SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Community Care Pop-UP project started by Youth² – Youth Helping Youth, a volunteer group in Saratoga Springs, was met with huge success over the past two months. The March  “Warm Socks and Toothbrushes” Drive, followed by the April  CDTA Bus Pass Donation Drive were the initial two Pop-UPs that marked the beginning of a community oriented, hands-on way to help the Saratoga region and beyond.

Thanks to the generosity of the many donators that took the time to drive by with a supply of donations, Youth² managed to collect over 1,000 pairs of socks and an equal number of toothbrushes. The SNACpack Program distributed these items.

The April Community Car Pop-UP, the CDTA Bus Pass Donations, didn’t disappoint. Almost $1,100 worth of CDTA Bus Passes (139 passes) of differing amounts were donated. The community was very generous in seeing that deserving people needing transportation assistance for doctor’s appointments, vaccinations, job interviews, and getting to work could do so. The helping agencies of Shelter of Saratoga, Saratoga County Mental Health – Youth and Family Services Team, Franklin Community Center and Lifeworks (EOC) will be giving them out.

May’s Community Care Pop-Up Event was “Toilet Paper Towers.” Future Pop-UP Events include June “Tomato, Tomoto, Tomorrow” Cherry Tomato Plant Giveaway, July  Feminine Hygiene Drive, August School Supply Drive, and a “Songs for Social Action” Concert at Caffe Lena with Canadian Road Poet, Scott Cook, to instill movement for social justice. 

For more information visit www.youthsquared.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — June Regents Exams are fast approaching, and for the second year in a row there are new exemption requirements that students and parents should be aware of. 

In 2020, New York State received a waiver from the federal government that allowed them to cancel all standardized tests, including the Regents Examinations. The United States Department of Education (USDE) has announced that it will not grant a blanket waiver for 2021 state examinations. 

Therefore, the NYS Board of Regents has reduced the June Regents Examination period to include only the four core exams that are required by federal standardized testing law. These exams are: English Language Arts, Living Environment (Biology), Algebra I, and Physical Setting/Earth Science. Regents Exams that were cancelled include: Global History & Geography, U.S. History & Government, Geometry, Algebra II, Chemistry, and Physics. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) will not be administering any Regents Exams in August 2021. 

However, students are not required to take any of these four Regents if they are passing the corresponding course; they will receive the “C19EX” designation/exemption on their transcript for that Regents Exam. As per NYSED guidelines, grades on any of the four exams will not factor into a student’s course average, and the tests will not affect graduation requirements. Saratoga Springs City School District stated the following about the new requirements: 

“We feel it is important for students to obtain a measure of their learning from their school year and we encourage students to take these exams if they are enrolled in the course. Students will not be penalized for not taking the Regents examination, nor will not taking an exam have an adverse impact on graduation requirements or diploma types.”

Although these specific exemptions are due to current circumstance, New York State had begun an assessment of graduation requirements last year, before the pandemic put it on hold. The discussion is planned to resume this summer. 

Exam dates and times are set by the NYSED for all students and there is no online option. The exam schedule for the Saratoga Springs City School District is as follows:

June 17: English Language Arts @ 8 a.m.

June 22:  Living Environment (Biology) @ 8 a.m. 

June 23: Algebra I @ 8 a.m. 

June 24: Physical Setting/Earth Science @ 8 a.m. 

Saratoga Springs students who chose to take the exam will have a choice whether to include the score on their transcript. The request for having the numeric Regents score shown on their transcript must be placed in writing to Kathy Hopper at SSHS, k_hopper@saratogaschools.org by July 9, 2021.

SARATOGA COUNTY — The Saratoga County History Center is pleased to announce a new partnership with Saratoga Springs High School. The History Center is eager to support young scholars, give them a venue to present their work, and connect the classroom to the community. 

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1 and Thursday, June 3, students from the high school’s Saratoga Pathways Academy (an interdisciplinary history-literature, project-based program), will present their explorations of human rights issues since World War II. Four groups will present each night for ten minutes per group. After each presentation, audience members and a panel of judges will assess the project, offer feedback and ask questions. 

he two-night event will be held on Zoom and is free and open to the public. Audience participation is encouraged. We welcome the family and friends of the student presenters, as well as anyone interested in history, human rights, or education in general. 

