Christian Seifert, East Islip’s director of world languages, English as a New Language and assessments, hosted the district’s annual ENL Commanding Night ceremony on Nov. 13 in conjunction with ELL Parent Night. During the event, East Islip students who earned a Commanding score on last year’s New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test were recognized for achieving proficiency in English. After a brief speech by Seifert recognizing the students’ achievements, teachers awarded their students with certificates.  

The evening then shifted focus to ELL Parent Night, which provides an opportunity for ENL teachers, parents and students to discuss and explore the programs available to English Language Learners in East Islip. To enhance communication with East Islip’s ELL population, the ENL teachers delivered the presentation in both English and Spanish. Parents were also able to meet with teachers to discuss their children’s academic progress, achievements and individual needs.  

“A big thank you to all our teachers, parents, staff and students who made the evening a well-attended, inspiring and successful one,” Seifert said.