Weekly Newsletter
Parents, please see below for weekly program updates.
9th Grade
May 15, 2026
We are looking forward to next Thursday’s Student Project Exhibition. Students will arrive by 7:50 AM on Thursday, May 21st. We will meet in the auditorium to review the expectations for the morning. All students should have printed at this point or sent their displays to the teachers in order to have them printed. Students will NOT be able to print the morning of the Expo. Families and guests are invited to attend at 9 AM. We will have cupcakes for students to celebrate at the end of the morning. The visit on Thursday is the last visit of the school year. Students will receive the paperwork for next school year at the visit. It can be scanned and emailed back to me OR it can be returned to me at Summer Bridge. Any student who is taking Summer classes will pick up their textbooks that morning. Any student who is not returning to the program will return their program chromebook and charger if they borrowed one this year. We will be sending a survey out to students and families next week to complete. We use the feedback in our curriculum and program development. The high school 4th quarter interim period ends next Friday, May 22nd. The grade on the interim will most likely be the final grade for the quarter (pass/fail) as we do not have students again after that visit.
Students have the following due TOMORROW:
PART 2: Your second post (Due Before FRIDAY 5/15) should be completed as described below.
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Reply to at least one of your peers in the discussion group with the 3, 2, 1 Summary
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Comment on THREE features of the visual scrapbook that you think are done well. (In other words, are ready for an expo "as is").
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Comment TWO improvements that can be made to increase the visual appeal and/or make it more ready for a professional presentation.
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Identify ONE new idea you might add to improve or enhance the concepts of the scrapbook.
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Students have the following due by this Tuesday, May 19th:
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When you have looked at the feedback from a peer and made the corrections, please post the following:
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"I have made the corrections to my visual scrapbook, it is now ready to print." We will print this in preparation for the May 21st Expo for you to attach to your Innovative Design Tri-fold. (Take a look at the April 17th Visit Agenda to see how this will look at the expo.)
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If you have any questions for the high school teachers, please email them:
Mr. Balet; jbalet@bscsd.org
Ms. Crisafulli; tcrisafulli@bscsd.
Mr. Glogowski; mglogowski@bscsd.
Students will return to the HVCC North campus for their mandatory monthly visit on these dates: May 21st (Expo)
Summer CHS Courses
HVCC has made available summer college courses for students. I sent students an announcement in Canvas on how they should go about registering for college courses. Students are allowed to take 1 college course over the summer for FREE. The program will purchase the textbooks from the Viking Bookstore so that students do NOT need to pay for them. Any student who registers this week will need to pick up the books from HVCC North in early June for their college course. Students CANNOT register on Voyager, and must register through me or it interferes with their grant status for future college courses. Here is the link to the classes: https://www.hvcc.
Summer Bridge 2026
The 10th Grade Summer Bridge program will be on Monday, July 13th and Tuesday, July 14th. We will be preparing students for the HVCC college course and giving them an introduction to the HVCC college pathways.
Scheduling 2026-2027
If your child is not planning to continue in the P-TECH program after this school year, please let us know. Students will take the following with P-TECH as 10th grade students:
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P-TECH College & Workplace Readiness (Full Year)
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P-TECH Civics (Half Year)
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HVCC College Forum- Fall Semester
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HVCC Sociology- Spring Semester
We do recommend that students have a study hall in their 2nd semester in order to have time to work on the 3.0 college credit Sociology class. Students who are planning to go on to the Engineering Science or Hacking/Cybersecurity major will need to take Algebra 2 or College Algebra with Trig prior to their junior year of high school. If a student is scheduled for Algebra 2 as a sophomore they are on track. If they are in Geometry as a sophomore, and plan to go Engineering, they will still take Geometry but will need to take CHS College Algebra through HVCC in the summer prior to their junior year or they will be limited in what they can take for their degree. Any student wishing to take a summer HVCC will register through the program as we have a special registration form.
