A message from Superintendent Wiles:
Dear Guilderland CSD Families,
This past Tuesday while GCSD students enjoyed a day off, teachers and staff were occupying classrooms for a day of learning and professional development. Workshops were offered on a wide variety of topics, including educational technology, lockdown training and subject-specific seminars. A focus of the agenda was on two areas GCSD is emphasizing this school year, social emotional learning and diversity, equity and inclusion. We hope all teachers and staff went home Tuesday feeling energized and strengthened in their practice, knowledge and capabilities to empower our students to succeed.
Children ages 5-11 are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine
Earlier this week federal officials gave final approval for children 5 to 11 years old to be vaccinated against COVID-19. To date, the only vaccine approved for children of that age range is the Pfizer pediatric vaccine. If you are considering having your child vaccinated, here is a list of locations administering the pediatric vaccination. In keeping with the protocols established by Albany County Department of Health and as stated in the district’s health and safety protocols and procedures, GCSD students who are asymptomatic and have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to quarantine after an exposure to COVID-19.
COVID-19 cases for the week of November 1
The information below details the number of new COVID-19 positive cases for the week of November 1 and the resulting number of required quarantines.
Altamont Elementary School: 2 new case; 6 close contacts requiring quarantine
Guilderland Elementary School: 1 new case; 25 close contacts requiring quarantine
Lynnwood Elementary School: 1 new case; 11 close contacts requiring quarantine
Pine Bush Elementary School: 5 new cases; 41 close contacts requiring quarantine
Westmere Elementary School: 2 new cases; 11 close contacts requiring quarantine
Farnsworth Middle School: 6 new cases; 74 close contacts requiring quarantine
Guilderland High School: 6 new cases; 5 close contacts requiring quarantine
Board of Education is collecting budget input
If you would like to provide input on the 2022-23 school year budget, please attend the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Large Group Instruction room at GHS. Social distancing practices will be followed and all meeting participants and attendees are required to wear masks. A portion of the meeting will be dedicated to receiving public input as we begin to develop the budget for the upcoming school year.
As always, thank you for your continued patience and support. Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour on Saturday night!
Sincerely,
Marie Wiles, Ph.D.
Superintendent