Hoosick Falls Central School District

Fourth-grade students in Mrs. Brownell's and Mr. Laurin's classes used their imaginations and created their own monsters! They wrote stories and drew pictures, and then worked with high school students in Ms. Collins' ceramics class to bring their monsters to life! 👾 Such a fun project! Thank you for sharing, Ms. Collins!

Before the school year ended, Ms. Cary's World at War class had a guest speaker, Ethan Burian, from 3GNY - Descendants of Holocaust Survivors. 3GNY is a non-profit group of descendants of Holocaust survivors who are interested in telling their families' history. Ethan is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and spoke to students about his grandfather's experience: "My grandfather, Andrew Burian, grew up in a small village called Bustina in the Carpathian Mountains of Czechoslovakia, which is in present-day Ukraine. He survived the Mateszalka ghetto in Hungary, numerous concentration camps (Auschwitz-Birkenau, Mauthausen, Gunskirchen), two death marches, and was ultimately liberated by the US Army in August of 1945. Following liberation, he immigrated to the US and raised his family along with my Grandmother in Long Beach, NY. I had a remarkably close relationship with my Grandfather before his passing in 2020, and am grateful for the opportunity to share his story." Thank you for sharing your family's story with our students, Ethan.

During another classroom exercise, students had the pleasure of experiencing some MREs. Thanks for sharing your projects and pictures, Ms. Cary!

Fall Sports Sign-ups begin:
07/18/2025 for JV / Varsity
07/28/2025 for Modified

Students must have an updated physical from 08/2024 forward for JV/V, and from 09/2024 forward for Modified, in order to participate. Impact tests must be updated before the first practice (if not completed in the past 2 years). If you're child plans to participate in Unified sports, they will need to sign up on Family ID and provide an updated physical. Contact your Coach or Nurse Jane with questions: contej@hoosickfallscsd.org

Parents/Guardians must use Family ID to sign their child(ren) up for sports.
Visit our athletics site for Family ID: https://www.hoosickfallscsd.org/page/athletics-site

🚌Please see the flyer for the summer school bus route schedules, starting on Monday, July 21st. (For Monday-Thursday buses.) Please also note that the time of arrival for buses is estimated! Please allow a 5-7 minute difference of time before or after the noted time. 🚌

June was Dairy Month! During the last week of school, Mrs. Brownell, Mrs. Wells, and Mr. Laurin’s 4th-grade classes had a special presentation from fellow student Jackson and his father, Mr. Eric Sheffer, of Sheffer's Grassland Dairy. The students learned about the dairy industry, including feeding, animal husbandry, milk production, cattle terminology, and breeds. The students and teachers are thankful to the Sheffer family for sharing their passion for agriculture and for their contribution to the dairy industry! (Thank you to Mrs. Brownell for the update and pictures!)

HFCSD will conduct two emergency drills during summer school, with the first drill occurring sometime this week.

We are hiring Substitute Bus Drivers for the 2025-2026 school year! Please reach out to Nicole Martin to inquire: martinn@hoosickfallscsd.org or (518) 686-9663

Field Hockey Coaches, Coach Campbell and Coach St. Onge, are offering field hockey camps in town this summer! They will be running two camps: the Kindergarten-Grade 2 camp will be held from July 14-17, from 5-7 pm, and the Grades 3-10 camp will be offered from August 11-14, from 5-8 pm. Both camps will be held at the ice rink in town, and the cost for each session is $60. Please see the flyers/registration forms for more details. Questions may be directed to Coach Campbell at campbelld@hoosickfallscsd.org

Congratulations to the Class of 2025! To view the graduation photos, taken by Vanessa Lewis, please follow this link: https://vanessalewisphotography.passgallery.com/-hfcsgraduation2025/gallery