10th Grade
May 15, 2026:
Students in Sociology have their final exam due TOMORROW. We are looking forward to next Thursday’s Student Project Exhibition. Students will arrive by 7:50 AM on Thursday, May 21st. We will meet in the auditorium to review the expectations for the morning. All students should have printed at this point or sent their displays to the teachers in order to have them printed. Students will NOT be able to print the morning of the Expo. Families and guests are invited to attend at 9 AM. The visit on Thursday is the last visit of the school year. Students will receive the paperwork for next school year at the visit. It can be scanned and emailed back to me or mailed to my attention at 220 Ballston Ave. Ballston Spa, NY 12020. Students will register for their fall HVCC classes at the conclusion of the Expo. Students were asked to complete the “Official Pathway Form” by TOMORROW, posted as an assignment in Canvas so that we can have the registration paperwork available for them. We will have cupcakes for students to celebrate at the end of the morning. The visit on Thursday is the last visit of the school year. Any student who is taking Summer classes will pick up their textbooks that morning. Any student who is not returning to the program will return their program chromebook and charger if they borrowed one this year. We will be sending a survey out to students and families next week to complete. We use the feedback in our curriculum and program development. The high school 4th quarter interim period ends next Friday, May 22nd. The grade on the interim will most likely be the final grade for the quarter (pass/fail) as we do not have students again after that visit.
Students should be done with all assignments for the school year. Students should have sent their items in for printing. Students need to bring their Poster and Element of Engagement to the Expo next week.
If you have questions regarding the high school course, please contact the teachers:
Mr. Ackroyd; dackroyd@bscsd.org
Mrs. Singer; jsinger@bscsd.org
Mr. Snow; lsnow@bscsd.org
Summer CHS Courses
HVCC has made available summer college courses for students. I sent students an announcement in Canvas on how they should go about registering for college courses. I also announced this in the auditorium to all students at the visit. Students are allowed to take 1 college course over the summer for FREE. The program will purchase the textbooks from the Viking Bookstore so that students do NOT need to pay for them. Books should be here for student pick up at the May visit. Any student who registers from today on will not get their textbook until June and will need to pick it up from HVCC North (TEC-SMART). Students CANNOT register on Voyager, and must register through me or it interferes with their grant status for future college courses. Here is the link to the classes: https://www.hvcc.
Engineering Students: Any student who plans to take Engineering as their college major AND is not eligible to take College PreCalculus in the spring (meaning they haven’t completed Algebra 2 yet) need to take the MATH 150 course over the summer through HVCC. It is taught remotely on Zoom Monday through Thursday. If a student does not take this course and pass over the summer, they will not be able to take the Engineering Sciences major at HVCC and will have to switch to a different major. The seats in this course are filling up so it is possible that if a student doesn’t reach out to register soon, they will not be able to take it.
Information for 2026-2027 School Year
I will email the college schedule and school calendar to students and families in August. College classes at HVCC North begin on Monday, August 31st. Students will need to find their own transportation if their home school has not started yet. Ballston Spa will begin transportation on Tuesday, September 8th as that is the first day of school. That will most likely be the same for other districts as well. I will be sending information regarding obtaining a Certificate of Residency out via email at the end of June. I will send out additional information for the start of the school year at HVCC North in August. Students who would like to drive to campus will need to complete a driving form for the high school and turn it in by Friday, September 11th. Students can drive the first two weeks of college and the first week of high school without a permit as they will need to get signatures from their home high school which can be difficult to get over the summer. The P-TECH program will pay for the parking permits for HVCC.
If you were unable to attend the 10th grade parent night, both the slides and video are located on our webpage. https://
Students will take the following with P-TECH as 11th grade students:
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English 11
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Applied Mathematics in Clean Technologies
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Environmental Science & Sustainability
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College Math- If in Algebra 2 as a sophomore, students will take College PreCalculus at PTECH during the spring semester of their junior year if it is a requirement for their college pathway
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If currently in Geometry and their pathway requires a college math, students will take College Algebra through HVCC in spring of their junior year
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Any student planning to choose the Engineering Sciences pathways will need to take College Algebra over the summer if they currently are not in Algebra 2 at their home school and want to take the same courses as their peers. All Engineering students need to be on track to take Calculus I during the fall of their senior year of high school. The summer classes are posted, please see above message.
There is no Summer Bridge program between 10th and 11th grade.
11th Grade
May 15, 2026:
This week students finished up their HVCC spring classes. Students will attend high school classes, Monday through Friday from 7:50 AM-10:45 AM for the remainder of the school year. Students should have their grades on WIReD by next Friday. Just a reminder, the P-TECH program does not have classes next Friday, May 22nd or Monday, May 25th. Classes will resume on Tuesday, May 26th. I will register students for their HVCC classes for next school year on Wednesday, May 27th. Students who registered for summer classes can pick up their textbooks from me next week.
