Good afternoon and happy Friday,

I hope your first full week of school went great. I'm going to start today's update with a congratulations to Colleen Keough, second grade teacher at Hamilton Elementary School, who was named New York State 2025 Teacher of the Year. Ms. Keough is a tireless advocate for the students in her classroom and for all students and families in the Hamilton Elementary School community. We are so proud to have her as part of our Schenectady family. Congratulations, Ms. Keough!

Click here to watch NYSUT's profile video that was shown at the announcement event on Tuesday.

A special Board of Education meeting was held on Monday, September 9, to adopt a revised Personal Electronic Device (PED) policy. After receiving community and staff feedback at a number of meetings held over the summer, the board adopted a policy that aims to eliminate distractions while promoting innovative and appropriate technology use in the classroom. According to the updated policy, students may possess PEDs on their person but they must be powered off and placed in receptacles during instruction time.

To read the Personal Electronic Device policy in full, click here. 

As a district and school community, this policy implementation will take a collective effort of all of our stakeholders.

• Students: We ask students to embrace this policy as a means of fostering a more productive learning environment and to use their cellphones responsibly when permitted. 

• Parent/Guardian and Staff Involvement: Parents/guardians and staff will play a crucial role in reinforcing the policy. We encourage parents/guardians to discuss responsible cell phone use with their children and to support our efforts in maintaining a focused learning environment. 

• Staff members: will monitor cell phone use and address any issues that arise, ensuring that the policy is implemented fairly and effectively. 

• Administrators and Central Administration: Administrators will oversee the implementation of this policy. They are responsible for communicating the policy and expectations, supporting staff members, monitoring its effectiveness, and adjusting as needed. 

• The School Board of Education: is responsible for ensuring the district adheres to the fidelity of the policy. This includes monitoring and checking the effectiveness of its implementation and ensuring alignment with the policy.

View the Board of Education discussion around the policy here.

The next Board of Education Meeting will take place on September 25, at 6:30 p.m., at the district's Family and Community Engagement Center at 530 Liberty St. A livestream link will be available on the day of the meeting. You can view all of our past board meetings on our YouTube page at any time.

Later this month our families will be invited into their child's building for Back to School Nights.
All Back to School Nights start at 6 p.m.

1. Tuesday, September 24th: All elementary schools

2. Wednesday, September 25th: Schenectady High School 

3. Thursday, September 26th: All middle schools

4. Tuesday, October 1st: Big Picture Learning and Early College High School @ Center City

I know it's a busy time of year and it takes a little time to get back into a routine, please know that our staff and teachers are here to support students and families on their journey towards academic success. I have traveled to each of our buildings and attended many community and school events since the first day of school last week. I plan to continue to be visible to our students and staff and look forward to seeing you at one of our many upcoming events. Have a restful weekend.

See you on Monday.

Dr, Carlos M. Cotto, Jr.
Superintendent of Schools

MOBILE APP SUPPORT Click here to watch a short video on how to set your school and language preferences on our mobile app: hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saNC9ek2Lqg