Happy Giving Tuesday! The North Colonie @unitedwaygcr Season of Giving campaign continues as we look to provide a happy holiday season for all of our families in need. If you would like to contribute, use the QR code on your screen or by visiting https://ignite.stratuslive.com/uwgcr/get-involved/fundraise/25NCCSDgiving.
100% of the proceeds go directly back to North Colonie to assist our families. Thank you for your support! #givingtuesday
100% of the proceeds go directly back to North Colonie to assist our families. Thank you for your support! #givingtuesday
The North Colonie Central School District is closed today, Tuesday, Dec. 2, due to inclement weather. Only snow removal employees are to report.
Students in Kaytie Ginter’s Russian class at Shaker Middle School recently embarked on a virtual adventure across Eurasia! Using VR goggles provided by NERIC/BOCES, they “visited” a first-grade classroom in Ukraine, witnessed the dramatic cracking ice of Lake Baikal, and explored the iconic Red Square. It was a quick but exciting journey - the students can’t wait to see where they’ll travel next!
Look at the Boght Hills Food Pantry! With the help of the Community Food Drive a couple of weeks ago, the pantry is stocked and ready to serve our students and families in need through the Backpack Program. Thank you to everyone who donated food and personal hygiene items to help fill all of our eight school pantries! If you would still like to help our students, you can use the QR code for the United Way Season of Giving campaign which directly benefits our district families.
Happy Thankful Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving. Each Thursday in November, we have been sharing our gratitude for the people who have helped make North Colonie CSD the community it is today.
This year is especially meaningful as we celebrate our district’s 75th anniversary. For seven and a half decades, our community has stood alongside our schools, supporting our students, educators, and programs and helping shape a strong and caring district. Families, alumni, partners, volunteers, and neighbors: your support, collaboration, and commitment continue to make a lasting difference.
Thank you for believing in our mission and being an essential part of North Colonie. Wishing you a warm and meaningful Thanksgiving from our North Colonie family to yours.
#ThankfulThursday #thankyounorthcolonie #nccsd75 #throwbackthursday
This year is especially meaningful as we celebrate our district’s 75th anniversary. For seven and a half decades, our community has stood alongside our schools, supporting our students, educators, and programs and helping shape a strong and caring district. Families, alumni, partners, volunteers, and neighbors: your support, collaboration, and commitment continue to make a lasting difference.
Thank you for believing in our mission and being an essential part of North Colonie. Wishing you a warm and meaningful Thanksgiving from our North Colonie family to yours.
#ThankfulThursday #thankyounorthcolonie #nccsd75 #throwbackthursday
A small group of students from Forts Ferry and Shaker Middle School is being recognized as the November North Colonie Kids Care recipients. Sixth grader Benjamin Englat, second grader Luciano Di Carlo, third grader Adeline Fitzgerald and seventh grader Gavan Murry are being honored for their heroic actions to help a neighbor in need.
While playing outside in their neighborhood, Ben, Lucci, Addy and Gavan heard a neighbor calling for help. They responded without thinking, running to her house. They attempted to help her, but realized they needed an adult and rushed to get someone to call 911. Luckily, an ambulance came to assist their neighbor who was later resting at home. Thank you Ben, Lucci, Addy and Gavan for your quick and selfless response. You are not only good neighbors, but wonderful representatives of the North Colonie Central School District. You are truly Kids Who Care!
While playing outside in their neighborhood, Ben, Lucci, Addy and Gavan heard a neighbor calling for help. They responded without thinking, running to her house. They attempted to help her, but realized they needed an adult and rushed to get someone to call 911. Luckily, an ambulance came to assist their neighbor who was later resting at home. Thank you Ben, Lucci, Addy and Gavan for your quick and selfless response. You are not only good neighbors, but wonderful representatives of the North Colonie Central School District. You are truly Kids Who Care!
For the 2025-26 school year, the district welcomed 98 new employees. To celebrate the occasion, we held our annual New Employee Recognition Celebration on Monday, Nov. 24, with new employees, their friends and family, the Board of Education, and NCCSD administration. The event, which was held prior to the Board of Education meeting at Forts Ferry, offered refreshments, raffles, photos with the Bison, and a chance to mingle and see friendly faces ahead of Thanksgiving break. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us!
