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Living In Oceanside/IslandPark
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Oceanside schools shine through pandemic By Mike Smollins msmollins@liherald.com After a trying year and a half of uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Oceanside School District went from remote learning to hybrid learning before finally welcoming back all of its students toward the end of the 2020-21 school year. Upon their return, students and staff members adhered to health experts’ safety guidelines. Though there was some trepidation for a full return, ultimately the district went back to a normal schedule in the spring, giving parents the option to return children to school if they felt comfortable. “At the end of the day, it came down to weighing out the risks versus the reward, and through all of that, we felt that parent choice still remained paramount,” Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Harrington said. “We wanted to keep that in place as well.” In May, Oceanside School District voters approved the $163.4 million budget for 2021-22. The spending plan is an increase of 1.57 percent from the 2020-21 budget. The tax levy, revenue collected from property taxes, will increase by 2.01 percent. Oceanside UFSD will introduce a Teachers College writing curriculum and phase in the I-Ready program into grades seven and eight to help assess students’ strengths and weaknesses to tailor instruction to each student. As part of the focus on students’ mental health
coming out of the pandemic, Oceanside High School will be offering a wellness center as a quiet place to destress and reach out for support where needed.
Eric Dunetz/Herald
Top Photo: Oceanside High School celebrated graduation. Courtesy Christine Varriale
Bottom Photo: Anthony Varriale was excited for his first day at Oceanside School No. 8.
