RIDER REPORT
Superintendent's Corner
Welcome back to school, Riders!
We are beyond excited to welcome back students and staff for another great year of learning and growth.
The halls, classrooms, and athletic fields are all coming back to life as the 2026-2027 school year gets underway. In this edition of the Rider Report, you’ll read about the hard work put in over the summer to ensure students receive top-notch education.
Staff completed professional learning sessions, including an English as a New Language (ENL) session before school began. After integrating ENL collaborative co-teaching at the primary and secondary Schools for the last two years, the district is focused on supporting our staff's efforts for the 2026-27 academic year.
Administrators have updated the Response to Intervention (RTI) Plan for reading curricula this year. Below is more information about the different levels of RTI, how parents will be notified of intervention plans for their children, and learn about the team that reviews the data collected from intervention plans and uses that data to plan for their teaching.
Lastly, some students are participating in a new program that focuses on positivity in the classroom and building our ICC community. The Positivity Project has rolled out at the Middle School and is being piloted at the Primary School. In a 15-minute lesson delivered by teachers, the program takes a proactive, preventative approach to character education and social emotional learning.
I can't wait to see what this year has in store for our students and staff!
Sincerely,
Marie Digirolamo
Superintendent of Schools
In this edition:
Students are Hard at Work After Returning to the Classroom
Professional Learning Session Focuses on Literacy in Academics
Response to Intervention Plan Updates
District-Wide Positivity Project Kicks Off
What’s Next in October
ICYMI
Students are Hard at Work After Returning to the Classroom
Staff and students returned to school on September 8 and have been getting back into the groove of working hard to achieve excellence.
From Primary School students playing on the playground to quiet reading in the Middle School and brand new art projects for High School students, the district is buzzing with creativity, learning, and a welcome fresh start to the year.
High School students working on art projects
Kindergarteners playing on the playground
Middle School students focused on reading
Professional Learning Session Focuses on Literacy in Academics
Staff and faculty worked hard at the beginning of September before students returned to the classroom. ICC educators participated in an English as a New Language (ENL) session led by SBC Instructional Consulting’s Dr. Sarah Cioffi, which also covered the district’s ENL growth over the past two years.
ENL and English Language Learner (ELL) students often struggle to read and understand academic language in English, and ICC teachers support their language acquisition during daily lessons. Since practices are still emerging, support is still needed to expand the program across all students and content areas.
After successfully integrating collaborative co-teaching ENL in the Primary, Middle, and High Schools in the past two years, the district is focused on supporting all teachers’ content instruction to help all students develop the language skills needed to access the standards in all subjects. Dr. Cioffi's work on content and language objectives is helping us learn how to best meet the needs of all students at Ichabod Crane.
“We’re supporting teachers to make their content accessible to students who are still acquiring English and these skills are helpful for all students, too,” Dr. Cioffi said.
Educators are exploring three techniques this year, in-the-moment, planned, and designed techniques.
- In-the-moment techniques can look like the teacher increasing the time they wait before calling on a student, or simply slowing down their speech.
- Planned and designed techniques take a bit more time. Planned techniques include associating visuals with language acquisition or using sentence frames/starters.
- Designed techniques dive deeper into the teaching of vocabulary and the pre-teaching of background knowledge during instruction.
Another major focus is ensuring the work and training over the last two years is sustained. In addition to trainings, Dr. Cioffi said she’s embedding herself in classrooms and meeting with educators to identify what is working best, what needs more support, and how to support classroom instruction for all teachers. This professional learning also extends to the ICC Leadership Team.
Literacy in academics is also being reinforced throughout the district this year as ELL identification processes are adapted for High School special education students, the district’s Response to Intervention plan, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. The goal is always to ensure that students feel included and are able to express themselves as they acquire more English, increase classroom participation, and engagement as the year progresses.
“I think in all of this, our hope is that by ensuring access to the content that we teach, we will find our students feeling engaged, and more connected to the school and what they're learning,” Cioffi said.
Response to Intervention (RTI) Plan Updates
Updates are underway to the district’s Reading Response to Intervention Plan (RTI) for kindergarten through fifth grade. The foundation of RTI in any school is strong core instruction in classrooms, meeting student learning needs, and tracking intervention progress. RTI plans have three tiers: general-education classroom intervention, supplemental intervention, and intensive intervention.
Teachers implement Tier I interventions for students who need additional instruction and support. Teachers monitor students for adequate progress and consult with other grade-level colleagues to determine the next steps. Tier II and Tier III supplemental interventions, include small-group instruction aligned with student needs, with progress monitoring at regular intervals.
As part of the monitoring process, the district has a Data Review Team (DRT) composed of principals, psychologists, and intervention teachers who meet with grade-level teams to review fall, winter, and spring data screenings. After school-wide screenings, DRT members meet to evaluate students’ intervention progress against grade-level benchmarks and decide whether they need to continue their intervention, modify it, or exit. Once RTI begins, parents will receive progress reports summarizing the student’s baseline academic performance, goals, progress-monitoring data, and whether the student has achieved the intervention goals.
We are proud to continue our long-standing focus on early literacy and making sure our students receive the best reading foundation possible.
