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the final bell Looking aheadandto avoid spring fever
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is an opportunity to do their best. Encourage set aside your kids to try their best, continue to prioritize time to complete homework, and about school attendance. Your positive attitude time for school (even when it’s sunny and almost strong. vacation!) can help your children finish
Focus on school
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he school year might be winding down, but this is one of the most treacherous times of the year when it comes to stuof the dent attendance and focus. The advent winter nicer weather, plus the stress of intensive that combine to produce a sort of “spring fever” and hits kids of every age, making them restless when inattentive. This is also the time of year starting attendance numbers plummet as well, June. from April and worsening on through and With spring in full swing, many students of the families begin to think about the end the only school year. High school seniors aren’t “end-ofones who experience “senioritis” or the school the-school-year-blues.” Even elementary dial back students can begin to shut down and year. their efforts towards the end of the school the It’s important to help children finish responsiraise to is goal school year strong. The to work ble learners who don’t quit and are able hard despite distractions. how School administrators are well aware of kids the annual epidemic of spring fever impacts teachers in the classroom. Toward this end, savvy incenextra with motivated students their keep tives, including engaging projects. Many teachers also instigate periodic “brain breaks,” when everyone takes a five-minute in some break to get up and stretch, or engage many spontaneous, fun activity. Likewise, during schools schedule incentivizing activities and the last few weeks to keep kids interested motivated. of For parents, this can be a frustrating time child’s the year. You’re sympathetic about your keeping restlessness; but also concerned about for final grades up, especially when it’s time exams. The good news is, with a bit of extra atten-
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proactive tion and creative thinking, you can be last in helping your child during these difficult easily be weeks of school. These tips, which can can help implemented into your daily routine, until the your child stay motivated and focused bell rings for summer vacation. Create a list of mile markers or Find out about upcoming school projects marker assignments, and transfer them to a mile This will list, charting progress along the way. without encourage your child to stick to the task track procrastinating, and will also help you keep to conof your child’s progress without having comis project the When stantly ask questions. child. pleted, plan a satisfying reward for your De-clutter work/study spaces Creating a peaceful, clutter-free work/study toward space for your child can go a long way your relieving unnecessary stress. Encourage cleaning, child to join in with a bit of early spring last so that you’ll both be prepared for those weeks of school.
Stick to the routine be When it’s warm and light outside, it can it’s super more difficult to enforce bedtime, but to get a important to help your child continue school good night’s rest through the end of the and year. Stick to your child’s regular bedtime and atcontinue to make time for homework home reading. responsidevelop to child your Encourage that bility and perseverance by maintaining until the good learners do what they need to do summer job is done. Sunny days and a looming learnvacation can’t stop motivated and eager will ers! Maintaining your school-year schedule help reinforce these beliefs.
Reasonable and reachable goals motiGoals are a great way to keep students a school vated and on-task towards the end of Gear check or two small time year. Help your children select one After months of hard work and lots of end of the level] goals to accomplish before the spent in the classroom, many [elementary be challenging supplies. school year. The goals should some ideas students are left with less-than-ideal have but reachable. For younger students crayons and erasers have longer no Pencils a level in reading, do your include things like moving up having a been worn down to nubs. It’s hard to memorizing their multiplication facts, tools. etc. days, best work when you don’t have the right best certain number of positive behavior Support your children put forth their steps to take stock of Work with your kids to determine effort up through the last day, by taking and encourage pencil, to work towards their goals their school supplies. A freshly sharpened can practice at home. a glue stick or two, and a new box of crayons By creating a low-stress, supportive home child to make a world of difference. environment and encouraging your be can you off, slacking without keep studying Lead by example during to proactive in combating spring fever Kids learn by example, and are quick With your help, talking those last two months of school. adopt our attitude. If your child hears you of seeing just how you your child will have the satisfaction about how you wish it was summer, or the school year on is likely to how rewarding it is to finish summer can’t wait for school to be over, he/she top. And you’ll both be ready for the adopt that mindset. Avoid speaking negatively season. your of about school, homework, etc. in front put forth child. It will be harder for your child to as the don’t Above photo: It’s way too easy to let things slide from down his best effort if he thinks you don’t care, weather gets nicer and kids are feeling worn like school, etc. months of study already completed. We like to tell our kids that every assignment
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LIPA taxes could be settled next week Island Park fears burden will shift to residents if Nassau County gets its settlement By TOM CARROZZA tcarrozza@liherald.com
It all comes down to a vote. On Monday, April 25, members of the Nassau County Legislature will gather just after lunch to give either a yea or nay over a dispute that on one side could cost taxpayers significant more money, and on the other, land all parties in front of a state supreme court judge. Legislators are set to finally decide whether to approve a settlement with the Long Island Power Authority over how its E.F. Barrett Power Station in Island Park is taxed. LIPA say it’s paying way too much. But Island Park officials worry giving the utility a massive tax break will instead shift that burden to homeowners, schools and the library. Dan Vincelette, who represents Nassau in the dispute, told both the Legislature’s rules and finance committees last week that a settlement forged with County Executive Bruce Blakeman would minimize the Nassau’s liability that might already be an issue if the two parties went to trial as scheduled on May 31. The bottom line, Vincelette said, is that both LIPA and National Grid — which owns the facility — are challenging the assessed value of its properties, which ranged from $70 million below LIPA’s own appraisal of $299 million, and gradually coming down to $93.5 million in 2019. Blakeman’s proposed settlement would instead rely on a direct tax assessment, which would incur a specific — and consistent — charge each year. It would ultimately reduce what is currently a $59 million annual tax levy to just $32 million in a
Tom Carrozza/Herald
DAN VINCeleTTe, A lawyer representing Nassau County in the tax challenge by the Long Island Power Authority on the E.F. Barrett Power Station in Island Park, speaks in front of the county’s rules and finance committees. little more than five years. Legislator Delia DeRiggiWhitton, whose district includes Glenwood, worries the Island Park population could face a more substantial tax burden than Glenwood’s $200 increase per month, since $2,400 each year is a bigger chunk of Island Park homes, which generally appraise lower than those in Glenwood. As part of the proposed settlement, LIPA would waive hundreds of millions in past refund liability for tax years dating back to 2010 when the case began. If it goes to court, the county could not only face billing LIPA far less, but could be on
the hook to pay back all those other millions, too. Legislator Denise Ford stood with DeRiggi-Whitton, however, calling for the Legislature to table the settlement discussion. “Island Park is scheduled to go up, I’d say, about at least $400 to $450 a month in an increase in their taxes once this is said and done,” she said. “The intention is not to sacrifice the school district and the neighborhood in the hopes of trying to push away a county guarantee.” Vincent Randazzo, Island Park’s schools superintendent, told legislators his district has been in an uncomfortable position over the power plant since
the 1990s — to the point Island Park’s district website has dedicated an entire section to the dispute. The school district would take a significant tax hit if the settlement went through, he said, easily eating into a proposed $34 million school budget for the upcoming fiscal year. “I will be the one receiving the phone calls from concerned residents, from retirees who are
on fixed income asking me to explain to them what this means on their tax bills,” Randazzo said. “I will have to give them the answer that I just simply cannot answer the question. “It should not be the responsibility of the school district to explain this to the residents of the community. It should be the county and the administration Continued on page 4