Eighth graders learned about their options next year at the annual High School Fair on Jan. 14.
Students asked questions about graduation requirements, extracurricular activities and AP courses while speaking with representatives from Averill Park, Brittonkill, East Greenbush and Troy school districts as well as Tech Valley High School.
Thank to our participating school districts for spending time with our students!
Former Siena Saints and Harlem Globetrotters basketball player Tay Fisher visited Gardner-Dickinson School the week of of Jan. 6 to share a positive message with students.
Mr. Fisher spent Wednesday with younger students, teaching them basketball moves and talking to them about the importance of supporting each other and similar positive character lessons.
On Thursday, Mr. Fisher shared his life story with grades 7 and 8, speaking about challenges he overcame growing up and inspiring students to work hard and stay focused on things that are important to them.
“What is your why? Why do you work hard?” Mr. Fisher asked students.
“To make my family proud,” said one student.
“To change people’s lives,” said another student.
Mr. Fisher praised students’ answers and noted how hard he had to work to earn his master’s degree from The College of St. Rose, which took him 10 years to complete because he was always traveling with the Harlem Globetrotters. He noted his motivation was to walk across the stage in front of his parents to make them proud.
Mr. Fisher also shared highlight videos of when he helped his Siena Saints team win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship as a senior and his time with the Harlem Globetrotters. While he loved traveling the world with the Harlem Globetrotters – visiting all 50 states and 75 countries – Mr. Fisher explained he retired so he could spend time with his wife and child.
“I’m in a new chapter and my family is everything,” said Mr. Fisher.
Thank you so much for spending time with our students this week!
Dear Middle School Families,
Wynantskill Union Free School District is planning to host a Career Day for students in grades 6-8 on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The theme of this year’s day is: “This is Why You’re Learning This in School.” This theme will allow us to highlight the relevance of our curriculum, in particular how it relates to future career paths.
We are seeking parents interested in sharing their careers with our students. Your involvement would be greatly appreciated. The more varied careers, the better! Entrepreneurs and skilled trades are highly encouraged to join us.
As our students prepare for high school and beyond, we want them to know of the many career opportunities available from our local employers. In particular, we would like to open their eyes to careers they might not know about. We plan to offer small group sessions running approximately 20-25 minutes but we can be flexible depending on your schedule. We also can accommodate any of your space or technology needs.
If you would be interested in sharing your career with our students, please return the bottom portion of this form by Friday, Jan. 10.
If you have ANY questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas Reardon
Superintendent
Wynantskill Union Free School District
treardon@wynantskillufsd.org
Wynantskill UFSD held a lockdown drill Dec. 9 to help keep students and staff safe.
The drill allows the district to practice safety procedures and ensures police are familiar with our building in the event of an emergency.
Thank you to the Town of North Greenbush Police Department for assisting us with this drill and their commitment to keeping our students safe.
Wynantskill UFSD is proud to welcome Rebecca Davis, the school’s new School Psychologist and Committee for Special Education Chairperson.
Ms. Davis said she is excited to get to know and work with families, noting she entered her field wanting to work with elementary and middle school children. The size of Gardner-Dickinson School is also a great fit, she added.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I try to show that every day,” Ms. Davis said. “I have an open door policy. If anyone has any questions about special education or how students are doing academically, socially, emotionally or behaviorally, they can come to me.”
In her role as a school psychologist, Ms. Davis will help create a safe and supportive learning environment for all students by working closely with teachers, parents, students and community members. She also will provide counseling services and social skill lessons for students and will serve as a resource for families.
As CSE Chairperson, Ms. Davis will work with the Special Education Committee and collaborate with families to develop Individualized Education Programs for students.
Ms. Davis earned a bachelor’s degree from the University at Albany and a master’s degree in school psychology at Marist College. She previously worked for Berkshire Union Free School District and Lincoln Hall Boys’ Haven.
“We are so fortunate to have Ms. Davis join our team,” said Superintendent Dr. Thomas Reardon. “We had a very competitive pool of applicants and to have someone with such diverse experience who has worked with students from elementary through high school and is so eager to work with families will make her a positive addition to Gardner-Dickinson.”
Grade 7: Gideon Abbas, Juliana Brammer, Majella Briggs, Elizabeth Carbone, Joseph Coonan, Charlize DeLair, Briana Giles, Gianna Gross, Isabella Maroncelli and Laila Thomas.
Grade 8: Ryan Bates, Braden Ceresia, Christina Decker, Samantha Flagg, Gabriela Geise, Molly Graiff, Angela Lanesey, Mia Lucey, Ethan Nardacci, Chloe Rodriguez, Taylor Schoonmaker, Athena Seebald and Laura VerWys.
Grade 7: Katriona Backaus, Kade Baker, Eleazar Bilek, Spencer Giles, Gabriella Gumlaw, Ethan Keenan, Maura Lander, Joseph Leinfelder, Maximus Remington, Ava Reo, Gabriella Rokjer, Marcus Rokjer, Caleb Rupp, Michaela Ryan, Avary Vejvoda, Alexis Vincent, Hailey Wagner, Carley Walsh and Brooklyn Wells.
Grade 8: Sydney Davey, Madeline Defreest, Ethan Hallenbeck, Jireh Henriquez, Owen Hirokawa, Alexander Kaplan, Anya Kulzer, Rita Lin, Isabela Niver, Olivia Palmer, Keely Panichi, Alivia Reo, Max Ryan, Abram Weatherwax and Carter Zimmerman.
Gardner-Dickinson students have been reading to therapy dogs this year to help them with their reading.
Reading Specialist Katie Sheehan explained the therapy dogs help students feel more comfortable and motivates them to read.
Thank you to Therapy Dogs International for bringing Buddy to our school!
Pre-K through grade 4 enjoyed fun, hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities on Oct. 28 thanks to Regeneron.
Each year, the biotechnology company holds a Day for Doing Good, a company-wide global day of service to give back to communities.
A group of employees visited Gardner-Dickinson to lead students through engaging activities such as building geodesic domes from toothpicks and gumdrops and making bubbling lava lamps. Students had fun while learning about science principles such as density, magnetism and chemical reactions.
Thank you so much for spending the day with our students!
Wynantskill UFSD held a lockdown drill Oct. 21 to help keep students and staff safe.
The drill allows the district to practice safety procedures and ensures police are familiar with our building in the event of an emergency.
Thank you to the Town of North Greenbush Police Department for assisting us with this drill and their commitment to keeping our students safe.
