GRADUATION SPEAKERS CHOSEN FOR GARDNER-DICKINSON SCHOOL
Principal Jack Lynskey is proud to announce the top students of the 2010 eighth grade class. The Valedictorian of the class of 2010 is Liisi Vink-Lainas. Jordan Tymeson has been named the Salutatorian of the class.
Liisi Katherine Vink-Lainas, daughter of Paul and Susan (Eccles) Vink-Lainas and sister of Erik Vink-Lainas, has been announced as the Valedictorian of Gardner Dickinson’s class of 2010. At GD she competed on the Odyssey of the Mind Team for four years, and ran cross country, winning the Rensselaer County Modified Championships two years in a row. Liisi plays the saxophone, participating in band, jazz band, All-County band and NYSSMA. Outside of school, Liisi is a high achieving soccer player for the Alleycats Wildcats. She has been chosen to participate on the Olympic Development Program (ODP) State and Regional teams, possibly leading to the Youth National Team.
Jeff and Rosemary Tymeson are proud to announce that their daughter, Jordan Tymeson, is Salutatorian of the 2009-2010 eighth grade class at Gardner-Dickinson School. She is the sibling of Nick Tymeson. During her time at GD, Jordan has participated in Cross-Country and Soccer. She participated in NYSMAA for three years, for which she received an outstanding evaluation for solo clarinet performance. Jordan was also a member of the Builder's Club, serving the community through volunteering at the VanRensselaer Manor Nursing Home as well as the American Legion. Outside of school Jordan participates in basketball (St. Judes), tap dancing, and youth soccer. She is looking forward to taking Honors classes at Averill Park High School next year. Congratulations Jordan.
Mrs. Ellen Moak has been selected to speak at the Gardner-Dickinson School’s Commencement on Friday, June 25, 2010. Ellen Moak received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from SUNY Plattsburgh and her Master’s Degree in Reading from Adelphi University. From 2000 to the present she has been a teacher here at Gardner Dickinson, teaching Kindergarten and, most recently, First Grade. Her love of learning and children is apparent in all that she does. It is her joy to speak tonight to her former Kindergarten students as they move on to the next phase of their educational careers.
Dance into Candyland!
Recently grades 3-5 participated in a dance and the theme was Candyland! The Builders Club decorated the cafeteria beautifully to resemble the board game Candyland with lollipops and many colorful decorations! There was a DJ, cookie decorating station, game boards, limbo, candy and lots of dancing!
Edible Colorwheel Project
Students in Mrs. Mitchells art class recently created an edible color wheel. The students had to mix red, yellow and blue and figure out how to come up with all 13 colors on the wheel. The students made the color wheels out of vanilla wafers and frosting and got to eat their final product. Fun!
First Grade Animal Project are Amazing!
Students in First grade enjoyed presenting their Animal Projects to family and friends. The project was a lot of work! The students had to research an animal, create a diorama of the animal’s habitat and then create a PowerPoint slide to be presented for all to see. The projects were wonderful! What amazing readers and presenters!
Readers Theatre
Students in Mr. Van Leuven’s third grade class are busy participating in a Readers Theatre that will be presented in June. The story they are working on is Twelve Angry Pigs which is based on a version of the Twelve Angry Men. The students are learning about why it is so important to think for yourself, come up with your own ideas and also about what the meaning of a jury, verdict and reasonable doubt is.
Walking for Earth Day
6th grade teacher Peter Mesh challenged his class to walk 1 kilometer for Earth day. The students had a wonderful time figuring out how many steps were in 1 kilometer. The 6th graders had to walk 2,000 steps to complete their 1 kilometer.
Odyssey of the Mind Team Places Third in State Competition!
Congratulations to Gardner-Dickinson school in their recent third place win at the Odyssey of the Mind State Competition held in Binghamton on March 27, 2010. This international education program provides students with problems which they have to solve creatively. The students that participated in Division 2, Problem 3 Discovered Treasures were Elizabeth Karam, Liisi Vink-Lainas, Michelle Lauletta, Elissa Kane, Evy Henkin, Lauren and Jessica Elder, coached by Stephanie Carbone and Karen Keane. The students had competed in the regional competition at Rensselear School on February 27th, 2010 and won first place in their division. They received many compliments from the judges on their creative scenery, script, sound effects and costumes.
The team received medals as well as a trophy for the school. Congratulations girls!
