Dear East Street Families,
My name is Joseph Messana and I am so excited to introduce myself as the new principal of East Street School. I am honored to have been selected to join the Hicksville School District, which is known far and wide for its dedication to excellence, but more importantly, to children. Over the past 18 years, I have worked as a teacher and administrator, but I consider my most important job to be that of a child advocate. I will spend a lot of time with your children, getting to know their personalities, learning styles and interests. I will celebrate their successes, small and large. I will encourage them every day and let them know they are valued and have a special place in our school community.
Not only am I excited to begin working with your children, but I look forward to the work we will do together. I am excited to see your children through your eyes. I cannot wait to share with you the great things they do throughout their days here at East Street School. I will be here to work with you should they need any help navigating any aspect of the school day.
My goal is to ensure that all children are healthy, happy and safe, so they may learn as much as they can. This has been my philosophy since I began my career teaching with the New York City Department of Education. I worked in Glendale, Queens, for eleven years, where I taught self- contained special education and grade five inclusion. I also facilitated professional development and parent workshops. I then moved to Smith Street School in Uniondale, where I was an assistant principal for seven years. Our school housed pre-k to grade five, 7 special education classrooms, 6 ENL classrooms, and over 500 students. My greatest achievements come not professionally, but personally, as I am the father of two wonderful children: Gabriella (15) and Joseph (13). People often say I treat all children in my school as if they were my own. Please know I will work tirelessly to ensure all your children have the best possible experiences while at East Street School.
Once again, I am so thankful to have the opportunity to bring all that I have experienced and learned with me to your wonderful community. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you and your children. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have. I can be reached at [email protected].
I look forward to meeting you soon.
Sincerely,
Joseph Messana
Principal of East Street Elementary School