does this exist? (Brookhaven, Long Beach, Oceanside: sale, Home Depot, school)

[Crookhaven]

Somebody start a new thread for GnT?

[making the best of it]

Wow, a lot of responses in a short time! Thanks everyone. Though some of the conversation moved into insider-speak at which point I got lost J you’ve given us a lot to consider!

Some answers to all of your questions:

We consider a water view (any kind) to be a plus, just something different and interesting for our kids since we’re moving them away from all they’ve known. We didn't expect to live on the waterfront. I guess we must not understand the beach thing, but I think we might still want private beach rights if possible.

My husband will work in Ronkonkoma, so Suffolk County is probably where we’ll end up. Some of the places suggested in western Nassau are fine, but too far.

As for the style of home we prefer—pretty much traditional, not split-level or modern. We’re pretty limited to houses that can fit our large family. We need 4+ bedrooms. We definitely DO NOT want to take on any renovations.

I’m an Italian girl from Chicago, so know my way around an urban area. I am actually a little excited to be near a large city again, though LI didn't impress me. And I grew up with fucco walls that were sprayed in a few days after Jimmy Carter’s inauguration. If you bumped up against them, it sliced your arm open. Fucco of any kind is a deal breaker!

OhBeeHave and AndreaII – I totally agree with you about gifted students. I have a son who is bored and needs to be challenged. You both mentioned Mount, but didn’t explain what that is. Is it a private school, or a school within a district? Is there a gifted school within a public school district?

Some additional questions from me:

What has the market been doing there lately? Are prices coming down or just flat? What are the expectations for the next 4-5 months?

Why do so few houses have central air conditioning?

I liked the feel of the Rocky Point area, but wonder about the quality of the high school. No offense to anyone, but it seems to be lower ranked than say, Smithtown, Miller Place and 3V. I know the rankings don’t always tell the whole story, but it does provide a way to compare districts. Also, there seem to be some houses that are run-down and not kept up among some really nice houses. What’s up with that?

The Lake Panamoka area also looks promising, but again, I have concerns about the school district. Can someone help me here? Not just based on reputation, but people with kids in the district.

Thanks also for providing links to additional information. They have been very helpful. Keep them coming!

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by making the best of it

My husband will work in Ronkonkoma ...

Well, Ronkonkoma offers a "water view" of Lake Ronkonkoma ...

But, bear in mind, that Ronkonkoma is one of those many villages and hamlets on Long Island where the majority of the places with the community name as part of their mailing address are not in the hamlet.


For those who may not be familiar with Ronkonkoma:

Ronkonkoma is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the northeast part of the Town of Islip, in the west part of Suffolk County, along the Islip/Smithtown and the Islip/Brookhaven town lines.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Ronkonkoma in the Town of Islip is bordered on the north by Lake Ronkonkoma, the Hamlet of Lake Ronkonkoma in the Towns of Smithtown and Brookhaven (the Islip/Smithtown and the Islip/Brookhaven town lines); on the east by the Hamlet of Holbrook; on the south by the Hamlet of Bohemia; and, on the west by the Village of the Islandia and the Hamlet of Hauppauge.





Ronkonkoma is one of those many villages and hamlets on Long Island where the majority of the places with the community name as part of their mailing address are not in the hamlet: places that have a "Ronkonkoma, NY 11779" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Ronkonkoma are in the Hamlet of Lake Ronkonkoma in the Towns of Smithtown and Brookhaven and in the Hamlet of Bohemia; and, at the same time, there are places in the Hamlet of Ronkonkoma with a "Central Islip, NY 11722" and a "Holbrook, NY 11741" mailing address.


For a good set of town-by-town maps showing all the villages and hamlets in each of LI's 13 towns (3 in Nassau County and 10 in Suffolk County): http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...-resource.html

[Crookhaven]

Originally Posted by making the best of it

Wow, a lot of responses in a short time! Thanks everyone. Though some of the conversation moved into insider-speak at which point I got lost J you’ve given us a lot to consider!

Some answers to all of your questions:

We consider a water view (any kind) to be a plus, just something different and interesting for our kids since we’re moving them away from all they’ve known. We didn't expect to live on the waterfront. I guess we must not understand the beach thing, but I think we might still want private beach rights if possible.

My husband will work in Ronkonkoma, so Suffolk County is probably where we’ll end up. Some of the places suggested in western Nassau are fine, but too far.

As for the style of home we prefer—pretty much traditional, not split-level or modern. We’re pretty limited to houses that can fit our large family. We need 4+ bedrooms. We definitely DO NOT want to take on any renovations.

I’m an Italian girl from Chicago, so know my way around an urban area. I am actually a little excited to be near a large city again, though LI didn't impress me. And I grew up with fucco walls that were sprayed in a few days after Jimmy Carter’s inauguration. If you bumped up against them, it sliced your arm open. Fucco of any kind is a deal breaker!

OhBeeHave and AndreaII – I totally agree with you about gifted students. I have a son who is bored and needs to be challenged. You both mentioned Mount, but didn’t explain what that is. Is it a private school, or a school within a district? Is there a gifted school within a public school district?

Some additional questions from me:

What has the market been doing there lately? Are prices coming down or just flat? What are the expectations for the next 4-5 months?

Why do so few houses have central air conditioning?

I liked the feel of the Rocky Point area, but wonder about the quality of the high school. No offense to anyone, but it seems to be lower ranked than say, Smithtown, Miller Place and 3V. I know the rankings don’t always tell the whole story, but it does provide a way to compare districts. Also, there seem to be some houses that are run-down and not kept up among some really nice houses. What’s up with that?

The Lake Panamoka area also looks promising, but again, I have concerns about the school district. Can someone help me here? Not just based on reputation, but people with kids in the district.

Thanks also for providing links to additional information. They have been very helpful. Keep them coming!

None taken.

Feel free to DM me with any questions about Rocky Point, the area is very unique and varies wildly from street to street and East to West.
(it sounds like you only saw North Shore Beach)
We love it though.Its one of the few areas on the North Shore where youll find 700Sf summer bugalows next to 5000Sf year round Post Moderns.
Its probably the most Un-Long Island town on the Island.

As far as safety and QOL you have nothing to be concerned about.Check the crime stats and demographics for the area.

As for the schools if you want to find out about any district....ask a parent.
We have very, very happy parents here and were one of the few districts with available Pre-K and Full Time K and a solid Technology measure and strong Special Ed program(but it sounds like your kids are a bit older). I know of very happy parents in Longwood/Panamoka too.


All the best.

Crooks

[StephM]

You said your budget is 600k, but in some areas the taxes would be 13-15k. Would that change your budget?

I'd say your best bets would be 3V, Smithtown, Port Jefferson, Miller Place, and Mt Sinai. As much as I like Rocky Point if I had a 600k budget I wouldn't buy there.

I personally love Sayville and Bayport/Blue Point. Look at Oakdale too.

[Crookhaven]

Originally Posted by StephM

You said your budget is 600k, but in some areas the taxes would be 13-15k. Would that change your budget?

I'd say your best bets would be 3V, Smithtown, Port Jefferson, Miller Place, and Mt Sinai. As much as I like Rocky Point if I had a 600k budget I wouldn't buy there.

I personally love Sayville and Bayport/Blue Point. Look at Oakdale too.

For 600k you could be Waterfront Rocky Point with low taxes and good schools.All Im saying is for bang for the buck its a hell of a buy on the North Shore.

I love the house in the Terraces.Views are breathtaking, private homeowners associaton w/ beach rights
Homes for Sale - Visual Listing Systems

Heres a great walk to beach
Rocky Point, NY, 11778 - MLS ID#2061852 - Single Family Home Real Estate - REALTOR.com®


I absolutely love Sayville too.

crooks

[AndreaII]

To Making the Best of It: Mount Elementary is where the Three Village IG program is housed. There are 5 elementary schools in the district in total, and part of Mount is dedicated to the program. The kids are bussed there directly (although I drove my kids every day for years to save them lots of time). It is a school within a school. Sounds like your son may be a candidate.

