Category Archives: District

Appreciation Week – Friday

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Today, we are appreciating our bus drivers, custodians, parents and students!
Our bus drivers have worked hard ensuring students remain six feet apart while getting to and from school and disinfecting all seats between use of buses.
Our custodial and maintenance staff learned about new health and safety protocols and worked day and night disinfecting classrooms, hallways and all other areas within the building and helping to move furniture to ensure a six-foot distance between each student’s workspace.
THANK YOU, PARENTS! You have quickly stepped into the role of at-home tutors and were patient and understanding through all of the changes thrown your way. A total of 50% of our parents drop off and pick up students from school, which is what has allowed our district to be open five days a week for the entirety of the school year! We are so appreciative of all your hard work and support throughout the year!
Last, but certainly not least, our students adapted to every obstacle that came their way this past year. Many of our students are too young to fully understand what has been happening, and their lives have been turned upside down. Through the many changes students faced including separation from friends, adapting to online learning and more, they overcame and continued with their education, no matter how the pandemic changed their lives. Our students are our heroes, and they’re the ones we work so hard for day in and day out.

Appreciation Week – Thursday

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Today, we are taking a moment to appreciate our Board of Education, office staff, aides and food service workers.
Our Board of Education has continued to volunteer their time to ensure students have ample opportunities, even during the pandemic. Their uninterrupted support to district has been invaluable throughout the pandemic.
Our office staff worked to answer any questions parents and guardians had and supported other departments in everyday operations to ensure all aspects of reopening plans were implemented daily.
Our aides stepped in to take student temperatures, assist in drop-off and pick-up and more.
Our food service department prepared thousands of student meals during the 2019-20 shutdown and delivered individually wrapped meals during the 2020-21 school year. Their hard work ensured all students always had food on their plates.
Because of you all, Gardner-Dickinson is #OneYearStronger.

Online Book Fair

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Gardner-Dickinson will hold an online book fair from March 22 – April 4. Shipping is free on book-only purchases over $25.

Learn more and browse more than 6,000 products on our book fair homepage.

Camp Innov@tion at TVHS

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Tech Valley High School is pleased to announce that it will once again be hosting Camp Innov@tion for middle school students (current 6th and 7th graders) this summer on its Albany campus.  Interested students can visit summercamp.questar.org for more information and the opportunity to register.

Appreciation Week – Tuesday

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Today, we would like to thank our first responders.
Town of North Greenbush Police Department, Wynantskill Fire Department and North Greenbush EMS have ensured the larger community as well as our school community remained safe during the pandemic.
Thank you for coming to our school during fire drills, lockdown drills and more to make sure our students know the proper protocols to execute these drills during the pandemic. The North Greenbush Police Department assisted in a lockdown drill just yesterday. You are one of the reasons we are #OneYearStronger.

Positive COVID-19 Case in Wynantskill UFSD

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March 10, 2021

Dear Families,

The Wynantskill UFSD has learned today that a middle school student has tested positive for COVID-19.

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 district will perform an additional deep clean of the school as a precaution. The building will be open as normal.

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

Virtual Literacy Fair

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Gardner-Dickinson is hosting its first Virtual Literacy Fair. Students may create a project at home inspired by something they have read or have had read to them. Projects based on books and original writing are welcome. Examples of projects include but are not limited to: posters, dioramas, mobiles, book reports, comic books and poetry.  We will display and celebrate the projects at the end of the month in a virtual school assembly. If your child is interested in participating, please fill out the registration form and return it to your child’s teacher by Friday, March 19.  Participants will have the opportunity to win Scholastic gift certificates! All students are invited to participate.

Timeline of Events: 

Friday, Mar. 19 registration form due

Monday, Mar. 29 digital photograph of the project due 

Week of Mar. 29 virtual presentation of projects, gift certificate winners announced

Please email Katie Sheehan with questions. A digital photograph of the project should also be sent to Mrs. Sheehan at the same email address.

If your presentation changes or if you decide not to participate in the Literacy Fair, please email Mrs. Sheehan so we can update our records. We look forward to seeing all of the projects!

Wynantskill UFSD Sports Update

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March 1, 2021

Dear Families,

As we continue to navigate through the pandemic and strive toward normalcy as research, vaccinations and declining infection rates progress, Gardner-Dickinson is provisionally examining the return of sports.

Governor Cuomo announced participants in higher-risk sports may participate in individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training and other types of play, including competitions and tournaments, if permitted by local health authorities. Detailed interim guidance for sports and recreation during the COVID-19 public health emergency set forth by the state is available here.

Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLoughlin and Public Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas indicated their support for the return of high-risk sports in Rensselaer County and provided Rensselaer County-specific guidelines (in addition to state guidance). High-risk sports include football, wrestling, ice hockey, rugby, basketball, contact lacrosse, volleyball, martial arts and competitive cheer and dance. 

Because a large portion of the school year has passed while students were unable to play, Section 2 announced the following condensed seasons:

  • Winter Season: March 13, 2021 end date
  • Fall 2 Season: March 7-May 1, 2021
  • Spring Season: May 2-June 25, 2021 (Baseball only will begin on April 28, 2021 due to the 10 required practice rule)

As a reminder, Wynantskill UFSD canceled the 2020-21 basketball season in November. The district does not offer any of the above listed high-risk sports during the fall season. At this time, Wynantskill UFSD is exploring the possibility of implementing baseball and softball seasons during the condensed spring season, as noted above, should the Rensselaer County rates remain below 4%. 

As a preliminary action, we ask that parents interested in their child participating in baseball or softball seasons please reach out to Athletic Director Dan DiSotto indicating interest. Please note that Section 2 requires student athletes to wear face coverings during play unless otherwise noted by the student’s physician they are unable to tolerate a face covering, and rapid COVID-19 testing may be a requirement of participation. 

We thank you for your continued support. Please contact me or Athletic Director Dan DiSotto directly with any questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent

March is Pick a Reading Partner (PARP) Month

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March is Pick a Reading Partner (PARP) Month!

What is PARP?
PARP is a statewide family reading program initiated by the late Senator Donovan and implemented voluntarily by school districts. The program began as a result of concern for children’s declining interest in reading for pleasure. The purpose of the program is to help develop good reading habits and a positive attitude toward reading beyond the classroom.

Bee a Reader Theme
This year, our program theme is Bee a Reader! Now more than ever, we want to recognize and thank you, our GD families, for your role in your child’s educational development. Even though the pandemic means we won’t be able to host a live author visit, family shopping night or Literacy Fair this year, we can still celebrate the joys of reading together and recognize our star readers. We truly appreciate all you do to help your child Bee a Reader!

Program Details

  • Program Dates:  March 1-March 31, 2021
  • PTA Book Fair (Online Shopping Only): March 22-April 4 
  • Reading Record Calendar (completed) due: Wednesday, March 31

Reading record calendars are available here. They must be filled out by an adult for each day read. To complete the program, students must read a minimum of 20 days for 15 minutes per day with a parent or other partner. Completed calendars should be returned to classroom teachers on March 31. At the conclusion of the program, certificates and awards will be presented to participants who read a minimum of 20 days for 15 minutes per day and returned their completed reading record calendar on time.

High School Choice Selections Due March 12

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The time has come for our grade 8 students to make their high school choice selections. Selections must be submitted to the district no later than Friday, March 12. Students can choose from Averill Park High School, Columbia High School, Tamarac High School, Tech Valley High School and Troy High School. Please review this letter from School Counselor Mrs. Murphy to access the high school selection form and learn more.