A message from Dr. Wiles:
Dear GCSD Families,
The Reading Opens the World Book Drive and Family Literacy Fair will be held this Saturday, Dec. 9, at 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Farnsworth Middle School Cafetorium. This event gives families and educators the opportunity to choose free books for their home libraries and classrooms. Hosted by the Guilderland Teachers’ Association, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the First Book program, the literacy fair will also feature entertainment provided by student musicians, a story time for children and a bake sale hosted by the Guilderland High School Class of 2027. The attached flyer has more information.
District establishing educational task force to explore future-ready schools
As GCSD looks to the future and examines how to best prepare students for success beyond high school, it must also consider how its learning environments need to adapt. To do so, the district is establishing a task force charged with exploring what it means to prepare students to be “future-ready” and to make recommendations to the Board of Education regarding educational programming priorities and implications for our facilities and future capital projects. Community stakeholders interested in serving on this task force can download the invitation or learn more here.
John Fatuzzo honored with early career achievement award
Congratulations to Guilderland Central School District music teacher John Fatuzzo, who received the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) 2023 Early Career Achievement Educator Award! This recognition is an acknowledgment of the contributions of music educators who have been in the field five to nine years. Learn more about Mr. Fatuzzo’s contributions to GCSD students’ music education here.
Confidential tip line
Next Thursday, Dec. 14, marks the eleventh anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Twenty six individuals lost their lives that day, including twenty children. The anniversary of this horrific event serves as a reminder why it’s necessary to practice safety protocols; one aspect of our safety plan is to provide members of the school community with a method to communicate concerns about something they may see or hear. Recently the district, in conjunction with the Guilderland Police Department, implemented a confidential tip line, 518-356-1503, as a means to share information that may prevent a tragedy. Learn more about this community safety effort on the district website.
School attendance
Early next week GCSD families will receive letters from the district with an overview of their child(ren)’s attendance rate for the first 60 days of the school year. The purpose of the information in this letter is to give families a clear understanding of how their child(ren)’s number of absences compares to both their school’s average and that of a chronically absent student. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) defines chronic absenteeism as having missed 10% or more school days, or at this point in the year, 6 days. The families of students who do not yet have an absence or who have medical conditions school administrators are aware of will not receive letters.
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