Author Archive: Kyle Barber

The Wynantskill UFSD Welcomes Four New Staff Members to GD!

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GD is thrilled to welcome four new staff members to our family!
Please welcome Ms. Wooten and Ms. Costantine to the Special Education Department, Ms. LeClair as a long-term substitute for third grade, and Ms. Niro as an AIS teacher! Read a little about them below👇
 
“My name is Emily Wooten, and I am a special education teacher at GD. I received my dual teaching certification in Childhood Education and Special Education from Russell Sage College. I also have a Masters degree in Educational Psychology from UAlbany. Before coming to GD, I provided math support services to students in kindergarten through fifth grade in the Niskayuna School District and was a fourth grade teacher in Saratoga Springs. I am passionate about meeting the needs of my students and am thrilled to be here at GD!”
 
“My name is Shawna LeClair. I am so excited to start here at Gardner-Dickinson. I grew up locally in Guilderland, NY. I graduated from SUNY New Paltz in 2021 with a degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education. Since graduating, I have worked as a preschool teacher and several long-term substitute positions.”
 
“My name is Lacey Costantine, I am originally from Utica NY, and I have a bachelor’s in art and design education K-12 from Pratt Institute. I am currently at Russell Sage getting my Masters in Literacy and Special Education. I have just started my position at GD working in the Special Education department. I am really excited to be a part of the GD family and look forward to meeting everyone.”
 
“My name is Emily Niro and I am so excited to be at Gardner-Dickinson! I graduated from Siena College in 2021 and then went on to further my education at SUNY Albany completing a Masters degree in Literacy. Since I graduated, I have worked as a kindergarten teacher. I look forward to being at GD and cannot wait to get to know all of the students and families!”

The Wynantskill UFSD Welcomes Three New Staff Members to GD!

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The Wynantskill UFSD welcomes three new staff members to GD this year! Please welcome Ms. Pia Biondo (Middle School Spanish), Ms. Victoria Kohan (Social Worker) and Mrs. Tania de Rosier (Middle School ELA)!
 
“Hello, I’m Tania. I’ve been in education for the past 15 years and have taught a variety of courses in elementary, middle, high school and college levels. Before I became a teacher I was a journalist and have a background in newspaper reporting and freelance magazine writing. I received my graduate degree in English education from the University of New York, Albany. I love reading and writing with my students and listening to their insights.”
 
“I’m Victoria, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I have my Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations and Psychology from Syracuse University and received my Master’s in Social Work at Columbia University where I specialized in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy with children and adolescents. My background prior to coming to the school has been quite varied from working in the Office of Mental Health – Division of Forensics for NYS to working in both not-for-profit and private practice as a therapist. I have always had a passion for working with children and that continues to date! Happy to be here!”
 
“I’m Pia, I was born in Spain and have lived in Italy and Spain until I moved to the US in 2004, where I came to pursue my Master’s degree. I have a BA in Translation and Interpreting and a MA in Spanish Literature and Linguistics. I moved to Albany to live near family. I started working as a Translator during college but my passion was teaching since an early age, so that is what I focused on since 2004. I have taught at university level as well as private and charter schools.”

Order your 2023-24 GD Yearbook!

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Order your 2023-24 GD Yearbook!

 

This year, GD will be using Treering as its yearbook provider. This change comes with some amazing benefits and perks, including:

 

  • Each student’s yearbook has the option to have 2 custom pages that are only printed in your student’s yearbook, for free. Upload your own photos, write a heartfelt letter about the year, whatever you would like!

  • The option to choose between hardcover and softcover yearbooks.

  • All online ordering – no need to send in money

If you order by October 31st, you receive 10% off your purchase!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK!

If your 7th and 8th grade student(s) are interested in yearbook club with Mr. Barber, an interest form will be going out in the upcoming weeks. Treering offers a very student friendly platform to have them heavily involved in the design process of our yearbook!

Gardner-Dickinson welcomes ParentSquare as it’s new communications platform

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Gardner-Dickinson is thrilled to announce ParentSquare as it’s new communications platform to better connect our parent community with their students’ teachers, support staff and administration.

 

ParentSquare offers some exciting features such as:

 

  • Direct messaging and communication between parents, teachers, support staff or administration

  • A very user-friendly mobile app to keep you in contact without having to open your email or log onto a computer

  • Integrations such as GD’s Google calendar, which you can keep track of directly from the app or PS website

  • Alerts regarding school closings, delays, etc.

  • Posts directly from class specific teachers such as photos, permission slips, polls, files, newsletters, and more!

 

We are excited to implement ParentSquare into our daily workflow to better increase culture and communication at GD! More details and instruction will be provided at Open House (9/13 at 5:30pm for grades PK-5, 9/14 at 5:30pm for grades 6-8)

 

We encourage everyone to download the app on your mobile device by searching “ParentSquare” in your app store.

 

If you’re interested in viewing a quick tutorial from ParentSquare, please click the link below:

https://parentsquare.talentlms.com/catalog/info/id:132,cms_featured_course:1

Sign up for GD Soccer!

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Dear 7th and 8th graders:

Reminder: If you’re interested in playing soccer this fall, please fill out the form below! Sign up and collect the correct paperwork to start practice on the first day of school, Wednesday September 6th at 2:30pm. Please fill out the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSea3lr01nCDOyYsQHnfq3Iu1HJ628k4h743RglLqaHFE1Uncg/viewform?usp=sf_link

 

Please email Coach Lantz or Coach Parker with any questions.