To register for this event, please visit brooksidemuseum/event/saratoga-springs-high-school-spa-program-student-presentations. Registrants will receive a Zoom link via email. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In a letter dated May 4, 2021, 92 school superintendents in the WSWHE BOCES, HFM BOCES, Questar III BOCES, and Capital Region BOCES regions appealed to local legislators to advocate for additional guidance that will allow area students to return to school onsite every day when the new school year opens in the fall of 2021. 

They said, “while the most recent guidance from April 9, 2021 is helpful in many regards, there continues to be many restrictions that will ultimately make a complete return to school impossible.”

In particular, they seek changes in four key areas: cohorts at the secondary level, social distancing on school buses, social distancing in classrooms and cafeterias, and guidance on in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning. 

GALWAY — The Saratoga County Farm to School program has incorporated three new schools to the grant program. One of the newly added schools is Galway Central School District, which celebrated their first Harvest of the Month this past April. 

Amy Thompson, Food Service and Cook Manager for Galway CSD, worked with the Farm to School Grant Coordinator Nicolina Foti (Cornell Cooperative Extension Saratoga County) to put together this activity for Galway students. 

Apples were an easy choice! While it may seem like April is an odd time of year to highlight apples, and since other schools chose apples as a Harvest of the Month in the fall time, it’s a great way to educate students on the importance of cold storage crops. Fruits and vegetables which are harvested in the fall can be kept fresh for many months and enjoyed all year long! 

Galway’s Harvest of the Month was a little different due to the involvement of the elementary art teacher Lynn Wasserman. She opened her classroom to highlighting the Harvest of the Month Apples to all of her classes (pre-K – 6th grade) during their art period. Students were able to taste their apples and give feedback on what they thought about them. If they thought the apples were sweet, crunchy, tart, dry, juicy, soft and/or hard.  They also were able to color some educational apple coloring pages. Lynn Wasserman also spoke to the students about where they can get local apples, and why it is important to eat locally sourced products and produce. The students also learned about the parts of an apple, different types, and the season of an apple tree. 

The first Harvest of the Month for Galway CSD is in the books and a great success! Thanks to all those involved and especially to those in the school district who took the time to find a way to make it work and add to the already busy school day. It is the dedication from these individuals, especially during difficult times, that give these different and immersive experiences to students. 

For more information about Saratoga County Farm to School Program visit ccesaratogacounty.org Agriculture – Farm to School. Or email the Farm to School Coordinator Nicolina Foti at nvf5@cornell.edu.

BALLSTON SPA — LifeWorks Head Start celebrated its 56th birthday on May 18. For over 50 years, they have helped families get their children prepared both socially and academically for Kindergarten. LifeWorks currently has 10 classroom sites spanning the entirety of Saratoga County, and is enrolling now for September. 

One site in particular, Ballston Commons, officially reopened on May 3 for in-person classes. Something that seemed entirely out of reach for both teachers, staff, and families a few months ago had finally become a reality. 

The site, which was previously located at Gordon Creek Elementary School, is now tucked away nicely in the Malta Commons Business Park. The new space allows for more room for both administration as well as students and teachers. 

Head Start Region Manager, Alicia Mutz, noted how the students at Ballston Commons hadn’t been in in-person programs since everything shut down due to COVID-19 in March of last year. Switching from virtual to face-to-face seems to already have done wonders for the childrens’ ability to focus, learn and thrive. The site only runs for two and a half hours each day, Monday – Thursday. Once the location receives its daycare license, the site will be open for six hours a day, Monday – Friday. 

LifeWorks Head Start offers free classroom and home-based programs for income eligible pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. For more info and to apply visit www.lifeworksaction.org/headstart or call 518-288-3206. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Residents of the school district approved the proposed $134,623,813 school budget for the 2021-2022 school year by a vote of 3,318 to 1,152. 

The budget is balanced through a combination of state aid, property taxes, and fund balance, and included a tax levy change of 2.25%. It is in line with the District’s Pathway Vision and enhances academic programs and services such as the addition of an English as a New Language teacher, resources for ELA curriculum renewal, expansion of the extended school year program, a 1:1 device for incoming ninth graders, and a tech support position. 

