NYS Math assessment for Grades 3-8 on April 26th, 27th, and 28th

Gardner-Dickinson Families,

Students in Grades 3-8 will be taking the NYS Math assessment on Tuesday, April 26th and Wednesday, April 27th, with makeups on Thursday, April 28th.

Tips for testing:
Get a full night’s rest before testing
Eat a healthy breakfast the morning of
Have a relaxing night before testing

Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Suzann Cornell
Gardner-Dickinson Principal
scornell@wynantskillufsd.org
518-283-4600 x 0

Purple Up! for Military Kids on April 27th

April is designated as the Month of the Military Child or Purple Up! For Military Kids. We know that military members and military-connected families make many sacrifices for the security and safety of our nation, specifically military-connected children during their K-12 careers.

On April 27th, please show your support for military children by wearing purple. Purple symbolizes all branches of the military, a combination of Army Green, Air Force Blue, Coast Guard Blue, Marine Red, and Navy Blue.  

Please use the form below to inform us if your child is military-connected so that he or she can be acknowledged on April 27th.  Thank you! 

Purple Up Day_April27

Music notes

Save the Date! Spring Music Concerts on May 17, 18, and 19

On May 17th at 1:45 pm, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Graders will perform their Spring Concert: A Pet Show!

[embeddoc url=”https://www.wynantskillufsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Spring-Concert-k-2-.pdf”]

On May 18th at  1:45 pm, 3rd, 4th and 5th Graders will perform their Spring Concert: Rock and Roll Songs!

[embeddoc url=”https://www.wynantskillufsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Spring-Concert-3-5.pdf”]

And on May 19th at 5:00 pm, the 6th Grade Band, 7th/8th Grade Band, and Music Club will perform their Spring Concert!

[embeddoc url=”https://www.wynantskillufsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Spring-Concert-MS.pdf”]

 

Spring Recess April 15-22

REMINDER:

The Wynantskill Union Free School District will be closed from April 15-22 for spring recess.

We also plan to close Friday, May 27, and Tuesday, May 31 to account for unused snow/emergency days built into the district calendar. The closure on these two additional days in May is planned contingent on any need to use snow/emergency days between now and then.

The district has used one snow day so far this school year. This means that Thursday, June 23 will be a regular day of school.

Sweet Polly Petals: WTEN’s John Gray Visiting on May 25th

WTEN’s John Gray will be visiting Gardner-Dickinson to talk about his newest book for children of all ages, Sweet Polly Petals.

This is a fairy tale set, not in some far away mystical land but, in any town USA. The hero is a little girl named Polly who loves going to the park with her mother. One day she notices homeless people sleeping on the benches. When Polly asks her mother why they are there, her mother tells her that they are good people who have simply lost their way.

Polly offers to share her lunch with a homeless woman she has seen before. In exchange for her sweet gesture, the woman gives Polly a magic orchid that grants wishes. But there are two catches: you can’t wish for anything for yourself, and with each wish the flower loses a petal. When Polly realizes the orchid has only four wishes left, she sets out to help as many people as she can.

Sweet Polly Petals will teach children the virtue of helping those who are less fortunate, and has a surprise ending kids will love.

John will be presenting to PreK-3 in a live assembly on Wednesday, May 25 at 1:00.

If you’d like to order John’s book Sweet Polly Petals before the event, please send in the order form below with your payment by Thursday, April 28th. Checks may be made out to Wynantskill Union Free School District. John will sign all purchased copies of his book!

Please contact Katie Sheehan at ksheehan@wynantskillufsd.org if you have any questions!

Order Form: Sweet Polly Petals

100% Paid Training & Support: Special Plea from Director of Transportation

From the Desk of Michael Goyer, Wynantskill UFSD Director of Transportation

 

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community Members,

For the last two plus years, our wonderful school district has been greatly impacted not only by Covid but by the lack of interest in the position of becoming a school bus driver. Our school district is part of a bigger nationwide, school bus driver shortage. We were very fortunate last year after months of Dr. Yodis searching, to bring on four new school bus driver trainees. This was only to fill a void we knew we were facing with staff in the Fall of 2021. We are again at that terrible juncture when the need for new school bus drivers is ever present. Without new drivers, the service you have been accustomed to, will be greatly impacted. The safety of the children will never be jeopardized, but I may have no choice but to add multiple schools to buses to get the job done. Timeliness will be very much impacted as will the length of time students may be on board their bus.

When I arrived here in late 2018 to help the school district with some transportation challenges it was facing, I was amazed at the comradery and the years of service of the current staff. A few drivers still remained from my time here back in 1996 when I left Wynantskill to further my career in school bus transportation. My Dad, Henry S. Goyer, drove here in the 60’s until his passing in 1985. He loved the job and so do I. With this being said, it is important for me to help continue to provide the best possible service and protection to our children by filling the driver’s seat with caring and professional staff. The process may be long, but the rewards are worth it.

