187 The Helm
East Islip, NY 11730

As a former school employee, I am afraid to say that the environment here isn't the greatest. I've watched how my co-workers / other teachers handle certain situations. Most teachers, not all, speak in a very condescending matter to the students and seem like they would rather feel like the boss of the class rather than a teacher. I have yet to see a single teacher handle a situation. Ideally, I used to have students coming to me upset and crying over the way the teachers would talk down to them over the littlest of things. The principles back when I was there, were complete jokes. Mark Bernard, is easily one of the most questionable staff members at the school. He also happens to be the head principal. He tended to talk to students like they were all below him and everybody must obey him. While I never had a problem or a bad encounter with him, I did observe this quite frequently. Overall just not the greatest environment to send your children to.

The 2022-23 school year was the first for my child at East Islip Middle School, where 6th grade is a transitional year as students get used to changing classes, using lockers, expanded testing curriculum, and sets the stage for the remainder of their primary education. Overall I feel the East Islip Middle School (EIMS) has done an excellent job in guiding my daughter through this journey. One of the primary make or break points in education comes down to the teachers. In 6th grade half of the courses are taught by 2 teachers (math/science, ELA/SS) and both of these teachers have done an outstanding job (even if their personalities and operating models are quite different). Communication to parents has been strong, workloads have been reasonable, and opportunities for additional reinforcement sessions before school (to help with lessons/study prep) are appreciated and have been utilized successfully. Most importantly, the teaching staff convey a true sense of caring about the success of the children.I've also been very impressed with the use of technology in the district. ParentSquare as a tool for open communication has been fantastic; messages from the school/district/teachers are sent directly to my phone and organized on the app. Infinite Campus shows real-time grades, teacher feedback, calculated averages and report cards. Chromebooks provide a standardized technical resource with strong security to allow students to utilize digital resources in a controlled technical environment. The only reason I'm not giving five stars is that there has been several cases of fights breaking out in the EIMS in a single school year, including some repeat offenders. I appreciate that some measures have been taken to address but these took longer than desired and have not proven to be fully effective yet. I would consider raising my score in 2023-24 if this issue no longer manifests itself in the next school year.

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When my Grandson's Mother & Dog was killed by Car the school came together to shelter him from everything.