Hicksville Public Schools

Registration for the Summer Recreation Program will be unlike you have done in the past. You will only be required to register Full Day or Half Day. The Summer Recreation Staff will be planning all activities within the program as to provide children with greater opportunities in a variety of Activities as well as being able to spend more time with their friends. The format of Half Day and Full Day as well as the times and dates will not change from past summers-just the registration of the activities will change.
As a result of the move to the HS due to construction at the MS, this is an opportune time to change the format as we have more facilities at the HS. I hope that you will embrace this opportunity for change as we are looking forward to the summer program.

We unfortnately cannot run the camp and provide all the activities as we have done in the past due to a lack of classrooms required (not enough in the area of the HS), but we do have more gymnasiums and playing fields. SO we are hoping that your child will enjoy the experience of a number of activities that we will provide throughout their camp experience.

Please note that the annual Summer School Program which runs every summer as well will also be held at the High School on the 2nd and 3rd floors. No child will be permitted on the first floor- Rear of building unless they are Summer Recreation Campers. We will have our security at all entrances/exits throughout the summer to maintain this order, as we have done in the past at the Middle School.

Students must be a residents of Hicksville**Child must live in Hicksville**
*If you are NOT a resident of Hicksville and you register you will not receive a refund. We do go through the lists and confirm residency.

*We DO NOT provide Buses or transportation to or from this program.

*We DO NOT provide after hour care. Being Late for pickup will result in your child being removed from the program (no refund).

*We DO NOT provide discounts for multiple children.

*We Do NOT provide Financial Assistance.

Dear Parent/ Guardian:

This letter is being sent to all parents of students in grades K-7 to provide important information to you regarding the Summer Recreation Program which is held each summer at the Middle School.

For the upcoming 2018 Summer Session the program will be moved and held at the High School. The reason for this move is to provide the necessary space required for the planned capital projects which will be taking place at the Middle School starting July 1. The scope of work that will be taking place will benefit the students within the Middle School for many years to come. The following are some of the items that will be done as well as the yearly maintenance of the facility.

1. Elevator repair and upgrade
2. New Flooring in Hallways
3. New Technology Rooms on 2^nd Floor
4. Upgrade of 2^nd Floor bathrooms
5. Science Room Renovations
6. Possible Loop on 4^th Street for Parent "Drop Off"
7. New Bleachers in Main Gymnasium
8. New Gym Flooring in Main Gymnasium
9. Middle School Turf Field with a Rubberized Track

The use of the High School will allow us to provide a more suitable environment for the program. The High School has three gymnasiums and three new ball fields (recently installed) and all the necessary classrooms for our class activities which we will continue to provide (Cooking, Arts & Crafts, Science, etc....) Also the rear parking lot will alleviate many of the 'drop off' and 'pick up 'concerns from the past, as this area can accommodate a much larger number of cars and traffic.

We will also be changing the format of the program. We would like to offer your child the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities instead of only two per session. At the end of the program last year, there was an evaluation handed out to parents who attended regarding the change of the structure for the Summer Recreation Program with regards to the selection of activities. As we move from summer to summer we take your responses to our evaluation very seriously.

This new format would not affect the tuition. The only action parents would need to do upon registration is to register for Full Day or Half Day. There would be no further need to select activities. As you know, when you registered your child prior to camp you were asked to choose two activities (A & B) for each session. This limits your child's experience in the program to just those two activities over the course of the two week/10 day session. We would like to provide more planned activities over the sessions at their age levels.

Over the course of your child's time in the program he/she would now be exposed to a variety of different activities. At the start of every new session students will be placed in groups of 16-20 students and remain in those groups with the same two counselors throughout the morning sessions, just as they do for the full day session. This will also allow students to remain in groups with their friends and students they know. The afternoon groups will change as there are less full day campers.

With the larger space at the High School and the fact that there is a site change for this summer, we believe that this is a perfect opportunity to try this new format. We also believe that students will not be as "uninterested" with their chosen activities as they have been in the past. Also as a result of staggering the activities there will be no duplication of projects in Cooking, Arts & Crafts, Math, Science and the field activities.

On March 1^st when you go online to register you will only need to register your child for Full Day or Half Day. I hope that you will all embrace this new format for our students as we only wish to provide them with greater experiences with our Summer Program. More information will be provided to you once you have registered.
Thank you and if you have any comments or questions you can email me at: summerrec@hicksvillepublicschools.org.

Sincerely yours,

Matthew Calarco
Director of HPEA, Recreation, Intramurals & Driver Ed