Parent July Updates

Grounded in the belief that every student deserves a future of opportunity, we are aligning our practices around five transformative principles: student-centered learning, real-life skills, talent-rich schools, strong community partnerships, and metrics that matter. These pillars guide our work in graduating students who are college, career, and life ready—equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow with confidence, character, and curiosity.

CLICK HERE to learn about our five guiding principles.

Our Summer meal program is free for all persons age birth to 18. Meals are served at the middle school and EJA Elementary School

Breakfast from 8:15-9:00am

Lunch from 10:45-11:30am

Our ladies track and field team achieved extraordinary success at the NYS Track and Field Championships.

The 4x100 meter relay team of Danielle Deering, Hailey Gibney, Avery Conrad and Alexia Strom-Warren finished 5th, winning them the first relay State medal in school history and a place on the Championship podium.

The 4x400 meter team of Danielle Deering, Hailey Gibney, Avery Conrad and Sophie Brady finished 10th and set a new school record of 4 minutes and 10 seconds.

Our culture (the way we do things) is being built around a series of attributes that support and sustain a safe, consistent, and productive learning environment.

Respect

Independence

Voice

Empathy

Resilience

Honesty

Acceptance

Wellness

Kindness

Spirit

This month the board of education adopted three mandated policies. The board approved a new policy regarding cell phone/electronic device use during school hours. The board also approved a new policy regarding extreme high temperatures in classrooms. The code of conduct was also approved by the board. You can read the policies by CLICKING HERE

Students: iPad Pick Up will be Monday, August 18 through Thursday, August 21 from 8-2:30 in the HS Library for grades 9-12. Insurance is also available and recommended! Please enter through the HS Library door. Please note that it is the student's responsibility to maintain a charger for home use.

As part of our efforts to reduce costs in response to this year’s budget, we are making changes

to our school day schedules and transportation services beginning in September 2025. These changes are the result of moving to one morning (AM) bus run for the Coxsackie campus while maintaining two afternoon (PM) bus runs.

Please see the updated start and end times for each school building below:

Coxsackie Elementary School

• Start Time: 8:07 AM
  

• Dismissal: 2:25 PM
  

Coxsackie-Athens Middle and High Schools

• Start Time: 8:07 AM
  

• Dismissal: 2:25 PM (students in good standing may leave at this time)
  

• Final Dismissal (after Office Hours): 3:09 PM
  

E.J. Arthur Elementary School

• Start Time: 8:20 AM
  

• Dismissal: 2:40PM
  

CE Students will ride the early morning run with MS/HS students. Some EJA students will ride the early morning run with MS/HS students and then shuttle to EJA with pre-kindergarten students. Additional morning routes will be in place to pick up the remaining EJA students closer to their scheduled start time. Dismissal time for EJA will be 2:40 and they will be directly transported home.

The Transportation Department will be sending a separate communication with a form for families to complete. This will help us create the most efficient routes possible based on student needs.

We understand that changes in school start and end times may impact your family’s daily routines, especially with before- and after-school care. We are providing this information now to give you time to make any necessary arrangements. We appreciate your understanding as we navigate this change and a focus on minimizing disruption to students and families.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your building principal or for our transportation department.

In an effort to improve the safety and efficiency of student arrival and departure on our Coxsackie campus, the following logistical changes will be implemented for the upcoming school year:

Morning Drop-Off

• All students (elementary, middle, and high school) will be dropped off in the loop between the High School and Coxsackie Elementary School.

Afternoon Pick-Up

• Middle and High School Students: Pick-up will take place at the gym entrance located at the back of the campus.

• Elementary Students: Pick-up will occur in the loop between the schools.

  • The school will be using a new app called PIKMYKID to help manage the process.

  • The app will notify the school when a parent or guardian arrives on campus.

  • Parents will remain in their vehicles, and staff will escort students directly to their cars.

  • More detailed instructions on how to use the app will be shared as the start of school approaches.

  • More detailed instructions for families with siblings in multiple schools, will be shared as the start of school approaches

  • Walkers: Students who walk home will be dismissed through the main entrance doors.

Bus Procedures

• Bus arrival and departure will take place in front of the High School.

• No vehicles will be permitted in the High School’s front parking lot while buses are present during arrival and dismissal.

We appreciate your support and cooperation with these changes. Our goal is to create a safer, more organized experience for all students and families. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions.

As we prepare for the upcoming fall sports season, we want to share important information with families of students entering grades 7–12 who are interested in participating on an athletic team at Coxsackie-Athens.

• Official Sign-Ups Begin: July 18

• High School Sports Practices Start: August 18

• Modified Sports Practices Start: August 25
  Practice times are still being determined.

• School Physicals:
  The school doctor will be available on August 4 at 11:00 AM to conduct physicals. This is first come, first served and free of charge.
  All athletes must have an updated physical on file before participating in any practices.

