WPTA Krause’s Candy Fundraiser

The Wynantskill PTA presents the Krause’s Homemade Candy fundraiser.

Order forms and item descriptions are available online.

Please note that fundraiser orders cannot be placed online. Please print out and hand in your order form to your child’s teacher.
Shipping is not available. Orders will need to be picked up at the school. (Candy orders will be in either the week of March 8 or March 15)

Packets are available in the main office if needed.

The order deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 24. Please make checks payable to Wynantskill PTA.

 

Positive COVID-19 Case in Wynantskill UFSD

Dear Families,

The Wynantskill UFSD has learned today that an elementary student has tested positive for COVID-19. The positive individual’s last date of attendance was Feb. 3, 2021.

We have been in close communication with the Rensselaer County Department of Health (RCDOH) to determine any necessary follow-up. The district is assisting the RCDOH with contact tracing efforts using attendance records. RCDOH is continuing to investigate at this time.

The county has advised the district to continue with its regular cleaning protocols. The building will be open as normal on Monday, February 8.

We encourage you to offer your full cooperation if you are contacted by a representative of the RCDOH or the district. If you are not contacted by a representative of the RCDOH or the district, there is no further action needed on your part and you may continue your usual schedule. If at any point you or someone in your family is directed to quarantine, please respect what you are being asked to do in the interest of public health. People in quarantine need to stay home, separate themselves from others in the home, monitor their health and follow directions from the local health department.

Due to privacy laws, we cannot divulge any further information about the positive individual, and we ask that our families respect the positive individual’s privacy.

We ask that all families continue to follow all safety guidelines outside of school hours including proper use of face coverings, social distancing, proper hand hygiene and avoiding gatherings and travel to states with high positivity rates. We also remind you to please complete the daily health screening form for your child prior to sending them to school.

Please monitor your child(ren) for any symptoms of COVID-19 and report any absences and positive COVID-19 test results to your child’s school.

Thank you all for your continued support and ongoing efforts to keep Wynantskill UFSD safe and healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent

Wynantskill UFSD Gardner-Dickinson

Mid-Year Recap with Superintendent Dr. Yodis

Dear Families,

Happy February! I am thrilled we are starting our sixth month of the school year and are still able to safely offer in-person learning five days a week here at Gardner-Dickinson. Despite the spikes in COVID-19 cases across the state and in our region over the past few months, the district’s number of positive cases remains low. 

To date, we have had a total of nine COVID-19 cases in our district. Two staff members and seven students have tested positive since the beginning of the school year, of which four were middle school students and three were elementary students. Three of the seven students who have tested positive occurred over the holiday break, so no quarantining was necessary for those cases.

As I recap the district’s numbers, I’d like to address additional data. When we had cases where positive individuals’ last date of attendance fell within the exposure time frame and placed students and staff under a mandatory quarantine, no one developed symptoms or tested positive as a result of exposure. Since the beginning of the school year, there have been 106 students and 15 staff members placed under mandatory quarantine at some point. That brings the district to a total of 121 people exposed with no spread of the virus.

This supports the ideology of federal and state officials, health departments and other experts who say the spread in schools is limited and that students are safer in school. 

I am overwhelmingly proud of the efforts from our faculty, staff, families and our students who continue to follow all safety procedures and protocols this difficult, unprecedented school year. The year has thrown us a number of curveballs including teachers having to adjust to teaching in-person and remote students simultaneously, Zoom parent and faculty meetings, parents jumping in as tutors and helping community members and students and staff maintaining social distance and wearing masks. Implementing all of these procedures has allowed us the privilege of seeing our students five days a week, a feat not commonly conquered. I sincerely thank everyone for their efforts. This has been a team effort.  