Fine Arts Festival
The annual fine arts festival was held recently at Gardner- Dickinson and was very well attended! This is the first year that every student in the school participated in the festival. Every student had at least 1 piece of art in the show. In years past, only grades 5-8 had participated.
The chorus preformed music of the 80's and 90's and the band preformed music from the 60's and 70's. Builders club held a bake sale as well. The night was enjoyed by all that attended.
Builders Club Recent Events
-The Builders Club recently helped Kiwanis with a pancake breakfast at the American Legion in Wynantskill. The students helped bus tables and served food.
-The Builders Club also recently went to the Van Rensselaer Manor to play Bingo with the residents. A great time was had by all that attended.
-Second grade student Drew Flannery had an idea for the school to raise money for Haiti. Every classroom decorated a milk jug and students brought in their spare change to put in the jug. Special thanks to eighth grade Builders Club members Sam Beaulac, Jared Curran, and Mia Doring who helped to collect and sort the money. A total of $3500 was raised from the spare change and other donations and was given to the American Red Cross for Haiti. Way to go!
Sweet Treats
7th grade students study “Pop art” an art movement in the United States in the 1950’s. The students mainly focus on Andy Warhol, Roy Litchenstein, and Claes Oldenberg. The students were to take every day commercial objects and glorify them either through increase in scale or repetition. The students in 7th were asked to make a candy of their choice really big. It’s a very popular project!
Wynantskill Participates in Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Teams from Wynantskill recently competed in the regional competition. Wynantskill teams did an excellent job! Wynantskill came in FIRST in the problem "Discovered Treasures" and Fourth in the problem "Food Court". For a complete listing of winners, click here
Learning a Business from the Ground Up!
Students in Mrs. Mitchell's FACS (Family and Consumer Science) class were tasked with creating a fashion clothing line. The students had to apply for a "loan", configure budgets, design a fashion line and then actually make their product out of fabric. Students learned about budgeting for small business, advertising and design.
6th Grade Puppet Shows
6th Grade students in Mrs. Horacek’s class recently completed a unit on Ancient India. Puppet shows were created to mark the end of this important time period. Groups were selected to create a puppet show. Each skit was based on a problem and factual information that was researched. Each group created their very own script. The puppets were made out of all kinds of creative material and one group even added music to create the total atmosphere! 6th grade is looking forward to the end of the year movie when the class watches the entire year of projects and plays such as, Mummy Raps, Puppet Shows, Commercials and Original Plays.
Girls Soccer Team Ranked 1st Place in Division!
The girls had an amazing season with only 1 loss and ranking in 1st place in our division. Best of luck to the 8th Grade student athletes in their future endeavors! See the girls soccer page for more photos from the season!
Grade 8 Has a Successful Wreath Sale
Thank you to all those that supported the 8th grade class!
Winter Concert
The Winter Concert was held recently and the preformances by the students were wonderful! Great job! See below for photos!
Boys Soccer Team Has a Good Season
The team went 4-4 and had 4 games canceled because of weather or illness. The best game of the season was against Troy, coming back from a goal down and taking the lead late in the game and holding them off for a big win. Individually, Nolan Gray shined in net, with great saves and Adam Kaarstad lead the scoring attack with 28 goals on the season. Overall, the team pulled together to have a competitive and fun season. Great job! See the boys soccer page for more photos from the season!
Gardner Dickinson Chorus invited to sing at the New McDonalds in Wynantskill
On November 21, the chorus was invited to sing at McDonalds in Wynantskill as a part of the ongoing grand opening. The chorus did an outstanding job!
Gardner Dickinson Band Plays at Grand Opening of Wynantskill McDonalds Friday November 6
Thank you to the band and Mrs. Newell for a job well done!
Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and Graduation Speaker Chosen
Principal Jack Lynskey is proud to announce the top students of the 2009 eighth grade class. The Valedictorian of the class of 2009 is Salvatore Elder, Jr. Victoria Wood has been named the Salutatorian of the class. The class speaker will be Mrs. Horacek. Click here for more information. Congratulations to the eighth grade class of 2009!
Fifth Grade Learns about Forensics
In
the fifth grade science curriculum, the students learn about
forensics. Recently, Retired City of Troy Police Detective and
Evidence Technician Jack Rogers visited the fifth grade class and gave
the students a “hands on” experience learning about how to collect
fingerprints and other forensic evidence and how it is collected at
crime scenes. Thank you to Mr. Jack Rogers for the visit, the
students really learned a lot!
