Dear North Colonie Families,
I hope all is well with you and your families. We were so glad to welcome all of our students back into the buildings this week. As we close out another week, I have some updates for your review:
COVID-19 Surveillance Testing Update
This past Wednesday, Jan. 20, we began surveillance testing 10% of our district population to see what the extent of COVID-19 is in our school buildings. This testing is not mandated by the state, and we do not believe there is a huge spread of COVID-19 in our buildings, but this testing will help support that belief.
After testing 151 individuals (students and staff) over three days at our K-3 schools this week, we are pleased to share that no one tested positive.
Since elementary testing went so smoothly, we have adjusted our original testing schedule. All students and staff randomly selected from grades 4-6 at the junior high school will be tested during the school day on Tuesday, Jan. 26. With our experience at the elementary level, we have realized that it is not necessary to inconvenience families with a Saturday test date, like originally planned. Instead, testing for selected students and staff in grades 7-12 will now take place during the school day the week of Feb. 8. We are choosing to avoid the week of Feb. 1 to allow our students and staff time to adjust to the new semester.
As a reminder, only those children whose families had previously given consent will be selected. If your child is one who may be tested, you will receive an email 48 hours in advance from his/her school principal with more details and information about what the process will look like.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s school principal.
Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Meeting next Thursday, Jan. 28
The next PAC meeting will be held next Thursday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. A link to the meeting will be shared with the community on Thursday morning via email and on the district website. During the meeting, local licensed psychologist and owner of Psychology Wellness Practice, Dr. Jennifer Smitkin will be providing families with universal strategies for coping with these incredibly challenging times. If you have a question for Dr. Smitkin, you can submit it prior to the meeting using this Google form.
Reminder: No January Regents Exams; Normal Schedule Next Week
As a reminder, earlier this year, the New York State Education Department announced that January regents exams were canceled. As a result, next week is a normal week of school for all grades 9-12 students.
Weekly Boost
- Blue Creek 4th grade teacher, Ms. Taryn Mullahy, was recently featured in the Colonie Spotlight Newspaper! Read the “Five Questions” feature to learn more about Ms. Mullahy.
- Our latest “Names of North Colonie” staff spotlight features Latham Ridge second grade teacher Ms. Michele Sano. Take some time to learn more about Ms. Sano!
As always, thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe. Please continue to wear a mask, avoid social gatherings with those outside of your household, and social distance.
Sincerely,
D. Joseph Corr
Superintendent of Schools