The Syosset Central School District Board of Education on Monday heard a detailed presentation on the district's elementary physical education program, which presenters said now centers on physical literacy, embedded social-emotional learning and universal design to meet diverse learners.

Superintendent Dr. Rogers introduced Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jeanette Wojcik and the district's PE leadership, who said the program was reshaped after the pandemic to address lost in-person learning opportunities and to better support students' physical, cognitive and affective development. "Across their K-12 PE journey, our students gain essential movement skills, social emotional competencies, and healthy habits," a presenter said during the presentation.

Director of athletics and physical education Scott (identified in the transcript as Scott Suber/Stuber) told the board that learning standards adopted in the "2324 school year" guide instruction and that elementary curriculum focuses on building foundational skill-related components so students arrive at middle school prepared. "Our curriculum effectively provides the foundational skills, knowledge, and positive attitudes necessary for children's holistic development and lifelong learning," he said.

Bayless Elementary teacher John Austin gave classroom examples, including using locomotive and manipulative skills (such as underhand serves and structured dribbling) and using structured play (multiple Foursquare courts, team roles) to promote transferable skills for recess and unstructured play. He described team-building activities such as a guided "human knot" exercise and station-based assessments of emotions to embed social-emotional learning into activity units.

Jen Graham summarized the district's approach to differentiation and adaptive physical education, describing universal design lessons that let students choose warm-up activities tied to health-related fitness components and tiered challenges (for example, varied goal sizes and distances in a soccer-shooting task). She described adaptive PE that follows IEPs and uses sensory-regulation strategies (walks, sensory items, mindful minutes) and collaboration with occupational and physical therapists to promote accessibility and participation.

Assistant principal Larry Wilkinson described cross-curricular connections, such as fitness puzzles that support early literacy and Scrabble-style activities that pair movement and spelling, and a fourth- and fifth-grade basketball tournament structured to include every student. The presenters closed by reiterating that "physical literacy is the foundation of our programs" and that teachers' pandemic-era innovations have led to a cohesive, research-aligned program.

Board members asked whether there were questions for the team; none were raised. The presentation followed the superintendent's report and was intended to share instructional practice and program design with the board and community.