An update from the superintendent – Monday, March 16

Dear North Colonie Families,

First, I want to thank you all for your continued patience, understanding and cooperation during this difficult time. The North Colonie Central School District DOES NOT currently have any confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. As announced on Friday, North Colonie Schools are closed through Friday, March 20.

Today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that due to ongoing public health concerns related to COVID-19/coronavirus, all schools in New York state will be closed for two weeks, effective Wednesday, March 18. However, the details of that declaration have yet to be provided to the district. Accordingly, we plan to remain closed through Tuesday, March 31. We recognize that there are many questions and we are committed to working our way through all issues and to providing as much information as we can, as frequently as we need to. Please see the important information below regarding food services, chromebook distribution and free Wi-Fi for students in need and instructional resources.

Food Services

Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17, the district will begin providing free “grab and go” meals. There will be two times for pickup, where families can receive both breakfast and lunch items. The meals will be handed out each day from 8- 8:45 am. and then again from 11:45 a.m. -12:45 p.m. The following sites are open to all of our families:

  • Forts Ferry Elementary School (glass door of the cafeteria)
  • Blue Creek Elementary School (back parking lot door, CYC entrance)
  • Shaker High School (back glass door near receiving entrance)

Families who cannot pick up meals can contact Food Services at LisaOstrowski@ncolonie.org and arrangements will be made for them to be delivered. During the closure, times and locations may be re-evaluated to ensure as many children as possible are receiving meals. If there are any changes, we will provide you with updates. We appreciate your patience as we work through these challenging times.  

Chromebook Distribution

As a district, we are 1:1 with Chromebooks starting in grade 5. If you have a child in grade K-4 who is in need of a Chromebook to access our online resources, please email Julie Scriven at jscriven@ncolonie.org and we will arrange an opportunity for you to come pick one up. Families can also sign up for a time to get a Chromebook at one of the food pick-up sites.

Instructional Online Resources

We are committed to providing educational resources for our students during this closure, but it is important to acknowledge that there are practical limits to instructional program continuity. Instead, our commitment will be to sharing a variety of resources for parent-guided and self-guided learning for students. Accordingly, our teachers have created a Google document of online age-appropriate resources that you may use with your child. A link to this resource document can also be found under “Quick Links” on our district website. This resource will give students the opportunity to practice skills, review content and explore topics at home. Principals will also be available by email during normal school hours to answer any questions you may have regarding the resources. We encourage you to look at the online resources that have been created by our teachers with the learning needs of all children in mind. 

On that page you will also find resources to help talk with your child about the Coronavirus and ideas for how to relieve stress and reduce anxiety during these uncertain times.

Free Wi-Fi for Students

Beginning today, Monday, March 16, Charter will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription at any service level up to 100 Mbps. To learn more and enroll, visit their website.

Board Meeting on Monday, March 23

The Board of Education meeting originally scheduled for Monday, March 23 at Boght Hills has been moved to Central Office at 91 Fiddlers Lane. Following CDC guidelines, this meeting will NOT be open to the public, but we will provide a live stream link to our community the morning of the meeting.

This is a fluid situation. For the most updated information, please visit our district website, www.northcolonie.org. Again, we will continue to provide our community with all of the necessary resources that we can at this time. Thank you again for your support.

Sincerely,

D. Joseph Corr
Superintendent of Schools


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