Fall Sports Offerings:

• Boys Soccer (Modified, JV & Varsity)

• Girls Soccer (Modified & Varsity)

• Football Grades 7–9 (Modified)

• Football Grades 10–12 (Varsity)

• Girls Tennis (Varsity only)

• Field Hockey (Modified and Varsity)

• Golf (Varsity only)

• Cross Country (Modified and Varsity)

• Girls Volleyball (Modified, JV & Varsity)

How to Register:
Visit the Coxsackie-Athens CSD website, click on the Athletics section, and select the Registration tab.

You’ll also find a list of sports and contact information for each coach on the athletics page. If you have questions or need assistance, feel free to contact our Athletic Director, Curtis Wilkinson, at wilkinsonc@cacsd.org.

We’re looking forward to a great fall season. Go Riverhawks!

The Coxsackie-Athens Central School District Board of Education is bringing forward a revised capital project proposal to district voters on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in response to feedback from previous referendums. Voting will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at both Coxsackie Elementary School and Edward J. Arthur Elementary School.

The proposed project has been divided into two separate propositions to provide greater clarity and choice for voters:

Proposition 1

Proposition 1 focuses on health, safety, infrastructure, and educational upgrades across the district. Improvements include:

• Security Enhancements: Card access upgrades and door hardware improvements at all school buildings.
  

• Educational Spaces: Renovations to high school science classrooms and second-floor classrooms at both elementary schools.
  

• HVAC Improvements district wide.

• Kitchen Renovations: Upgrades to kitchen facilities at both elementary schools.
  

• Infrastructure Repairs: Roof repairs, water piping replacements, stormwater drainage upgrades, and sidewalk replacements.
  

• Outdoor Improvements: New playground equipment at both elementary schools and parking lot reconstruction at the middle school.
  

• Facility Enhancements: Addition of public restrooms at the transportation facility.
  
  

Proposition 2

Proposition 2 proposes the reconstruction of the district’s natural grass athletic fields, including varsity and modified fields for baseball, softball, soccer, and field hockey. These improvements include underground utilities to support irrigation, but do not include field lighting.

Proposition 2 can only move forward if Proposition 1 is also approved.

The board took community input seriously in reshaping this proposal. “This revised plan separates academic and infrastructure needs from athletic improvements to give our community a clearer voice on each priority. We believe this plan reflects a responsible approach to maintaining and improving our schools while keeping the needs of students, staff, and taxpayers in balance.”

Community members are encouraged to visit the district’s website or attend upcoming informational meetings(dates to be announced) to learn more about the proposed scope and impact of the capital project.

We would like to share that Ryan Palmer, our Administrator of Business and Finance, will be leaving the district to accept a new position as the Business Official at Schodack Central Schools. Ryan’s anticipated last day at C-A will be August 10.

Ryan began his career with us in September 2016 as a high school math teacher, quickly earning a reputation for instructional excellence—particularly in Algebra II, where his students consistently performed at a high level on the Regents Exams. In addition to his work in the classroom, Ryan took the helm as head wrestling coach and led the program to new heights. Under his leadership, the team earned multiple conference championships, celebrated the program’s first-ever sectional titles, and launched a successful girls wrestling program.

In December 2021, Ryan transitioned into the role of Administrator of Business and Finance. Since then, he has been a strong and steady leader, implementing operational improvements that have strengthened our financial systems and ensured transparency and accountability. His attention to detail has been reflected in consistently clean annual audits and our highest-ever rating from the Office of the State Comptroller.

While we are sad to see Ryan go, we are excited for him as he begins this next chapter in his career in the district he and his family reside in. We thank him for his service, leadership, and the many positive contributions he has made to our district—both in the classroom and at the district level.

The district is fortuante to have Cybil Howard as our interim Administrator of Business and Finance while we conduct a search for a permanent replacement. Please join us in wishing Ryan and his family all the best in his new role at Schodack.

Purpose

Our anchor strategy, PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS states, “Students with Purpose are inspired to learn. The world has changed and a vision for college, career and citizenship readiness has emerged. Centered on the concept that each student will have a purpose and PATHWAY TO SUCCESS, we will have an uncompromising and relentless commitment to preparing students for college, career and citizenship; in other words, preparing students for their future. This will be accomplished by creating relevant learning environments, and interacting with the people working in the ecosystems of the career paths students are working towards.”

Therefore, we will inspire and prepare students for college, career, and citizenship readiness through comprehensive career exploration and pathway development. The program will help students discover their interests, skills, and preferences, and provide them with real-world experiences and guidance to prepare for their future careers.

READ MORE INCLUDING BUILDING LEVEL EXPECTATIONS for 2025-2026.

In the summer of 2022 our district LINKS Team met to set 3-year performance goals. The team reviewed the results in late June. We celebrated progress in all areas and acknowledge more effective work is needed to elevate our results to match our expectations we have for ourselves and our students. Below are the results for the 2025 goals.

