Gardner-Dickinson celebrated Two’s Day yesterday as a school community, including Twin Day by grade level. This included Pre-K/4th Grade wearing red, Kindergarten/5th Grade wearing orange, 1st Grade/6th Grade wearing yellow, 2nd Grade/7th Grade wearing green and 3rd Grade/8th Grade wearing blue.
UPDATE
With the impending snowstorm tomorrow, we are extending the due date for Valentine’s cards to Monday, February 7. Stock up on or pull out the crafting supplies – valentines cards would be a great cozy day activity!
Don’t forget our essential workers! Let’s spread the love and kindness to the nurses at Van Rensselaer too! 💖.
Please leave Valentine’s cards loose (not in envelopes). Thank you all so much for your amazing caring and compassion!
As a result of the Support Services Review, led by consultant John Yagielski, Wynantskill created a new position to supervise and support both Buildings and Grounds and Transportation Departments.
This new position titled, Head of Buildings, Ground and Transportation, was targeted to a person with a vast knowledge and experience in school facilities and someone willing and capable of overseeing the transportation after some extensive training from our very own consultant, Mike Goyer.
After many rounds of interviews and background checks, we are excited to have found the perfect person to join our team.
Join me in welcoming Rocco Mazzarello to the Wynantskill UFSD as Head of Buildings, Grounds and Transportation. He comes to us with 30 years of experience in heavy highway construction and most recently, Rocco held the position of the Assistant Director of Facilities for the Troy City School District.
When asked to tell us a little bit about his interests outside of work, Rocco listed the following:
If you should have any questions or concerts, please feel free to reach out to Rocco at 518-283-4600 ex.127 or email him at rmazzarello@wynantskillufsd.org.
Thank you so much for the feedback at the town hall meetings last week as well as the feedback provided through our online survey. Your feedback is invaluable as we move forward to improve the outcomes for our students. We will be scheduling opportunities for ongoing discussions as we plan for the 2nd half of the year and next year but please know that you never have to wait to ask a question or provide feedback. You can always call or email our principal, Suzann Cornell at 518-283-4600 ex. 201 and scornell@wynantskillufsd.org or myself at myodis@wynantskillufsd.org and 518-283-4600 ex.250.
We welcome your comments and questions at anytime!
Thank you!
Dr. Mary Yodis
Superintendent
Wynantskill UFSD residents who are interested in running for a Board of Education position can find the nominating petition below. Each nominating petition must contain a minimum of 25 valid signatures and must be returned to the district clerk by 5 p.m. on April 18, 2022.
Board Candidate Packet (including the petition)
Handbook for Running for the School Board (New York State School Boards Association)
The Wynantskill PTA would like your support to help Share the Love this Valentine’s Day!
Let’s help bring Cupid to the residents at Van Rensselaer Manor Nursing Facility by creating some fabulous Valentine’s Day cards!
There’s no limit on how many cards you can submit so create, share, and show all the love you can!
Please send cards to school to be left in the Main Office.
All cards must be received by Friday February 4.
Let’s “royally” brighten someone’s day with some love and kindness.
Dear GD Families:
I want to thank those of you who attended our town hall meetings by grade level last evening. We had about 100 family members as well as PTA and BOE members in attendance to engage in important conversations about the current school year.
I have attached the PowerPoint slides, the calendar list of actual and anticipated activities, a bulleted summary of the discussions as well as the actual notes taken by my assistant, Heidi Hallock.
If you were unable to attend and would like to provide your feedback, please complete our online survey by Friday, January 28 at https://www.wynantskillufsd.org/2022/01/24/survey-for-families-unable-to-attend-1-25-town-hall/
We will then share the results of this survey in the upcoming week.
Thank you again for your time, feedback, suggestions, and your support to our school district.
We look forward to working with you to make improvements for our children.
Dr. Mary Yodis
Superintendent
Wynantskill UFSD is now accepting Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten applications for the 2022-2023 school year.
For Pre-K registration, students must be 4 years old by Dec. 1. For kindergarten registration, students must be 5 years old by Dec. 1.
Pre-K registrations are due by February 8, 2022. Please note due to the program’s limited enrollment an application does not guarantee a spot in the program. Applicants will be notified by March 4, 2022.
Gardner-Dickinson School is accepting kindergarten registrations by phone for the 2022-23 school year. Parents are asked to contact Ms. Fazioli at 518-283-4600 ext. 201 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Download our Pre-k and kindergarten registration packets online.
Wynantskill UFSD is aware that a state judge ruled the Governor and State Department of Health did not have the authority to enact a mask mandate without approval from the state legislature.
However, we received notice last evening from the New York State Education Department that the State Department of Health will appeal the decision and seek a stay regarding the enforcement of the mask rule.
As a result, the State Education Department has indicated that schools must continue to require the use of masks pending the outcome of the appeal.
Below is the full statement from the State Education Department in response to the ruling:
“The State Education Department understands that Nassau County Supreme Court has ruled that the Department of Health exceeded its authority in enacting the mask regulation, 10 NYCRR 2.60, in Demetriou et al. v. New York State Dep’t of Health et al. This regulation is the subject of conflicting decisions, insofar as Albany County Supreme Court recently upheld the regulation in Massapequa UFSD et al. v. Hochul, et al.
It is SED’s understanding that the Department of Health will appeal the Nassau County Supreme Court decision, which will result in an automatic stay that will unambiguously restore the mask rule until such time as an appellate court issues a further ruling. Therefore, schools must continue to follow the mask rule.”
We will communicate any changes to COVID protocols as they happen. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent
On Tuesday, January 25th, Wynantskill UFSD will hold three Town Hall Meetings in our gymnasium to hear from families.
The meetings will be held at the following times:
Please RVSP to Heidi Hallock at Hhallock@wynantskillufsd.org or (518) 283-4600 ex. 250 so we can plan for chairs and refreshments.
We invite those who are unable to attend to fill out the survey below.