School underpants as unique as our schools

This week, South High and Ballard Elementary welcomed CodeHS’ Blake Schafer as part of his 50-state tour to promote coding education.

At Ballard Elementary School, Schafer first met with third-graders to introduce them to block coding. Students created programs using colorful command blocks that made animated squirrels move and swing across the screens.

Later, Schafer visited Ms. Thompson’s programming class at South High, where he discussed educational paths and career options in computer programming. Students then applied what they learned to create block code projects inspired by Schafer’s CodeHS van.

For those new to coding, block programming provides an engaging introduction to computer science. Instead of entering traditional text code, students simply connect visual blocks representing different commands – much like putting together a digital puzzle. As press materials show, this intuitive approach makes programming concepts accessible and enjoyable for young students.

Students from special education classes at Queensbury Elementary School and William H. Barton Intermediate School participated in the Special Olympics Fall Games in New York on Friday, October 18. Nearly 100 students took part in the exercise stations with the support of 25 staff members of the Morse Athletic Complex in Queensbury.

“Our students were very engaged and had huge smiles!” said Jessica Harris, director of Elementary Student Support Services.

After the event, staff said it was “just what the class needed” and they “look forward to making it an annual event.”

“We are excited to continue our partnership with SONY to implement curriculum for young athletes,” Harris said in a statement, “and provide greater opportunities for inclusion within the school community.”

The Hudson Falls Central School District, in partnership with the Sandy Hill Chapter of the National Honor Society Induction, will host the 22nd annual Wall of Distinction on Sunday, November 3 at 11:30 a.m. in the high school auditorium.

The ceremony will include the induction of new Honor Society members with the unveiling of the Wall of Recognition at 12:45 p.m., followed by a reception for the new inductees in the cafeteria.

The intent of the Wall of Distinction is to establish a tradition of honoring successful graduates who have gone on to distinguished careers in various fields or who have become role models in the community. The wall also shows students and the community what level students in the Hudson Falls School District are at.

“The Wall of Recognition provides students with inspiration and motivation to excel,” Hudson Falls Superintendent Daniel Ward said in a statement.

The 2024 Wall of Distinction nominees include: Timothy Horrigan, ’71, musician and teacher; Robert K. Chatel Jr., ’67, teacher/professor; David A. Chatel, ’68, American Public Health Association; Peter C. Chatel, ’74, environmental specialist/consultant; Brooke Goff, ’05, attorney, owner of Goff Law Group; Joseph Gross, ’83, business owner, Gross Electric.

The Granville CSD phone app now includes a chat for parents and teachers called “Rooms,” as well as the latest school events, reminders, blog posts, meal menus and more. The District app is a comprehensive place to get information and communicate with teachers.

“Parents and guardians who have connected to Parent Rooms can also see announcements about their students’ classes and send messages directly to teachers. No more trying to find a teacher’s email address or phone number. No more trying to find a teacher in the staff directory,” we read in the school’s press release.

According to the press release, parent rooms in the Granville CSD District app make it much easier to communicate with teachers and understand what your child is learning. Parents only need to register once and the family login will be valid for the duration of your student’s attendance at Granville CSD.

Not all teachers use tutoring yet, but more and more teachers enable this feature to communicate with families. Instructions on how to use this feature can be found on the website school website.