Schenectady City School District

🇬🇾 REMINDER: Celebrate Guyana’s 60th Independence! 🇬🇾
Don't miss the Guyana 60th Independence Flag Raising Ceremony and Celebration happening TODAY!

When: Sunday, May 31 at 2:00 PM

Where: City Hall

Come out with your family and friends to honor this incredible milestone and enjoy the celebration.

See you there! 🎉✨

#Guyana60 #IndependenceDay #GuyanesePride #FlagRaising #CommunityCelebration

Please click on the link to open Superintendent Dr. Cotto's update for the week ending May 29: https://www.schenectadyschools.org/o/scsd/page/superintendents-update-may292026

📸PHOTOS End of year celebrations for Adaptive and Unified PE were hosted at Union College this year. These celebrations foster inclusivity and break down social barriers, helping every student feel valued and connected. Thank you to all who participated!

🌺 As we reach the final days of May, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is officially drawing to a close. Culture isn't a trend, and heritage doesn't have an expiration date.

While the designated month on the calendar is ending, our commitment to learning, embracing, and advocating should only be getting started. The AAPI community is beautifully diverse spanning over 50 ethnic groups and 100+ languages, and its impact shapes our world 365 days a year.

* Stay Curious: Keep reading books by AAPI authors, watching documentaries, and listening to podcasts. History and lived experiences are too vast to be fully understood in just 31 days.

* Embrace Beyond the Surface: Move past just enjoying the food and art. Dive deeper into understanding the unique nuances, triumphs, and systemic challenges faced by different groups within the AAPI umbrella.

* Normalize Amplification: Keep elevating AAPI voices, supporting AAPI-owned businesses, and championing representation in your workplaces and communities all year round.

Celebrating heritage isn't about checking a box in May. It's about weaving these diverse stories into the fabric of how we see the world every single day. 🤝✨

#AAPIHeritageMonth #AAPI #ContinuousLearning #EmbraceDiversity #Allyship365 #RepresentationMatters

🗣️ Your voice matters! Help us shape the future of special education services in our district.

We are currently conducting a comprehensive Special Education Audit led by the independent experts at the Schmitt Leadership Group, and we need to hear directly from our parents, guardians, and caregivers.

Whether your child has an IEP, a 504 plan, or receives specialized accommodations, your firsthand experiences, insights, and perspectives are invaluable to this process.

We are offering two in-person feedback sessions to fit your schedule:

🗓️ Monday, June 1 at 5:00 PM

🗓️ Tuesday, June 2 at 10:00 AM

📍 Location: 530 Liberty St.

Come share what is working well, where we can improve, and how we can better support your family.

Thank you for your continued partnership and dedication to our students' success! 💙

This week’s Teacher of the Week is Pietrina Graber! Pietrina has been a dedicated math teacher at OMS for 8 years. Thank you for your dedication, Pietrina!

To learn more about the passionate people in our district and explore our strategic plan, visit this link: https://www.schenectadyschools.org/page/strategic-plan-2024-2030

#passionatepeople #SCSDstrategicplan ❤️💙

This week’s Passionate Person of the Week is Christine Ewert, a dedicated Parent Liaison at MLK. We’re grateful for her commitment and care to our students. Thank you, Christine!

To learn more about the passionate people in our district and explore our strategic plan, visit this link: https://www.schenectadyschools.org/page/strategic-plan-2024-2030

#passionatepeople #SCSDstrategicplan ❤️💙

⚾ FREE BASEBALL SKILLS CAMP! ⚾

Registration is open for the Schenectady Ole Timers Baseball Club Skills Camp

📅 Dates: July 6 & 7

🕘 Time: 9:00 AM – Noon

📍 Location: Buck Ewing "A" Diamond in Central Park

💰 Cost: FREE for all Schenectady residents ages 7–12!

Grab your spot today!

👉 Register here: http://bit.ly/SOTBC2026

The Blue Roses Theatre Company is proud to announce their final production of the 2026-2026 season: Imagine That! A Series of Student-Written Work. The program features six original short plays and three original monologues written by students in the Writing for Stage and Screen course. Six student directors have been hard at work bringing this program to the stage, as have a host of actors, technicians, and designers!

