News and Announcements Ridge Elementary School

We are proud to announce that Longwood Central School District has been honored, for the 17th consecutive year, as one of the nation’s best communities for music education by The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for our outstanding commitment to music education.

In observance of May's Mental Health Awareness Month,  we’re engaging activities and a special Spirit Week from Monday, April 28, through Friday, May 2—promoting awareness, connection, and well-being throughout our school community.

Close to 1,000 community members attended our exciting Districtwide Technology Showcase, where K-12 students and teachers demonstrated a wide range of interactive instructional technologies in action!

The Longwood Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Lohman, and Cabinet proudly recognized three outstanding members of our school community at the SCOPE 24th Annual “Shining Above the Rest” Awards Dinner. These individuals were honored for their outstanding contributions to education and the Longwood Central School District community. Congratulations to this year’s award recipients, Victoria Molloy, Noel Calise, and John Ryan!

The Longwood Central School District was proud to welcome close to 400 public education leaders, representing three-quarters of the school districts from Suffolk County, to advocate for our students, schools, and communities at the Longwood Legislative Breakfast, co-sponsored by ESBOCES and Suffolk Region PTA. Now in its 21st year, the event continues to address the ongoing challenges facing public education and the potential impact on students.

Through the leadership of our Book Creator Ambassadors, our elementary schools have launched a Global Pen Pal Project that connects close to 400 of our students with peers from across the globe, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Poland, Croatia, Italy, Mexico, and, starting in March, South Korea.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the District’s Community Connections Committee proudly hosted the Annual Unity Walk on Saturday, January 18, 2025, bringing together hundreds of participants for a meaningful celebration of diversity, peace, and solidarity.

Before the start of the November 7 meeting, the Board of Education and Central Administration recognized and celebrated 19 newly-tenured administrators and teachers. 

The Longwood Central School District is proud to announce the appointment of Mr. Scott Reese as the new Director of Curriculum for Math and Science. Mr. Reese brings extensive experience and a deep commitment to education, having served as Assistant Principal of Longwood High School since 2004.

In accordance with the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) mandate from the New York School Education Department, important information is available regarding school safety.

Longwood Central School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Christopher Foster to the position of Principal of Ridge Elementary School.

The Longwood Board of Education is seeking members of the community to participate on school board and district committees for the 2024-2025 school year.

The Longwood School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Neugebauer as the new Director of Physical Education, Health, and Athletics.

We're pleased to share that the 2024-2025 Longwood Central School District Calendar and Parent Guide is now available online, with printed copies arriving in mailboxes the week of Monday, August 19, 2024.

As per Commissioner Regulation Part 155.17, school districts are required to develop districtwide school safety plans in alignment with building-level emergency response plans.  A Districtwide School Safety Team has been appointed and charged with plan development.

The Longwood Board of Education recently held its annual reorganization meeting, where trustees, and the slate of officers and administrators were administered the Oath of Office.  

Congratulations to our four elementary students for winning awards for their submissions to the “Driving Safely into the Future” New York Association For Transportation Bus Safety Poster Contest!

In recognition of their extensive time and effort in continuing to expand their knowledge and skills for better board governance, three of our dedicated Board members were honored at the May 9 meeting for earning achievement awards from the New York State School Board Association!

On Tuesday, May 21, our school community will be asked to vote on our annual school budget that will ensure that our students continue to receive a well-rounded education and an engaging learning environment, the election of three board members, and a bond proposal designed to maintain and upgrade our school district’s facilities, while we continue to expand upon opportunities and experiences for every student to reach their true potential.

Longwood School District’s Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel and Community Services, Dr. Vaughn Denton, was recently honored as a special guest of Legislator Caracappa at the April 9 General Meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature for being designated the Fourth Legislative District’s “Champion of Diversity” for his continuous work in recognizing and celebrating our school community’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence.

On Tuesday, March 26, close to 500 community members attended an exciting and interactive Districtwide Technology Showcase.

Our K-12 students and teachers demonstrated more than 100 applications of interactive instructional technologies, including BeeBots coding, i-Ready, FIRST LEGO initiatives, Esports, Book Creator, college and career-based technology pathways in networking, automotive mechanics, drones, competition-level high school robotics, and more!

On the afternoon of April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible throughout New York State. Although Nassau and Suffolk County are not in the path of totality, residents will be able to see just under 90% coverage between approximately 2:00 and 4:30 pm, with peak coverage occurring at approximately 3:26 pm. 

In preparation for the Solar Eclipse, we have arranged to have eclipse-viewing glasses available for all of our students and staff so that they may witness this natural phenomenon safely. 