2025 Performance Goals

Results

Set August 2022

In order for all students to graduate Ready, our performance goals for 2025 are:

Wellness:

Support of student and staff wellness will be indicated by 100% of students and employees being able to identify one ally and improved results on climate surveys each year.

• 93 % of HS students indicated that they had an ally

• 91 % of MS students indicated that they had an ally

Reading:

73% of students PK-8 will be reading at or above grade level by 2025. This will be a 19% improvement from 2022.

• 61% of students were reading at or above grade level

Math:

73% of students PK-8 will demonstrate grade level proficiency in math by 2025. This will be a 17% improvement from 2022.

• 59% of students were proficient in math.

Research Based Projects:

100% of students will be creating at least three research-based products every year by 2025.

• 95% of students created 3 or more projects.

Life Readiness:

100% of students will demonstrate competence in a majority of the Life Ready Skills and Financial Literacy Indicators appropriate for their school level by 2025.

• 77 % demonstrated competence in all grades

• 89% demonstrated competence in grades 4, 8, 12.

• 87% of seniors demonstrated competence.

The LINKS team have established draft goals for 2028. They are below.

2028

Student Performance Goals

In order for all students to graduate ready for their post-secondary lives, our performance goals for 2028 are:

Reading: 78% of students K-8 will be reading at or above grade level by 2028. This will be a 17% improvement from 2025.

Math: 78% of students K-9 will demonstrate grade level proficiency in math by 2028. This will be a 19% improvement from 2025.

Life Readiness:

• 100% of students in grades 4, 8 and 12 will demonstrate readiness in a amjority of the Life and career ready indicators;
• The district will see a 11% improvement in the number of students with >=90% attendance by 2028
• A 10% improvement in the number of students who often or consistently demonstrate competence in a majority of the personal dispositions.

We are still accepting applications from instructors who would like to be part of our fall adult education offerings. Scan the QR code below or call the district office at 518-731-1710 for more informaton.

-Fred Rogers

We all learn in a variety of ways. Students should be able to demonstrate readiness in a variety of ways.

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Below are several resources that highlight the opportunities we offer ALL students. WE truly are a small school with BIG Opportunities!

1. Did you know that every student at C-A HS can have one early college course paid for in full by the district? The reduced tuition rates for all college courses allows many students to graduate with over 20 credits. Many of our alum are able to enter college as sophomores or graduate from a college a semester early saving thousands of dollars.
2. Our parternship with Questar III BOCES provides 23 offerings in career technical education pathways. Our students who complete these programs are ready to enter the workforce in a varirty of occupations and fields.

We believe ALL students CAn be life, career and college ready when they graduate from C-A. I very muhc apprecait the collaborative work taking place in all classrooms to ensure ALL students are self-directed and prepared to succeed in our global society.

• COMMENCEMENT READINESS INDICATORS DASHBOARD
• READINESS INDICATORS K-12 BOOKLET 2020 :
• EARLY COLLEGE PAMPHLET
• COLLEGE IN THE H.S. OFFERINGS
• CAREER TECH ED OFFERINGS

LINKS- The process of aligning and LINKing the work we do to achieve aim high annual performance targets. Our LINKS team plans are our annual performance targets and the strategies and action steps as well as the professional development and training so that we can implement with confidence our strategies to help every kid be successful everyday. You can review the goals and building level plans on our LINKS Team Page. The 2023-24 plan is being worked on now and will be finalized this Thursday!

Each annual plan it aimed at making progress towards achieving our 3-year district wide performance goals. The most recent goals were set last summer to be achieved by 2025. These 3-year goals are aligned to our 2030 DESTINATION - a set of four possibilities we want to become reality by 2030.

Our LINKS Team Page will include notes from our quarterly meetings so that you can stay up to date on our collective work. Reach out to a LINKS member if you have questions or ideas-- or talk with your principal about being part of the LINKS team.

Like planning a road trip our 2030 DESTINATION, TIMELINE may change as detours pop up or new adventures present themselves.

Take a look. Our road trip will have some exciting mile markers that sustains and enhances the work we have started and will lead us to our 2030 Destination.

• Professional Learning Communities
• Growth Mindset
• Student Centered/Directed Learning
• Digital Conversion
• Pathways to Success

It is with gratitude and humility that we acknowledge that we are learning, speaking and gathering on the ancestral homelands of the Muhheaconneok (Muhhekunneuw) or Mohican people and the Munsee Lenape people, who are the indigenous peoples of this land. Despite tremendous hardship in being forced from here, they now reside in Wisconsin and are known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors past and present as we commit to building a more inclusive and equitable space for all.

Email: squierr@cacsd.org
Website: www.cacsd.org
Location: 24 Sunset Boulevard, Coxsackie, NY, USA
Phone: 518-731-1700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100043677108930&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Twitter: @coxathschools

Our new app is now available for download from the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. Keep up to date on all things C-A, right from your device. This app is designed to create easy access to Sports Schedules, Live Feed, Alerts, our Staff Directory and more!