Students are continuing to work on their Capstone projects. Students start each day updating their ECHS Final Exam Calculator. This week, students worked on the following:
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TED Talk Part I Visuals (this was done last week as well)
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Capstone Annotated Bibliography #3
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TED Talk Part I
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Revise/Resubmit Problem Statement Part 2- Students should be focusing on the problem and not the solution yet. This is sometimes where they get confused.
Students should be reviewing grades and feedback in the assignments and rubrics. Once an assignment is closed, students cannot go back and revise it.
Student Surveys: Any student who wishes to share out a survey as part of their Capstone project needs to submit it to the teachers to review, then to me. If a survey is going out in a student’s home school, I also send it to the home high school Principal to review as well. This usually takes a few days, so students should have these reviewed as soon as possible. This is typically needed for data for their problem statement or when focusing on data for a solution.
The teachers are available daily from 7:30 AM-7:50 AM for extra help. The 4th quarter interim period ends next week. Interims will be mailed home the following week.
It is very important that students follow the Capstone at a Glance Timeline2026-CapstoneWeek at a Glance.pdf . Once a student falls behind, it can be overwhelming trying to get back on track for this type of project. This will be the project the students present at the June 12th Capstone Presentations. Students get to choose their focus for Capstone. Students do not need to purchase supplies for their Capstone projects. If we do not have something they need, it takes about 2-3 weeks to have it delivered, so it is important that they tell me as early as possible what they will need.
If you have questions for your child’s teacher, please see their emails below:
Mr. Balet; Environmental Science & Sustainability, jbalet@bscsd.
Ms. Crisafulli; English 11, tcrisafulli@bscsd.org
Mr. Glogowski; Applied Math in Clean Tech, mglogowski@bscsd.org
Upcoming Dates
May 15th: Last Day of HVCC Classes- Students will attend High School class EVERY day
May 22nd- NEW- No School
May 25th: No School- Memorial Day
June 9th: English Regents Exam at the home high school; Students who tested in January and are happy with their grade & are NOT taking the exam will attend PTECH High school classes this day
June 12th: Student Capstone Presentations, following the 8:30 AM Graduation
June 15th: Last Day of Classes at P-TECH- Celebration beginning at 9 AM; housekeeping items prior
Summer CHS Courses
HVCC has made available summer college courses for students. I sent students an announcement in Canvas on how they should go about registering for college courses. Students are allowed to take 1 college course over the summer for FREE. If a student has withdrawn or failed a class, they should retake it over the summer so it doesn’t count against them as their 1 retake under the grant. If a student is not on track to take Calculus I for the Engineering pathway, they should be taking PreCalc over the summer. Unfortunately, at this time, ALL sections of PreCalc are filled other than the in person classes at Troy High School over the summer. Students were told to register starting the first week of April. If a student wants to take multiple classes, the program can purchase an additional class under the grant if it is part of the student’s pathway. The program will purchase the textbooks from the Viking Bookstore so that students do NOT need to pay for them. The books will be delivered to HVCC North for student pick up. Students CANNOT register on Voyager, and must register through me or it interferes with their grant status for future college courses. Here is the link to the classes: https://www.hvcc.
Scheduling 2026-2027
All seniors will take the following high school classes next school year:
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CHS English Composition I (4th year of English)
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Green Economics & Public Policy (4th year of Social Studies, fulfills Government & Economics credit)
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Intro to Nanotechnology (Science or Tech credit)
Student college classes are dependent on their HVCC pathway. Students in the Engineering pathway, who are taking PreCalculus in the spring will take Calculus I and II in the fall and spring of their senior year from HVCC. These students should NOT schedule for Calculus at their home school. If your child is in the Engineering pathway and NOT currently in PreCalculus but would like to continue in the Engineering Pathway next year, they will need to take PreCalc through HVCC over the summer AND it will be paid for by the grant. The HVCC Precalculus Summer Class is taught remotely (with a teacher over Zoom at a scheduled time Monday through Thursday). The HVCC Summer Class schedule is posted (see information above)
12th Grade
May 15, 2026:
This week students finished up their HVCC spring classes. Students will attend high school classes, Monday through Friday from 7:50 AM-10:45 AM for the remainder of the school year. Students should have their grades on WIReD by next Friday. Just a reminder, the P-TECH program does not have classes next Friday, May 22nd or Monday, May 25th. Classes will resume on Tuesday, May 26th.
