April 15, 2021

Dear Families,

The Wynantskill UFSD received confirmation today that a middle school student and an elementary student have tested positive for COVID-19. The students have not been physically present in the building since April 1.

No contact tracing is required, per Rensselaer County Department of Health, due to the extended absence.

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

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

On Tuesday May 4, 2021 the Wynantskill PTA will be holding a Zoom meeting at which time they will be electing new
officers to serve on the PTA Executive Board for the 2021-2023 school years. A nominating committee has been
formed and the WPTA would like your input on recommending PTA officers to fill these positions. Officers will serve
a term of two years, and no more than one two-year term in the same office.

Please review the PTA’s nomination letter here for more information and to access the nomination form.

The spring edition of the Social, Emotional and Mental Health Newsletter is here. New to this newsletter are resources to help educators and parents navigate special education and more.

Access the spring edition of the Social, Emotional and Mental Health Newsletter here.

Mr. Flannery was named a WNYT Top Teacher! We are so lucky to him here at Gardner-Dickinson, and we are incredibly proud.

Don’t miss the segment! View the story below:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced domestic travelers will no longer be required to quarantine after entering New York from another U.S. state or U.S. territory beginning April 1.

Today, the district received confirmation from the Rensselaer County Department of Health that the Department will adopt this new travel guidance. Beginning tomorrow, April 1, there will be no restrictions on domestic travel. Here is what this means for families: 

• Effective April 1, there will be no need to quarantine when returning to New York from any other state in the country. 
• It does not matter whether or not you have received the vaccine; you may travel without restrictions upon your return. 
• International travel still has restrictions, and those returning from another country must follow quarantine protocols. 
• If you travel, you must still complete the traveler health form, which can be found here. 
• Travelers do not have to be tested upon return to New York unless they are symptomatic. If you or anyone in your household is experiencing symptoms, do not send your child to school. 
• Continue to complete the daily health screening form each morning and monitor for COVID-19 symptoms. 
• Please understand that in the event positive cases spike again, travel restrictions may return, and you may need to quarantine if they are implemented while you are out of state. 

We ask that our families continue to be safe during spring break, no matter what your plans are. While we are encouraged by the fact vaccines are becoming available to more of our community members, only a fraction of the population has received both doses at this time. We must continue to be vigilant and follow all health and safety protocols so our region does not experience another spike of COVID-19 positives. Please continue to wear face coverings while in the presence of those you do not live with, practice social distancing and proper hand hygiene. 

We hope our school community enjoys spring break to the fullest extent possible while staying safe. We look forward to seeing everyone again after break.

Dear Gardner-Dickinson Families,

Spring is here! I hope you have been enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather this past week. Our students have been thrilled to get outside during school hours.

As we now find ourselves almost three-quarters of the way through the 2020-21 school year, administration typically develops plans for state assessments at this time. Following the unprecedented nature of this school year, plans have become a bit more complex.

In February, the New York State Education Department submitted a waiver to the United States Department of Education that would not require New York districts to administer state assessments due to circumstances surrounding the ongoing pandemic. At this time, that waiver has not been granted. Wynantskill UFSD is following the situation closely, but we must begin preparing plans to administer state assessments in the event the waiver does not get approved. 

While students may have to take state assessment tests, there will be changes in assessments this year. Only the first session of the Grades 3-8 math and ELA exams will be administered instead of two sessions, and only the written portion of the Grades 4 and 8 science exams will be administered while the performance tests will not be given.

The district has planned to administer state assessments on the following dates:

• Wednesday, April 21 Grades 3-8 ELA Testing
• Wednesday, May 5 Grades 3-8 Math Testing
• Tuesday, June 8 Grades 4 and 8 Science Testing

All state assessments will begin at 9 a.m. on the above dates. Students will have as much time as they need to complete the assessments, though we anticipate testing to take about an hour. Assessments will be administered to all in-person students. Remote students are not required to participate in testing, but remote students may participate in testing if their parent or guardian requests. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely,

Suzann Cornell
Gardner-Dickinson Principal
scornell@wynantskillufsd.org
518-283-4600 ext. 10

March 23, 2021

Dear Families,

Wynantskill UFSD learned today that an elementary student has tested positive for COVID-19. The student has not been physically present in the building since March 15, 2021.

We have been in close communication with the Rensselaer County Department of Health (RCDOH) to determine any necessary follow-up, and RCDOH 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.

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