Principal's Message for the 2022-23 School Year
I hope you and your entire family are well and looking forward to a great school year. As principal of Eastport-South Manor Junior Senior High School I am proud to work with amazing students and staff members to create a school environment that focuses on graduating students of good character who are intellectually, physically and socially prepared for their future.
As we begin a new school year together, I want to stress the critical role you (the student body) play in your own education. The world has changed and it is important to take advantage of every opportunity that will help you build the skills that meet the demands of the world today. I strongly encourage all of our students to go beyond the role of passive participant in the classroom and take ownership of their learning by becoming an active contributor in the classroom. You can achieve this through ongoing dialogue, thoughtful questioning and utilizing critical thinking skills to solve problems that don't have simple answers. Our community needs our student body to demonstrate civic responsibility by providing service and exhibiting positive moral conduct. In order to stress the important role you play in making a difference in our school and community, we will have members of Sweethearts and Heroes discuss the restorative role you play at an assembly in the beginning of the year. It is my hope you take the opportunity to understand how we can all make a difference in one another's lives.
The past few years have been challenging for our entire school community and at the Jr-Sr High School we will continue to be here to support those in need. The social-emotional needs of our students has increased and our administrators, counselors, social workers, psychologists, teachers and support staff are continually finding ways to support our student body. This year the school district invested in a new survey tool called Panorama, which provides online social emotional surveys for students. These are quick survey tools that will be utilized during homeroom to provide our school with valuable feedback. The information gathered from the surveys will help focus interventions as a school and target specific strategies during counseling sessions. Our goal is to build grit, determination and a growth mindset towards learning for all our students. We hope this tool will help us ascertain if we have met our goals.
ESM is more than academics, it is a place to meet new friends, discover new interests, and participate in events outside of the school day. Therefore, I encourage all of our students to take chances throughout this school year, join a club, try out for a team, and meet new people. It is important to be part of the ESM culture throughout the year, support our school teams, attend school events and get involved!
I look forward to seeing you continue your educational journey at ESM on Thursday, September 1st.
Sal Alaimo
Principal
Eastport-South Manor Jr-Sr High School