Good afternoon and happy Friday,

I hope you had a great week and are enjoying the somewhat milder weather as we inch closer to Spring. I will start my update today by expressing gratitude to our school social workers. This week is School Social Worker Appreciation Week, a well-deserved week of recognition. Our school social workers promote equitable education and opportunities and ensure the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of our students. They advocate for students and offer compassion, empathy, support, understanding, and guidance. Thank you to all of our school social workers for all that you do.

Today is National Maintenance Worker Day. We all know the important role that our maintenance workers, cleaners, and custodians play in our schools. Our team across the district works tirelessly to keep our buildings and grounds clean, safe and working properly. Our team is the best and I am extremely grateful for all you do. Your work is important and directly impacts our first Strategic Plan pillar, Student and Graduate Success. A healthy and positive school environment is fundamental to student success.

March is also Women's History Month, a time dedicated to highlight the contributions of women in history, culture, and society. This is a good time to remember those who paved the way in the struggle for gender equity and recognize those who continue to break barriers today. It is held in March to coincide with International Women's Day on March 8. Let's continue to empower our girls and young women to advocate for their rights. Let's support and provide mentoring opportunities that help build confidence and motivate girls to take on leadership roles in school, sports, and in the community. It starts with us.

Student Attendance

As we move toward Spring, the warmer weather and to the midpoint of the marking period, I want to stress the importance of students coming to school every day. We all want our students to do well in school so it's very important that we all understand and continue to stress the connection between chronic absence and a student's academic achievement. This begins as early as pre-K and kindergarten.

Missing 10% of school, which is 1 or 2 days every few weeks, can make it harder for our youngest learners to gain early reading and math skills, build relationships, and develop good attendance habits. The routines children develop at early ages will continue throughout school. It's important that education is a priority and that we all encourage students to attend school every day.

Any parent who is struggling to get your child to school, please reach out to your school's attendance specialist, school counselor, teacher, or principal. We will work with you and your child to get on track.

Meeting with Transportation Vendors

Earlier this week, Al Valachovic, our transportation supervisor, and I met with our transportation vendors to discuss what is working and where we need to improve. We work with six vendors who understand the important role they have in the success of our students' education. If kids don't get to school, and on time, they don't learn. I appreciate that they all took time from their busy schedules to collaborate and engage in a productive session. Teamwork and coordination are essential.

National School Breakfast Week

Along with the recognitions and celebrations, this week is also School Breakfast Week, bringing awareness to the importance of nutritious school breakfast and fueling students for academic success. All students in our district receive breakfast and lunch each day at no cost.

Did you know children who eat breakfast are more likely to:

• Reach higher levels of achievement in reading and math

• Score higher on standardized tests

• Have better concentration and memory

• Be more alert and maintain a healthy weight

Patriot Tech Camp

Last Saturday, 115 employees participated in Patriot Tech Camp. The professional development day featured twenty sessions focused on using instructional technology to engage students and boost classroom outcomes. Special thanks to all of our faculty members who presented and to those who spent their Saturday morning engaging and learning.

Vote for Central Park's Video in the "What's So Cool About Manufacturing" Contest

Please vote for the video that Central Park Middle School students created. The video is an entry into the Capital Region's What’s So Cool About Manufacturing® student video contest. CPMS students were teamed up with local manufacturer Environment One. They worked hard on this and their video is amazing.

Voting is open until midnight tonight.

Passionate People
As part of our Strategic Plan and connecting our work and roles to the pillars, we proudly recognize Shelette Pleat, Principal of Hamilton Elementary School, as our Passionate Person of the Week. We are grateful to Shellete for her hard work and dedication to the students and families of Hamilton Elementary School.

Teacher Recognition

We're excited to recognize Gretchen Zebrowski, a Pre-K teacher at Woodlawn Elementary School, as our highlighted Teacher of the Week. Gretchen has been teaching for 25 years in our district. We appreciate her continued commitment to our youngest students.

Alumni Profile

Meet Precious Riehl, SHS Class of 2008, who is now a Program Manager in the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

Precious is another example of #studentandgraduatesuccess #SCSDAlumni

Voter Registration with National Honor Society at SHS

Members of Schenectady High School's National Honor Society worked with the Schenectady County League of Women Voters to bring a voter registration event to Schenectady High School. The event, which ran for two days, gave students who are 18 and over an opportunity to register to vote. Students under 18 could pre-register.

Superintendent's Coffee Chat

Join me for coffee and conversation! My next coffee chats will be held on:

• Thursday, March 27, at 6:00 p.m.

• Friday, March 28, at 7:00 a.m.

Location: Family and Community Engagement Center, 530 Liberty St.

Everyone is welcome! Stop by for a cup of coffee and a casual chat about any topic you'd like. Hope to see you there!