Gardner-Dickinson is excited to welcome its newest staff members for the 2021-22 academic year! In addition to School Psychologist Mrs. Mueller and Music Teacher Mrs. van Maastricht, we are excited to welcome John Lantz as our new 6th grade teacher, Haley Quinn as our new 5th grade teacher, Sara Friday as our new 3rd grade teacher, Erica Cawthon as our new 7th and 8th grade CTE and ELA AIS teacher, and Jeff Muller as our new PE teacher!

John Lantz

I’m delighted to be joining the Gardner-Dickinson school and community! I will be joining the 6th grade team teaching ELA and Science. I grew up in the area and graduated from Averill Park High School, so I am familiar with the Wynantskill area. I look forward to giving back to the community that I know so well. After graduating from Sage Graduate School in ’19 I spent two years teaching special education in Queensbury, NY. I’ll be teaching 6th grade as well as coaching the Boys Modified Soccer team, something I’ve always wanted to do. I am eager to bring my blend of academic knowledge and humor to the classroom to give my students the best school year yet! Parents are always free to contact me by email at jlantz@wynantskillufsd.org.

Haley Quinn

Hi, everyone! My name is Haley Quinn, and I am the newest addition to the 5th grade team! I am the third classroom teacher of the grade. I am beyond excited to start my teaching career at such an incredible school. Over the past year, I have been a substitute at Gardner-Dickinson as well as a student teacher in both 3rd and 4th grades.

I attended K-12 schooling in Averill Park. In June 2017, I graduated from Averill Park High School and attended Russell Sage College. In May 2021, I graduated from Russell Sage College with my Childhood Education Degree. During my last month of undergraduate studies, I became a NYS Certified Teacher, and I am currently pursuing my Master’s Degree in Literacy Education at Russell Sage.

The past year at Gardner-Dickinson was an amazing experience. I am proud that I was able to be a part of GD Strong, and I am sure that we will continue to strive for another 180 days in person! Thank you to the staff, administration, and community who have made me feel extremely welcomed. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at hquinn@wynantskillufsd.org.

Sara Friday

My name is Sara Friday, and I will be teaching 3rd grade this year. I am so excited to join the GD family! I will be teaching Social Studies and Science to all three sections of 3rd grade. I have been a substitute teacher here for the last two years, and I’m looking forward to having my own classroom! I have a degree in both Elementary and Special Education and have been a Special Education teacher in the past. I’m also a mom of two boys, one of which will be starting Kindergarten here this year.

If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to me at sfriday@wynantskillufsd.org. If you have any information that would be helpful to know about your child, feel free to send that too. I hope they are as excited as I am to start the 2021-22 school year together!

Erica Cawthon

Jeff Muller

Jeff Muller will be the district’s new PE teacher who will also be working with North Greenbush Central School District. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Sage and is currently finishing his master’s in Health and Wellness from Sage.

Welcome Back!

Thank you for signing up to transport your child(ren) to/from school this year! It really takes a village to keep the school running smoothly. Here is our current plan for drop off and pick up:

Morning drop off: 8-8:20 a.m.

Please line up in the parking lot. We will meet your car, take your child’s temperature, and they will be escorted to the sidewalk to enter the building. We will have 2-3 additional staff on hand to walk the little ones to their designated rooms. If you have a middle school child (gr. 6-8), we encourage you to arrive as close to 8 as possible; Period 1 begins at 8 a.m.

Pre-K families: You may arrive around 8:10 a.m. and pull up in the circle after the busses have departed where your child will be met by Mrs. Pytell and escorted to their room. Siblings will also be allowed to enter at this time.

Dismissal: 2:10-2:30 p.m.

Again, please line up in the parking lot. We will have staff outside who will call inside for your child(ren) to exit the building from the door on the right side of the building. We plan to have all the parent-pick up kids waiting with staff in the hallway to expedite their departure from the school.

Pre-K students will also be dismissed from this area. Ms. Glaz and Mrs. Pytell will be with them at all times.

If you have a middle school child (gr. 6-8), they will not be dismissed until 2:30 p.m. along with their younger siblings. Please plan accordingly to arrive after 2:20 p.m. so as to not hold up the line.

This is new to all of us, so I ask for your patience the first few days of school. Together we can make this work as smoothly as last year!

I look forward to seeing you all rain or shine again this year! If you have any questions or concerns, please give me a call at 518-283-4600 ext. 0 or email me at kfazioli@wynantskillufsd.org

Kathy Fazioli
Main Office

Yesterday, the New York State Department of Health finally issued interim guidance for classroom instruction this school year and a Commissioner’s Determination on COVID testing in schools. 

The 12-page guidance document addresses the minimum expectations for instruction and operations. Many of our health and safety protocols will remain the same from last year – and the new DOH regulations are consistent with the most recent CDC guidance. In fact, the guidance document recommended that schools review their prior year’s plans, eliminate outdated measures, and adopt current CDC recommendations (which we had already done).