 I can’t do this without you! 

We (Your Transportation Staff) can’t do this without you!

 

I am appealing for your help and hope that I can get four individuals interested, trained, and behind the wheel of a Wynantskill Union Free School District Bus ready for Fall of 2022.

 

Please, please, please consider becoming a part of our transportation team. The time is now to begin the process.

 

We will train and guide you through each step needed to become part of our team.

We will pay for 100% of your training and support you through the process.

 

You may contact me at mgoyer@wynantskillufsd.org or call me at 1-518-283-4600 ext. 134 for more information. And you may always reach out to the school’s main office or Superintendent Dr. Mary Yodis.

 

We are here for the Children!

Thank You,

Michael H. Goyer

Director of Transportation

 

 

We Are Hiring! Bus Drivers Needed

We are accepting applications for school bus driver!
Starting salary is $19 an hour for Certified Drivers, and $18 an hour for Driver Trainees.
The district will provide paid training to non-certified drivers.
Health benefits are available.
Drivers follow the school calendar, typically driving 5 days/week when school is in session.
*Morning Bus Run: 2-hour shift between the approximate hours of 6:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
*Afternoon Bus Run: 2-hour shift between the approximate hours of 1:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
*Those interested in combined Morning & Afternoon Bus Runs can work a 4 hour split shift.
Please visit https://www.wynantskillufsd.org/district/employment/ to fill out an application!
For more information: 518-283-4600 X 250
Soccer ball

Please Check Your Email for an Important Survey: Clubs and Intramural Sports

Dear Gardner Dickinson Families,

Over the past several weeks Dr. Yodis and I have been working together to find ways to enhance our athletic programs at Gardner Dickinson.

We understand how important athletics are to the overall success of children and want to provide as many opportunities as possible. We held a Modified Sports Forum on March 1st and obtained some great feedback from several family members.

Immediately following the sports forum, Dr. Yodis and I set up a meeting with Dr. Robert Zayas, Executive Director of the NYS Public High Schools Athletics Association. He let us know that since Wynantskill is a part of the “Friends and Neighbors” and are not members of Section II, that we are prohibited from playing with or merging with any other schools at this time.

Dr. Zayas clarified that we must apply for full membership status with Section II and NYSPHSAA before we would have any options to join other districts’ sporting opportunities. We immediately filled out the application and will await approval in the next month or so.

Once Gardner Dickinson is classified as a full member of Section II, Dr. Zayas suggested that we formally request that our students in middle school be afforded the opportunity to play modified sports at our neighboring partner schools (Troy, Averill Park, East Greenbush, Tamarac). He mentioned that there are thirteen K-8 school districts in NYS that could benefit from this request and was hopeful this could be a great opportunity for many.

Our hope is that students in grades 7-8 can play a modified sport (one that is not offered at GD) at one of these schools without having to commit to that school as their high school choice. Ultimately, this will have a positive impact on our students.

We are also looking to bring back clubs and intramural sports for students. In order to determine what we should offer and when, we are asking for your help. Please check your recent email for a survey from the school district. We appreciate you taking a few minutes to share your thoughts, and it will be very useful as we make plans to best serve our students and families!

Thank you,

Mr. Daniel DiSotto

Athletic Director

Wynantskill Union Free School District

Supporting Anthony’s Kindness Closet: Autism Awareness Month

Dear Gardner Dickinson Family,

We have a student at Gardner Dickinson who unfortunately lost a beloved family member.

Anthony Blaauboer was on the Autism spectrum.

Anthony left a legacy of kindness. He inspired people to choose to be kind.

In his honor, we would like to provide an opportunity to donate to a cause in his name.

 

Anthony’s Kindness Closet is an organization aimed at continuing his legacy. It assists with Waterford-Halfmoon’s school backpack program and is open to students who need a quick snack or meal, personal hygiene products, or school supplies.

This organization also helps families within the Capital District who request assistance with kindness packages. These packages contain canned goods, pasta, sauces, shelf-stable meats, dried fruit, etc.

 

Some suggestions for donations include:

Any kind of dry, pre-packaged snacks, like:

Cup O’Noodles

Velveeta Shells and Cheese cups

Velveeta Cheesy Bowls

Hormel microwavable cups

Yakisoba microwaveable noodles

Granola bars

Cereal bars

Fiber One brownies

Fruit snacks

Nutty Buddy

Little Debbie oatmeal pies

Rice Krispie treats

Personal hygiene products:

Deodorant (men and women)

Shampoo

Conditioner

Body wash

Small tubes of toothpaste

 

We will be collecting throughout the month of April!

Boxes will be located near the Main Office.

Thank you in advance for your support of this project!