Sports Banquet Held June 5
Congratulations to all of our athletes on your achievements!
New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers honors Wynantskill Student
Victoria
Wood, an 8th grade student was recently honored with the New York State
Foreign Language Teachers Association Award. Victoria is one out
of ten 8th grade students in the state of New York to receive this
award, and is the only student in the capital region to win
The Fulvi Love of Language Award is awarded to a student who demonstrates a distinguished level of understanding of a foreign language and is able to communicate effectively in more than one language. Victoria was honored for her exceptional skills in Spanish and received a $50 Savings Bond from the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers. Way to go Victoria; keep up the great work!
Chicken BBQ a Success!
The 8th grade class hosted a Chicken BBQ fundraiser on May 19. The 8th grade class would like to thank everyone who supported the fundraiser as it was a true success!
Wynantskill Budget Vote Results
The 2009-2010 School Budget was approved by voters by a vote of 176 to 88. For the Board of Education seats, Christina Curran received 186 votes and Ann Marsh received 176 votes. Thank you to all the district residents who came out to vote.
Students Sing the National Anthem at Opening Day
With
guidance from Mrs. Newell and Mrs. Gaudino, Gardner Dickinson Middle
School students recently sang the Star Spangled Banner at the opening
day ceremonies for the Classie Lassie girls softball league. The
girls did a wonderful job and sang the national anthem beautifully!
Textbook Return Information Click Here
Wynantskill Competes in Odyssey of the Mind Tournament
Wynantskill had two teams place in the recent Odyssey of the Mind tournament. The “Teach Yer Creature” team came in 1st place in their division! The Superstition team came in 4th place. The first place teams from each category get a chance to compete in the state tournament.
The “Teach Yer Creature” team recently competed in the State Championship in Binghamton. The team consists of Michelle Lauletta, Liisi Vink-Lainas, Elizabeth Karam, Sal Elder, Christina Mamone, Kelse Merrill, and Brayleigh Hanlon. The team placed 3rd in Spontaneous Problem Solving out of 17 teams!!!!!
The team overall came in 6th out of 17 teams in the division. Although the team didn’t make it to the world tournament this year, they are geared up and ready for the challenge next year! The kids had a great time and enjoyed a PTO sponsored pizza party!
The team would like to thank their advisors Karen Keane and Stephanie Carbone. They would also like to thank the PTO for the pizza party they sponsored during their trip to Binghamton and also thank the Board of Education for approving this trip.
Wynantskill Band and Chorus Perform at the Concourse in Albany
The
Wynantskill Band and Chorus, under the direction of Ms. Newell and Ms.
Gaudino, recently performed at the concourse in Albany for The Music in
Our Schools Celebration.
March has been officially designated by
The National Association for Music Education for the observance of
Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM®), the time of year when music
education becomes the focus of schools across the nation. MIOSM began
as a single statewide celebration in 1973, and has grown over the
decades to encompass a day, then a week, and then in 1985 to become a
month long celebration of school music. The purpose of MIOSM is to
raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children –
and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have
access to music. MIOSM is an opportunity for music teachers to bring
their music programs to the attention of the school and the community
and to display the benefits school music brings to students of all
ages. (Information obtained from: www.menc.org )
The Students had a great time and did a wonderful job!
Arts in Education Committee Brings Many Valuable Performances to Wynantskill
The Arts in Education Committee has had the opportunity to bring in many guest performers this year for our students. The programs are enrichment performances that are planned to enhance and expand on our curriculum for all students. This year the committee focused on a theme of history and world culture. The Arts in Education opportunities are made possible through both district and PTO support. Thank you PTO!
Guest performers for the year have included:
Felix Pitre, an author, who taught our students in Grades 6-8 about
Latin America through stories and songs. He presented the program in both
English and Spanish.
Mark Mason, a local musician, who presented the history, legends and
music of the Adirondacks for our students in grades 4-6. He sang
songs and told of the local folklore of the Adirondacks.
Bob Bloom, a percussionist, who taught our students in grades K-5
about hand percussion instruments. His focus was on music from
Brazil and South America. Bob taught our students about the songs and
culture of Brazil and South America through songs and utilizing hand
percussion instruments. Each of the children had an opportunity
to perform on a percussion instrument as well.