At this time, we are working together with local school districts and our county department of health to facilitate the staffing, supplies and information that will be required to implement the Commissioner’s Determination on the testing of students, staff, and contractors as soon as practicable to ensure a safe environment for our students and staff. Funding for this has not been released by the state to allow schools to fulfill this new requirement.

We will notify you of the process for providing documentation for full vaccination (to opt-out of testing) or information on testing as soon as possible. We need to remain flexible, adaptive, and patient. 

Dear Grades 7 and 8 Families:

As we plan for the start of the 2021-22 school year, we are excited to be offering modified girls and boys soccer this fall season. Due to the increase in positive COVID-19 cases, placing us in a substantial transmission/orange zone, we will follow a multi-tiered mitigation approach to ensure the safety of our students, coaches and entire school community.

Students athletes committing to the team will be required to:

• participate in a COVID-19 screening test once a week unless fully vaccinated (proof of vaccination should be sent to Nurse Gibbs).

The latest information sheet for the Abbot BinaxNOW rapid antigen test used for the athletic testing is available here.

Please fill out and return the 2021-22 consent form for COVID-19 testing for athletics to Tricia Gibbs at tgibbs@wynantskillufsd.org. Forms should be submitted by Tuesday, September 7. The athletic handbook, code of conduct, schedules and health history forms are available on the athletics page.

If you have any questions about playing on the teams, please contact Athletic Director Dan DiSotto at ddisotto@wynantskillufsd.org. If you have any questions about the COVID-19 rapid screening, please contact Tricia Gibbs at tgibbs@wynantskillufsd.org.

Thank you,

Dr. Mary Yodis
WUFSD Superintendent

Dear GD Families,

Our goal is to continue, as we successfully did last year, to provide in-person learning five days per week during the entire 2021-22 school year. The spread of the Delta variant has certainly complicated our reopening plans, but we are confident that continuing the mitigation efforts put in place last year will provide a safe learning environment. 

The recommended layered approach to mitigation strategies from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) enabled us to remain in school during the 2020-21 school year without a whole-school shutdown and with very few positive COVID-19 cases within our school community. Gardner-Dickinson will continue many of the same guidelines and strategies that were proven successful to prevent outbreaks and/or a school closure. 

The following is a summary of our anticipated reopening plans based upon the guidelines and recommendations provided by the CDC, NYSDOH and NYSED in conjunction with our Regional County Departments of Health. 

As you are aware, things are changing every day and directives for reopening schools have been back and forth with little detail. We are now being told that additional guidance will be forthcoming from the NYSDOH by September 1, so please be patient and continue to look at our updates on our website. A full updated reopening plan for the 2021-22 school year will be posted to our website by September 1.

Below is a summary of what we anticipate in our updated reopening plan unless we are directed to do otherwise by NYSDOH:

Multi-Layered Mitigation Strategies

Wynantskill UFSD will continue to: 

• require parents to screen their children before bringing them to school, ensuring that they stay home and are seen by a doctor when they are sick;
• check the temperatures of all students and adults as they enter the building;

• promote frequent handwashing with soap and water and offering hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available;
• clean and disinfect our building and school buses; and
• maximize our ventilation system by running it 24 hours instead of 12. 

*Please note as an additional screening tool this year, surveillance testing of students and staff may be implemented in the late fall in conjunction with Rensselaer County DOH.

Masks

In accordance with CDC and NYSED recommendations, face masks covering both the mouth and nose will be required for all students, staff and visitors inside schools and on school buses regardless of vaccination status. Masks will be optional when outdoors on school property. Students will be provided mask breaks when seated in class and socially distanced. 

Social Distancing

Students will remain at 6 feet of physical distance whenever possible throughout the school building. All classrooms will be set up so student desks are 6 feet apart from each other. Allowing us to continue at 6 feet of physical distance in the classroom is due to the fact that we have adequate space in the building to add additional learning spaces. We added a third section of 3rd, 5th and 7th grades by allocating additional rooms for classrooms and hiring additional faculty. Class sizes are between 15-20 with 20 being the max. Teachers may choose to have students work for short periods of time at 3 feet (pulling 2-3 students to the back table for reteaching) following additional  mitigation strategies listed above. 

Transportation

All students and staff must wear face masks while riding on a school bus regardless of vaccination status. CDC guidelines permit buses to operate at full capacity. Windows and roof hatches will be open to increase ventilation on the bus. Cleaning and disinfecting will continue following each bus run daily.

Parents who plan on driving their children to and/or from school, are asked to please inform Kathy Fazioli, kfazioli@wynantskillufsd.org, and/or Mike Goyer, mgoyer@wynantskillufsd.org, in our Transportation Department to assist with our planning. 

Cafeteria

We would like to see our students move to the cafeteria this year instead of eating in their classrooms. We will attempt to social distance our students as much as possible and provide layered mitigation protocols that will include hand washing or hand sanitizer before and after meals; limiting mask removal to the duration of eating; cleaning and disinfection between lunch periods; providing increased ventilation of seating areas.

