We’re chatting today with Dr. Annette Weissman, principal of the Sunny Isles Beach Community School K-8. The school enters its second year Aug. 24 with the addition of seventh grade classes, bringing enrollment to about 1,400.

TOA: Classes resume soon. The city is working to solve drainage issues around the school and a police officer will be making sure 183^rd Street remains safe. What other changes will pupils experience on opening day?

Dr. Weissman: Our students are in for another great year at Sunny Isles Beach, and the reason is simple. We’re building on the partnerships that made our first year so successful.  We couldn’t ask for a better level of support and collaboration from the city, especially Mayor Edelcup, Vice Mayor Thaler, the commissioners and our police department.  They’ve really been there helping us in every way from academics and safety to finance.

Annette Weissman, principal of SIB Community School

So what’s new this year?  We’re excited to welcome 15 new teachers.  That’s allowing us to expand our fine arts department, add seventh grade and still keep our class sizes small despite our growth.  We’ve added new computer programs to help students learn reading, math and science.

In the area of extra-curricular activities, we are very excited about our first annual Talent Show which we began planning at the end of last year.  It is a great opportunity to showcase our talented students.  Make plans to attend!

This year we’ve become a Title I school. That means we will receive federal funds based on the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch.  The Title I money will pay for two new reading coaches and new teaching materials.

What hasn’t changed is the dedication of the faculty who have been here all month preparing for the opening day, the commitment of the parents who also have been at school stuffing opening of school packets, and the excitement of the students who have been emailing me about their classes and their teachers.

TOA: Congratulations on receiving an ‘A’ from the state’s school report card. That’s a great result for a first-year school. How do you go about building on that this year?

Dr. Weissman: We were so honored when the State of Florida awarded us an “A” in our first year.  In fact, we scored the highest among K-8 schools in Miami-Dade County.  I am just so proud of our students and teachers who worked very hard to make this a reality.

Now the challenge is to maintain that high standard.

We are confident that we have the resources and determination to continue “soaring to success.” Our formula focuses on parental involvement, teacher preparedness, and close monitoring of every student.  We are continually analyzing our data to determine what students have mastered and what we have to re-teach to raise the level of achievement.  Our teachers are enrolled in many professional development classes to ensure that they have access to the newest instructional strategies and teaching materials. As always, our parents are involved in every aspect of our school.  This is a key element, and I encourage parents to be involved in their children’s education by joining the PTSA, attending meetings, serving on committees and monitoring student homework and progress.

We begin this year as we began last year – with high expectations for academic success for every child and a need for parents to stay involved.

TOA: Are there any lessons you’ve learned from Year 1, anything you want to do differently this year?

Dr. Weissman: We learned a lot about managing the logistics of accommodating a growing student population in a new facility.  The City helped us learn how to control the flow of traffic at arrival and dismissal.  We learned how to schedule the cafeteria to feed over 1,100 children in a timely fashion. This year, as we add another 300 students to our school, we are prepared to make adjustments as needed.  We learned how to work and play as a family, and I know that our new staff members will fit in perfectly and enjoy the warm feelings that fill the halls and classrooms.  Most of all, we learned that by working as a team, we can accomplish anything.

TOA: Budgets are tight everywhere. Is there anything you were planning to do this year that had to be delayed because of budget issues? Anything you’re looking to the PTSA to provide?

Dr. Weissman: Yes, budgets are tight, and that does impact our decisions.  The lack of funding for part-time hourly teachers and paraprofessionals significantly affects our ability to provide in-school remediation programs for struggling students.  For example, our plans to implement small intervention groups will not be delayed, but probably will be downsized from last year, because of funding limits for hourly teachers.

In addition, funding for part-time teacher aides in the classroom, part-time clerical assistants, and security has been eliminated.  The PTSA has always assisted us here by volunteering in the cafeteria, in the classrooms, and in the office.  However, the ability to hire people for these positions would better ensure consistency in our programs.

Another area of concern is our lack of supplementary materials like workbooks and software programs.  As a new school, our cupboards were bare, so to speak.  More established schools have book deposit rooms filled with unused books and supplementary materials that they accumulated over the years.  We do not have that reservoir of books in storage, and we were not permitted to order supplementary materials last year.  Again, the PTSA has helped us acquire some materials, but we still need much more.

Finally, SIBCS wants to remain on the cutting edge of technology and to do this is a very costly.  Last year, the Sunny Isles Beach Education Fund very generously paid for document cameras for our teachers.  Now that we have added faculty to our roster, we will need to purchase more of these teaching tools.  My staff and I are most grateful to the community for its support of the Fund, which in turn supports the school.

TOA: With the new Mourning High School opening this year, are you planning any adjustments to your curriculum to prepare pupils for the marine focus they’ll find when they move to that high school?

Dr. Weissman: In the future, the eighth grade students who reside in the SIBCS boundaries, will be attending the new Mourning High School for ninth through twelfth grade.  I will be working closely with their principal throughout the year to prepare for a seamless transition for our students.  SIBCS already has a strong math/science orientation and that is also the focus of the Mourning High School, so we are already aligned.  Our teachers will meet this year to discuss curriculum and prerequisite courses so that our children are fully prepared for the rigorous courses offered at the high school level.  Our seventh graders will be with us for one more year, so we have ample time to design the eighth grade classes that will best meet the students’ needs.

Our discussions, however, will not be limited to academics.  We want to ensure that our students are emotionally and socially prepared for the transition as well.  Our counselors, physical education department, and DARE officer will be involved in preparing the students for the transition to high school.   Parent and student articulation meetings and orientations will be scheduled so everyone is informed and confident about their options and choices.

I am mindful of the concerns of parents, students, and teachers as we prepare our children for the next leg of their life-long learning journey, and we will do everything we can to guide them through the process.  The future holds wonderful opportunities for our young scholars both here at SIBCS and down the road at Mourning High School.