Excited for the New School Year!

August 2026

Dear Islip Families, Faculty, and Staff.

As we prepare to welcome everyone back for the 2026-2027 school year, I have been reflecting on the wonderful opportunities that lie ahead for our students and community. What is in front of us is exciting, and I could not be more optimistic.

Our students are walking into classrooms this fall with expert, dedicated teachers who show up every single day because they believe, as I do, that every child in this district has more potential than any test score, any budget line, or any single year could ever measure. Our faculty and staff, including new colleagues joining as teachers, administrators, and aides, bring an energy and a passion that will shape this year into something special.

Following a year of some of the highest academic achievement in quite some time, we have real momentum. Our investments in our buildings and grounds through our soon-to-begin energy performance contract are moving forward. Our commitment to closing gaps - in opportunity, in access, and in achievement - remains as strong as ever, because we know you cannot close an achievement gap until you first close the aspiration gap. This work starts with believing in what our students are capable of before they fully believe it themselves.

To our students: you are capable of more than you know, and this year, an entire community of adults is going to spend every single day proving that to you.

To our families: thank you for your continued partnership. We do not take it for granted.

To our faculty and staff: thank you for choosing, year after year, to pour yourselves into this work. You are the reason Islip is a place families are proud to call home.

Please be sure to take advantage of our various orientations and other back-to-school events. Principals have been in touch with specifics regarding each building. The next exciting event, our sixth annual Islip Rising, will take place on August 24, 2026 at sunrise (6:11 a.m.). Please join us at the football stadium to  kickoff the 2026 fall athletics season.

I am genuinely excited for the year ahead, and I know that together, we will make it a great one. Please feel free to call me directly with your questions, concerns, and insights.

Sincerely,
Dennis P. O'Hara, Superintendent of Schools