Mid Summer Staff Updates

The board of Regents presented the Portrait of a Graduate on July 14th. A review of the six attributes and we find C-A well positioned to support our students developing them: Academically Prepared • A Creative Innovator • A Critical Thinker • An Effective Communicator • A Global Citizen • Reflective and Future Focused.

I regards to our current 4C-S dispositions: Global Citizen lines up with our collaborator disposition and Reflective and Future Focused is clearly aligned to our self-directed attribute. Our communicator, critical thinker and Creative thinker align diectly with the state. Academically prepared is simply the foundation of why we are here - Believing ALL learners CAn achieve at high levels.

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.

A recent report by Gallup found that teachers who use AI weekly save 5.9 hours per week — the equivalent of six weeks per school year. Top time-saving tasks included creating worksheets and assessments, performing administrative work, and preparing lessons. However, adoption of AI is not widespread among K-12 teachers — 32 percent reported using AI at least weekly, 28 percent stated they used it infrequently and 40 percent said they were not using it at all, according to the survey.

Google has released Gemini, a suite of generative AI tools, within Google Classroom to support teachers. This new feature is available to all Google Workspace for Education editions at no cost. Gemini in Classroom is designed to help teachers with lesson planning, content creation, and various administrative tasks, ultimately aiming to save educators time and enhance student learning experiences.

Key features and benefits of Gemini in Classroom:

• Lesson planning and content creation:

  Gemini can help teachers generate lesson plans, brainstorm ideas, create quizzes, and even translate text into over 100 languages to support multilingual learners.

• Personalized learning:

  Teachers can use Gemini to differentiate content, create choice boards for students, and tailor learning materials to individual student needs.

• Administrative tasks:

  Gemini can help with tasks like summarizing long documents, creating templates for various forms, and generating rubrics for assignments.

• Access and availability:

  Gemini in Classroom is free for all Google Workspace for Education users over the age of 18, and it's accessible within the Google Classroom interface.

• Teacher-led AI experiences:

  Google plans to introduce more teacher-led AI experiences for students in the coming months, including interactive learning tools within NotebookLM and Gems, grounded on class materials.

  
  

Our partnership with OYO will expand to include a community for teachers to create your own AI agents* to support your work and provide a safe platform for our students to learn how to use AI ethically and effectively. ALL teachers will be provided training in how to use this tool.

*AI agents are designed to perform tasks and solve problems on behalf of users, leveraging technologies like machine learning and natural language processing.

A curriculum toolbox with the lessons and resources SUNY Stony Brook and partners have prepared are available for free in their Digital Resource Center.

Click here to get started,

Whether you’re teaching content and want to integrate career exploration, entrepreneurship, or workforce preparedness skills, EVERFI’s digital lessons help students plan for and practice these skills. LEARN MORE HERE reach out to Stacey Hopkins our Career ambassador for support.

Prepare students for their financial future

Financial education is more than dollars and cents. It’s about establishing better spending habits, instilling confidence, and equipping the next generation with the real-world skills to manage financial goals and milestones.

EVERFI’s online financial education curriculum, training, and support are completely free to K-12 educators. reach out to Stacey Hopkins our Career ambassador for support.

Financial literacy instruction will be required in 26-27 by NYS and is already included as one of our life readiness indicators. At C-A we will be itegrating more financial literacy including assessing student proficiency into our content this year.

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.

Does the following statement have any validity?

"The biggest time-suck isn't even SEL, it's ELA. A 2-hour "literacy block" focused on non-transferable "skills and strategies" of limited efficacy steals time from science, social studies, and the arts which builds the knowledge and vocabulary foundational to mature literacy." - Robert Pondiscio

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 classrooms at both elementary schools.
  

• HVAC Improvements

• 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 drainage and 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.

Congratulations to Junait Shah who is now a certified Apple Learning Coach. After a rigorous combination of self-paced learning and virtual workshops, Junait will now be able to elevate his support of teachers as they integrate technology into learning.

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 fortunate 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:

1. 100% of students in grades 4, 8 and 12 will demonstrate readiness in a majority of the Life and career ready indicators;
2. The district will see a 11% improvement in the number of students with >=90% attendance by 2028.
3. A 10% improvement in the number of students who often or consistently demonstrate competence in a majority of the personal dispositions.

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

-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!