In September, SHS seniors taking the Education and Literacy class visited the SMS library to learn how to give book talks to students. The Education and Literacy class allows for students to learn more about the education field, and to work towards a Level 1 Teacher Assistant Certification. For this training, SMS librarians covered how to choose books, how to be engaging during the talks, and the most important point: never give away the ending!
From here, the SHS students then took on the challenge to read a middle school book that they thought would appeal to seventh graders, plan a book talk, and create a mini lesson on how to do book talks in the future. This prepared the seventh grade students to eventually offer their own book talk for their independent reading projects.
Great job to the Education and Literacy class for their work and support!
From here, the SHS students then took on the challenge to read a middle school book that they thought would appeal to seventh graders, plan a book talk, and create a mini lesson on how to do book talks in the future. This prepared the seventh grade students to eventually offer their own book talk for their independent reading projects.
Great job to the Education and Literacy class for their work and support!
Thanks to our North Colonie maintenance staff, the receiving hallway in Shaker Middle School just got a major glow up! Pictured here is the crew in action as they repair, refresh, and completely transform the space. Their hard work is already making a huge difference — amazing job, team!
The Bison Is One Step Closer to a Name!
After three weeks of nominations from staff, students, alumni, families, and community members, we officially have our top six names! Thank you to everyone who participated, nominations closed at an incredible 1,000 submissions! The six finalists will now go on a ballot for elementary students, starting Monday, Nov. 24 at Blue Creek Elementary School. The Bison will then travel across the North Colonie Central School District, collecting votes from elementary schools before heading to Shaker Middle School and High School. Once voting is complete, the Bison will tally the results, and the winning name will be announced later this school year. After 75 years, our Bison is finally getting a name, thank you for making history with us!
https://youtu.be/sCUhMV6pmRE
After three weeks of nominations from staff, students, alumni, families, and community members, we officially have our top six names! Thank you to everyone who participated, nominations closed at an incredible 1,000 submissions! The six finalists will now go on a ballot for elementary students, starting Monday, Nov. 24 at Blue Creek Elementary School. The Bison will then travel across the North Colonie Central School District, collecting votes from elementary schools before heading to Shaker Middle School and High School. Once voting is complete, the Bison will tally the results, and the winning name will be announced later this school year. After 75 years, our Bison is finally getting a name, thank you for making history with us!
https://youtu.be/sCUhMV6pmRE
It's Substitute Teacher Appreciation Day! Please join us in celebrating our substitutes and thanking them for all they do!
Canstruction took over Upper J Wing on Wednesday as 17 clubs transformed thousands of donated cans into jaw-dropping sculptures for a great cause, supporting the school pantry located just steps away. This year’s event brought in more than 2,000 cans to help keep the pantry stocked for students and families who depend on its support. Teams had only a few hours to build, and judges evaluated every creation for creativity, completion, and how cleverly the cans were used.
The hallway buzzed with energy as students, staff, and spectators watched iconic landmarks and pop-culture scenes rise from stacks of cans. Shaker Robotics wowed the crowd with a replica of R2-D2, the SLC team built an impressive model of Walker Field, and UNICEF recreated the famous house from Up, complete with balloons!
Coding Club took home the award for the most cans donated with its tissue box build. Latin Club claimed first place overall with a stunning Colosseum, German Club earned second for its towering Rapunzel tribute, and the National English Honor Society secured third with a dramatic Hamlet’s skull display. From creativity to community impact, every team delivered. Congratulations to all participants for an unforgettable Canstruction event!
The hallway buzzed with energy as students, staff, and spectators watched iconic landmarks and pop-culture scenes rise from stacks of cans. Shaker Robotics wowed the crowd with a replica of R2-D2, the SLC team built an impressive model of Walker Field, and UNICEF recreated the famous house from Up, complete with balloons!
Coding Club took home the award for the most cans donated with its tissue box build. Latin Club claimed first place overall with a stunning Colosseum, German Club earned second for its towering Rapunzel tribute, and the National English Honor Society secured third with a dramatic Hamlet’s skull display. From creativity to community impact, every team delivered. Congratulations to all participants for an unforgettable Canstruction event!
