The Wynantskill UFSD is pleased to welcome Beth Mueller as its new school psychologist and Marie van Maastricht as its new music teacher. Both Mueller and van Maastricht bring a wealth of experience and energy to our district, and we look forward to seeing firsthand the contributions they will make to our school community.

Mueller and van Maastricht will begin working with students at the start of the 2021-22 academic year. Get to know our new school psychologist and music teacher and give them a warm GD welcome!

Beth Mueller

I am so excited to work with the students, staff and families of the Gardner-Dickinson community!

I started my educational journey at Hudson Valley Community College where I obtained an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts. I then attended the University at Albany where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor concentration in education. For graduate school, I attended the College of Saint Rose. I obtained a Master of Science in Educational Psychology, Certificate of Advanced Study in School Psychology, and I hold a certification through the National Association of School Psychologists. I previously worked at Pittsfield Public Schools in Massachusetts.

I want my office to be a safe space for students. I have an open-door policy and welcome anyone to stop in whether it is just to say hello or to discuss social-emotional, educational, and/or behavioral concerns of students. I believe it is important to know that I am an advocate for all students and want each student to reach their potential in the least restrictive environment. I am here to answer any questions regarding the special education process as well as any general questions about meeting student needs.

Although my role is extremely versatile, here are some of the common services I can provide: student counseling, development and maintenance of educational plans, student evaluation and assessment, consultation regarding student needs, social skills development, development of behavior plans, and most importantly collaboration to create a safe and nurturing environment for all students.

I look forward to meeting you all!

Marie van Maastricht

Hello! My name is Marie van Maastricht, and I have been teaching music for 15 years.

I was born in Binghamton, NY and have also lived and worked in Michigan and Wisconsin. I attended college in Grand Rapids, MI where I earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music Education.

I spend a lot of free time planning awesome activities for my classes, singing in a choir and playing my oboe. I also love spending time with my family at the park or playgrounds.

My family members are my husband Matthew, my son Hendrik and our cat Sunny. My son is 4 and is so excited to enter Pre-K this year.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns at mvanmaastricht@wynantskillufsd.org.

Favorites

• Color: Teal
• Team: Brewers
• Snack: Cheese
• Dessert: Brownies
• Flower: Tulip
• Animal: Giraffe
• Instrument: Oboe
• Subjects: Music and Math

Dr. Mary Yodis, Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent

The Board of Education is pleased to announce that it has renewed Superintendent Dr. Mary Yodis’ contract for five years at a July 6 Board meeting.

“Over the past year, Dr. Yodis has continued to show her absolute dedication to our district. The Board wanted to reciprocate and show our confidence in her to lead the district forward,” said Board President Andrew Lanesey.

Dr. Yodis has effectively led the Wynantskill UFSD through what has arguably been the hardest year in public education to date due to the COVID-19 pandemic during her first year as superintendent. Under Dr. Yodis’ leadership, the district was able to provide an in-person learning option to students for the full 180 days of the academic year.

The contract renewal will extend through June 30, 2026. The upcoming school year will mark Dr. Yodis’ 10th year with the district; she served as the Gardner-Dickinson principal for eight years prior to her appointment as the district’s superintendent.

“It has been an absolute pleasure learning and growing together as a community during these years to support so many amazing children,” said Dr. Yodis. “It has truly been an honor and privilege to serve the children, families, staff and community members as your superintendent over the last year and am blessed for the continued opportunity.”

Wynantskill UFSD’s Board of Education meetings will no longer be held virtually.

All Board of Education meetings will be held in the Gardner-Dickinson library at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Dear Families,

Together, our Wynantskill community made it to June. Today, we celebrate the milestone of our school’s doors being open five days a week, every week for both in-person and remote instruction for 10 months. As a school community, we became stronger with each passing month of the school year. Though the year was not without setbacks, it did not stop us. We were lucky to have never shut down for any period of time, and we never gave up no matter the obstacle. We gave a new meaning to “GD Strong.”

Despite the spikes in COVID-19 cases across the state and in our region over the last year, our district’s number of positive cases remained low. To date, we have had a total of 16 COVID-19 cases in our district with seven requiring quarantines. Since the beginning of the school year, there have been 194 students and 22 staff members placed under mandatory quarantine at some point. Even with more than 200 students and staff members exposed to a positive, there was no spread of the virus in our school. I am extremely proud of our community’s efforts to keep the virus out of our school. Thank you!

We have begun planning for the 2021-22 school year to ensure we are continuing to keep our students safe. We are committing to small class sizes to ensure we have six feet of physical distancing should that be a requirement. Final class lists will be mailed this summer as we continue to watch infection rates, regulations and our enrollment.

Getting through this difficult and unprecedented time would not have been possible if it were not for our dedicated school community. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made this school year possible.

Thank you to our Board of Education members.
Since last summer, our Board of Education has been committed to bringing our students back to school and providing them with intensive support in all areas. They supported purchases for school supplies, new technology and ensured that we were equipped with the proper PPE to safely open our school and remain open. Our Board is incredibly active and has been exceedingly supportive and dedicated to making this year such a success. Thank you!

Thank you to our administration, faculty and staff.
Our faculty and staff transitioned back to school after being out for six months with a great deal of fear and trepidation, many of them leaving their own children home as their schools were not open. They focused both on the students in front of them and those on the screen, providing individualized instruction for all students no matter where they were physically, academically, socially or emotionally. They made sure each student had what they needed. 

Our support staff ensured our building was always sanitized; food was served safely; children were supervised at all times; temperatures were taken; hands were clean; children were guided during parent drop off and pick up; technology was working; and communications were frequently posted. 

Our transportation department was incredible. Every driver followed all safety precautions, which enabled them to provide busing for the full 10 months. 

Thank you to Mrs. Cornell for jumping into GD mid-year and working like you have been here for years. Your immediate dedication and commitment to all of us was unlike anything I could have asked for.

Every single employee pushed themselves to the limit, and I am eternally grateful. 

Thank you to our families.
Without you, we could not have made this such a successful year. For those of you who are supporting your students remotely or did so intermittently when there was a quarantine, thank you for switching gears and becoming a teacher. Your support enabled the remote learning option.

Thank you to our students.
Thank you for following each of the new, difficult and unfamiliar rules that were put in place this year even when you didn’t want to. Our students worked hard to always wear masks; keep themselves socially distanced, not touching one another or one another’s belongings; stay in pods; and much more. The list goes on. You are amazing kids. I love each and every one of you, and I am so proud of the hard work you put into this school year. 

From the bottom of my heart, I thank each member of our school community for making this year what I see as a success. Yes, it was difficult and vastly different than anything we have seen before, but it was still a success. Children learned and grew academically, socially and emotionally. I hope you have a wonderful summer, and I look forward to seeing you in September for a more traditional school year. We did it!

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent