SARATOGA SPRINGS — With less than a month to solidify their fall school year plans, educators and local parents alike are scrambling for options.  Last minute questions such as student safety, academic progress, work and bus schedules, family life and childcare are leaving parents with unanswered questions that need to be quickly addressed.

The private sector is stepping up with creative solutions to help parents navigate the evolving situation. Businesses with large indoor spaces are a natural fit, but creative ideas come in all shapes and sizes. We found a few local businesses who have stepped forward with potential options. 

The Saratoga Regional YMCA (SRYMCA) reworked their B.A.S.E. Program (Before and After School Enrichment Program for Kindergarten-Fifth Grade) B.A.S.E is a morning and afternoon program for children to learn, grow and thrive. This NYS licensed program engages students in fun, social play. Children are empowered through indoor/outdoor activities, creative arts, homework help, large and small group games. This program provides working parents with a sense of comfort and security.

SRYMCA is working with the following five local school districts: Ballston Spa, Cambridge, Corinth, Greenwich and Saratoga.

They are also providing support for 4-6th grade students who are participating in a hybrid learning program, through the YMCA Learning Academy. This program will coordinate with the district to support synchronous and asynchronous instruction; it will include a PE program and frequent brain break activities to support a healthy spirit, mind, and body; and is open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday for Saratoga Springs 4th through 6th graders. For more information about these programs, please visit srymca.org, or contact Theresa Cross at 518-583-9622 ext. 155 or by email at theresa.cross@srymca.org.

The Saratoga Ninja Lab will be running ‘Ninja Hangouts.’ Ninja Hangouts are two-hour structured Ninja sessions offered throughout the days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. “We wanted to do something to help parents, and get the kids moving” said General Manager Dan Kirchner. According to Kirchner, the most frequent request they hear from parents is “Please tire them out, they are bouncing off the walls.”

The Ninja Hangouts will include 45 minutes of free play, 45 minutes of structured training and 30 minutes of study hall to give kids quiet time in which they can read, do schoolwork, or enjoy a snack. They can also bring their laptop for non-gaming. “Parents can also choose 2 sessions back-to-back, allowing them 4 ½ hours to get to work, run errands, or just have some free time” Kirchner added. More information can be found online at saratoganinjalab.com.

The Waldorf school is heading to the great outdoors where all classes will be held on their one-of-a-kind Forest campus, located in Spa State Park. For more information on the unique Waldorf experience, see story: “Waldorf School Early Childhood Programs: Growing Up Strong”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — After Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that schools can reopen this fall, districts have already adjusted their learning plans for the 2020-2021 school year.

Local plans include learning models through in-person, virtual or a hybrid model. Each district has also planned two parent meetings before their start date this fall and more detailed information for each school district’s learning model has been defined. Additional information such as cleaning methods, busing and student and staff requirement is also included. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Saratoga Springs Central School District is planning to begin classes Sept. 9. They have outlined a learning model that prepares for in-person, hybrid and online teaching options. The district first plans to analyze curriculum to help determine what kids learned prior to schools closing this past March and adjust the new school year studies. After, they will incorporate New York State Learning Standards to be taught when schools reopen, using guidance from local and national professional organizations.

Through whichever model is selected before the school year begins, SSCSD teachers will provide grade level instruction in ways that will engage students in learning through a combination of lectures, videos and presentations along with other forms of teaching that holds outcomes, tasks and strategies.

District parents can chose between: in-person instruction where teachers and students engage in-person, at school and in real time, hybrid instruction where teachers and students engage in combination of in-person and online learning or online instruction where teachers and students engage through a Learning Management System and a virtual meeting platform. Each of the teaching models are defined below:

• In-person learning model: According to their school draft, the decision will be made to return to 100-percent in-person learning for SSCSD students if the district is able to comply with required health and safety requirements and guidance from the state. The district does not anticipate in-person learning occurring soon and hopes to safely return when it is possible.

• Hybrid learning model: refers to varying combinations of learning situations through schedules, student groupings or grade levels and how teachers deliver instruction. Teachers can deliver instruction through live or pre-recorded videos or through individual work. This learning model can occur in a building and across a district.

