A message from Dr. Wiles:
Dear GCSD Families,
This Wednesday, Jan. 22, was a very busy day at Farnsworth Middle School! In addition to hosting a Lunar New Year student assembly, facilitated by performers from the Chinese Community Center, FMS also had the honor of a visit from Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The governor visited FMS to unveil a plan to restrict smartphone use in K-12 schools statewide. Gov. Hochul proposes establishing smartphone-free learning environments for all school age children in New York state for the entire school day — from bell-to-bell. These distraction-free environments will help to return the focus to learning by removing the devices that detract from students’ academic performance while also contributing to higher rates of bullying and youth mental health issues.
Facilities committee update
The Facilities Committee met on Wednesday, Jan. 8. At that meeting, representatives from CSArch, the district’s architecture and construction firm, presented an overview of proposed work areas, by school building. Additionally, their presentation included a draft prioritization for the proposed improvements, which may include creating more modern and collaborative instructional spaces, expanding performing arts spaces, updating technology district-wide as well as addressing needed infrastructure improvements. On Jan. 15 and Jan. 22, the committee took tours of Guilderland Elementary School and Guilderland High School respectively. These tours allowed the committee members to see firsthand the conditions and needs of the school buildings.
The Facilities Committee is in the process of evaluating the information and will reconvene on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The committee is tasked with making recommendations to the Board of Education at their meeting on Feb. 11, with the objective of a referendum going to Guilderland voters in May 2025.
FMS Future City team wins regional competition, advances to national competition
On Jan. 18, the FMS Future City team won first place in the Future City regional competition for the third year in a row. The FMS team competed against other Capital Region schools to advance to the national competition, which will be held in Washington, D.C., Feb. 17-20. The team, composed of 19 students, designed Ville des Marées, a floating city built on a foundation of biorock, to answer the challenge of creating a floating city that protects its citizens and keeps them healthy and safe from rising sea levels. Congratulations to the entire FMS Future City team, their advisors and mentors; best of luck in the national competition!
FMS Food Drive, Jan. 21-31
FMS is holding a food drive for the Backpack Program. The goal is to collect food to support families in the district with students in grades 6-8 who participate in the program. The Backpack Program provides families with additional food to assist them with establishing food security on the weekends and holidays, when school is not in session. Please see the attached flyer for information on needed items and where to donate.
Pops Concert, Saturday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.
The music department is holding the annual Pops concert, Pops Goes to Broadway!, on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. This is always a wonderful night of music, as there are many talented musicians in our district. Presale tickets can be purchased here.
No school on Wednesday, Jan. 29
In observance of Lunar New Year, there will be no school for all students on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Thank you for your continued support of Guilderland Central School District students and our school community. Have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Marie Wiles, Ph.D.
Superintendent