Three Niskayuna High School seniors named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists
Congratulations to Bailey Fitzgerald, Samuel Grondahl and Yifan (Steven) Tang who are among the approximately 16,000 high school seniors nationwide to be named semifinalists in the 53rd annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
More than 1.4 million juniors from nearly 21,000 high schools entered the 2008 National Merit Program by taking the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which serves as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance. The semifinalist and a school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s self-descriptive essay and information about participation and leadership in school and community activities.

Board of Education names next Assistant Superintendent for Educational Programs and Instruction
Dr. Deborah Shea to join the district Sept. 19
During a special meeting on Aug. 27, the Niskayuna Central School District Board of Education appointed Dr. Deborah Shea to the position of Assistant Superintendent for Educational Programs and Instruction. Dr. Shea will lead the Office of Instruction beginning October 1. [Note: Dr. Shea's start date was amended to Sept. 19 during the Sept. 10 regular Board of Education meeting.] She was selected for the position following a comprehensive search and interview process that began in June. Dr. Shea joins Niskayuna’s administrative team after having most recently served as the director of K-12 curriculum and standards for the Shenendehowa Central School District. She previously served as a building principal in the Saratoga City School District and Union Endicott School District in western NY, where she also held the position of K-12 curriculum. She began her career in education as a reading teacher. Read more

Niskayuna welcomes back students!

Niskayuna Central School District students, like those from Craig Elementary School and Van Antwerp Middle School, head to class on Wednesday, Sept. 5 – the first day of the 2007-08 school year. Kindergarten classes begin Friday, Sept. 7.

Niskayuna grad named New York State Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to Richard Ognibene, a 1981 graduate of Niskayuna High School, on being named New York State’s Teacher of the Year for 2007-08. The New York State Education Department recently selected Ognibene, a veteran science teacher at Fairport High School, near Rochester, from among five educators across the state who were named as finalists for this distinguished honor. Read more

Opportunities for professional development abound during Superintendent's Conference Day
The Niskayuna Central School District recognizes that quality professional development is valuable and important to improve instruction and learning. As such, the district is committed to promoting and assuring the ongoing development and growth of its professional staff. During Superintendent Conference Day in September, for example, Susan Lohnas of General Electric Corporate served as a facilitator for a workshop for all grades 6-12 mathematics teachers. This interactive workshop provided teachers an opportunity to explore ways to enhance their teaching skills in the areas of curriculum, instruction, assessment and technology.

Alternate entrance/exit for high school traffic
A new temporary entrance/exit from Balltown Road to the Niskayuna High School campus is expected to be open to vehicle traffic beginning Monday afternoon.
Contractors will continue to pave and stripe this temporary roadway over the weekend, and district officials expect that new traffic signs will be posted on Monday morning. Read more

Niskayuna High School hosts Back to School Night on Sept. 27
Niskayuna High School will host its annual Back-to-School Night on Thursday, September 27 from 7-9:15 p.m. The program encompasses all high school grade levels, and provides parents an opportunity to meet teachers and learn more about courses and programs offered by the high school.

Continuing & Community Education Fall catalog available online
Learn to play guitar, make your own jewelry or get fit with aqua-aerobics! These and other great classes are being offered this fall through Niskayuna Central School District's Continuing and Community Education program. The Fall 2007 course catalog is in the mail. For more information about registering for classes or to download a copy of the Fall catalog, visit the Community Ed page.

Niskayuna welcomes new teachers
With the start of school just about two weeks away, Niskayuna's new teachers have started to prepare for the coming school year. Approximately 25 new educators attended the first installment of a three-day orientation on Monday, August 20. The orientation provides an opportunity for new teachers to become acquainted with district policies and procedures, meet their teacher mentors and participate in staff development activities. Welcome to all new teachers and staff who will be joining Niskayuna schools this fall!

Half-day dismissal times for conference days
AM and PM kindergarten students will attend class on all half days scheduled for elementary parent conferences or Superintendent’s conferences during the 2007-08 school year. Arrival and dismissal times for kindergarten students will follow the regular schedule, with the morning session dismissing at 10:35 a.m., and the afternoon session beginning at 11:30 a.m. Special bus runs using substitute drivers will be arranged by the district’s transportation department to accommodate kindergarten attendance on these days. Early dismissal for grades 1-5 on conference half days will be 11 a.m.
Please note: Dismissal for middle school students will be 11:45 a.m. on parent-teacher conference days, and at 12:30 p.m. on Superintendent Conference Days. Please call your child’s school if you have questions.

2007-08 district calendar available online
The complete 2007-08 district calendar is currently being printed, and will be mailed to district households between August 8-10. Two downloadable versions of the calendar are available (below) as PDFs for viewing and/or printing in the meantime.

Niskayuna calendar 2007-08 (grids only) 176 KB

Niskayuna calendar 2007-08 (grids and information pages) 8 MB

Basic 2007-08 calendar
Follow this link for the first day of school, vacations, etc.

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