Good news
On Friday April 26th, 2024, Niskayuna Unified Sports celebrated by having a banner ceremony for being recognized as a National Unified Champion School by the Special Olympics! Congratulations!
2023 Niskayuna High School
Polar Plunge Fundraiser Success!!
Thanks to everyone who were able to contributed and participated in this annual event for the Special Olympics NY, Nisky Friends, All Star Athletes and Unified Sports by sponsoring our 2023 Niskayuna High School Polar Plunge Team! Overall donations were $1000! There were 15 sign-ups this year.
Congratulations to Niskayuna High School
Named a National Banner Unified Champion School
Niskayuna High School has been named a National Banner Unified Champion School. This distinction is the highest level of achievement in the nation, recognizing leadership in creating an inclusive school community. There are only 24 schools statewide with this distinction.
There will be more announcements forthcoming about the banner ceremony and different celebrations occurring as Niskayuna High School has them.
June 5th, The Nisky Unified PR Athletics participated in the Special Olympics New York Unified Physical Education Yard Games at Guilderland HS. Coach Jess Stanton led her team through five events: Bocce Ball, Kan Jam, Washers, Cornhole, and Ladder Toss. They played against athletes from Guilderland and Amsterdam. Students had a great time!
Nisky Unified PE athletes and their partners
Hugh "H. D." Hunter
Author Visit, May 15-16, 2023
Niskayuna High School
Leah Werther, Niskayuna High School's DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Coach reports, "We had such an amazing two-day residency with Hugh "H.D." Hunter! He delivered two different keynotes and met with 22 classes for writing workshops."
On May 16th, Mr. Hunter announced the winner of his cover art design contest. Sage Kos created the winning design, and Caitlyn Lafargue was the runner-up.
Check out Mrs. Werther, NHS DEI Coach's blog for information on Hugh "H.D." Hunters visit!
Photo credit goes to Leigh Howard, Unified PE Sports Coordinator from the Special Olympics
Niskayuna High School's DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Coach, Mrs. Werther and Ms. Stanton, NHS PE teacher, deserve much applause for putting together the recent field trip to Wild Play!
Ms. Stanton reports: "Mrs. Werther, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist, found us a grant that allowed both of our Unified PE classes to go to Wild Play Thacher. Our athletes and partners were paired up and split into two groups. Students zip lined their way through a high ropes course, facing many fun but challenging obstacles. Our athletes and partners worked together to get students through this challenging but extremely fun course at Wild Play Thacher. The smiles say it all!"
SEPTA had the pleasure of seeing the Iroquois Positivity Project Club's amazing 3-D display they built using the cubes from the Special Education Day collage that SEPTA created for the district and meeting the student leaders who led the project to completion.
The "I" in Iroquois cubes represent each student's uniqueness.
A successful Meet a First Responder Event!
We had a beautiful day and a wonderful turnout for our first ever “Meet A First Responder Day” for children with disabilities.
We loved seeing our community making connections Special thanks to Niskayuna Fire District No.1, Niskayuna Police Department and Schenectady Sheriff’s Office for their support and participation!
POSTED FROM THE BROKEN INN FB PAGE 4/3/23
AND THE WINNER IS...LILJA (AGE 10). As you know we got so many great letters but this one is our winner. It reads:
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"...I think you should donate to Mrs. Allegretto's skills class at Iroquois middle school. It's a class for kids with disabilities. There are six kids in the class and my teacher's son goes there. I think you should choose to donate to them because it will help the funds and give them better learning materials. I met my teachers son Brayden through the phone. He's a really nice kid. I think Mrs. Allegretto's class would really appreciate it and would put the money to good use. I want to tell you that I am moving and won't be here this summer. If I win, I would like it if you picked a kid every day to have a free ice cream."
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LILJA: A couple things we wanted to share
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1) We got this letter and were moved by your thoughts for other children your age who have challenges that you do not. We made some calls and learned that these six kids at Iroquois are in the same room with each other all day every day. We spoke to Mrs Allegretto and she let us know how sweet and great and cute and wonderful these kids in the Life Skills class (grades 6-8) truly are. She was overjoyed to hear that we would be donating the funds to her class to use for the classes needs or the student's enjoyment, and we were very happy to know that a small group of Nisky kids would benefit in a way that they otherwise would not (this class doesn't ever get financial contributions).
2) We thought it was a very nice gesture for you to ask that we share your winnings among different children each day and are going to do just that. We are going to post your letter on our ice cream window (for all to enjoy) and once a day we will give one away free to a random kid. We're going to call tell them that it's their lucky day and that they just got "LILJA'D".
3) In addition to the ice cream we will share with other kids, you're still our winner so between now and whenever you move please come by any day or every day (up to once a day) for a free ice cream on us. .
Thank you to all the kids who wrote us and the parents and teachers who got them to us. This was really wonderful for us and reinforced our strong belief that Niskayuna really does have the best kids anywhere..
Niskayuna High School
Updates from our Niskayuna DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Coach, Mrs. Leah Werther
While planning for the book Of Mice and Men, Mrs. Werther introduced teachers to the Arc New York organization. Together we invited Susan Brandt and Judy O'Rouke to their 10th grade English class. An article about the visit can be found in the newsletter (pages 7-9).
Mrs. Werther also helped current students create a schedule to speak about the richness of the Unified PE course. Ninth grade English teachers welcomed students to share their experiences and why they believe more people should think about enrolling in this course. Numbers for the spring semester increased because of their efforts.
The Unified Physical Education course provides a unique opportunity for students with and without disabilities to come together through educational and physical activities, including fitness, sports, leadership and wellness. It is structured around the national physical education standards and grade-level outcomes, which include gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain a health-enhancing level of fitness. The course focuses on the physical, intellectual and social growth of all participants. Additionally, the class supports the development of leadership skills for all students, and the empowerment of all students to foster an inclusive class and inclusive school-wide environment. (description from the Program of Studies)
The Unified PE classes will be taking a field trip to WildPlay at Thatcher Park on May 10. The PE teacher and Mrs. Werther applied for a Connect Kids to Parks Grant and secured funds to pay for the entire trip. Leigh Howard, a Unified PE Special Olympics coordinator, will join us on this trip.
Latest News from NISKY Pupil Personnel Services
March 16, 2023
To: SEPTA parents and guardians
From: Office of Pupil Personnel Services
Cc: Directors of Special Education
Re: SEPTA March Meeting Updates
Hello Everyone!
Below, are updates that align with the key takeaways from stakeholder engagement around the District earlier this year:
Continuity of special education leadership and staffing
Will be part of 2023-24 School Budget priorities
Added leadership and change of department nomenclature to Student Support Services
Continuity/improvement of the continuum of special education services
Enhanced Consultant Teacher/Resource Room offerings for 2023-24
Part of 2023-24 School Budget priorities, budget contingent
Plans for added Communication Class at the middle level moving forward
OT/PT, Speech services sustainability (Grant-funded to general budget)
Increased Psychologist support
Improvement with communication
Ongoing
Visibility and inclusion of students with disabilities
Cube project
Connections spotlight
Middle School SPED programming
We anticipate being able to offer a revised schedule that allows the flexibility of adding a period for intervention period (increasing access to resource room services and specials).
Below are a couple of points of information the SPED directors and I would like to share with you:
New position added- elementary behavior specialist begins next month (will support general education and special education)
Other
Sincerely,
Timothy C. Fowler
Timothy C. Fowler
Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services
Niskayuna Central School District
Do you have news to share?
Email SEPTA at niskysepta@gmail.com so we can spread the word!