• Online and remote learning model: SSCSD will pivot to online learning if required by the state or the local health department. Students will have a set schedule to follow every day, which they plan to differ from the spring 2020 learning experience. District parents will make the decision to participate in the online and remote learning model based primarily on concerns regarding virus exposure with attendance at a school site. A “Virtual School Registration Form” will be made available through their SchoolMessenger, and will also be on the school website. Paper copies will be made available at the district office and is currently available to complete. 

Their reopening plan is available to all school community members via the district website at www.saratogaschools.org/reopening. The plan will be updated throughout the school year as necessary.

BALLSTON SPA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Ballston Spa Central School District plans to welcome their staff on Sept. 8 but classes are not set to begin until Sept. 14. The district is hosting a re-opening orientation, chrome book pick-up and classroom connections prior to the first day of classes.

The district will provide parents the option for remote learning or in-person instruction and will need to commit to their decision for a six-week period. All of the learning instruction will be based on NYS Standards aligned curriculum and instructional materials. Teachers and staff will make assessments to measure and track students progress. 

Their elementary level attendance proposal will use buildings and classrooms and space allocations will abide by recommended guidelines. For the school day, Kindergarten through fifth grade will attend in-person Monday through Thursday and participate in remote learning on Fridays. Parents will choose between in-person or remote learning. The district selected curricular and instruction materials, and plan to prioritize Literacy and Math for in-person instruction.

BSCSD secondary level attendance proposal will also use buildings and classrooms, but grades sixth through twelfth will be primarily located in the High School. Their school day plans to allow specific grades to meet weekly, Monday through Thursday, on a three-week rotation. Week one will include grades sixth, eleventh and twelfth. Week two will include grades seventh and eighth and week three will include grades ninth and tenth. Courses of 15 or more students will be split in two rooms and instruction will be provided through a combination of technology and instructional personnel.

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SCHUYLERVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

SCSD plans to begin classes on Sept. 10. The district will use existing internal and external communication channels to notify staff, students and families/caregivers about in-person, remote and hybrid school schedules with as much advance notice as possible.

Parents will have the choice to remain in the remote learning model and will be allowed to opt back into remote learning on a five-week incremental basis.

In-person instruction under the hybrid model for the district will reduced the number of students in each of our classrooms to adhere to CDC guidance regarding proper social distancing. As a baseline, face coverings are required to be worn any time or place that individuals cannot maintain appropriate social distancing. 

Given the possibility that communities may experience spikes in COVID-19 cases at any point during the school year, which may prompt short or long-term school closures, the district has developed a hybrid model of instruction. Under their hybrid instruction, student schedules will remain the same whether instruction is in-person or remote. Grades Kindergarten through fifth will report every day, in-person, with attendance and grading policies will be in full effect. Grades sixth through twelfth will be alphabetical split with an A and B day rotation which will reduce student capacity by 50-percent.

Per NYS guidance, schools can reopen if the region is in Phase 4 and if the region’s daily infection rate remains at or below five percent, using a seven day average after Aug. 1. Schools will close if the regional infection rate rises above nine percent, using a seven-day average, and the district planned a full, remote learning model in case this scenario results. Grades Kindergarten through fifth will see a new schedule to include daily, virtual contact with students in whole or small groups. Grades sixth through twelfth will follow an abbreviated, daily, remote schedule with a later start time; study halls and lunch periods will be “free” time.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection throughout all the districts, facilities operations will be geared toward meeting social distancing requirements and cleaning frequently touched spaces regularly.

Staff members are currently reviewing rotational models to try and maximize in-person attendance. In order to help accomplish this, each district plans to make adjustments to bussing, building capacity, and other needed changes at set increments.

All staff and students will be required to self-screen daily and parents or guardians will be required to screen their students and report daily. All students will be required to maintain a minimum of six-foot distancing while in school. This distance will be increased to 12 feet if students are singing, playing a wind instrument or participating in an aerobic activity.

More information about school reopening plans, and to follow the updated weekly versions, visit www.saratogaschools.org, www.bscsd.org or www.schuylervilleschools.org.