Magic Lantern Show, The American Magic-Lantern Theater re-creates Victorian "Magic-Lantern Shows" -- a popular 1890s combination of projected color images, live drama, live music, hilarious comedy and boisterous audience participation. The shows were "the great grandfather of the cinema" -- what the movies developed from 100 years ago. In their traveling shows, a magnificent old brass-and-mahogany "magic-lantern" -- the multi-lens forerunner of the movie projector -- rapidly projects the pictures on a full-size movie screen. The "sound track" of the movies is provided by dramatic narration from a magic-lantern showman. He is a master of voice and accent, often creating as many as 20 different characters in a single show. A professional soprano and accompanist, the second member of the cast, sings the solos, leads the sing-a longs, and provides live musical underscoring for the stories. Student the "special effects” and everyone is encouraged to join in sing-alongs. The American History show covered 300 years of American history in story and song.
Mokoto, Mokoto, an award winning presentation on Japanese culture and
storytelling for Grades K-3.
Second Graders Get Creative!
Art Teacher, Mrs. Mitchell, recently had the second grade class create a special project. The project was not only art based but also corresponded with the children’s learning about writing in their classroom. The students were tasked with writing and illustrating a book of their own.
The project was based on the book “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Joffe Numeroff. The students were given two boxes to choose items out of. One box was filled with food items and the other box was filled with animals. The students had to pick one food item and one animal and then write a story about it and then illustrate it.
The second grade class completed their books and then got the privilege to read their books to the kindergarten class. The books were also displayed in the lobby. The books were very creative and very well done. Great job!
The American Magic-Lantern Theatre Visits Wynantskill
The
American Magic-Lantern Theater re-creates Victorian "Magic-Lantern
Shows" -- a popular 1890s combination of projected color images, live
drama, live music, hilarious comedy and boisterous audience
participation. The shows were "the great grandfather of the cinema" --
what the movies developed from 100 years ago. In their traveling shows,
a magnificent old brass-and-mahogany "magic-lantern" -- the multi-lens
forerunner of the movie projector -- rapidly projects the pictures on a
full-size movie screen.
The "sound track" of the movies is provided
by dramatic narration from a magic-lantern showman. He is a master of
voice and accent, often creating as many as 20 different characters in
a single show. A professional soprano and accompanist, the second
member of the cast, sings the solos, leads the sing-a longs, and
provides live musical underscoring for the stories. Student
participation contributes the "special effects” and everyone is
encouraged to join in sing-alongs. The American History show
covered 300 years of American history in story and song for our
Students Participate in Rensselaer All-County Music Festival
On
Saturday January 17th, select Gardner-Dickinson band and chorus
students performed in the Rensselaer All-County Music Festival at
Lansingburgh High School. The music festival was sponsored by the
Rensselaer County Music Teachers Association.
Students had been recommended by their school music teacher Mrs. Newell and Mrs. Gaudino in order to participate. The festival included students from all of the schools in Rensselaer County and provided musicians with an opportunity to perform music at a higher level than at their home school. We congratulate the following students for their hard work and dedication!
Junior High Band Students: Sal Elder, Connor Gray, Tyler Gray, and Christina Mamone.
Elementary Chorus Students: Jessica Elder, Lauren Elder, Willy Gumlaw, Elissa Kane, Jessica Marsh, and Annie Paone.
Fourth Grade Visits the Albany Symphony Orchestra
Recently,the fourth grade class traveled to see the Albany Symphony Orchestra performunder the direction of David Allen Miller at the Palace Theatre in Albany.
The students became and “archeological adventurer” and joined Michigan Miller as he traveled through the “Door of Time” into the murky musical past in search of the origins of the Symphony. Along the way, the students and Michigan Miller solved the riddles of the evil “Symphonic Sphinx” in their effort to find “Papa” Haydn and discover the origins of “the Symphony”. The music preformed by the symphony included Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Schumann, and Haydn.
8th Grade Class Fundraiser a Big Success!!
The
8th grade class held an annual holiday wreath fundraiser and sold a
record number of wreaths (over 140!). The students handcrafted
the wreaths and decorated them all by hand along with parent
volunteers. The 8th grade class did a terrific job working
together and would like to thank all those that supported their
fundraiser!
Writing Elective Class Students Create One Act Plays
Recently,
Mrs. Delaney’s eighth grade writing elective class students were given
the task of creating original, one act plays. Mrs. Delaney had the
students select a genre: Mystery/Suspense, Parody, or Reality Based.
Once they selected their genre, the students had three weeks to write
their original script and then got to perform their plays in front of
the other eighth grade classes! The class worked diligently on their
scripts everyday and the outcome was fantastic!
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