Lanterns were aglow for the annual Martinstag Lantern Parade and Celebration on November 13! Students and families from around the district gathered to celebrate the traditional German holiday at Shaker Middle School with performances and an outdoor lantern parade. This event has grown each year with tremendous support from the German program, students and staff. We hope to see you next year!
Reminder! Tomorrow is the community food drive, we will be hosting the event from 8am-12pm at Central Office (91 Fiddlers Lane). We need your help to support our district students and families in need! All donations of non-perishable food items will be used to support the backpack programs at each of our eight school buildings. A list of most needed items can be found by clicking the link in our bio. Thank you for your support!
Reminder: North Colonie Central School District is closed on Tuesday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day.
Pumpkins aren’t just for carving! Thanks to a generous offer of pie pumpkins from Hillard's Greenhouse and Produce in Latham, Shaker Middle School was able to add a new item to the menu - pumpkin pie parfaits! Middle school cafeteria managers Jeryl Hess and Julie Watson eagerly embraced the opportunity to transform this autumn bounty into a festive, student-favorite treat. Featuring creamy pumpkin layers sweetened with New York maple syrup and garnished with crisp New York apples and cinnamon sticks, these parfaits were a beautiful celebration of local flavors and were an instant hit at breakfast.
Have you seen Wicked at Proctors Theatre? If the answer is yes, then you heard Shaker Middle School Band teacher Omar Williams playing trumpet in the pit orchestra! Mr. Williams is one of the most sought-after trumpeters in the Capital Region, and as a member of the Schenectady-Amsterdam Musical Union, he got the call to play the touring production of Wicked at Proctors. Mr. Williams is doing double-duty for the two-week run - teaching by day and playing in the pit orchestra each night. If you're catching the show this weekend, listen for the trumpet player!
North Colonie Central School District is once again teaming up with the United Way of the Greater Capital Region for our “Season of Giving” campaign. As the holiday season approaches, we would like to give back to our own students and families in need in our district. Your donations could provide meals during winter break or clothing throughout the school year. We appreciate your support and are grateful for any and all donations!
Meet North Colonie's newest author! Loudonville fifth grader Isla Bentley recently co-authored a children's picture book with her mom Vicki (who works as a substitute teaching aide at Blue Creek), called "Not Sorry to Be Me." Isla and Vicki visited Isla's classroom on Wednesday, Nov. 6 to read the book to the class.
"Not Sorry to Be Me" was inspired by Isla's experiences with autism and ADHD, tells the tale of a cockatoo called Sorry who is different from the other birds in the forest because he sees the world in color, while the rest only see in black, white, and grey. This sensory overwhelm can cause Sorry to react in ways that irritate or seem strange to the other birds, causing them to miss out on the unique perspective he has to offer. One day, Sorry meets a kind, curious bird who asks to see Sorry's world through his eyes. From this shared understanding, a friendship is forged, and two lives are forever changed.
Isla and Vicki will also be doing a book signing at Professor Java's Coffee Sanctuary on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The book may be purchased at that time or on Amazon or Barnes and Noble online. Congratulations to Isla and Vicki on this exciting accomplishment!
"Not Sorry to Be Me" was inspired by Isla's experiences with autism and ADHD, tells the tale of a cockatoo called Sorry who is different from the other birds in the forest because he sees the world in color, while the rest only see in black, white, and grey. This sensory overwhelm can cause Sorry to react in ways that irritate or seem strange to the other birds, causing them to miss out on the unique perspective he has to offer. One day, Sorry meets a kind, curious bird who asks to see Sorry's world through his eyes. From this shared understanding, a friendship is forged, and two lives are forever changed.
Isla and Vicki will also be doing a book signing at Professor Java's Coffee Sanctuary on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The book may be purchased at that time or on Amazon or Barnes and Noble online. Congratulations to Isla and Vicki on this exciting accomplishment!
Happy Thankful Thursday! Each Thursday in November, we’re showing our gratitude to all the people who have helped make North Colonie CSD special through the years. From past to present, our incredible instructional staff members have shaped North Colonie into the strong, caring, and inspiring community it is today. Thank you to all of our employees from across the years for your dedication, service, and heart!
#ThankfulThursday #thankyounorthcolonie #nccsd75 #throwbackthursday