This week in high school class, I met with students to go over their Capstone title and description that will appear in the Graduation Program. Some students are still identifying their technology for their idea and really need to meet with Mr. Ackroyd to identify what they are going to do. Some students still need to turn in their Seal of Civic Readiness materials. I need these by Monday, May 18th at the latest.
Students have the following responsibilities before the application can be submitted:
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Print, DO NOT EMAIL OR SHARE WITH ME IN GOOGLE, their log of community service hours that can go back to 9th grade year and the one page reflection of what they did, what they learned, etc.
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Print, DO NOT EMAIL OR SHARE WITH ME IN GOOGLE, their log of activities and hours for Student Council, Student Government, internships, or lobbying that can go back to 9th grade year.
The applications get sent to an external committee to review. Any student who receives the Seal of Civic Readiness will have a special chord to wear at their home high school graduation and a seal that will go on their high school diploma.
Students are continuing to work on their Capstone projects. Students worked on the following this week:
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Channels to Advertisement Activity (Due High School Day 1)
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Senior Capstone: Marketing Advertisement (Due 5/13)
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Senior Capstone: Key Resources, Activities, & Partners Benchmark (Due 5/20)
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Public Meeting Mastery Project (Due 5/31)
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Senior Capstone Presentation: Starting with a Story (Due High School Day 3)
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Partnership Press Release (Due Tuesday, May 19th)
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Design for Capstone
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Capstone Prototype Resubmission
Long Term Assignment
Students have their Public Meeting Mastery Project due by May 31st. Students need to attend a public meeting (Ex. Town Board, Board of Education meeting, Village Board Meeting, etc.) and complete the assignment. Ballston Spa CSD has a Board of Education Meeting next Wednesday, May 20th at 7 PM in their High School Library for any student still looking for a meeting.
If you have questions for your child’s teacher, please see their emails below:
Mr. Ackroyd; Intro to Nanotechnology; dackroyd@
Mrs. Singer; CHS English Composition I, jsinger@bscsd.org
Mr. Snow; Green Economics & Public Policy; lsnow@bscsd.org
Graduation
Graduation will be held on June 12th at 8:30 AM in the Atrium. Students will present their Capstone projects after graduation. Students do not wear Caps & Gowns for Graduation. They should dress business casual as they will be sitting on the risers in front of everyone, and we want them to look their best! There is no limit on attendees for Graduation.
Note from Mrs. Singer: Parents! I am working on a bulletin board in the senior room and would love your help. If you are willing, please email me a baby or elementary-age picture of your senior to print and use. My email address is jsinger@bscsd.org. Thanks in advance, Mrs. Singer
Upcoming Dates
May 15th: Last Day of HVCC Classes; Students will attend high school classes everyday.
May 22nd- NEW- No School
May 25th: No School- Memorial Day
June 10th: Students will turn in their chromebooks and chargers
June 11th: Graduation Rehearsal during Program Hours
June 12th: Student Capstone Presentations, following the 8:30 AM Graduation
June 15th: Last Day of School & End of Year Party
SAVE THE DATE: GRADUATION FRIDAY, JUNE 12TH AT 8:30 AM
Students Continuing on at HVCC
Any student who is planning to continue on at HVCC to complete their degree should have created their schedule. I sent students an announcement asking them to email me their final fall schedule when it is done, along with their target graduation date from HVCC (May 2027; Summer 2027; December 2027; Spring 2028). Student tuition, textbooks, fees, and parking are all covered under the grant. Students cannot fill out a FAFSA form if they are continuing on at HVCC. They can however still apply for community scholarships that can be used for after they finish their degree at HVCC. Students will still have 4 years of FAFSA eligibility after finishing their degree. Students can only retake 1 course that they withdrew from or failed during their time in the program. Anything above the 1 course will be self pay for those credits. Any student planning to take summer classes needs to register for those through me if they would like the grant to pay for it versus self pay. Students should also sign up for an Orientation at the main campus since they have only done a brief campus tour.