Dear Gardner-Dickinson families,

I have had several parents ask me about arrival and dismissal times for the new school year. I would like to share some information to help families make the decision whether to drive their children to school or use bus transportation.

Gardner-Dickinson will open its doors at 8:00 a.m. for all students with teachers in all grades ready to receive students in their classrooms.

We currently plan to run two separate bus runs in order to pick up 378 students and ensure students are socially distanced.

The first run would drop off students at 8:00 a.m. Buses would then go back out and pick up the remaining students who would be dropped off at GD at approximately 9:15 a.m.

Originally, we thought that we would do the first run for K-5 and then the second run for grades 6-8 as we do in the afternoon, but may now look into busing according to families so that siblings can sit together. We want to do whatever we can to get as many students in the building as close to 8:00 a.m. as possible.

Now, if many families plan to drive their children to school, the second bus run would not take nearly as long or perhaps we could eliminate the second bus run altogether.

If we have many families driving their children into school, as we are hoping, then we will need to set up a staggered drop off schedule to accommodate the traffic. We will be giving families a specific drop off time that will ease the traffic flow and eliminate the need to make multiple drop offs. This will be done by last names and not by grade levels so that families make only one trip to GD.

For example, if 100 families are driving, we will take that list of families and ask the first 40 families with last names A- F to drop off at 8:00 am. The next group of 40 would drop off at 8:10 a.m. and the next at 8:20 a.m. until everyone is in the building. The only group that I would ask to come last, around 8:30 to 8:45 a.m., would be kindergarten and Pre-K so that we can use the extra time to get them safely from the cars to the classroom, which we all know will be a job in the beginning.

Classroom teachers will use from 8:00 to 9:15 a.m. each morning, as they wait for their entire class to arrive, to work with small groups of students, review material, remediate, provide enrichment, use computer programs, or read independently. Content area class at the elementary level will not start before everyone arrives (approximately 9:00 a.m.) and the first period at the middle school will start at 9:30 a.m.

These exact times are subject to change but I hope this gives a little more insight to how we are trying to start the day.

We anticipate that students in K-5 are dismissed at 2:30 p.m. and students in grades 6-8 are dismissed at 3:17 p.m. as we have in the past. Pre-K will dismiss between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m.

Thank you and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Yodis
Principal/Interim Superintendent

TSL Kids Crew will offer a before and after school program at Gardner-Dickinson School starting in September.

The program replaces the Y-Time afterschool program.

Please see this flyer with details.

Registration is now available on their website, www.tsladventures.net.

School Nurse Tricia Gibbs would like to share guidance from New York State about immunization requirements for school for 2020-2021.

The information is available here.

If you have any questions, please email Ms. Gibbs at tgibbs@wynantskillufsd.org.

Dear Gardner-Dickinson Families,

We hope that this letter finds your family safe, healthy and ready for a break from homeschooling! Thank you for your incredible hard work and support, as together, in a true partnership, we successfully facilitated remote learning this quarter during the statewide school closure. We could not have done this without you!

Together, families and our GD faculty and staff worked tirelessly to shift to remote instruction for all of our Pre-K-8 students. Learning new technologies and online platforms instantaneously to support instructional materials and to keep our close to 400 students connected and engaged was a huge undertaking. It was a great success due to the hard work from our students, families, faculty, staff, support teachers, therapist, counselors, technology coordinators and clerical staff. They were correct in saying it takes a village…thank you Wynantskill UFSD!

We know many of you are eager to know what the start of next school year will look like and you are not alone. Over the summer, as we await the Governor’s plans to return to our physical school building, we will examine a variety of different scenarios while working closely with the NYSED, Questar III, and the CDC to consider their guidance on re-opening schools. This is an ever-evolving situation and you will be informed as soon as we have any definitive answers as to what school will look like next year. Be assured that we will always prioritize the safety and well-being of our students and staff during this planning process.