Fri, May 29 @ 7:00 PM 🌙
Sat, May 30 @ 2:00 PM ☀️ & 7:00 PM 🌙

📍 Location: Ziskin Black Box Theater, Schenectady HS
$5 General Admission
FREE for SCSD students & staff 🎓
Mature themes: Parental guidance advised for students under 13
Artwork by: Allison Ele

Happy Tuesday!! We hope everyone had an amazing long weekend and a great first day back. Remember, summer is just around the corner! Let’s work extra hard this week and stay on top of all assignments so you don't miss out on any of the exciting end-of-year fun coming up. Stay focused, make good choices, and finish strong—you’ve got this!

Parents and guardians, if you need support motivating your child to attend school, please reach out to your student’s teacher, counselor, or your school’s attendance specialist. Click the link to learn more about why attendance matters:

https://www.schenectadyschools.org/page/projectbehere-attendance-matters

#projectbehere #SchenectadyShowsUp #EveryDayCounts

📸On Friday, Schenectady High School held the annual senior job fair. Dozens of local companies and unions were on hand to recruit students into the workforce upon graduating in June🎓

🇺🇸 Honoring and Remembering 🇺🇸

Today, the Schenectady City School District pauses to observe Memorial Day. We join together in profound gratitude to honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in our nation’s armed forces. We are deeply grateful for their service and hold their families in our thoughts today.

As a reminder, all district schools and offices are closed today, Monday, May 25. Classes will resume tomorrow, Tuesday, May 26.

Have a safe, peaceful, and meaningful holiday.

#MemorialDay #SchenectadyProud #RememberAndHonor #SCSD

Please click on the link to open Superintendent Dr. Cotto's update for the week ending May 21, 2026: https://www.schenectadyschools.org/o/scsd/page/superintendents-update-may-21-2026

R E M I N D E R
There is no school and district offices will be closed Friday, May 22 and Monday May 25 (Memorial Day)!

This week’s Teacher of the Week is Zenobia Stapleton! Zenobia has been an ELA teacher at Paige for 4 years. Thank you for your hardwork and dedication, Zenobia!

To learn more about the passionate people in our district and explore our strategic plan, visit this link: https://www.schenectadyschools.org/page/strategic-plan-2024-2030

#passionatepeople #SCSDstrategicplan ❤️💙

Night school and after-school activities scheduled at Schenectady High School are cancelled today.

The Blue Roses Theatre Company is proud to announce their final production of the 2026-2026 season: Imagine That! A Series of Student-Written Work. The program features six original short plays and three original monologues written by students in the Writing for Stage and Screen course. Six student directors have been hard at work bringing this program to the stage, as have a host of actors, technicians, and designers!

Fri, May 29 @ 7:00 PM 🌙
Sat, May 30 @ 2:00 PM ☀️ & 7:00 PM 🌙

📍 Location: Ziskin Black Box Theater, Schenectady HS
$5 General Admission
FREE for SCSD students & staff 🎓
Mature themes: Parental guidance advised for students under 13
Artwork by: Allison Ele

Our annual FIRE Chefs competition was held Monday night. Congratulations to the winning team from Steinmetz Freshman Leadership Academy.

🧑🏾‍🍳 FIRE Chefs focuses on teaching kitchen fundamentals, educating youth on food insecurity, and fostering resilience through hands-on cooking and mentorship.

Thank you to the Schenectady community for your support of the school budget vote and facility propositions. Congratulations to Bernice Rivera who was re-elected to the Board of Education and Daniel Flynn and Rennie Glasgow who were elected to their first terms on the board.

Unofficial Results
2026-2027 School Budget (PASSED)
Yes 526 No 92

Proposition #1 Operations & Maintenance Facility (Catalyn St.)
(PASSED) Yes 488 No 127

Proposition #2: Adult & Continuing Education Center (Nott Terrace)
(PASSED) Yes 473 No 136

Proposition #3: City As Our Campus / ECHS / P-TECH Lease (State St.)
(PASSED) Yes 468 No 147

Board of Education
Bernice Rivera 474 votes
Daniel Flynn 423 votes
Rennie Glasgow 413 votes