Physical Education

When indoors, students will maintain 6 feet of social distancing during physical education instruction. Physical education teachers will prioritize outdoor activities as weather permits.

Sports

Both girls and boys modified soccer teams will be offered to students this fall. 

We are currently working with Questar III and Rensselaer County DOH to review requirements to implement a surveillance testing program of student athletes in accordance with CDC recommendations. Parent/guardian consent for testing of students is required and we will have more info coming soon. 

Music

Thank you to our new and very talented music teacher, Marie van Maastricht. We will be offering band this fall to our 7th and 8th graders. Band students will maintain the 6 feet social distance of students during instruction with bell covers to prevent aerosol spread. 

Remote Program

A full remote option for students will not be made available this year from our faculty and staff at Gardner-Dickinson, as we are focusing all of our efforts toward our daily in-person instruction. 

A fully remote option will only be considered for those students who have a documented medical condition that does not let them attend in person learning. Documentation for such a medical condition will be necessary for the district to discuss out-of-district  remote options. Questar III BOCES is currently developing a program for medically eligible students, which would be taught by BOCES faculty. If you have a child that would be in need of such an alternate program, please contact Dr. Yodis as soon as possible at 518-283-4600 ext 250 or myodis@wynantskillufsd.org.

COVID-19 Vaccine

The CDC indicated that vaccination is the leading public health strategy to end the pandemic. All eligible individuals are encouraged to receive the vaccine as soon as possible. 

Currently, there are three vaccines available (Pfizer-ages 12+, Moderna-ages 18+ and Johnson & Johnson-ages 18+). If you have any questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, please contact your family physician. If you need assistance finding where you can get a vaccine, click here. 

Resources

• Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools (CDC)
• COVID-19 Guidance for Safe Schools (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Back to School Health and Safety Guide (NYS Education Department)

We understand your apprehension and your continued frustration with the ongoing pandemic. However, we must continue to work together, model safe behavior and best practices for our students. 

We need to continue to focus on our Gardner-Dickinson school community, which is like no other, and continue to have hope. Hope for wellness, hope for peace and hope for a successful in-person teaching and learning experience where our children are able to grow academically, socially and emotionally.  

This pandemic has forced us to adapt and function in ways we have never imagined. This will undoubtedly be another year that will test our strength, patience, and ability to plan, adapt and improvise, but I am beyond confident that we will get through it together. We did it last year, and we will do it again … this time better, this time stronger! GD Family Strong!

Thank you for your continued support,

Dr. Mary Yodis

There will will a special Board of Education meeting on August 23 at 7 p.m. in the Gardner-Dickinson library. The public is invited to attend.

Dear Families,

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) both vocalize that schools should be open for in-person learning and students should be in school. 

In accordance with NYSED and the CDC, all Wynantskill UFSD students will attend in-person learning. A fully remote learning option will be available only to students for whom it has been deemed medically necessary. Proper documentation from your child’s physician is required. The fully remote learning option will be run by NERIC/Capital Region BOCES and/or Questar III BOCES . This option will require a full-year commitment and will be taught by teachers outside of the district. 

If your child will require remote learning due to a medical condition, please contact me by Friday, August 20. The BOCES requires an accurate count of students who will need remote learning from all districts by August 20. If your child does not require remote learning, no action is required on your part. 

Sincerely,
Dr. Mary Yodis
WUFSD Superintendent
518-283-4600 ext. 7
myodis@wynantskillufsd.org

As you may already be aware from the media, school districts were notified that neither the Governor nor the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) will be providing COVID-19 guidance regarding the upcoming 2021-22 school year. Districts statewide were waiting on NYSDOH guidance, as we had been advised that guidance was in development and forthcoming.

This memo is to assure you that our district has been in constant communication with all other district superintendents from Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties under the leadership of our BOCES superintendent to begin to develop a document that outlines a regional plan. Once finalized, this document will be submitted to county Departments of Health for their consideration.

Wynantskill has been fortunate to have the space and resources necessary that allowed us to open five days per week all of last year meeting the previous requirement of 6-feet physical distance. We plan to open school with many of the same safety measures in place such as smaller class sizes, as we had much success keeping COVID-19 out of our school. We will follow much of what is already established in our 2020-21 reopening plan; however, we will make minor edits to the plan after final consultation with our regional BOCES, other local districts and our own safety reopening committee. 

One thing we have confirmed with the local Departments of Health is that full occupancy on school busses with mask use and other mitigation strategies will be allowed. With that being said, we would like to know how many families would assist with transportation for the upcoming year. We ask that all families please complete this brief transportation survey. 

We will keep our school community updated as more information becomes available and as we work to develop a plan for the upcoming school year. We thank you for your continued patience.

Sincerely,
Dr. Mary Yodis
WUFSD Superintendent