May 4th, Weekly Update from Mr. Foti:
Good afternoon. We find ourselves today in a bit of a different position than we have been in the last few weeks. The announcement on Friday from the Governor, closing schools through the end of this school year brought a level of clarity, but with it, a sense of sadness, knowing that we cannot gather back at school this year to finish the year as we always have.
We could all say that this was not a surprise, we have been inching toward this possibility for weeks. The realization though, inevitably brings a sense of loss about what we’re going to miss, and a level of increased anxiety about the future. As scary and sad as I imagine the news was for you as parents, please know that we will be here to continue to support you in the very difficult job that you are undertaking, balancing your home life with supporting your children's school work.
It is somewhat ironic that today marks the start of Teacher Appreciation Week. This is typically a time when we thank the teachers and school staff that support our students, and I would encourage you to take a moment to reach out to your child’s teacher this week. This year, though, I think it would be totally appropriate, in addition, for you to give yourselves a huge pat on the back and congratulations for the work that you have done to support us in the process of educating your children!
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As we look to May and June, we will continue to provide learning resources accessible through our webpage, and we will be looking to offer support to students, parents and families, to assist you in guiding your children through these activities.
I cannot stress enough, that if anyone in your family is experiencing difficulties with academic content, technological challenges or just need emotional support, please reach out to your child’s teacher, our School Counselor, School Psychologist, or any staff member. We have been working to provide connections to community support agencies for any issues that we cannot help with directly, and we will do everything we can to provide you with resources to support your family.
We have been discussing plans for rescheduling end of the year activities, and we can give you some information now, but since we still need to wait for further guidance from the Governor regarding when we might be able to gather groups together, we will need to hold on some decisions until that additional guidance is received from the Governor.
Here are some details that I can offer now, this information will be posted to the school’s website as well.
6th Grade:
Chingachgook: Unfortunately, due to our limits on social gatherings, we will not be able to have a Chingachgook experience with our 6th graders this year. Deposits, and any payments made by parents for the trip itself will be returned by check in the coming weeks. Funds raised through the cookie dough sales will be transferred to the class account for the class of 2026.
Moving Up Ceremony: We will not be able to hold this event as usually scheduled before the end of the school year in June. We would like to assure that our sixth graders are recognized for their work with us in the Elementary School, and that we recognize the transition they will be making in September. If we are unable to organize any activity in the summer, we will have something organized for September to mark their accomplishments and to support their transition to the Junior-Senior High School. Please visit our website periodically for details as they become available.
Kindergarten
The kindergarten teachers have created additional paper packets of work and activities for our Kindergarten students. They have been placed in the school entryway, and we are asking for parents to come to the school to pick them up at your earliest convenience. We ask that you also bring any completed work that you have, to drop off to your child’s teacher. Boxes for drop off are below the tables where student packets are placed.
The entryway of the Elementary School is open from 7:00 am - 7:00 pm Monday through Friday.
Kindergarten Graduation: We will not be able to hold this event as usually scheduled before the end of the school year in June. We would like to organize a special experience for our Kindergarteners, to recognize the work they did this school year. At present we are awaiting more guidance from New York State with regard to allowed gatherings during the summer. Please visit our website periodically for details as they become available.
Incoming Kindergarten Registration: Registration of students who are Kindergarten age this coming September is ongoing. If you are interested in signing your child up for Kindergarten in September, please contact Mrs. Amy Vautrin at (518) 753-4458 ext 3507. She can forward you paperwork and requirements for registration. We will be unable to offer our parent information night as usual for parents of incoming Kindergartners. Please stay tuned for a date and time for a virtual K information night Google Meeting.
Kindergarten screening: We are looking to reschedule our screening of incoming Kindergarteners from our dates in May, to either summer, (if allowed), or September dates. We will contact parents of incoming Kindergarteners to schedule appointments.
UPK
Hoosic Valley’s 2020-2021 Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program is being planned at present, and is designed to provide an early learning experience for eligible 4 year olds, and their families. Hoosic Valley has 2 classrooms, which run a full day, Monday through Friday, 6 hours each day (8:30am – 1:30pm) for 180 days per school year.
Eligible students are defined as those living in the Hoosic Valley School District and who will turn 4 years old by December 1st of the current year.
Registration of students who are Pre-Kindergarten age this coming September is ongoing, and will close on May 15. If you are interested in signing you child up for our UPK program for September, please contact Mrs. Amy Vautrin at (518) 753-4458 ext 3507. She can take your child’s name and information. All names of students signed up for the 2020-2021 school year UPK program will be entered into a random lottery to choose students for the program. Drawing date will be June 1, 2020. Students not selected via the lottery will be placed on a waitlist. All parents will be notified either way.
UPK screening: We will not be able to screen our incoming UPK students prior to the start of the program as we usually do. We are presently planning for the possibility of screening for students entering Pre-K this September, however, we will need to get more guidance from New York State regarding public gatherings before making a final determination. Please visit our website periodically for details as they become available.