BALLSTON SPA – The Ballston Spa Central School District’s Scotties BackPack Program has once again received a donation from the Rotary Club of Ballston Spa. 

They received a check for $3,000 that was presented to Kelly Delaney-Elliott, Coordinator of Development for the district, during a virtual presentation with Rotary members. Current President Pete Champagne said that the club members had selected the program as one of their main focus areas to support. The funds were raised during the Rotary’s annual Christmas tree sales in December 2019.

“The work and generosity of the Ballston Spa Rotarians continues to amaze and humble me,” indicated Superintendent Ken Slentz. “On behalf of the Board of Education and BSCSD, we extend our sincere
appreciation to them for their support of our students and district programs.” 

Last fall the Brookside Museum, the Rotary Club of Ballston Spa, and the Malta Sunrise Rotary joined together and sponsored a Chicken BBQ to benefit the Scotties BackPack Program. Through their efforts and contributions from many local businesses, they raised over $3,000 to donate to the program. They also placed collection containers in businesses throughout the district. Please contact Ray Otten at 518-852-2642 for additional information on the Rotary’s community support efforts.

In collaboration with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, the district launched the Scotties BackPack Program in 2017 at Milton Terrace Elementary School and has now expanded to all four elementary schools. The program provides a bag of easy-to-prepare food to selected students each week to eat throughout the weekend.  The program started with providing weekend meals to 30 students and the goal is to provide food for 175 students in the district. The cost to provide weekend meals for one student for the school year is $183. Revenue to support the program is raised by individual and corporate donations as well as through any available grant sources.

Other major contributors to the program have been The Saratoga Hospital, Ballston Spa Elks Lodge #2619, and the Global Foundries/Town of Malta Foundation.

Individual and corporate sponsorships are always welcome!  For a link to donate online visit www.bscsd.org/domain/28.  Donations by check should be made payable to the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region or CFGCR and may be sent to: Kelly Delaney-Elliott, BSCSD, 70 Malta Ave., Ballston Spa, NY  12020

Anyone interested in volunteering to support the BackPack program, please contact 518-884-7195 x1369.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – With little time left before the school year begins, school districts and parents need to begin conversations about what to expect for the 2020-21 school year. 

This week, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that parents would be the “ultimate decision makers” on sending children to school. He added another decision would be made this week on whether or not to reopen schools entirely based on infection rate. At this time there has been no announcement.

“If you have the virus under control, reopen. If you don’t have the virus under control, then you can’t reopen. We’re not going to use our children as a litmus test. And we are not going to put our children in a place where their health is endangered. It’s that simple,” Cuomo said.

While no decision has been made yet, schools have moved ahead with drafted school year plans. The state Board of Regents developed a reopening guideline to help NY school districts developed their plans. They gathered feedback from parents, teachers, school and district leaders, non-instructional staff, school board members and health experts. Some guidelines include mandatory mask wearing by
students, teachers and staff as well as daily health checks for anyone entering the school building and improving ventilation and air filtration systems.

Local districts have started to ask parents to take surveys about sending their children to school, and Cuomo urges starting video discussions as well. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District plans to gauge whether parents feel comfortable sending their children to school for in-person instruction or if a fully virtual school is preferred. The survey also asks parents if they will rely on the district’s school buses for transportation to and from school in the fall. The survey will be emailed to families and must be completed by Tuesday, July 21. 

Ballston Spa Central School District is also asking for parents opinions. Each week the district will post an updated version of their reopening plan. The draft will be changed through feedback from the district planning team subgroups, building-level workgroups, parent survey results, feedback they received via email at schoolopening@bscsd.org and updates from the state and their attorneys.

Saratoga Springs Central School District developed a “Pathways Forward” draft that outlines the steps the district is taking for the school year. Based on how the pandemic continues to evolve, districts are prepared to shift through a learning model continuum. 

Local school districts have outlined a fully virtual school, in-classroom learning and instruction, or a combination of both. Fully virtual gives parents the option to keep the children out of school buildings,
engaging children through virtual learning and meetings. Learning material will be covered the same, in-person and online.