As the school year wrapped up, we took some time to honor this year's retirees, celebrate tenure appointments, and acknowledge the National Honor Society's Teacher of the Year. This year's retirees dedicated an amazing 175+ years of combined service to HFCS. Thank you, Ray Connolly, Kim Hayden, John Jennings, Carol Patire, Kristin Philpott, Nordica Scholis, Margaret Sharkey, Tim Stratton Sr., and Ed Wright, for making a difference in the lives of so many students during your time here. Congratulations to those who recently received tenure appointments: Tara Antolick, Jennifer Billera, Adam Cabana, Theresa Dansin, Anna-Rita Denitto, Ashley Fragoso, Rose Kalbflesh, Julia Kelly, Christopher Nelson, and Linda Webber. Congratulations to High School English Teacher, Mrs. Lauren Brown, for being selected by the NHS as the Teacher of the Year! Thank you to our Student Board Member, Lucy Haynes, for all her work this year with the BOE and for the well-placed humor, too! We'll miss you, Mike Hall, but wish you all the best in your new position as Granville's Superintendent. We are pleased to announce Mrs. Leann Victor as the new High School Principal and Mr. Nathan Ellis as the new Middle School/High School Assistant Principal. 🐾

Tonight’s graduation is on schedule and will be held outside. TOPS Market has graciously provided their parking lot as overflow/additional parking. Buses will transport attendees from TOPS to HFCS beginning at 5:00 p.m., with return services being provided to TOPS after the ceremonies have ended.

The Candle Lighting Ceremony, Awards Ceremony, and Graduation Ceremony will be live-streamed. Visit our YouTube Channel to watch: https://www.youtube.com/@tvannouncements4168/streams

Our Chorus Director, Dr. Ambigay Yudkoff, has a few exciting updates to share! 🎶 Graduating senior, Lillian Murphy, as well as juniors Ethan McMahon and Shane Hatlee, have been accepted to perform at this year's Pro Musica International Choral Festival from July 13th-19th, in Albany. This is a fully sponsored experience that includes room and board for the week. This link provides details of the concerts that will take place during the week of the festival: https://albanypromusica.org/concerts/ The Junior Chorus recently visited the Great Escape in Queensbury. Dr. Yudkoff shared that "This was a well-deserved bonding field trip after the Junior Chorus performed for an evaluation at Queensbury High School, where they received a "Superior" rating at the Trills and Thrills Festival. Congratulations to all students on their achievements at the All County Festival, the NYSSMA Solo Festival, and the Trills and Thrills Evaluation Festival this year." The Senior Chorus also performed at the DWI Memorial Event in Troy, back in April, hosted by the District Attorney's Office. Despite the snow showers and bitter cold, students were praised for their profoundly moving performance to mark this emotional occasion. In March and May 2025, voice students from grades 7-12 participated in the NYSSMA Solo Festival. The results were as follows for Levels 2 to 6: In March, 14 entries (primarily grades 7-8) resulted in 8 Outstanding ratings, 5 Excellent ratings, and 1 Good rating. On Saturday, May 17, 21 entries (grades 9-12) resulted in 15 Outstanding ratings and 6 Excellent ratings. Overall, we had 23 Outstanding ratings, 11 Excellent ratings, and 1 Good rating! Congratulations to our talented students!🎶🐾

‼️ATTENTION SENIORS🎓 PLEASE READ this letter regarding the schedule of events for graduation. Information outlined includes what events are required/mandatory, when rehearsals will take place, and appropriate dress codes, etc.

Last Friday, the 1st grade team celebrated all their friends who have summer birthdays. 🎈They would like to send a big "Thank you!" to Stewart’s Shops for donating two ice cream sundae kits to sweeten their celebration!🍨 Happy Birthday in advance to all our students who celebrate in the summer! 🎂

Friendly reminder that there is no school tomorrow, Thursday, June 19. 2025.

