Happy Friday,

As we round out our first full week of school, I hope you are doing well and that the school year is off to a great start. If you have unanswered questions or unresolved concerns, I encourage you to first please talk to your child's teacher or principal or submit them through Let's Talk. Keep in mind that most of our schools are holding back to school nights next week. Feel free to make an appointment or ask your questions at that time as well. We are here to partner with you and make this year the best yet.

I also want to provide a reminder of our school start and end times for students. They have changed slightly since last year and it's important that all students arrive on time for school and have breakfast. The times students should be arriving and dismissing are as follows:

As you may know, after-school programming provided by external organizations has been limited or is delayed starting in some places due to staffing challenges. The concern is not just in Schenectady but is one schools and families are facing throughout the capital region. We realize it's an inconvenience but expect things will improve soon. With that, I also want to let families know that our district in currently working on plan to offer two to three hours of extended learning at all schools in the near future. While we are working out the details, I can tell you that our program will be a structured program in which students receive academic support and participate in enrichment activities led by district staff and/or community-based organizations after the school day ends. I will be sharing more about this with you soon.

I wish to offer congratulations to Tiffany Banwari, an executive secretary in my office, who was recognized by Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region at a luncheon this week as a member of the "2022-2023 Council of Women for Girls" and mentor for the upcoming year. We are always proud to see members of our team active in the community and making a difference in so many ways. Please join me in thanking and congratulating Tiffany.

I would also like to extend a "thank you" to Steve Balogh, a social studies teacher at Mont Pleasant Middle School and U.S. Air Force veteran, who coordinated a special event prior to the start of the Amsterdam and Schenectady football game last week. Players and coaches from both teams and the Schenectady Air Force JROTC honored our veterans and first responders by holding up a huge American flag near the end zone during the playing of the national anthem This was a great moment on our field that brought the two teams together to express honor and appreciation. #schenectadyproud #schenectadyrising #neverforget

There are so many individuals and organizations who care about the needs of our students. We will be seeing more of this as we soon begin the launch of our community schools initiative. This week I wish to express appreciation to Spectrum and the Junior League. Spectrum collected and donated school supplies to elementary school students across the district. The Junior League, as part of Operation Back to School, donated school supplies to all of the students at Yates Elementary School. Thank you to both organizations for your generosity and kindness.

September 15 kicked off National Hispanic American Heritage Month. This is a national celebration to honor the history, culture and influence of past generations who came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. There are many things we can do to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month such as learn more about the rich culinary musical and holiday traditions, visit a museum or take a virtual tour or take some time to read books written by Latinx or Hispanic authors. It's also fun to attend a celebration, especially one that serves food and plays music that pays tribute to Latin culture.

On Wednesday, I had the honor of attending the Capital District YMCA Black and Latino Achievers Kickoff. It was great to be surrounded by other Capital Region leaders who are committed to the success of Black and Latino students. The program pairs students with positive adult mentors and focuses on college readiness, career awareness, educational enhancement, cultural enrichment and helps students develop the skills needed to help them be successful. We are community all working together toward the success of our students.

The 24th Annual Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner will take place Monday evening. This is such a terrific event honoring the legacy and tradition of sports in our district. If you want to learn more about the inductees, Jack Edwards, Ernie Marshall and Casper Wells, take a look at the brochure. Today, the Daily Gazette also featured a 4-page wraparound section titled, "Pride of Schenectady," with great stories and photos of the inductees as athletes in action.

A great deal of dedication, hard work and pride goes into an event of this magnitude. Thank you to Bob Pezzano and the committee that works to make this possible each year. I'm looking forward to the event coming up on Monday evening.

In closing, I wish you a relaxing and fun weekend. After our first full week of school, we are all probably a little more tired than usual. I appreciate your hard work, partnership, and continued patience. We know things are not always perfect at the start of the school year but we continue to work at it and will get there.

We look forward to seeing you next week.

Sincerely,

Anibal Soler, Jr.
Superintendent of Schools

This month, we honor Hispanic Americans' histories and cultures nationwide and recognize their achievements and contributions to society.

Reminder to mark your calendar for upcoming back to school nights.

Elementary School
Wednesday, September 21

Middle School
Tuesday, September 20

Schenectady High School
Thursday, September 22

Steinmetz Career & Leadership Academy
Tuesday, September 27

Your child's teacher will provide your school's time and any other school- specific details.

If you live in the city of Schenectady, the 2021-2022 Spotlight will be arriving in your mailbox soon. This provides and look inside of all we have accomplished together for our kids and community. Can't wait for it to arrive? Take a sneak peek here.

Employees from the HR Department and Spirit Committee at Spectrum in Schenectady collected and donated school supplies to our elementary school students. Joe DiCaprio, Executive Director of Elementary Schools, accepted the donation from Spectrum employee Deb Rust.

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS

2022-2023 Protocols are posted online here.

Staff Note:
In order for an employee to to receive COVID-19 paid leave, as a second or third request, you must provide documentation from a licensed medical provider or testing facility confirming the positive result. See the protocol page for details.