In-Person Instruction would adhere to Cuomo and NYS Department of Health Guidelines for Reopening. Another option is a hybrid instruction, connecting teachers and students both in-person and online. Cuomo added that while neither option is perfect, opening schools is highly problematic. He cited food insecurity, possible dangerous situations at home and the growing concern of socialization.

The state Board of Regents reopening plan can be accessed at www.nysed.gov/reopening-schools. Each district’s detailed drafts can be accessed at www.bhbl.org/district-shares-reopening-considerations/, https://www.saratogaschools.org/files/filesystem/Outline-Reopening-Schools-Draft.pdf and https://www.bscsd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=21781&dataid=44455&FileName=BSCSD%20Reopening%20Plan%20Draft%201%20073020.pdf.

Dear Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs Community, 

I hope you are all beginning to enjoy the rhythm of summer days with warming sunshine, thunderous rain showers, and family adventures.

This past Monday, we received the general guidelines from the New York State Department of Health (DOH) for reopening NYS schools. We are still awaiting specific guidelines for independent schools to be released by the Board of Regents. The faculty and staff have begun a serious undertaking to provide the state with the required documentation needed to reopen in the fall, as well as the practical work needed to reopen our facilities. 

We know you are waiting for our plans and protocols and they have been in the works, even as we have awaited the guidelines from NYS. We are also certain that we will need your help. We are preparing for cleaning stations, outdoor classrooms, delineated entrance and exit procedures, daily temperature checks and health surveys, as well as diligent monitoring of community percentages of COVID cases that the government will use to determine whether or not schools can open and remain open. In either case, we will be prepared to fully open our campuses for all students, or shift to our best practices of distance learning through Educating Beyond the Classroom, if mandated by the state.

We are required to submit our plans to NY State by July 31. As soon as we have our documentation in place we will share it with you in a new COVID protocols handbook. Each branch is calling a branch specific parent meeting to give you insight into our ongoing plans. Help may be needed to create outdoor classrooms, purchase additional supplies, develop our plans, or support the technological needs of opening our spaces to students in quarantine or who cannot attend school for medical reasons. Unfortunately, the state has not yet designated any amount of monies available to independent schools for this purpose. We have officially entered the “all hands on deck” phase.

In light of this new phase for our school, we are concurrently undergoing a period of reimagining our identity as a Waldorf School in Saratoga Springs in 2020. Our collegium has widened to include more faculty and staff members, new faculty chairs are stepping in, and in addition to our current study of White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, we have committed ourselves to reexamining our culture, methods of offering teacher support and development, as well as the overarching governing structure of our school in the year ahead through study, conversation, and collaboration. As our process of study becomes more clear, we look forward to involving parents in aspects of this work. 

We will hold a second Zoom Town Hall meeting on Thursday, Aug. 13, at 6:30 p.m. New York State has informed us that our Reopening Plan will be approved between Aug.1 and Aug. 7 and we plan to share it with you at the Town Hall meeting. In the meantime, please be in touch with your branch chair with any questions. 

Faculty Chairs for each branch and their contact information is as follows: 

• Early Childhood Chair: 
  Manon Sabatier msabatier@waldorfsaratoga.org

• Lower School Co-Chairs:
  -Anca Baboi ababoi@waldorfsaratoga.org
  -Scott Stewart sstewart@waldorfsaratoga.org

• High School Co-Chairs:
  -Paul Beasly pbeasly@waldorfsaratoga.org
  -Steve Balmersbalmer@waldorfsaratoga.org 

• Collegium Chair:
   Astrea Ravenstararavenstar@waldorfsaratoga.org 

• Administrator: 
  Abigail Reid administration@waldorfsaratoga.org

Stay Safe as you enjoy the summer and we will see you next week at the branch meetings.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Independent School (S.I.S.) welcomes their first Eighth Grade class this fall. 

This marks the last phase in the school’s plan to add a Middle School, taking S.I.S. from Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grade.  The first group of Middle Schoolers started Sixth Grade at S.I.S. in the Fall of 2018 and they are thrilled to be the first graduating class this coming Spring. 

