want to make sure we are using the best minds to find the best solutions, and show that everyone’s opinion matters.”
Altman is coming from a job he previously held for 11 years, principal at school P.S. 100 in the Bronx. He is confident coming to Manhasset, as P.S. 100 was “a very successful school in, at times, an inconsistent district,” according to Altman. “We always met accountability benchmarks, helped by the value we placed on staff and parent partnerships.”
“We want to provide a class that has a private school feel in a public school setting, so our biggest challenge is being flexible with the space,” Altman explained, “but as long as we bring as many minds to the table to support all students of different needs and different backgrounds, I believe we can be successful.”
Altman is very ready to get the school year started. “I am over the moon to be leading this phenomenal school, super ecstatic,” Altman said, “Very honored and very proud.” Altman has been officially employed by Manhasset Public Schools since July 1, and will have his first day with students as they begin the 2018-19 school year on Sept. 4.
