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Westbury highlights summer learning, new UPK coordinator and community partnerships ahead of school year
Summary
District administrators reviewed summer program offerings — K–8 STEAM, Fine and Performing Arts academy, extended-school-year services, a Dragon Quest Academy for IB students, and marching band camp — and announced a UPK coordinator role and plans to expand a Long Island Children’s Museum partnership into kindergarten.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Robin Barnett summarized Westbury’s summer learning offerings at the board’s Aug. 19 meeting and announced a new district UPK coordinator to strengthen prekindergarten-to-kindergarten transitions.
Barnett thanked staff who ran multiple summer programs: Lorraine Massillon (K–8 summer programs coordinator), Lynette Blades (STEAM and Fine and Performing Arts summer academies) and Kishonna Clyburn (extended school year program for students with unique learning needs). She said the district’s first marching band summer camp launches this week and that the Westbury Dragon Quest Academy supported International Baccalaureate (IB) students with more than 200 participants across cohorts.
Barnett told the board the district is creating a UPK coordinator position — described as a teacher-on-assignment and experienced special educator — to oversee Universal Pre-K (UPK) partnerships, coordinate community-based providers and smooth transitions into kindergarten. "This year, we actually have a UPK coordinator who is overseeing all of our UPK efforts," Barnett said.
A parent in attendance, Roxanna Escobar Marino, said she enrolled her child in a "together to kindergarten" program run by the Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) and urged the district to expand outreach; Barnett said an existing partnership provides LICM memberships for grades 1–3 and the district is working to extend similar benefits to kindergarteners in the coming year.
District staff also confirmed paid summer internship placements for a small number of high-school students, placed in offices such as personnel, supervised through the high-school counseling office.
Why it matters: Summer enrichment, IB supports, UPK coordination and early-childhood partnerships affect readiness for the coming school year and equity of access to early-learning resources. Creating a UPK coordinator role centralizes district oversight of pre-K transitions.
What to watch for next: the district’s rollout plan for the UPK coordinator, expanded LICM partnership details and the schedule for marching band camp and Saturday STEAM offerings.
