Van Schaick Grade School:
2005 & 2008 "National Promising Practice Winner"
2007 "Capital
Region School of Character"
Annual Budget Vote Tuesday,
May 20
The annual school budget vote will be held
Tuesday, May 20, at the district's three elementary schools.
For 2008-09 Budget information, click here.
Where do I vote? Click here to find your polling location.
"March" Madness in Cohoes
Fourth-
and fifth-graders in Cohoes had a chance to participate in their
own "March" Madness basketball tournament—in April!
This year's winners were Harmony Hill boys and
the Van Schaick girls teams.
"It is a great way for students to learn sportsmanship and have
a lot of fun while exercising," said physical education teacher
Daniel Van Dyck, who arranged the first-ever tournament.
MORE
Fourth-graders
take a field trip
On April 10 Mrs. Muscatello's fourth grade class
visited the State Capitol and Museum. During their visit they
had the opportunity to see the Governors formal office and get
their pictures taken on "The Million Dollar" staircase.
Junior Achievement program
teaches children about the world, starting with themselves
All
students at Van Schaick Grade School have participated in the
Junior Achievement program this year, learning about different
topics and participate in activities.
For the program, which runs for five to six
weeks, each classroom has a person from the business world
assigned to them who comes to the school. The individuals coming
to Van Schaick include people from GE and Softex, among other
companies.
MORE
The Amazing Race at Van
Schaick!
They
put together puzzles, completed physical challenges and searched
Van Schaick Island for a treasure chest... all to celebrate
their good behavior!
The third-quarter No Referral Party at Van
Schaick Grade School was called "The Amazing Race." Those
students who had not received a referral for the entire quarter
had a chance to go on a treasure hunt across the island.
MORE
Van Schaick
Grade School and principal honored as "Champions of Character"
 |
|
Cohoes Mayor John
McDonald III, left, Van Schaick Grade School Principal
Jacqueline DeChiaro and Superintendent of School Charles
S. Dedrick stand together after DeChiaro was given her
award. (Photo by Sharon Aitchison.) |
Van Schaick Grade School and its Principal
Jacqueline DeChiaro were honored on Wednesday, March 12, at The
Academy for Character Education at the Sage Colleges' annual
"Champions of Character" Awards Banquet.
MORE
Electricians visit
fourth-grade students
On
Friday, March 14, electricians Mr. James Muscatello and Mr. Gary
Mills from Mills Electricians came to speak to Mrs. Muscatello's
fourth-grade class about electricity.
MORE
Focusing on reading at Van
Schaick Grade School
During
the month of March, Van Schaick Grade School students and their
families are focusing on reading.
March is considered Parents as Reading Partners (PARP) month at
the school.
MORE
Cat in the
Hat visits Van Schaick Grade School
The Cat in the Hat made a special appearance at
Van Schaick to help promote the month long Parents as Reading
Partners (PARP) program.
During his time at Van Schaick Grade School, the Cat in the Hat
visited each classroom and reminded students to read each night
and to return their reading record sheet on Fridays for a
special prize.
MORE
Van Schaick students learn
about the 50 states
The annual State Fair was held for the fifth
graders at Van Schaick Grade School in March.
The
students have been conducting research on different states and
exploring the many facets of social studies, such as government,
natural resources, national parks and historical sites, history,
demographics and more.
MORE
Multiage
students publish poetry
The students in the multiage classroom
"published" their poetry books recently.
Each day, during the classroom's Writer's
Workshop, the students write in a variety of genres.
MORE
Fourth
graders become famous world figures
In February, Mrs. Muscatello's fourth-grade
class read biographies of their choice.
MORE
Running the Iditarod
At Van Schaick Grade School, students are
experiencing the winter on the trail from inside their
classrooms.
Each year, the students and teachers at the
school follow the Iditarod, a more than 1,150-mile dog team race
in Alaska. Last year, students focused on the character traits,
such as teamwork and perseverance that the mushers and their dog
teams had to have to go the distance.
MORE
A Super “Souper” Bowl for
charity
At
Van Schaick Grade School, the Super Bowl was not just about
rooting for your favorite team, it was about helping those who
are less fortunate.
The week prior to the actual football game, the
school was divided into two teams – the Giants and the Patriots!
While kindergarten through the multiage classroom represented
the Giants, grades three through five were representing the
Patriots.
MORE
Special visitors at Van
Schaick Grade School
Students
at Van Schaick Grade School had a chance to learn from some
local "experts" in January.
For the school's "no referral party," Cohoes
High School cheerleaders and basketball players came to Van
Schaick to teach the students about their sports.
While the students who wanted to play basketball
practiced dribbling, sprinting and shooting in the gym, those
who wanted to cheerlead went to the cafeteria.