Head of School, Lisa Brown said: “this is a remarkable time for S.I.S. Since the school’s founding almost thirty years ago, visionary parents have imagined carrying S.I.S.’s values of leadership, respect, creativity, active engagement, and meaningful learning through the Middle School years.”

The Middle School expansion was part of the schools $1.7 million Capital Campaign, which concluded in October 2019. 

“Many members of the S.I.S. community – parents, trustees, faculty, students – were joined by extraordinarily committed donors to bring the Middle School at Saratoga Independent School to life in 2018. Special thanks go to our Capital Campaign leaders, Catherine LoMonico and Steve Greenblatt, and Julie and Marcus Fuller,” Brown said.

Brown notes the contribution of Jeny Randall, Middle School Director, whose talent and spirit have brought out the best in an amazing group of Middle School students over the last two years. The students took on many school leadership roles, worked with their Pre-K buddies, helped to plan school events, participated in advisory, modeled positive character traits, and worked hard to help maintain the school’s strong sense of community during remote learning this past Spring.

Brown expects that S.I.S. will be open for in-person education in the Fall. The school has already begun planning and implementing new health and safety measures.

The enrollment and financial aid process is currently underway for families interested in enrolling for the 2020-2021 school year. Virtual tours are available and will provide prospective students and families the opportunity to see the campus, meet faculty and staff, and learn more about the school’s strong academics and caring culture. Families interested in scheduling a private virtual tour may visit www.siskids.org/admissions/campus-tour or contact Colleen Fortune, Admissions Liaison, at 518-583-0841 or cfortune@siskids.org.

CORINTH — Hudson River Community Credit Union (HRCCU) has awarded three deserving local high school seniors with $1,000 college scholarships. These scholarships will allow the recipients to offset the cost of studying at a two or four-year college or university this Fall.

The recipients of HRCCU’s 2020 College Scholarships are Jovanni Mosca, Corinth CSD; Lea Richard, South Glens Falls CSD; and Sean Pettis, Glens Falls CSD.

“We congratulate our 2020 scholarship winners for continued excellence in their schools and communities,” said CEO Sue Commanda. 

Applicants were asked to submit references, list school and community activities, and write an essay about how they plan to give back to their communities following college graduation. Finalists were selected based on a 100-point scoring system.

HRCCU has a partnership with a number of schools in the Capital Region. Dedicated to youth financial literacy, the credit union funds a financial literacy program through Banzai! in the Hudson Falls and Watervliet school districts. It also hosts a school banking program in the Corinth and Glens Falls school districts where children learn the importance of saving as well as lifelong financial skills right at school.

When the Coronavirus shutdown took effect in New York, customer interactions at Precision Upstate came to a screeching halt. The Scotia-based installer of custom closet systems and glass shower enclosures faced a serious issue.

“We went from walking through our design center side-by-side with customers to not being able to be in the same physical place as them,” said Peter Klein, President of Precision Upstate. “Our design process as we knew it was suddenly not possible.”

With some creative thinking and embracing state and CDC guidelines came a new way for Precision Upstate to work with their customers: Virtual 3D Tours. Using 360 degree camera technology, the company developed virtual tours of their Design Center and Showcase Home. These virtual tours were then added to their website so customers could explore the design possibilities from the safety and comfort of their own home.

“The response has been excellent,” said Klein. “Our customers really love the virtual tours and our designers have made them a central part of their process.”

In order to cope with the increase in business in both its commercial and residential divisions, Precision Upstate is hiring at least eight additional employees. In the spirit of making lemonade from lemons, the company has reinvented itself to meet the new normal.

“Homeowners are happy, we’re putting more people to work, and in June we paid the highest monthly bonus for employees in our company history,” said Klein. “It’s a win-win.”

Precision Upstate is located at 115 Freemans Bridge Road in Scotia with a second facility for its commercial division is Rotterdam. To take a Virtual 3D Tour of their Design Center and Showcase Home, visit www.precisionupstate.com. For more information call 518-631-5831.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Independent School’s 2019-2020 school year came to a close on Friday, June 19.  Due to the national health crisis and school closures, students from Saratoga Independent School spent the last few months engaged in remote learning from home. 