Families, please remember to drop off any school materials (computers, books, etc.) and pick up your children’s belongings next: Monday, June 15 anytime between 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. if your last name begins with the letters A-L and Tuesday, June 16 between 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. if your last name begins with the letters M-Z.

Families should pull right up in the circle and a staff member will come to your car to retrieve your items (books, laptops, or any materials that belong to the school) and to hand you your child’s belongings as well as their 4th quarter report card. *Please note that report cards will not have next year’s classroom teacher included as we will wait until later in the summer to release classroom rosters. Supply lists are also being placed on hold as the PTA is currently working with the district to provide funding for supplies in hopes to cover all costs for all families. Thank you PTA!

Warm wishes to our 8th Graders as they leave GD and move on to the high school. Although this year was not the way anyone would like you to have finished, please remember the amazing years you have had at Gardner-Dickinson and know that you are forever in our hearts. We will see you for your outside graduation ceremony/parade on Wednesday, June 17th at 7:00 p.m. (more specific information to follow).

To all of our students, have a wonderful summer as you have earned it. Please take advantage of the online resources that will continue to be provided to you over the summer. You will still have access to your Google Classroom if you want to revisit any previously posted materials and links, as well as, the use of Moby Max and MyOn for extra math and reading practice during the summer months.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not publicly give a tremendous thank you to Dr. Reardon for his amazing job to support our GD community over the last 5 years. He is the most dedicated and hardworking educator that I have had the pleasure of working with. He took on many hats during his 5 years at GD and his brilliant, problem-solving approach was unlike no other. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with such a positive leader. Gardner-Dickinson is a stronger school community because of his countless contributions. We wish him the best of luck as he moves onto the next chapter in his career as Schalmont CSD needs his help as well.

Stay well, stay Safe! We miss you all very much and can’t wait to see you again in person. Have a wonderful summer!

Much love,

Dr. Yodis

Greetings, GD Families!

We hope you are preparing for a well-deserved summer. First and foremost, thank you for your support of your children as we navigated this uncharted terrority of remote instruction for the past three months. Certainly, none of us could have predicted this would be our “new normal.” But, like any challenge GD faces, we prevailed and made what seemed like the impossible something manageable. I am proud of the work your children accomplished and though nothing can substitute for being in the classroom, GD students rose to the occasion.

As for the Fall and what our program will look like, there are many questions that have yet to be answered. Rest assured that as further guidance is provided from the Governor and the New York State Education Department we will keep you informed. Right now, we must simply wait, recharge, and remain as flexible as possible (an attribute all of you displayed when this pandemic hit us mid-March).

Your child’s report card will be sent home the week of June 15. Recognizing that this quarter was nothing like the first three, we elected to “grade” using the following system:

Elementary Report Cards (Pre-K-5)

Your child’s teacher will write a narrative only, with no scores listed in the individual subject boxes. The narrative will contain an account of the learning that occurred and any comments observed by your child’s teacher.

Middle School Report Cards (6-8) and Special Area: (K-8)

In lieu of a number grade for the 4th quarter, faculty of respective courses will use the same ratings used for progress reports (indicating if your child worked below, at, or above expectations set forth by each individual course). The final course average box will be computed as either a Pass (P) or Fail (F), based upon their first three quarter averages, combined with their cumulative participation during the 4th quarter. This model is consistent with our neighboring school districts and our eighth grade student transcripts will reflect the course credit earned as they enter ninth grade (high schools are not looking for a numerical average for these courses, even courses with a Regents exam as these assessments were universally cancelled this year).

Teacher Assignments (K-6)

You will also notice on the K-6 report cards that your child has not been assigned a classroom teacher for the Fall like we have traditionally done in the past. With the uncertainty and potential restrictions, it would be unfair to set expectations for a particular teacher and then have to make changes before the start of the school year due to guidance from the CDC, New York State, and Department of Health. Once we receive all of the additional guidance and regulations for September, we will send that information out to families along with your child’s classroom teacher and a supply list.

A true testament to a school community is how they react during a crisis. Once again, thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Dr. Thomas Reardon