Students at the Charlton School are getting fresh new dorms. 

In a June 12 ribbon cutting, the Charlton School unveiled the four brand new dormitory buildings. Each dorm has capacity for eight students with each student receiving a private room and sharing a bathroom with one other student. The dorms include a fresh living space, rooms for activities and kitchen and laundry facilities. 

The ribbon cutting comes after a year of construction — starting with a groundbreaking ceremony in June 2024. In addition to the dorms, students also have a new maker space, sidewalks and outdoor areas. 

In his remarks, Executive Director of the Charlton School, Alex Capo highlighted the collaborative nature of the project and thanked the numerous stakeholders for their efforts. 

“Together we have truly created a space where any student can feel safe and valued,” Capo said. “On behalf of the Charlton School, thank you.” 

Head of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), Robert Rodriguez said he wished that there were more facilities like the Charlton School especially in the community he used to represent as an Assemblyman in East Harlem. 

Bo Goliber, Chief Strategy and Impact officer for the Charlton School said students were set to move into the new dorms when they came back to school following graduation. She also highlighted the impact the dorms on the students. 

“In general, how the students wake up and start each day will be so dramatically improved that we hope that leads to a better overall process to improve their mental health,” Goliber said. 

The Charlton School is a year-round school which assists young women grades 8-12 from across the Northeast. It serves 42 students with 28 living on campus and 14 being bused in daily by their home school districts. In addition to standard academics, it provides equine or horse-based therapy, arts and recreation and campus life. 

In the penultimate meeting of the school year, The Ballston Spa Central School District Board of Education heard from three principals regarding their progress on goals set at the beginning of the school year. 

The meeting took place on the night of Jun. 4. Board members heard from the principals of Wood Road Elementary, Malta Avenue Elementary and Ballston Spa High School. A major topic of the meeting was the continued decline in absenteeism in the school system. 

The first to speak was Wood Road Elementary Principal Kelly Cataldo. Cataldo is the shortest tenured principal in the district — having been hired as principal August 2024. In her presentation to the board, Cataldo said she focused her efforts on absenteeism, inclusion, and community engagement among other issues. 

Cataldo said chronic absenteeism —defined by the state as missing 10 percent of school days within one academic year for any reason — at the school has been going down and attendance has remained steady. While this year only saw a 0.4% drop in chronic absenteeism, the number has gone down significantly from 26.5% in the 2021-22 school year. At the same time, the attendance rate remained steady at 93%.

Looking specifically at kindergarten and first grade, where Cataldo said she put much of her focus, chronic absenteeism dropped by about 5%. Cataldo said this change in part was due to efforts by counselors to support students and by teachers to reach out to families at risk of having a student become chronically absent. 

The other major goal Cataldo focused on was inclusion within the school. Cataldo said some of the changes were cosmetic — like a new rug and chairs in the lobby — while others were more student focused. These student focused changes included having classroom teachers nominate a student of the month and highlighting one character trait a month for students to focus on. 

It was a similar story at the high school where principal Matthew Robinson said over the last four years chronic absenteeism has gone down from 32% in 2022 to 26% so far in 2025. Robinson said his strategy to reduce the number was focusing on 40 students (3% of the total) who were on the low end of chronic absenteeism and worked with them specifically. Of these 40 students, Robinson said, 21 are no longer chronically absent while 10 students saw an increase in 10 or more days absent. 

Another major issue that Robinson had focused on this year was the rate of students missing class. According to Robbinson, the total number of skipped classes had gone down from 989 classes skipped in 2022-23 to 700 this year so far. Beyond just the number of total skipped classes, Robinson pointed out the number of students cutting class went from 228 students cutting last year to 184 students cutting class this year. 

Robinson said part of the reason for the decline in skipped classes was due to increased discipline — a strategy Robinson said brought fights down from 54 fights last year to 20 this year. 

To tackle the problem of students cutting classes, the number of warnings was cut by 47%. At the same time, the number of in-school suspensions for cutting class went up by 16% and the number of lunch detentions went up by 21%. Robinson said the increased discipline was specifically focused on repeat offenders. 

“What we do is: if they’re multiple offenders, we increase the punishment,” Robinson said. 

As for why the number of warnings went down, Robinson said this came at the request of teachers in his building. 

