Please see a message from Superintendent Dr. Marie Wiles:
Dear GCSD Parents and Guardians,
Today, March 27, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that schools in New York state will remain closed until April 15, 2020, because of the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic. All school-related activities such as sporting practices and events, rehearsals and after-school programs will also be canceled during this time.
We will closely monitor guidance from the New York State Education Department about how these circumstances will impact the school calendar for the remainder of the academic year, including what this might mean for the April break. We will share more information as soon as it is available.
Meals for Students in Need
We will continue the Monday and Thursday delivery of meals to students who are eligible to receive free and reduced meals from the district and to students who have requested meals. Any student in need can request meals by contacting Megan Beck at beckm@guilderlandschools.net. More information can be found here.
Childcare for Essential Workers
Essential workers have several options to obtain childcare, including the Capital District YMCA programs, or working with the Office of Children and Family Services or the Child Care Resource and Referral Agency. There is more childcare information posted here.
At-Home Learning
During these last two weeks, we have been working to ensure all students have the ability to access online learning resources. On short notice, our teachers had to transition from hands-on teaching to distance learning — with the goal of maintaining contact with students and their families to provide educational engagement opportunities.
Beginning on or about April 1, the district will transition from maintaining the skills previously learned to providing more structured content to allow students to move forward in their learning. More information will be shared on Monday, March 30, 2020.
Technology Repairs and Support
As we continue to support Guilderland Students in this new and unprecedented learning environment, we wanted to convey our plan for troubleshooting issues with devices. Beginning on March 30, 2020, we will begin accepting devices for repair and/or exchange at Farnsworth Middle School and Guilderland High School. We ask that you adhere to the process outlined below:
- A parent or student must submit a request for support via the Student Device Repair/Assistance Form.
- A Guilderland Computer Technician will be in contact with you. If it is determined that the device will need to be collected for repair and/or exchange is needed, the technician will help to arrange that. Again, it is very important that we try to maintain safety by observing safe health practices. Please do not show up to either site without being asked to do so by someone from the Guilderland Technology Department.
Finally, let me share this. At some point, we will look back at this time of uncertainty and reflect on what we learned from it all. I am confident that it will be a great deal, not only about how we “do school” but also about how we come together as a school community to take care of all those who need it.
Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we work together through this period of time that no one will forget.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marie Wiles
Superintendent