The school has many end-of-year traditions that the students have grown to love, including Field Day, Yearbooks, an Art Show, a Variety Show, and Carnival.  Usually these events are held in person, during the school day.  This year, students and teachers came up with creative solutions to keep these traditions alive virtually. 

Head of School Lisa Brown, said, “Our Saratoga Independent School community is extraordinarily strong.  We have always put our students first and wanted to find a way to give them the community experience they have always appreciated during our year-end activities.” 

A week full of events was enjoyed by all students, from the safety of their homes.  “We have incredibly thoughtful and creative faculty and students. They worked together to make the end of the school year memorable,” stated Brown.

The first event was a car parade held at the school.  Students saw their teachers and received their yearbooks, which included pages dedicated to remote learning.  All teachers and staff wore masks, along with our mascot, Thunder the Moose.

Physical Education teacher Trish Bendon, aka Coach B, created a virtual Field Day for all grade levels.  Each class section joined a live Zoom to compete against another class in at-home activities, including penguin walking, flip your lid, paper airplane corn hole, and more.  Students enjoyed the friendly competition and opportunity to engage online with students from other classes.

Spanish teacher Lisa-Renee Ackerman, aka Señora Chocolate, created a Virtual Variety Show, which was shared online with the entire school community.  A Padlet allowed viewers to offer virtual applause.

Art teacher Gabi Moore created a Virtual Art Show, showcasing student work, including box sculptures, paintings, shadow drawings, and even graphic design and videos.

On the last day of school, students usually participate in an outdoor carnival with booths designed and operated by our Intermediate, Fifth Grade, and Middle School students.  This year was no different. Jeny Randall, Middle School Coordinator, led the charge to create a Virtual Carnival.  Students designed booths held during live Zoom meetings where students participated in an array of carnival games.

In lieu of the usual Fifth Grade celebration, this year Fifth Graders received lawn signs to display at home to celebrate their graduation and move to Middle School.

Brown stated, “It was amazing to see the school community come together to create such wonderful activities.  I am so happy the students ended this unusual school year with positive and meaningful memories.” 

Brown expects that Saratoga Independent School will be open for education in person in the Fall.  The school has already begun planning and implementing new health and safety measures.  The 2020-2021 school year will mark the first year with all three Middle School grades and Brown is excited for the first S.I.S. 8th Grade graduation next spring.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Skidmore College on July 2 announced their fall semester plan that covers everything from Academic Instruction and Residential Life to Campus Life and Engagement.

The plan – introduced as an ongoing work-in-progress – will continue to be refined, Skidmore College President Marc C. Conner said in a statement.  Conner – the eighth president of the college – began his term July 1.

The fall semester will begin two weeks early, on Aug. 24, and conclude on Friday, Nov. 20, prior to Thanksgiving week. Students will finish exams and final projects remotely. There will not be any break during the fall term.

All major public events that would bring large numbers of visitors to campus, such as Celebration Weekend, Homecoming and the Presidential Inauguration, will be shifted to virtual experiences.

“As we have been emphasizing for many weeks, our primary commitment in all of these efforts is the health and safety of our entire community — students, staff, faculty and the surrounding Saratoga Springs community of which we are a part,” Conner said. “Our second commitment is to make possible the Skidmore education as we all value it: high-quality, fully engaged teaching and learning, performed with creativity and skill by superb faculty and staff.”

All students must complete a daily symptom check for seven days prior to their return to campus. and there are plans to have all employees undergo a COVID-19 test prior to returning to work.

Regarding academic instruction: a certain percentage of fall courses will be offered in a remote mode. It is anticipated most classes — estimated to be approximately two-thirds of the classes — will likely be some form of in-person instruction. The exact mode for each class will be determined in the coming weeks and this information will be made available to students by late July.

“Many of the events of typical college social life simply cannot occur this fall. That must be understood by all of us. We will employ technology to make possible group events such as speakers, performances and other programs and events so we can still have communal events, even if they are not in person in the same way,” Conner said.

Academic spaces, classrooms, labs and performance spaces will be reconfigured to accommodate health guidelines. Classrooms will include social distancing spacing, personal protective equipment, including plexiglass where appropriate, enhanced cleaning protocols and more. Outdoor classroom options are additionally being explored.