District-Wide Positivity Project Kicks Off
Primary and Middle School students are taking part in a new positive approach to learning this year. While the program is being piloted at the Primary School, the Middle School is participating in The Positivity Project (P2), which builds a stronger school culture through 15-minute daily lessons. Middle School Principal Anthony Marturano and School Counselor Lucas Silvis oversee the program.
Through the P2 program, students follow a three-tiered system that starts with a universal foundation, including 15-minute lessons delivered by teachers as a proactive, preventive approach to character education. The second tier of strategic intervention and enrichment includes small-group activities centered on the program’s strength framework, relationship courses, resources for mindful moments, and redirection guidance for students who need deeper support and engagement. Lastly, the third and final targeted support tier concentrates on individual interventions with counselors, administrators, and family members.
“The Positivity Project (P2) is off to a great start in Middle School this year,” Principal Marturano said. “Over the past three weeks, students in grades 4-8 have engaged with the Other People Mindset, Curiosity, and Teamwork during Homeroom. Students engage with short lessons and discussions to help them connect with traits and learn how to apply them to their daily lives.”
The P2 program is based on the 24 character strengths in the VIA Classification developed by psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman. Beyond being built on decades of research, the program focuses on character strengths as defining who a person is.
“Our primary goal for this school year is to boost our positive school culture and support social-emotional learning by embedding these character traits directly into our daily instruction and classroom conversations,” Principal Marturano said. “By recognizing and building upon these strengths every day, we aim to deepen student connections, foster empathy, and decrease office referrals. We look forward to watching our students and school community grow through P2 all year long!”
“Each week, the students learn about a new character strength through thoughtful discussion with their homeroom teacher,” School Counselor Lucas Silvis said. “This building-wide continuity has allowed students, staff and families to have meaningful dialogue that everyone can connect with.”
What's Next in October
October 6: Special Campus Tour with Superintendent and BOE members, 5 p.m., High School Lobby
October 6: Board of Education Meeting, 7 p.m., High School Library
October 7: First Quarter Progress Reports Available on Portal
October 8: First Quarter Progress Reports Distributed in Advisory
October 9: Homecoming Pep Rally, High School Gym
October 9: Homecoming Varsity Football Game, 7 p.m., Main Playfield
October 10: Homecoming Dance, 7 p.m., High School Cafeteria
October 12: District Closed (All Schools and District Offices Closed)
October 14: College and Military Fair, 10:15 a.m.– 11:45 a.m., High School Gym
October 23: PTA Trunk or Treat, 5-7 p.m., Middle School Front Parking Loop
Note: dates, times and locations are subject to change.
#ICYMI
District Welcomes Dr. Van Alstyne as School Business Leader
Oct 5, 2026
Dear ICC,
I am happy to announce that Dr. Andrew Van Alstyne will be joining our Leadership Team as the new School District Business Leader on November 2. Dr. Van Alstyne brings a wealth of financial expertise, public policy experience, and a deep-rooted commitment to New York State public education.
Dr. Van Alstyne comes to us from the Guilderland Central School District, where he served as Assistant Superintendent for Business. In that role, he managed a $125 million General Fund budget and successfully guided the district through long-range financial planning, tax cap strategy, labor negotiations, cybersecurity enhancements, and capital projects. Notably, he helped Guilderland rebuild its long-term financial health following significant tax certiorari challenges.
Prior to his district leadership role, Dr. Van Alstyne served as the Director of Education and Research for the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) of New York. At ASBO New York, he led statewide advocacy initiatives, analyzed state budgets and legislation, conducted extensive school finance research, and provided technical guidance and professional development to school business leaders across the state.
He began his professional career in higher education as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Southern Utah University and has also worked as a qualitative research consultant.
Dr. Van Alstyne holds a strong academic and professional credential background:
School District Business Leader (SDBL) Certification – College of Saint Rose
Certificate in Education Finance – Georgetown University
Ph.D. & M.A. in Sociology – University of Michigan
B.A. in Sociology and English (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) – St. Lawrence University
A local to the Capital District who grew up in Burnt Hills, Dr. Van Alstyne lives in Niskayuna with his wife, Liz, their three daughters, and their two dogs. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking and baking, board games, reading sci-fi and fantasy, following Michigan sports and New York teams (Knicks, Liberty, Mets, Giants, Rangers), and keeping up with The Simpsons – having watched all 810+ episodes!
Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Van Alstyne. We are excited to have his leadership and expertise supporting our schools, staff, and students.
Marie Digirolamo
Superintendent of Schools
Ichabod Crane Central School District
ICHS senior nominated for Times Union Athlete of the Week
💙The Rider community voted, and ICHS senior and volleyball player Ali Cox has been named the Times Union girls’ sports Athlete of the Week for the week of September 28! 🏐
In a game against the Academy of Holy Names on Monday, September 21, Cox helped the team with its 3-1 win by generating 24 assists, 11 digs, and 11 aces. She said that her performance against Holy Names was not a lone effort, and there’s other people driving her to be her best on the court.
“The whole team helps me play better and helps push me to be better,” Cox said. “They’re all really supportive.”
Each week on Monday, the Times Union presents the five finalists with remarkable performances during the previous week.
Congratulations Ali!
#RiderPride
In Case You Missed It
🚨#ICYMI: In Case You Missed It — Ichabod’s way to share district highlights! 🎉
We’re so proud of our Ichabod Crane community and this is another way to celebrate the fun, laughter and learning that make our district so special. ✨
