Unqua Elementary -

Reminder - There will be NO Extra Help tomorrow, 5/8 for Unqua students.

Dear Families, May is Mental Health Awareness Month! To celebrate this month, please wear GREEN on Thursday, May 8th. Our school social worker, Ms. Butscher, has created a flyer to bring awareness to this cause and share activities to boost your mental well-being! Please reach out to her at mbutscher@msd.k12.ny.us if you are in need of mental health resources. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q3y829NhME0WP41PmfBkCxN77jfL4gxM/view?usp=drive_link

There will be NO Extra Help on Thursday, 5/8 for Unqua students.

Help Unqua's Student Council "TAKE STEPS TOWARD A CURE" ALS Ride For Life was founded in 1997, by former teacher, Christopher Pendergast. Each May, during ALS Awareness Month, he held the "ALS Ride For Life". The first wheelchair ride in 1998 went from Yankee Stadium to Washington D.C. to raise awareness about this debilitating disease. While many of these patients have lost the use of their legs, Unqua School wants to show our support by "walking the distance" for them. This is a fundraiser to help raise money for this very important cause. We are suggesting a donation of $1/mile walked or whatever you feel is appropriate. Please use the QR code or click the link ( in your email) which will direct you to the donation page.

Unqua Weekly Wrap Up 4/28 - 5/2 https://drive.google.com/file/d/104yypyOsDSwBpqZJKIBxHXH4moVTRbQU/view?usp=drive_link

Dear Parents/Guardians, Parent Action Requested - Starting today, April 30th, we're excited to launch the Rooms feature in our district app for teacher-parent communication! Please check your email or visit www.msd.k12.ny.us/app for account setup and more information. Sincerely, The Massapequa School District

Dear Parents and Guardians, This is a reminder that the “Rooms” communication feature in our Massapequa School District app will be ready on April 30th. With this new feature, all of our instructional staff and parents will be able to communicate through this common platform to streamline communications. With Rooms, you’ll have access to even more exciting features like: • Stream: A place where teachers and staff can post announcements and communications • Messages: Direct communication between teachers/staff and parents On April 30th, you will receive a text message and email with detailed instructions on accessing your account through our app and/or the web. If you haven’t downloaded our app yet, please visit the Apple or Google Play store and search for the “Massapequa School District” or visit www.msd.k12.ny.us/app. Sincerely, The Massapequa School District

Dear Parents of Grade 3-8 Students, Last week we paused our ELA assessments due to technical issues with the state. We understand this was disappointing and frustrating for everyone involved. We have received assurances that the system is ready to go, and we are committed to completing the assessment as planned. Session II of the New York State English Language Arts (ELA) Assessment is scheduled to take place on April 23, 2025. You can expect additional follow-up from your buildings on Tuesday, April 22. Thank you for your patience and attention to this matter. Sincerely, The Massapequa School District

Unqua Weekly Wrap Up April 7th - April 11th https://drive.google.com/file/d/15gpvekHrfr91ZNQ3PZ11PvptsShFUPaV/view?usp=drive_link

Dear Parents and Guardians, We would like to thank you for your ongoing support with our new website and app! If you haven’t downloaded our app yet, please visit the Apple or Google Play store and search for the Massapequa School District. As a reminder, our district app currently offers: • District, school, and community communications • Access to our spotlight, events/calendar, lunch menus, and district/school webpages As we shared at the end of last school year and throughout this school year, we are excited to announce the launch of our “Rooms” parent-teacher communication app/website feature! After ongoing district planning and training, the “Rooms” communication feature will be ready on April 30th. With this new feature, all of our instructional staff and parents will be able to communicate through this common platform to streamline communications. With Rooms, you’ll have access to even more exciting features like: • Stream: A place where communication/announcements can be posted by teachers/staff • Messages: Direct communication from teachers/staff to parents and parents to teachers/staff We will be sharing additional information and directions on how to access your account in the near future! Sincerely, The Massapequa School District

Dear Parents of Grade 3-8 Students, We are writing to provide an important update regarding the New York State English Language Arts (ELA) testing that resumed today, April 9, 2025. Unfortunately, NYS encountered another round of technical issues with its online testing platform this morning. Due to these issues, NYS instructed us to pause, and then later to resume testing. While many students at Berner and our elementary schools managed to complete their tests, some couldn't even start. We will contact those parents/guardians directly. Given these ongoing complications, we are pausing testing district-wide until after the break, awaiting further guidance from the state. Tomorrow, April 10, 2025, will be a normal school day without state assessments. We will provide updates on the continuation of the ELA assessment as soon as we receive details and assurances of testing capabilities from the state. This situation is incredibly frustrating due to the loss of instructional time and the time invested in preparing for this test administration. Additionally, there are now questions about the validity of this assessment which we hope will be addressed once we receive further guidance from the state. We will update the community as soon as more information becomes available. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. Sincerely, William Brennan, Ed. D. Superintendent of Schools

Dear Parents of Grade 3-8 Students, We are writing to provide an important update regarding the New York State English Language Arts (ELA) testing that resumed today, April 9, 2025. Unfortunately, NYS encountered another round of technical issues with its online testing platform this morning. Due to these issues, NYS instructed us to pause, and then later to resume testing. While many students at Berner and our elementary schools managed to complete their tests, some couldn't even start. We will contact those parents/guardians directly. Given these ongoing complications, we are pausing testing district-wide until after the break, awaiting further guidance from the state. Tomorrow, April 10, 2025, will be a normal school day without state assessments. We will provide updates on the continuation of the ELA assessment as soon as we receive details and assurances of testing capabilities from the state. This situation is incredibly frustrating due to the loss of instructional time and the time invested in preparing for this test administration. Additionally, there are now questions about the validity of this assessment which we hope will be addressed once we receive further guidance from the state. We will update the community as soon as more information becomes available. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. Sincerely, William Brennan, Ed. D. Superintendent of Schools

Dear Grade 3-5 Elementary Parents/Guardians, As previously communicated, due to unforeseen technical issues and as directed by NYSED, the administration of the NYS ELA assessment scheduled for today was postponed. The District received notification this morning that the NYS testing platform, Nextera, was having technical issues across the state. At this time, the district has received notification that the technical issues have been resolved. Therefore, Session 1 of the NYS ELA Assessment will be administered tomorrow, April 9, 2025, and Session 2 will be administered on Thursday, April 10, 2025. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, The Massapequa School District

Dear Parents of Grade 3-8 Students, We are writing to inform you about an important update regarding the New York State English Language Arts (ELA) testing that was scheduled for today, April 8, and tomorrow, April 9. Due to a statewide technical issue with the NY ELA testing platform, testing is postponed for today, April 8. We will follow-up with additional communication once we confirm the issue is resolved and we receive further guidance from NY State. At this time, buildings will be resuming their regular schedules. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to ensure a smooth testing process for all students participating in the assessment. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, The Massapequa School District

Dear Unqua Parents in Kindergarten - Grade 4, Please see your email about student placement for 2025-26. Thank you.

Unqua Weekly Wrap Up https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E9EWdm-Zq87oOp44FIdOkajvUdpg6ESj/view?usp=drive_link https://www.canva.com/design/DAGjmMrNUDk/toimVQfKebRfDYGMQvvFyg/watch?utm_content=DAGjmMrNUDk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h8066b09e55

Unqua Families - Please see your email about construction for our new playgrounds.

Dear Unqua Parents in Kindergarten - Grade 4, Please see your email about student placement for 2025-26. Thank you.