Residential space for students will allow for appropriate social distancing, maintain standards of health and safety, and prevent too much social density in residential spaces. No more than two students will be housed per room for the academic year. There will be no triple-occupancy rooms. Apartment spaces, which consist of single rooms only, will operating at full occupancy.

“In order to bring all, or nearly all, of our student body to Skidmore, we are arranging for housing in local hotels, consisting of both double and single rooms, comparable to a residence hall living arrangement,” Conner said. Shuttle buses and parking will be available to students living in these hotels.

Seating, layout and foot-traffic flow in Murray-Aikins Dining Hall will be modified to provide for necessary social distancing. Outside seating will be increased with the use of tents. Hours for all dining locations will be slightly modified to allow for cleaning between meals.

To reduce personal contact and limit large group gatherings, students should expect an increased offering of online events, virtual community-building and outdoor activities.

The athletics and fitness schedule will be modified, and fan attendance will either be significantly reduced or eliminated as an in-person experience.

Facemasks will always be required in all public settings, regardless of distancing or room capacity. There will be different requirements for residential spaces. Each student, upon arrival, will receive a starter kit of personal protective equipment (PPE) consisting of two Skidmore reusable facemasks and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Similarly, each employee will receive the PPE starter kit upon returning to campus. Hand sanitizer stations will be set up throughout campus. Safe passage routes, signage and directions will be created to minimize density. Daily and deep-cleaning protocols will be established throughout the campus.

Gatherings on campus will be limited to no more than what health officials’ safety guidelines recommend, always with appropriate distancing and masking. The guidelines are likely to change during the semester.

Testing requirements will be implemented in correspondence with CDC and New York state guidelines. Several testing timelines are under consideration, which could include requiring testing prior to arrival for students, testing on arrival to campus and subsequent surveillance testing. All students will be required to self-monitor, and students with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 will be tested at Skidmore Health Services. More details on the testing protocols in the weeks to come as more information becomes available.

Some residential spaces will be reserved for on-campus students who require quarantine and isolation. Students living in off-campus housing who are in isolation or quarantine will have daily contact with Saratoga County Public Health to assess their needs. Skidmore staff will provide assistance to students to help them keep up with their coursework, and faculty will help students continue to meet course requirements while in isolation or quarantine.

Students and employees will be expected to complete a daily symptom screen that will ask them questions regarding COVID-19 symptoms.

“It is abundantly clear that this will be a fall semester unlike any other. There are deep disappointments in this, of course, as we will all miss some of the treasured events and practices to which we have long been accustomed. But the heart and soul of the Skidmore College experience will remain intact, and in many ways, our creative approach to the semester will provide experiences that will be equally, if not more, fulfilling,” Conner said. “This is a special time of challenge, and I am confident that our entire Skidmore community is equal to this challenge. Together we will get to the other side of this challenge, and we will look back with pride on how we conducted ourselves as a dedicated community.”

For details regarding the Skidmore College plan go to: https://www.skidmore.edu/fall-planning/index.php.

BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa fifth grade students were recently recognized at the annual 5th Grade Moving-Up ceremonies at their elementary schools before the summer break. One student at each school was presented with the Maurice “Christopher” Morley Literacy Award. This award was created in Mr. Morley’s name and is awarded to four students moving up from the elementary schools in the Ballston Spa Central School District to the Middle School who have demonstrated exceptional determination and perseverance on the road to reading. 

The award includes a certificate embossed with the Rotary seal along with a gift certificate to a local book store. The initiative honors the legacy of Village History Consultant Morley who was born in April of 1922 and how he struggled his entire life due to dyslexia. To his credit, Mr. Morley proudly donned a cap and gown to receive his Ballston Spa High School diploma some 60 years after his peers. 

The 2020 award recipients include Emma Newman from Milton Terrace Elementary School, Chloe Hart from Gordon Creek Elementary School, Reagan Buhler from Wood Road Elementary School, and Ruby Haskell from Malta Avenue Elementary School. The award is supported by the Rotary Club of Ballston Spa and presented annually by each elementary school principal.