It's not a perfect program; nothing really is. But overall it beats heterogeneous for these kids by a mile. By the time the kids get to junior high (btw, Three Village has the last of the junior highs on the Island to my knowledge), tracking is in place. The largest problem for elementary level kids with big brains is when they're in an average class they don't have to do any work, or think, or get organized, etc., because they already know the curriculum, and they get top grades for doing basically hardly anything. And then it's quite a rude awakening when they hit junior high and become overwhelmed because of never having kept track of assignments, they tend to not follow directions, etc. Can turn into a bad scene, and often does for students who really belong in the program.

One other thing, the 130 IQ cutoff is arbitrary - that would have to be fought at the school board level to get it changed. I've heard of many parents who fought with the principal of Mount over the cutoff number (having known the principal personally, I know it to be true). And statistically, from what I've researched, anyone with an IQ of 130+ is part of the top 2% of the population, and anyone with 142+ or higher is part of .6 of the population. So, now maybe some of you out there know where you stand.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by AndreaII

One other thing, the 130 IQ cutoff is arbitrary - that would have to be fought at the school board level to get it changed. I've heard of many parents who fought with the principal of Mount over the cutoff number (having known the principal personally, I know it to be true). And statistically, from what I've researched, anyone with an IQ of 130+ is part of the top 2% of the population, and anyone with 142+ or higher is part of .6 of the population. So, now maybe some of you out there know where you stand.

Back when NYC had the Special Progress (SP) program (SP classes went directly from the 7th grade to the 9th grade, skipping the 8th grade), the city-wide cut-off was an IQ of 130.

I seem to recall that the average IQ was 110 and the standard deviation was 10 points, making the 130 IQ cut-off 2 standard deviations from the mean, which, if correct, would mean that 25 out of 1,000 people would have an IQ of 130 or higher and an IQ of 140 would be 3 standard deviations from the mean, which would mean that 3 out of 1,000 people would have an IQ or 140 or higher.

[AndreaII]

Today's IQ tests are much more accurate than in the old days - within single digits of the true IQ.

[Momtrepreneur]

I have been living in Sayville for 5 years now. I have 2 children in elementary school and I am pleased thus far. The gifted program does not start until 4th grade and testing is just part of the acceptance process. You can check out the school district website to learn more about that program. Speech services should not be difficult to obtain. I would bring documentation of current services from your school district. We do have a small district. Bayport/Blue Point is small and a lovely community as well. We are also just south of Ronkonkoma so your husband would have a very quick commute to work.

Saint Lawrence Catholic Church is located in Sayville and it is a very active congregation. Many options in regard to sports for kids. Sayville has many opportunities for children to get involved in sports and other after school activities. There is a swim program at the middle school pool, soccer field, baseball field and Interstate Sports Academy has opened up in our downtown area. Families and children are very involved in sports. Many families are seen biking to the beach/park during the spring/summer/fall.

I live close to the beach and walk to it at least 3 times per week. It is open to Town of Islip residents during the summer season only. The beach is located on the Great South Bay, not the Atlantic ocean. For the ocean you can take a ferry to fire island which is just across the bay. We have a beautiful view of Fire Island from our beaches and we also have ferries located in town. Some of the beaches are kid/family friendly at Fire Island, some you may wish to avoid with children. :0)

For $600,000 without renovation you could be in walking distance to the beach. There are some houses in our community that come with boat docking rights. We have a very active community and an awesome chamber of commerce. They sponsor numerous events during the year ranging from Miracle on Main Street, Summerfest, Easter Parade, Pet Parade, Fall Festival, etc. The Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce Each summer there is a concert series and Family Fridays at Gillette Park/Common Grounds under the gazebo.

We are in close proximity to several hospitals. Plenty of pediatricians and ped. dentists. We have a safe and extremely family friendly community. We have a great downtown shopping district and serveral parks. There are many moms with young children who stay home and some who work. There is a huge population of teachers who live in Sayville, myself included. There are many older homes throughout Sayville which makes it quite picturesque. There are also plenty of newer homes for those who prefer those. It does not have the appearance of a cookie cutter subdivision.

You can visit Welcome to Sayville, Long Island, New York for more information. I hope the information I have provided has been helpful. I completely recommend Sayville. Moving here has been all that I hoped it would be. ;0) Best of luck to you in your search.
FYI -My sister in law is from Columbus, OH. She moved here with my brother after visiting us, they loved it so much. Great for golfers and boaters!