“They wanted less warnings,” Robinson said. “The argument was students should know if they’re in high school, they shouldn’t be cutting.” 

Another one of Robinson’s major goals was increasing the number of economically disadvantaged students graduating. Robison’s goal at the beginning of the year was to increase the rate 70% last year to 80% this year.

 Of the 109 economically disadvantaged students who entered the school year this year, 12 dropped out while nine transferred to other schools. Robinson said he won’t know how many of the 88 remaining seniors will graduate. However, his hope is for all of them to graduate and that he is working towards that goal. 

Beyond the reports from the schools, the school boards approved the purchase of several diesel-powered vehicles and one electric school bus. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Builders Association, Inc. is proud to announce the awarding of two student $1000 cash scholarships. One is the annual SBA Scholarship and the second is the annual “Bob Best” Memorial Scholarship.

Congratulations to Sean Ward of Corinth. Sean will be graduating from Corinth High School this June and plans on attending Hudson Valley Community College pursuing a degree in Construction Technology.

Congratulations to Jameson Brownell of Schuylerville. Jameson will be graduating from Schuylerville High School this June and plans on attending Utica College pursuing a degree in Construction Management.

The Saratoga Builders Association makes these two student scholarship awards available annually to high school seniors or college students who are planning to pursue a career in the construction industry.

The Saratoga Automobile Museum is excited to present two exclusive auctions that blend fine art, luxury fashion, and historic design, all to support the Museum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The Fine Art & Antiquity Auction will take place on Friday, June 6 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Saratoga Springs. Following this Auction will be an online only Designer Shoe & Sunglass Auction.

A special Preview Day will be held on Thursday, June 5 from 5 PM to 7 PM, giving guests an exclusive first look at the auction offerings. The live Fine Art & Antiquity auction begins at 10 AM on Friday followed by the online Designer Shoe & Sunglass Auction at 1:30pm. You can view all of the items online at www.saratogaautoauction.org.

The event features works by iconic artists such as Andy Warhol and Alec Monopoly, along with a selection of designer shoes and sunglasses from top luxury brands. From contemporary pop art to timeless antiquities and couture accessories, this event brings together art, fashion, and culture in a setting that reflects the Museum’s spirit of excellence and design.

You do not need to attend in person to participate. Biddings are available online, so you can join from the comfort of your home. To register to bid online or view the full auction catalog, visit the Museum’s Auction website at www.saratogaautoauction.org.

Held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, located at 86 Congress Street, Saratoga Springs, NY, this event is perfect for collectors, fashion lovers, and Museum supporters. All proceeds benefit the Saratoga Automobile Museum, helping to fund exhibitions, educational programs, and the preservation of automotive history.

For more information, or to register to bid, please visit or the museum’s website at www.saratogaautomuseum.org

Join us for a day of fine art, fashion, and philanthropy in support of the Saratoga Automobile Museum.

For the past year, The Charlton School has been undergoing extensive renovations, designed to positively impact the lives of the young women it serves, who reside on its 275-acre campus in Saratoga County. 

As the project comes to completion, the students who are learning and growing within this unique therapeutic learning community will have some much-needed enhancements to help foster their space for growth. 

On Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 10 a.m., key stakeholders involved in The Charlton School’s largest renovation since 1955, will gather to celebrate the culmination of this project that will change the way the students live and learn on campus. 

The Charlton School supports young women in grades 8-12, who are facing significant mental health challenges that are negatively impacting their daily lives. They provide a highly structured approach to therapeutic services and campus life, while also offering students a hands-on, experiential New York State High School Curriculum. Students are provided with individual and family therapy, as well as Art, Equine and Recreational Therapy.

One year ago, the groundbreaking was held to kick-off construction on four new student dorms, a new Campus Facilities building and a student Maker Space, in addition to the demolition of some old structures, and the installation of new sidewalks and walkways. The essential upgrades better reflect the high quality of therapeutic services and education being provided at The Charlton School. 

Students who reside on campus will now have brand new accommodations, with eight students per dorm, which will better support their healing journey and provide a modern, safe, and inviting living space for their “home away from home”. Each student will have a single room, and share a bathroom with only one other student. The old dorms were built in 1955 and were no longer conducive to supporting the mission and forward progress being made at The Charlton School.    

