Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District is pleased to announce that Dr. Peter Rufa has been hired as the new assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, effective Dec. 14.
Prior to joining Floral Park-Bellerose, Dr. Rufa led Glen Head Elementary School as principal for four years. During his tenure, he implemented the RULER (recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating) Approach from the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence; created and delivered ongoing professional development workshops for faculty and staff; collaborated with teachers from across the district to create an instructional plan that incorporates the science of reading into the K-2 literacy curriculum; and achieved the designation of a No Place for Hate School with Gold Star Distinction, among other achievements.
He also served as the administrative representative on the North Shore Annual Professional Performance Review Committee and as a member of multiple districtwide committees, including the Social-Emotional Committee, New Teacher Orientation Committee, Superintendent’s Advisory Committee and the North Shore Districtwide Safety Committee. Before serving as principal of Glen Head Elementary School, Dr. Rufa worked in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District for seven years, first as the director of fine and performing arts and then as the assistant principal of Oyster Bay-East Norwich High School.
Dr. Rufa holds a Bachelor of Music from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, a Master of Music in performance from the Boston Conservatory, a Master of Science in school leadership from Touro College, and a Doctorate in Educational Policy from Hofstra University.
“I am thrilled to be joining this close-knit learning community, and I look forward to hitting the ground running in mid-December,” Dr. Rufa said.
