Picture Day 2020 Information

Picture day will be Tuesday, October 20. Students will line up outdoors, six feet apart, near the gym entrance. Photos will be taken inside the gym, one at a time. Every possible precaution will be taken to implement picture day safely. Lifetouch has implemented COVID-19 protocols to ensure the health and safety of school communities. Please review Lifetouch’s picture day safety video. If you do not wish for your student to have their picture taken this year, please email Superintendent Mary Yodis to opt out. Otherwise, your student’s photo will be taken.

Wynantskill UFSD would like to let families know that all students are now eligible for free school meals due to the USDA extending its free summer meals program.

The USDA recently announced it was extending the program until December 31, or until available funding expires, to help ensure children have access to school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, students who purchase breakfast or lunch at school will not be charged. Student account balances will be maintained until the USDA funding expires.

Families who may qualify for the Free and Reduced Price Meal Program are also encouraged to submit applications for the 2020-21 school year. Families who qualify can continue to receive meals at no charge through the end of the school year. Please contact Lori Audi at laudi@wynantskillufsd.org or 518-283-4600 ext. 22 for an application or questions.

Gardner-Dickinson School will hold Virtual Back-to-School Open Houses Monday, September 28 through Friday, October 2.

We will share information about how families can join the Open Houses virtually as soon as details are finalized.

Thank you.

We would like to share with families that the use of gaiters or face shields are not recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their effectiveness in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 is unknown at this time and is being evaluated. Students may wear a face shield in addition to a mask if they choose.

If families have children who can not wear a mask and can only wear a gaiter or face shield, please contact Superintendent Dr. Mary Yodis at 518-283-4600 ext. 10 so we can make accommodations.

Cloth face masks or face coverings that cover the nose and mouth and fit the face snuggly are recommended. The district has disposable facemasks for students who need them.

Read our Face Mask and Cloth Face Covering Protocols here.

Dear families,

To help ensure the health and safety of all our students, Gardner-Dickinson School is now a peanut and tree nut free school due to the serious allergic reactions many children experience.

We understand this may be a challenge for families but with the increased safety measures due to COVID-19, with students eating at their classroom desks, we need to ensure a safe environment for our students.

Please avoid sending food in with your children that contain any of the following:

• Almond
• Beechnut
• Brazil nut
• Bush nut
• Butternut
• Cashew
• Chestnut
• Coconut
• Filbert
• Ginko nut
• Hazelnut
• Hickory nut
• Lichee nut
• Macadamia nut
• Nangai nut
• Pecan
• Peanut
• Pine nut
• Pistachio
• Shea nut
• Walnut

Again, we apologize for any inconvenience but food allergies are a serious and potentially life-threatening medical condition. One in 13 children in the United States has a food allergy. Every three minutes, a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency room in the United States. Please help us create a positive school environment for our students where they feel safe.

If your child has a food-related allergy or sensitivity, please make sure to let School Nurse Tricia Gibbs know by calling 518-283-4600 ext. 3. Ms. Gibbs can also answer any questions you may have.

Thank you.

Dr. Mary Yodis, Superintendent

Tricia Gibbs, School Nurse