Sachem Central School District at Holbrook__________

September 2023

Dear Parent/Guardian:

This letter is to inform you of the laboratory requirement that is needed in order to take the Regents Examination in The Living Environment, and The Physical Settings: Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics in the Sachem School District.

New York State requires students to have time with “hands on” science experiences in addition to the classroom instructional time. A minimum of 1200 minutes must be spent on these laboratory experiences during the school year and these minutes must be documented by appropriate written reports. These written laboratory reports must be complete and meet standards outlined by the classroom teacher as based on State provisions.

Consistent with these State provisions, we have developed standard laboratory exercises for all Regents courses. Specifically, A MINIMUM OF 21 STANDARD LABS must be successfully completed in all of our Regents courses including The Living Environment, and The Physical Settings: Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics.

Throughout the school year, the subject teacher will advise you, by phone calls, quarter grade/progress reports and department letters where deficiencies in this lab requirement on the part of your student may exist. If you see any comment regarding missing lab reports you should contact the teacher immediately. All teachers provide the opportunity to make up lab work.

If a deficiency in the number of standard labs (21 minimum) persists throughout the year, you will receive a Letter of Warning from the subject teacher in the month of May. If the laboratory exercises assigned during each marking period are not completed, the student will face possible EXCLUSION from the Regents Examination.

Sachem Central School District has established the following dates for final submission of satisfactorily completed laboratory reports:

Monday May 20, 2024: Physical Setting Earth Science

The lab requirement must be met before students take

the Earth Science Lab Performance Test

Wednesday May 20, 2024: The Living Environment, The Physical Setting: Chemistry, Physics

In June, we will contact, by certified mail, all parents of students recommended for exclusion. We write this letter in hope that proper communication will help us avoid excluding your child from the Regents Examination. In order that this letter may be kept on file, please check off that you have read and agree to the lab requirements.  

Yours truly,

John O'Neill Sachem High School North, Department Chair

Christopher Brink Sachem High School East, Department Chair 

Laura Marek Sagamore Middle School, Department Chair

Jill Firmbach Samoset Middle School, Department Chair

Kathleen Perun Seneca Middle School,  Department Chair