MORE
Van Schaick Grade School
awarded grant from American Chemical Society
Van Schaick students will be getting new books
on science topics thanks to a mini grant from the American
Chemical Society.
In December three Van Schaick Grade School teachers learned they
would each be receiving a $200 check from the organization. In
the fall, Principal Jacqueline DeChiaro and three teachers wrote
a grant proposal that outlined how they would use the money.
MORE
Crafty kids at Van Schaick
learn to knit
Fingers
were flying in Ms. Burgess-Bradt's multiage classroom in early
December as her students, with the help of Barbara Hildrith,
former Harmony Hill School principal, learned to knit.
MORE
Uncle Sam tells his story
Uncle
Sam visited Cohoes in November and stopped by the fourth-grade
classroom at Van Schaick Grade School to share his story.
Dressed in red and white striped pants, a blue tuxedo jacket
with tails, a red bow tie and a gigantic red and white striped
hat, Uncle Sam told students about the historical figure Uncle
Sam and his birth in Massachusetts, his move to Troy and how he
came to be known as Uncle Sam.
MORE
Veterans honored at Van
Schaick Grade School
 |
|
Members of the RPI Color Guard raise
the flag. |
"Bring a Vet to School Day" began and ended with
paying respect to the nation's flag. In between, there were
talks by local veterans, a visit from a Black Hawk helicopter
and performances by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Color
Guard and the ROTC Drill Team.
The event, held on Thursday, Nov. 8, was the
school's first "Bring a Vet to School Day" in honor of Veterans
Day.
MORE
 |
|
Mrs. Muscatello's fourth-grade
class's pumpkin won the contest. |
All about pumpkins!
In honor of Halloween, the classes at Van
Schaick Grade School held a pumpkin-decorating contest. The
winner was Mrs. Muscatello's fourth-grade class!
MORE
Character Counts at Van
Schaick Grade School
During the Week of Oct. 22, 2007, Van Schaick
Grade School celebrated National Character Education Week.
Students cleaned their community park, donated
food to needy families, learned about responsibility, fairness,
wellness, respect, caring and trumpeted their spirit for their
school.
MORE
To view a slide show of the week's activities,
click here
District takes proactive
approach to MRSA infection prevention
Recently, there has been some media attention
over MRSA infections, a type of infection caused by the
bacteria Staphylococcus aureus.
Some cases have been reported in Saratoga County.
District officials are taking a proactive approach to
ensure the health of students and staff.
Most importantly, students and staff at each school are being
encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water, especially
before eating, after using sports facilities or the restroom. In addition, school officials are making sure
administrators, teachers, school nurses, coaches
and the custodial staff have protective information available
for themselves and to share with the school population. The
importance of sanitation is being reinforced with the cleaning
staff, and special emphasis is being placed on physical
education and sports equipment, locker rooms and common surfaces
and areas.
MORE
Elementary students run for
fun!
On
Sept. 26, elementary school students from Abram Lansing, Harmony
Hill and Van Schaick all ran in a cross country meet, which was
held at Harmony Hill.
During the unseasonably warm Wednesday afternoon, about 200 K-5
students participated.
MORE
The contest, sponsored by Cohoes Kids for a
Cure, was open to students in all of the Cohoes schools. In the
competition, students drew chalk drawings on the sidewalk that
reflected the "Character Counts in Cohoes" message.
MORE
The students and staff chose Mrs. Zandri in recognition of her
many years of service to the students of the school and the Van
Schaick Island Community.
In addition to a welcome assembly lead by
Principal Jacqueline DeChiaro, students went through five
stations in various spots around the school.
MORE
At the ceremony, the students sang The Star-Spangled Banner, and
were congratulated by Van Schaick Principal Jacqualine DeChiaro,
Interim Principal Kay Vallee and Assistant Superintendent of
Schools Peggy O'Shea.
MORE
Van
Schaick Grade School Students of Character and staff marched in
the Cohoes Memorial Day Parade on May 24.
The students selected were students who demonstrate the 3 Be's
(Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible) at VSGS every day. The
students were second through fifth graders who had no referrals
all year and had also received a Captain's Treasure Award, an
award for positive behavior and good character, during this
school year.
Van
Schaick Grade School was proud to host the sixth annual
fund-raiser for juvenile diabetes and sidewalk art contest early
on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 12.
Rose Zandri was named the Person of Character at Van Schaick in
June 2007.
On
Friday, Sept. 8, Van Schaick Grade School students in grades 1-5
spent the morning learning about how to behave properly in
school and the importance of "The Three Be's"—be safe, be
respectful and be responsible.
On Wednesday, June 20, the Class of 2007
"Terrific Treasures" at Van Schaick Grade School graduated!
Students march in
Cohoes Memorial Day parade