The Hoosick Falls Central School's Summer OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAM (OEP) is still registering students for the archery & hiking sessions! This free program is open to HFCS students entering grades 8 - 12. Let's get the kids outside this summer, hiking and trying archery! (Kayaking is currently full.) Over a 3-week period in July, students will experience activities that may be entirely new, and some activities they may already participate in at home. The activities are introductory, providing each student with an overview of basic techniques and applications. See the letter for full details, times, rain dates, and for more information on how to sign up!️ Questions? Contact Mr. Nelson: nelsonl@hoosickfallscsd.org

Congratulations to seniors, Sophie Kelly & Emma Jelley, who completed the two-year Southwest Tech Cosmetology Program and passed their licensing exams! 🎉They are now licensed cosmetologists in the state of Vermont! Both Sophie and Emma completed two years of courses at Southwest Tech (SWT) in Bennington, VT, on top of their required courses at HFCS. They spent half of their school days at SWT for this Cosmetology Program, which consists of two parts: Practical Skills & Theory. This is a rigorous program that requires students to complete 1,000 hours in the field by the end of the two years. These students sacrificed their spring breaks and other days that HFCS had off to attend this program to earn their hours. They recently went to Montpelier, VT, to sit for the VT licensing exam, which consisted of a timed practical exam and a written test. Both students also participated in “Night to Shine” in Bennington, where they performed hair services on individuals with disabilities so they could have a special prom dance. Congratulations to these hard-working students! 🐾

The Class of 2025 has 2 Eagle Scouts, Matthew Angell and Lucias Gaillard! Both seniors did their Eagle Scout projects at local cemeteries here in Hoosick Falls. Matthew earned his Eagle Rank on 2/20/25, and Lucias earned his Eagle Rank on 3/19/25. Lucias is very interested in history, and when he found out many of the founding fathers of Hoosick Falls were buried in the Old Maple Grove Cemetery, he felt compelled to do his Eagle project there. Especially after learning Walter A Wood is buried there! There were many overgrown sections of the cemetery, and the cemetery committee agreed that Lucias should complete his project around the end of the fence line and near the mausoleum. Thanks to Mr. Kinney and the Latham Home Depot’s donation of a bush hog, Lucias was able to cut down many berry bushes and overgrowth. Lucias would also like to thank Mr. LaFamme and Mr. Morin for the use of their trailers. Matthew’s Eagle Scout project focused on St. Mary’s Cemetery, with the support of his family, community, and BSA troop, and had three projects in one. Matthew is a member of the Immaculate Conception Church, and he has spent some time in St. Mary's Cemetery for a summer job, along with several Memorial Days, placing flags for veterans. Matthew decided to bring attention to the cemetery entrance sign, laying stone and adding solar lights. He also updated the Mary Garden. It wasn’t draining well, and with the help of a few family friends, it was regraded, they built a new retaining wall and paver patio, and added low-maintenance plantings. The Mary statue was also repainted, and solar lighting was added. The third piece was plotting 504 veteran graves. All 504 were found, unearthed if needed, and added to a spreadsheet sortable by name, military branch, date of birth, and death. When placing flags for Memorial Day or any other event, it will now be much easier to pay respect to our veterans. Like many cemeteries, Old Maple Grove and St. Mary’s only have so much money for upkeep. The majority of funding covers mowing, but every year brings a new battle against weeds and overgrowth. Matthew and Lucias hope that their work inspires the community to become more aware and to possibly create a community work day in the spring, so the cemeteries can get the attention they need. Keep up the great work, Matthew and Lucias! Your Hoosick Falls community is proud of you!

Important end-of-school-year message from the school nurses! If your child receives medication from the nurse, then you will need to pick the medication up between 8 am - 3:30 pm, no later than June 26, 2025. You can come to the nurses door and ring the bell and we will bring them to you. If medications are not picked up by 3:30 pm on June 26, 2025, then they will be destroyed. If you have questions during the summer or need forms, please refer to the nurses’ page on the school website: https://www.hoosickfallscsd.org/page/nurse (The nurses only come in occasionally during the summer.) Thank you, be well, and have a wonderful summer!