I would like to thank everyone who participated in our district survey to gauge how things are going at the mid-way point of the school year. I’d like to take this opportunity to share some pertinent data gathered:

  • About 92% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they feel their child is safe at the Gardner-Dickinson school
  • 95.2% of respondents either agree or strongly agree that the drop off and pick up process is going well
  • 98% of respondents either agree or strongly agree that the district addresses state and local mandates and what they mean for us

Your feedback is crucial to further development within the district and provides us with insight on areas in need of improvement. I’d like to thank everyone who participated again. We will be using your responses to guide changes and continue navigating through the school year.

Our winter recess is approaching (Feb. 15-19). I’d like to remind everyone to follow Gov. Cuomo’s travel guidelines during the break to prevent further spread of the virus within our region. Please continue the tremendous work you have all been doing throughout the year by properly wearing masks, social distancing and practicing proper hand hygiene through the break. Have a safe and happy February break!

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent

Columbia High School Honors Course Applications Due

Has your 8th grader decided to attend Columbia High School in the fall? If so, please review this important information regarding honors-level courses at Columbia High.
Statements of Interest for honors-level courses English 9H and AP World History are due by Feb. 5.
Links to submit Statements of Interest are below:
After February break, all students who submitted a Statement of Interest will receive an invitation to take the qualifying exam.
Please contact School Counselor Amy Murphy with any questions.

Snow Day Feb. 2, 2021

Dear Families,

The Wynantskill UFSD will have a snow day tomorrow, Feb. 2, 2021, due to inclement weather. Please be reminded there will be no remote instruction. The Wynantskill UFSD values traditional snow days, and we hope all of our students are able to get outside and safely enjoy the winter weather tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent

Positive COVID-19 Case in Wynantskill UFSD

Jan. 26, 2021

Dear Wynantskill UFSD Community

The district learned today that an elementary student has tested positive for COVID-19. The student has not been physically present in the building since Jan. 19, 2021.

We have been in close communication with the Rensselaer County Department of Health to determine any necessary follow-up, and the Rensselaer County Department of Health has determined no contact tracing is required due to the timeframe of the positive. No action is necessary by any students or staff. Gardner-Dickinson will remain open as normal tomorrow, Jan. 27.

Due to privacy laws, we cannot divulge any further information about the positive individual, and we ask that our families respect the positive individual’s privacy.

We ask that all families continue to follow all safety guidelines outside of school hours including proper use of face coverings, social distancing, proper hand hygiene and avoiding gatherings and travel to states with high positivity rates. We also remind you to please complete the daily health screening form for your child prior to sending them to school.

Please monitor your child(ren) for any symptoms of COVID-19 and report any absences and positive COVID-19 test results to the district.

Thank you all for your continued support and ongoing efforts to keep Wynantskill UFSD safe and healthy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent

 

Grade 8 Parent Night Presentation with Averill Park

Please view the following message from Averill Park High School Assistant Principal Christina Mein:

Greetings Gardner Dickinson Students and Families,

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you information for our annual Grade 8 Transition to Averill Park High School Parent Information event.  Due to the pandemic, this event will be held virtually this year.  Below are links to the Grade 8 Parent Night Presentation (these videos will also be posted on our district website and social media sites at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, 1/27/2021).
In addition to the 8th Grade Parent Night Presentation, there are several short supplemental videos from each of our elective departments.  In each of these short department videos, you can see the wide array of courses that are available for your incoming Freshman to select from.  Here are links to the presentation & supplemental videos:
We are so excited to welcome you to Averill Park High School!  If you have any questions, please contact me, or any of our other APHS administrators.
Sincerely,
Christina

Pre-K and Kindergarten Registration

Pre-K and kindergarten registrations are now open for the 2021-2022 school year.

For pre-k registration, students must be 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2021. For kindergarten registration, students must be 5 years old by Dec. 1, 2021.

Our pre-k program is limited to 15 students on a first come, first served basis.

Please contact Ms. Fazioli at 518-283-4600 ex. 10 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for more information, and download our pre-k and kindergarten registration packets online.

Pre-K Registration Flyer
Kindergarten Registration Flyer