Ballston Spa School Resource Officer Deputy Jenae Heflin is leaving the district to further her policing career in Florida. Photo via the Ballston Spa Central School District.
BALLSTON SPA — Ballston Spa’s School Resource Officer, Deputy Jenae Heflin, will be leaving the district at the end of August to continue her law enforcement career in Florida.
In recognition of her service, Heflin was formally honored by the district’s Board of Education at a meeting on August 21.
“She has become such an integral part of our school community,” said Superintendent of Schools Gianleo Duca. “She represents everything the district needs in an on-site officer.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Parent Collective, a prenatal education series, has announced that it will launch next month in Saratoga Springs. Classes will be hosted at Broadway Coffee Co.
“There really aren’t many alternatives to the hospital-based childbirth education classes in this area,” said Christine Hernandez, the owner of Broadway Coffee Co., in a statement. “Hospital-based classes sometimes fill up quickly or don’t leave much room for question-asking and socializing. We are really excited to host these classes and be a part of helping new parents find their footing and build community.”
The courses, taught by trained facilitators, will cover late-stage pregnancy, labor and delivery, pain management and relaxation techniques, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding, newborn care, and postpartum transition for expectant parents. The classes run weekly for four weeks, two hours per session, and cater to small groups.
For more information or to book a class, visit: www.theparentcollective.com.
SCHUYLERVILLE — Schuylerville Central School District Board of Education member Michael Bodnar resigned this month after serving the district since July 2017. His resignation is effective starting August 31.
“As an active member of the community, Mr. Bodnar always served in the best interest of students, providing thoughtful contributions to board discussions and decisions,” the Board of Education’s members said in a statement. “The board wishes Mr. Bodnar the very best in the future.”
In addition to being a board member, Bodnar was also board president, board vice president, audit committee chairperson, and a legislative liaison. He was also the assistant coach for Schuylerville Middle School’s modified baseball team.
The board now has two options to fill Bodnar’s vacant position: they can either hold a special election within 90 days, or appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the district’s annual budget and Board of Education election in May 2025. If the board appoints someone, the appointee would serve until June 30, 2025.
ALBANY — Two Buttons Deep, a company that creates social media content chronicling life in the Capital Region, announced this week that it had raised more than $10,000 for local teachers. The company said that the funds will pay for the “wish lists” of teachers who would otherwise have to pay out-of-pocket for classroom supplies not covered in school budgets.
Some of the biggest donors who took part in the “Big Tip Energy: Back to School Edition” fundraiser included Saratoga Eagle, Stella’s Creamery & Cakes, The Shaker and Vine, and Concord Pools & Spas.
Two Buttons Deep said that more than 100 local teachers submitted nominations hoping to have their classroom wish lists paid for. The fundraiser concluded on August 19.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College has announced the return of Encore, a lecture series delivered by the school’s faculty for local adult learners age 55+.
The 2024 program runs for seven weeks on Tuesdays from October 1 through November 12 in the Arthur Zankel Music Center on Skidmore’s campus.
Some of this year’s lectures include “Venice Unveiled: Tracing the History and Myth of the Serene City,” “Afghan Refugees after US Withdrawal,” and “Cold War II? US-China Rivalry in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Biotechnology.”
Online registration begins Tuesday, September 3 at 9 a.m. For more information, visit www.skidmore.edu/encore.
BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa Central School District’s transportation department is hoping to make its bus routes more efficient by reducing the number of stops along some routes.
According to a presentation delivered by Superintendent Gianleo Duca at an August 7 Board of Education meeting, the proposed changes for the 2024-2025 school year would reduce the number of stops on 15 to 20 routes. These reductions would result in easier routes for substitute drivers, less time spent on buses for students, and a decrease in the amount of overtime pay for mechanics who drive buses when necessary.
The reduced number of stops will result in some students having a longer walk from the bus stop to their home, but the distances will be “well within New York State regulations,” Duca said.
BALLSTON LAKE — Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School will be implementing a new cell phone policy this year.
When students return to school at the end of the summer, they’ll be required to place their phones in a “rack” or cubby near the door of each classroom. Students won’t be able to access their phones during class, but they can still use their phones during lunch and in the hallway between classes.
Additionally, students will no longer be allowed to take their phones with them when they go to the bathroom. Principal Tim Brunson said that students sometimes go to the bathroom just to use their phones. He called this a “huge issue” that distracts students and decreases attendance.
“I anticipate that there will be some blowback at the start, but I think the positives far outweigh the negatives,” Brunson said of the new policy at an August 5 board of education meeting. “It shows that we trust the students to use [phones] appropriately but also shows how serious we are about eliminating distractions in the classroom.”
In the event of a home or family emergency, parents are advised to call the school so that they can reach their kids during class. Brunson said that the high school’s office is always manned. In non-emergency situations, parents can use email to contact their kids.
For now, the school will allow students to wear Apple Watches during class. Brunson said that teachers will monitor students to see if these watches also become distractions.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Tracy Galuski, an Empire State University professor and educational studies department chair, has been awarded a $1 million grant from the State University of New York (SUNY) and New York State’s Office of Strategic Workforce Development.
Galuski’s proposal, “Equity in Action: Supporting Upward Mobility for Paraprofessionals in Early Childhood,” was selected for funding as part of the Education Workforce Investment Upskilling
Paraprofessionals Program. It will increase opportunities for paraprofessionals to obtain initial teacher certification in high-need areas through Empire State University’s new baccalaureate-level teacher education program in Early Childhood Education.
“SUNY Empire will offer the Early Childhood Education program in a virtual learning format to maximize access to underserved communities,” Galuski said in a statement. “We are excited for the opportunities this program, supported by the grant, will provide for paraprofessionals in New York.”
Photo of Rita Penny via the Saratoga Central Catholic School.
hoto of Kelly Cataldo via the Ballston Spa Central School District.
Ballston Spa School District’s Wood Road Elementary and the Saratoga Central Catholic School each hired new faculty members last week.
At Wood Road, Kelly Cataldo will be joining as their new building principal.
Cataldo is a 2001 Ballston Spa graduate. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Adolescent Education Social Studies from SUNY Oneonta and a Master’s Degree in Literacy from the College of St. Rose. She earned both her School Building Leader and School District Leader Certificates from SUNY Plattsburgh.
Cataldo brings twelve years of teaching experience at the middle school and high school levels from the Lansingburgh Central School District. She transitioned into administration in 2019 as the assistant principal of Turnpike Elementary School and has spent the last three years as the building principal there.
“Coming home to work in Ballston Spa has always been a dream of mine,” Cataldo said in a statement. “As a graduate and current parent in the district, I am honored to join this amazing school district and lead Wood Road Elementary.”
The Saratoga Central Catholic School added Rita Penny as its new theology teacher. She’ll be teaching Religion 6, Religion 7, Religion 8, and Theology 9.
Penny holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical and Early Christian Studies from Christendom College. She previously served as an Assistant Teacher at both Chelsea Academy and Padre Pio Academy in Front Royal, Virginia, where she taught middle school and high school students. Penny also has experience in Latin, having tutored the subject in recent years.
Raised in Saratoga Springs, she is an active member of St. Clement’s parish.
