Category Archives: Middle School
Grades 6-8 Learn About Careers
Gardner-Dickinson School held its Career Day on Feb. 13 for grades 6-8, where students were able to ask questions from individuals in careers such as law enforcement, video game design, hospitality, nanotechnology, teaching, clinical research, social work and many more.
Thank you to David Baecker, Joshua Breden, Mike Carey, Belinda Colon, Laura Davey, Peter Galliher, Elaine Garrett, Keith Hirokawa, David Hostig, Henry Kim, Donald Leinfelder, Nicholas Lettieri, Rebecca Lettieri, Chris Mullin, Kim Muse-Comtois, Steven Rothwein, James Russell, Michelle Skinner and Mitch Sousa for speaking with our students today!
New Before & After School Programs Start in Fall
Wynantskill UFSD is pleased to announce the district has partnered with TSL Adventures to offer a before school program at Gardner-Dickinson from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. for our students starting in September.
TSL Adventures will also offer an afterschool program starting in September at Gardner-Dickinson. The program will replace the current Y-Time program, offering engaging, hands-on activities for our students as well as homework support. It will run after school until 6:00 p.m.
Registration for both programs will start March 1 at their website www.tsladventures.net. A representative will attend the Monday, Feb. 10 PTA meeting as well as an informational meeting on Monday, Feb. 24 for families who have questions.
Families can also email tsladventures@gmail.com with questions.
Superintendent Dr. Thomas Reardon noted that TSL Adventures, which operates similar programs for other Capital Region schools, started a Pre-K afterschool program at Gardner-Dickinson in December. TSL Adventures was founded by three elementary school teachers with the goal of creating recreational programs rooted in cooperation and interactive play.
“Our goal is to have two programs, one before school and one after, run by one provider. TSL Adventures had done a wonderful job with our Pre-K afterschool program and we’re excited about these new programs,” explained Dr. Reardon. “I’d like to thank the YMCA who has been a fantastic partner and we look forward to keeping our relationship with them for activities like Field Day in the future.”
Babysitting Course Available
Gardner-Dickinson School will host an American Red Cross Babysitting Course for students 11 years old or older on Saturday, Feb. 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Cost is $50 and includes a certificate of completion.
The class is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and responsibly give care for children and infants.
The course will be taught by Brenda Vermila, School Nurse at St. Jude the Apostle School. Ms. Vermila will donate $5 for every registrant to the Wynantskill PTA.
A registration form with more information is available here.
Students Learn About High School Options
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!
Tay Fisher Visits with 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!
Seeking Presenters for Career Day
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
1st Quarter Honor Rolls Announced
High Honor Roll
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.
Honor Roll
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.