The Charlton School operates year-round and serves a total of 42 students from across NY, CT and VT with 28 living on campus and 14 day students being transported daily from local school districts. Students are referred to this highly unique therapeutic learning community by their home school districts when the Committee on Special Education determines a higher level of care and intervention is necessary. 

As the construction project winds down, officials reflect on the success and say it was made possible by collaboration with partners, donors, students and staff, who have worked together to ensure the timely and safe completion since day one. Remaining students will be moving into the new dorms after graduation on June 26, 2025.

Executive Director, Alex Capo, said, “This whole project has been truly collaborative from the beginning. The genuine concern for our students, families, staff and our overall therapeutic learning community was felt on a daily basis by all of those on-site everyday. The new buildings and outdoor campus spaces are much more conducive to the healing and growth that is necessary for our continued success.”

Academic scholarships totaling $30,000 were awarded to six Saratoga Springs High School students by the Saratoga Springs Lions Club.

The $10,000 Jack Berkowitz Memorial Scholarship for scholastic achievement and community service was presented to Carol Wang; two $5,000 scholarships were awarded to Sarah Woytowich and Norah Hoke; and three $2,500 scholarships went to Rory Serritella, Katelyn Hogan and Liam D’Evelyn.

All five were cited for their scholastic achievements, their involvement in sports and music, and their ongoing participation in volunteer activities.

Saratoga Springs— Saratoga Independent School (SIS) is thrilled to announce the expansion of its award-winning Preschool (PreK) program for the upcoming 2025–2026 school year. 

Designed for 3- and 4-year-old children, the program offers a warm, happy, and nurturing environment where young learners thrive through a balance of play and enriching educational experiences.

This expansion reflects increasing demand from families seeking a high-quality, developmentally appropriate program that encourages intellectual, social, emotional, and physical growth in a safe and supportive setting. 

“At Saratoga Independent School, we believe children learn best through hands-on, meaningful experiences,” said Shauna Swinimer, Lower School Director. “Our PreK expansion will allow more families to access the type of early education that nurtures curiosity, confidence, and kindness.” 

The SIS PreK program emphasizes small class sizes, with a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio and two experienced educators in each classroom. Children enjoy hands-on, thematic learning that incorporates early literacy and math skills into everyday activities. Students also participate in Spanish and music classes each week, adding rich layers to their language and creative development.

Students will spend time outdoors on the school’s 60-acre campus, exploring wooded trails, learning in natural settings, and developing gross motor and social skills on the PreK playground. Daily before- and after-care options as well as flexible enrollment options are available to meet the needs of different families. 

The Half Day Morning program runs Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. The Full-Time Full Day program runs from 8:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Families looking for added flexibility can also take advantage of the Full Day Flex option, allowing students to attend full-day sessions on a drop-in basis, depending on availability.

Saratoga Independent School accepts applications on a rolling basis, but families are encouraged to schedule a tour and apply early, as PreK classes fill quickly.

For more information or to schedule a visit, please go to www.siskids.org/tour or contact the Admissions Office at (518) 583-0841 or cfortune@siskids.org.

Third and fifth graders from the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs had the opportunity to connect with history recently. While fifth graders participated in a pentathlon with neighboring Waldorf schools, the third graders learned how wool goes from sheep to garment.

The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs hosted a Pentathlon—an honored Waldorf tradition celebrating the strength, beauty, and balance of the ancient Greek ideals. The school was proud to host students from six neighboring Waldorf schools at Gavin Park as they competed in events such as javelin, discus, long jump, running and wrestling.

 More than just a competition, the Pentathlon is a rite of passage that honors each child’s unique abilities and their spirit of sportsmanship. The annual event takes place as the culmination of the fifth grade’s in-depth studies about Greek history and culture.

Third Grade, meanwhile, recently enjoyed their second annual field trip to Brookside Museum to participate in its Sheep to Shawl program. This immersive experience includes both demonstrations and hands-on activities related to wool processing: shearing a sheep, washing and carding wool, spinning and making a shawl.

 The four unique stations kept the students actively engaged as they observed and participated in the shawl-making process. The day was both educational and a lot of fun!

The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs serves children and their families from early preschool through Eighth grade. At the Waldorf School, we value the healthy development of the whole individual, in mind, body and spirit.

For more information, visit www.waldorfsaratoga.org or call 518-587-0549.