A letter from Superintendent Dr. Marie Wiles:
Dear Guilderland Families,
As you may know, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that all schools statewide will remain closed for the rest of the 2019-20 academic year. He indicated that a decision about allowing summer school will be made by the end of May.
Although we expected this could happen, it is still hard to digest. Our school buildings have been closed for seven weeks. It is difficult to imagine that they will remain closed and that we can only connect with our students virtually. But, as the Governor said earlier today, “we must protect our students.”
During this ongoing closure we will continue to maintain:
- Remote learning. School buildings may be closed through the end of the school year, but engaging in education and learning is not stopping. Students will continue their learning of new content at home as they have been since April 1.
- Meals to families in need. We will continue to deliver meals to families in need. I want to thank our food services staff and all the volunteers for helping distribute almost 63K meals. More information about the district’s meal delivery can be found here.
- Childcare information for essential workers. We will continue to provide childcare information and resources for essential workers. More information can be found here.
Even before this news, I know that many of you were thinking about the special events and celebrations that take place for our students and families around this time. Please know that we have been thinking about this too. Building leaders, students, faculty advisors and our PTAs continue to work together to come up with creative plans to have awards ceremonies, moving up celebrations, and commencement activities. These events may look different, but our goal is to commemorate the milestones and achievements of students in ways that will be special and memorable. Information about specific events will be shared as we know more.
I know this is not an easy time. During these days and weeks of uncertainty, our students, families, teachers and staff, and the Guilderland community as a whole have come together with such kindness, generosity, and ingenuity. I cannot thank you all enough for your creative efforts to recognize and thank members of our community who are medical providers, first responders, and other workers who are on the front lines of this pandemic.
Finally, next week is Teacher Appreciation Week (officially Tuesday) and Wednesday is National School Nurse Day. We want to thank our teachers and our nurses for all that they do to keep our children healthy, safe, and engaged in learning.
Have a safe and healthy weekend!
Sincerely,
Dr. Marie Wiles
Superintendent