November 12, 2020

Dear Families,

There has been an influx of COVID-19 cases at both a national and regional level. The United States recently hit a staggering record of daily cases with more than 120,000 infections in a single day, and the Rensselaer County Department of Health (RCDOH) has confirmed 48 new positive cases within the past three days with Monday, Nov. 9 being the second-highest daily case count since the start of the virus’ outbreak. The numbers continue to grow today.

Over the past few months, we have placed a strong emphasis on social distancing, proper mask wearing, and hand hygiene in an effort to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and to keep our students, staff members and community as safe as possible. Our students have done an exemplary job following all safety protocols and have been taking this seriously. For this, we have our school community’s families to thank.

It is of vital importance we all remain vigilant in reinforcing health and safety protocols during this influx and moving forward, whether we are in school or at home. We understand this has been emphasized for months, but it is crucial we do not let our guard down. 

Please make a constant, conscious effort to follow all guidelines set forth by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Yesterday, Gov. Cuomo announced new guidelines during a press conference. New guidance included limiting both indoor and outdoor gatherings in private homes to 10 people, which will go into effect tomorrow, Nov. 13. at 10 p.m. Gov. Cuomo also recently released an updated travel advisory. Please review our letter explaining the advisory and what it means for us at Gardner-Dickinson.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, the governor’s new guidance may affect holiday plans. Wynantskill UFSD strongly encourages its families to do everything they can to celebrate the holidays in a way that prevents further COVID-19 spread and allows our schools to remain open and safe. Keeping our students safe and providing the healthiest school environment possible is a team effort. Each community member plays a vital role in protecting our students’ education.

We are proud of the way our students have conducted themselves throughout these challenging and difficult times, and we are thankful for our school community’s support and continued commitment. Now is not the time to become complacent. We must persist and continue to act in a responsible, community-centered manner. Now more than ever, we are in this together, and we must remain GD Strong.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Wynantskill UFSD Superintendent

Wynantskill UFSD is looking for school bus drivers. Join our team of professional drivers. Benefits include:

• Paid CDL training
• Competitive salary
• Part-time hours with full-time benefits
• State retirement

If you or someone you know is interested, give us a call at (518) 283-4600.

On Friday, October 30, Gardner-Dickinson kicked off its PBIS program for this school year. November’s initiative is Bee Safe. To learn more about our PBIS program and this month’s initiative, view the presentation below.

PBIS kickoff presentation

Please review the link below on how contact tracing will work in Rensselaer County should a positive case occur.

Contract Tracing Letter – Rensselaer Co Schools

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it would extend flexibilities to allow free meals to continue to be available to all children throughout the entire 2020-2021 school year. Specifically, USDA’s move will enable school districts to continue to leverage the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) to provide no-cost meals to all children, through June 30, 2021. Additionally, the move will permit districts to serve meals outside of the typically required group settings and meal times; waive meal pattern requirements, as necessary; and allow parents and guardians to pick-up meals for their children through June 30, 2021. AASA has engaged in this advocacy effort since the beginning of the pandemic and was proud to secure this victory for Superintendents and other school nutrition leaders.

Read the USDA’s Press Release

Pre-order Gardner Dickinson’s 2020-2021 yearbook to capture this school year’s memories. Yearbooks are $31.94.

The Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center received a generous donation thanks to the hard work and compassion of a Gardner-Dickinson student.

First-grader Giada Pastore raised $400 for the Children’s Hospital and donated hand-made bracelets to patients.

Pastore made colorful mask lanyards for herself and her sister to use at school, and friends admired the lanyards. Pastore’s mother says friends began asking whether they could purchase one of Giada’s lanyards.

After discussing what could be done with the funds, Pastore quickly decided she would like to sell her lanyards and give all the money to children in hospitals for toys and coloring books.

Pastore’s mother posted about her decision on Instagram, and an overwhelming amount of orders came in to support Pastore’s efforts.

Lanyards were sold for $10-$15 each, and Pastore sold more than 20.

Pastore decided to donate hand-made bracelets to children in the hospital to brighten spirits. Each bracelet included words such as “brave” and “strong.”

Pastore says she loved making the lanyards and bracelets, but her favorite part of the process was hearing about all the wonderful things the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital could do with her donation from Albany Medical Center staff.

We have welcomed Substitute Administrator Susan Stoya to our District. Substitute Administrator Stoya has 34 years of education experience. She has worked in Amsterdam, Ballston Spa and Glens Falls School Districts as a special education and reading teacher, and as a school and district administrator. Since retiring in June 2017, she has worked with Troy CSD, Sage Colleges and the Capital Area School Development Association. Substitute Administrator Stoya says she is thrilled to be working with everyone in Wynantskill UFSD and is extremely proud of the teamwork within our District, allowing for successful school reopening. She is a proud mother of three young men and enjoys boating on Lake George, reading and swimming when she is not working. Let’s give Substitute Administrator Stoya a warm welcome to Wynantskill.