As part of Longwood’s long-standing commitment to advocacy for public education, a team of 28 members from our Legislative Committee, including Board President Mrs. Victoria Molloy, Superintendent Dr. Lohman, administrators, students, and community members, traveled to the New York State Capitol to meet directly with representatives from the Senate and Assembly to advocate for critical issues impacting public education.

Three members of our Longwood School community were selected as "Shining Stars" at the 23rd Annual SCOPE Education Services School District Awards dinner held on March 18, which honors distinguished individuals for their exemplary service to public education. 

• School Board Service Award - Penelope J. Blizzard-McGrath, Esq., Board of Education Member
• Teacher Service Award - Brian Leyhane, High School Math Teacher
• Support Staff Award - Tom Murphy, School Lunch Manager 

Congratulations to our SCOPE Award recipients, and thank you for your service to the Longwood Central School District! 

The 2024-25 single-page calendar is now available!

Recently, our Instructional Coaches for Technology - Ms. Brandi, Ms. Walczyk, Mr. Falk, and Ms. Rollins - took center stage at two prestigious educational conferences: the National Future of Education Technology and the Texas Computer Education Association.

Starting Friday, March 1, community residents are welcome to pick up candidate packets for the Longwood Board of Education at the Office of the District Clerk, Central Office Administration Building, between 8:45 am - 2:30 pm.

Ridge Elementary students recently partnered with our varsity football team for Little Lion Week, where students enjoyed question-and-answer sessions with our high school athletes through Google Meet. As a culminating activity, the players visited the students in class, where they read books and enjoyed time together.

At the December 8 meeting, Suffolk County Deputy Police Commissioner Risco Mention-Lewis presented the Longwood Central School District Board of Education with a proclamation for excellence in school safety and student support initiatives, including extending resources for our community and serving as a role model for schools across the county, state, and nation.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is administering a digital equity survey that will provide information on student access to devices and the internet in their places of residence.

Before the start of the November 9 meeting, the Board of Education and Central Administration recognized and celebrated 30 newly-tenured administrators and teachers. 

Third and fourth-grade students at Ridge Elementary School participated in a special event to increase their knowledge about disabilities and foster positive attitudes about people who are different. As part of Differently-Abled Assembly Day, students learned about visual, physical, and hearing impairments, learning disabilities, autism, and ADHD.

Once again, the Late Afternoon Program (LAP) at the high school hosted Safe Halloween, transforming hallways into a fun, interactive Halloween adventure for children in our community.

At today's Suffolk County Legislative meeting, Ridge Elementary School fourth-grader Juliana Gianmugnai was recognized for being named the June 2023 first-place winner not only at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Elementary Science Fair but also at the New York State Science Fair for her experiment, Which One is the Best Filter Feeder: Oysters or Clams?

The International Day of Peace was recognized on September 23, with elementary students participating in community-building activities, decorating peace rocks and doves, forming peace signs, and sharing poems focused on kindness, compassion, and the meaning of peace. 
 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lohman recently spoke at a press conference as part of a school bus safety initiative, reminding motorists to take extra precautions as they begin sharing the roads with school buses. 

On Friday, September 1, the Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lohman, central office, administrators, faculty, and staff gathered for Superintendent's Conference Day to celebrate the start of an exciting school year, recognize milestones, and learn about the goals and vision for the year ahead. 

Ridge Elementary School third-grade student Juliana earned first place at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Elementary Science Fair for her experiment, Who is the Better Filter Feeders: Oysters or Clams?

Students K-12 and teachers presented and demonstrated more than 80 interactive instructional technologies, including coding, FIRST LEGO initiatives focused on alternative energy, Esports, Book Creator, the new STEAM lab, college and career-based technology pathways in networking, automotive mechanics, drones, competition-level high school robotics, and more!

After more than a decade of advocating for equitable funding, we are pleased that New York State is fulfilling the promise to fully fund the Foundation Aid formula enabling the District to offer the second-lowest levy increase to our community in more than a decade, less than one percent.
 

Join us for an evening of technology on Tuesday, April 25 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm at Longwood Middle School, where our students and teachers will highlight the new and exciting instructional technologies being implemented throughout the District.

This year's LEGO Showcase challenged student engineers throughout the District to work in teams to address the need for sustainable energy sources, storage systems, and efficiency.

Two of our District's Instructional Coaches for Technology, Ms. Brandi and Ms. Walczk, were recently chosen to present at the National Future of Educational Technology Conference in New Orleans.

In honor and observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the District's Community Connections Committee hosted a Unity Walk on Saturday, January 14, focusing on service learning, civil rights, and solidarity!