Also passed by a vote of 3,449 to 1,017 was Proposition 2, the bus bond proposition to spend an estimated $1,165,000 on six 66-passenger buses, three 30-passenger buses, 2 24-passenger buses, and one service vehicle. State aid will reimburse the district for approximately 40%. 

District residents also voted to elect three candidates to the Board of Education for three-year terms. Connie Woytowich received 2,851 votes. John Ellis received 2,344 votes. Amanda Ellithorpe received 2,251 votes. Casey Putnam received 2,232 votes. Christina Kraszewski received 2,208 votes. 

*Please note that the budget vote and Board of Education election results were unofficial at the time this was written. They were reviewed and verified at the Board of Education meeting on May 19. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Faith’s House, the new childcare center at Saratoga Race Course, is set to begin serving families and children of the backstretch community in summer 2021.

Located on the Oklahoma side of the Saratoga backstretch, the 4,300-square-foot facility will provide childcare and early education programs for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children. The center will be open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate the schedules of backstretch workers and horsemen. 

The building was funded by Michael and Lee Dubb and is named in honor of Faith Dubb, the late mother of The Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) founder and board chairman Michael Dubb.

Faith’s House will feature dedicated rooms to serve infants, toddlers and preschool aged children. Upon entering the new childcare center, visitors are greeted by an oversized black and white mural of a thoroughbred racehorse.

The facility is designed to accommodate up to 35 children and includes numerous cribs for newborn infants. Two rooms within Faith’s House are dedicated to serving preschool aged children with an array of educational resources, including books, dictionaries and writing and drawing materials. A fenced-in play area is located outside the rear of the building with eco-friendly, rubber tiles and flooring to provide a safe and forgiving playground surface.

The Saratoga facility will complement BCCA’s sister childcare center Anna House, which serves families of the Belmont Park backstretch. More than 1,000 students have participated in Anna House’s programs since its opening in 2003. 

The annual summer meet at Saratoga Race Course brings approximately 950 backstretch workers and their families to the Spa. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Come see Saratoga’s top-rated independent school, Saratoga Independent School (SIS). SIS provides an excellent education to students in Pre-K through eighth grade. Enrollment has begun for the 2021-2022 school year. From May 17 – May 20, SIS will host open house tour days. During the open house tour days, prospective families will have an opportunity to meet Lisa Brown, Head of School, as well as other faculty and staff in a safe way. Members of our faculty will take families on private tours of the campus, either in-person or virtually, discuss the curriculum, and answer question about our school. This is an excellent opportunity to see what SIS has to offer. For more information and to register, please visit www.siskids.org/admissions/open-house.cfm.

Registration for tours will be required and reservations can be made online or by contacting Colleen Fortune, Admissions Liaison, at cfortune@siskids.org or 518-583-0841. SIS will also schedule tours with families on any other day that is convenient. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A Saratoga Springs High School teacher invited local BLM leaders to speak to his class, coinciding with a new “Anti-Racist” book being used in the school’s English curriculum and a new policy being adopted. 

The English teacher allegedly violated district rules by having unapproved guest speakers talk to his class. The guest speakers, Chandler Hickenbottom and Lexis Figuereo, are leaders of the local Black Lives Matter organization “All of Us.” Their organization calls for the defunding and abolition of the local police department, and they have been organizing protests around Saratoga Springs and the Capital District for the past year. Their group was responsible for shutting down Broadway and harassing restaurant patrons in Saratoga Springs this past summer. Figuereo was arrested in Albany at the end of April for being a part of a group attempting to destroy the Albany South Police Station. 

During a Board of Education meeting on April 29, it was announced that the Saratoga Springs City School District is using a new book in the ELA curriculum for grades 9-12. This book, titled “Letting Go of Literary Whiteness, Antiracist Literature Instruction for White Students,” has sample lesson plans for teachers to introduce discussions on the topics of White Privilege and White Supremacy; the lessons are calling for “Alternative Voices” to be presented to the students. 

At the same April 29 meeting, the Board of Education had their first reading of an Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity in Education policy that they were looking to adopt. The policy was adopted at the May 11 meeting, and the administrative regulation was tabled so that it could be further discussed by the policy committee.