Happy Friday,

I want to start my brief today by saying "thank you" to the staff and students at Mont Pleasant Middle School. This afternoon, the school was evacuated and dismissed early because of an odor of gas in the school. The fire department and National Grid were on site all afternoon and did identify the issue which was resolved. School will reopen on Monday. Students were cooperative and patient. Thank you to all the district staff members who helped out and the transportation department for arranging for the buses to get students home. We did reach out to let parents knows what is happening. If you did not receive a notification, please check to make sure we have correct information on file for you. Again, thank you to everyone.

It's hard to believe we are in the month of June and the Class of 2023 Graduation is only 20 days aways. That means Regents Exams are coming up quickly. In fact, the first one was held yesterday. The remainder of the Regents schedule, which falls on June 14 - 23, is posted online here. During these two weeks, high school students only attend school when they have a scheduled exam. If you have questions about Regents exams, please ask now.

June is #PrideMonth, a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month is celebrated in June as a tribute to those who were involved in the Stonewall Riots in Manhattan which served as a tipping point in our country. Pride Month is for everyone to celebrate and embrace who we are and serves as a reminder that we become stronger as we continue to pursue equity, acceptance and freedom for all. The LGBTQ+ community has fought tirelessly to be treated with respect and equity. The rainbow signifies the colorful activities and flavors of the month-long celebration. In our schools, we celebrate diversity and are committed to building a culture where every LGBTQ+ person is healthy, safe and feels seen.

Through June 16
Full Instructional Days

Tuesday, June 13
Last Day of Classes for Students in Grades 9-12. Regents begin June 14.

June 14 - 22
Regents Exams
High School Students only report for scheduled Regents Exams

Monday, June 19
No School & District Offices Closed. Juneteenth Holiday

Tuesday, June 20
Full Instructional Day (Grades Pre-K through 6)

Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, June 22
Half Day of School
Elementary & Middle School
Grades Pre-K - 5 Dismissal: 10:55 a.m.
Grades 6-8 Dismissal: 11:45 a.m.

Thursday, June 22:
Schenectady High School Class of 2023 Graduation, 6 p.m. SHS Football Field

Maple syrup tastings have been taking place around our district recently, as our student "maple farmers" enjoy the syrup processed from maple sap they worked hard to collect during February and March. Our Schoolyard Sugaring program has been taking place since 2019 at Zoller Elementary, and was expanded this year to include Keane, Paige, Woodlawn and Schenectady High School. Students on these campuses worked with Farm to School Project Manager Rebekka Henriksen to identify maple trees in the fall, in the winter they helped to tap the trees and then collected the sap each week. In total, a little over 200 gallons of sap were collected from a total of 20 maple trees found on the 5 campuses, and were evaporated into four gallons of syrup.Students are now tasting syrup on pancakes or over vanilla ice cream (our personal favorite). This hands-on learning experience was expanded to reach almost 600 students this year.