Wynantskill UFSD

The Wynantskill UFSD is excited to welcome Ms. Little as a special education teacher for the upcoming school year!

Ms. Little student-taught at GD last year and made valuable connections with students and staff. She's also a Wynantskill native who grew up right here in our community and has called Wynantskill home her entire life! When she’s not supporting kids in the classroom, you can find her teaching dance at Isabelle School of Dance, where her favorite styles to teach are hip hop and tap. She’s also a huge animal lover and has three cats and one dog!

Please help us give Ms. Little a warm welcome to the GD family!

Reminder: We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Dom "M'er" Martino, a beloved Gardner-Dickinson physical education teacher and dedicated volunteer.

M'er had a special gift for connecting with everyone at GD. Whether he was greeting students and staff with a high-five or a hug, jumping into activities during gym class, or playing cards with students at recess, his kindness, enthusiasm, and ever-present smile made a lasting impact on our school community.

We are honored to host a Celebration of Life, in collaboration with the Martino family and Double H Ranch, on Sunday, August 16 in the GD gymnasium. Please feel free to stop by at any point between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Double H Ranch is creating a slideshow to celebrate M'er's life and invites anyone with photos or videos to contribute. If you would like to share memories, please upload them here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18YhCNDWJgk9uhg397BASZiFGNGcRxfM2

A huge thank you to the amazing custodial crew of Troy CSD for their hard work at GD this summer! Their helping hands come as part of a shared service agreement between the Wynantskill and Troy school districts for the transition 2026-27 school year.

The Troy custodial team provided our floors with some much-needed TLC, and they are shining bright! Some of our teachers have already been in to see their rooms and are thrilled with the results!

We’re incredibly grateful for the Troy team’s time and effort in helping us get GD ready for September. Thank you for all of your hard work!

Ms. Hansen and Ms. Lupe recently participated in ELA Professional Development with consultant Valorie Falco, where they explored best practices for reading comprehension and literacy instruction, as well as selected engaging titles to add to their classroom libraries. They’re looking forward to an amazing year with their 5th graders!

We’d like to extend a special thank you to Hannaford Supermarkets and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York for their generous donations of $5,000 and $500, respectively, to support our Community Care Closet!

Our Community Care Closet provides snacks, drinks, and basic hygiene items for students who may have forgotten a snack or simply need a little pick-me-up during the school day. This important resource helps ensure our students have what they need to feel supported and ready to learn.

We are incredibly grateful to Hannaford and the Regional Food Bank for investing in the well-being of our students and helping make a difference in our school community!

We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Dom "M'er" Martino, a beloved Gardner-Dickinson physical education teacher and dedicated volunteer.

M'er had a special gift for connecting with everyone at GD. Whether he was greeting students and staff with a high-five or a hug, jumping into activities during gym class, or playing cards with students at recess, his kindness, enthusiasm, and ever-present smile made a lasting impact on our school community.

We are honored to host a Celebration of Life, in collaboration with the Martino family and Double H Ranch, on Sunday, August 16 in the GD gymnasium. Please feel free to stop by at any point between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Double H Ranch is creating a slideshow to celebrate M'er's life and invites anyone with photos or videos to contribute. If you would like to share memories, please upload them here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18YhCNDWJgk9uhg397BASZiFGNGcRxfM2

The Wynantskill UFSD is excited to welcome Mr. Lion as a special education teacher for the upcoming school year!

Mr. Lion, raised in Saratoga Springs, has wanted to work in the special education field to help better support students in need. He loves basketball, listening to music, and spending time with his friends.

Please help us welcome Mr. Lion to the GD family!

Ms. Mahoney, Mr. Flannery and Ms. Kondracki had some fun on the GD playground this afternoon during a break from setting up their classrooms!

We can’t wait to see students back on the swings, slides and jungle gym in September!

Earlier this month, Superintendent Dr. Yodis and Principal Toomey joined the Troy CSD administrative team for professional development, attending trainings and seminars alongside their future colleagues.

We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Troy CSD for the invitation and warm welcome. We appreciate the opportunity to learn, collaborate, and continue building strong relationships as we work together to provide the best possible educational experience for our students.

This past week, our middle school science teacher, Mrs. Dahlin, participated in Assessment Training with Dr. Heidi Andrade, a nationally recognized expert in formative assessment. The training focused on strategies teachers use throughout lessons to check for student understanding, provide meaningful feedback, and adjust instruction to help every student succeed.

We’re excited for the many additional summer professional development opportunities our teachers and staff will participate in over the coming weeks as we continue preparing for another great school year!

The Inflatables made their triumphant return to GD once again at Field Day last month! Led by Queen Bee Mrs. Fazioli, they marched down the field to square off against our PreK class in a race and a tough match of tug-of-war. Thanks to every faculty and staff member who participated in this fun event for our elementary students!