December 10, 2020

Dear Families,

Wynantskill UFSD was informed today that a middle school student has tested positive for COVID-19. The student has not been physically present in the building since December 4, 2020.

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

The county has advised that due to the timeframe of the positive case notification we are to continue with our regular cleaning protocols. The District will perform an additional deep clean of the school tonight as a precaution. The building will be open as normal tomorrow, December 11.

We encourage you to offer your full cooperation if you are contacted by a representative of the Department or the District. If you are not contacted by a representative of the Department 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.

The health, safety and well-being of our staff and students remain our top priority. We continue to follow state and local guidance to ensure we are doing everything we possibly can to protect your health.

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

As positive COVID-19 cases continue to rise nationally, state-wide and regionally, please be reminded that you must complete the Daily Health Screening Form for your child(ren) every morning before sending them to school for in-person instruction. Please submit the online screening form each morning, which is sent to a student’s primary contact via email. If you are not receiving the health screening via email, please contact the main office.

Please note that you will receive the form on weekends. You do not need to fill it out on weekends unless contacted to do so. 

Each school community member must do their part to ensure our school environment remains safe. The daily health screening provides our school with pertinent, vital information that allows us to continue in-person learning. 

Completing the daily health screening is not optional. This mandatory daily health screening is a state requirement to help ensure the health and safety of our school community. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Dear Parents, Staff and Faculty:

The 2020 lead in drinking water testing has been completed for Wynantskill UFSD.

The District tested 39 water outlets, which consisted of drinking fountains, bottle fillers, sinks and ice machines throughout the building. Sample collection was conducted by our Questar III BOCES Health & Safety Specialist and analysis was conducted by Pace Analytical Services.

Of the 39 samples drawn within the school building, one sample tested above the allowable 15 micrograms per liter (mcg/L) as per the drinking water regulation.  We have isolated that faucet to prevent consumption until we have the opportunity to investigate, correct and resample. The faucet is identified below:

The sink is now prohibited from consumption until further correction and retesting is completed.

In addition to sharing our test results with parents, guardians and staff, all data has been shared with the Rensselaer County Department of Health and Questar III BOCES Health & Safety Office.

The Wynantskill UFSD is committed to providing a safe and healthy learning environment for all students and staff members. We will inform you of the resampling result of the kitchen sink when it becomes available. Our complete lab reports are posted on our website.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent

November 23, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians:

We take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done to date to stay healthy and keep your children and families safe. Your hard work in keeping everyone healthy and safe has allowed us to keep schools open for in-person instruction.

We are now entering a dangerous and uncertain time as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across our country and state. Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are accelerating across the country as more governors and local officials announce new measures to try to combat the spread of COVID-19. Locally, the eight counties that make up the Capital Region reported 271 new infections on November 16, which is the highest total of the pandemic.

We meet virtually with superintendents in Rensselaer, Columbia, and Greene counties twice a week and with our county health departments weekly to discuss COVID-19 related developments and ways we can continue to keep our buildings safely open for students and staff. In working with the local health department, it is concerning to hear of the ways COVID-19 is spreading. This includes parties (i.e., Halloween, birthday, gender reveal, baby showers), family gatherings with members from outside the household, social gatherings with friends, and interstate competitions.

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.

Please continue to follow all safety guidelines outside of school hours including proper use of face coverings, social distancing, handwashing, avoiding gatherings and travel to states with high positivity rates and keeping your child home if they are sick.

As we look ahead to the Thanksgiving break, we ask for your help in making sure everyone celebrates and observes this year’s activities in a different way that puts health and safety first. According to the CDC, the safest way to celebrate this year is to celebrate with people in your household. Please consider virtual gatherings or other activities that reduce your and your child’s risk of getting the virus. Traveling, sharing food, and attending indoor gatherings outside your household increases your risk – and the risk of spreading COVID-19 within our schools.

We will be required by the state to test students and staff to keep schools open if the virus continues to spread in our region and we are identified by the state as a yellow, orange or red micro-cluster. While we are prepared for the possibility of a shift to remote learning in the future, we ask for your continued partnership so that we can remain open for in-person instruction. Ultimately, how well we continue to follow the COVID-19 protocols individually and collectively will determine whether we can continue to keep our school building open.

Finally, while the initial reports on two vaccines look promising, they may not be available to us until later this spring. As a result, we need to prepare ourselves mentally for a long winter ahead. This includes staying informed, being prepared if more restrictions are implemented, shrinking our social bubbles, connecting with others virtually and keeping our guards up.

We know that you have made many sacrifices the past eight months and for that we thank you. We ask that you please continue your efforts to contain this virus so that we can keep our schools open.

Thank you for your cooperation, support, and patience.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent

Gardner-Dickinson students virtually performed science experiments with local Regeneron scientists this week.

Regeneron, a leading biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases, reached out to partner with Gardner-Dickinson during the 2019-2020 school year to visit students and perform STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) experiments with all grade levels.

This school year, Regeneron did not allow the ongoing pandemic to stop them from working with our students. Eight local Regeneron scientists joined classrooms virtually to bring students valuable science lessons and demonstrations.

Scientists virtually performed four experiments with students which included creating a leak-proof plastic bag, turning milk into plastic and more. Students applied the scientific method, making observations and forming hypotheses on each experiment.

Each student received an experiment bag from the biotechnology company. Bags contained pencils, a pencil sharpener, a book, markers and two at-home science experiments. All necessary materials for experiments are included. Experiments in bags are The Greenhouse Effect and Chromatography Butterflies.

Each bag given to students included inspirational quotes such as “try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud,” made famous by Maya Angelou. 

Regeneron continues to inspire our students through collaborative work and immersive experiences. Wynantskill UFSD would like to thank Regeneron for all efforts in submerging students in STEM fields.

Virtual classroom experiments and experiment bags were provided by the biotechnology company’s Rensselaer location.

Experiment bags are available for interested virtual students. Virtual families may pick up experiment bags in the main office vestibule at the following times: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., and 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

November 19, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Wynantskill UFSD was informed today that a middle school student has tested positive for COVID-19. The student has not been physically present in the building since November 10, 2020.

Per our health and safety protocols, we have been in communication with the Rensselaer County Department of Health to determine any necessary follow-up. The District is assisting the Department with contact tracing efforts using attendance records. The county is continuing to investigate at this time. The county has advised that due to the timeframe of the positive case notification we are to continue with our regular cleaning protocols. The District will perform an additional deep clean of the school tonight as a precaution. The building will be open as normal tomorrow, November 20.

We encourage you to offer your full cooperation if you are contacted by a representative of the Department or the District. If you are not contacted by a representative of the Department or the District, there is no further action needed on your part.

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.

Please 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 and report any absences and positive COVID-19 test results to your child’s school. Symptoms vary, and some people may not experience any symptoms. Please contact your healthcare provider (or the county health department if you do not have one) to be assessed if you or your child have one or more of these new or worsening symptoms:

• a temperature greater or equal to 100.0° F
• feel feverish or have chills
• cough
• loss of taste or smell
• fatigue
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• muscle pain or body aches
• headaches or nasal congestion/running nose

Thank you all for your ongoing efforts to keep Wynantskill UFSD safe and healthy. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent