Academics
“Having been born in another country, Menands School introduced us to the American culture and helped us become acclimated to our new environment. We learned more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. Everyone went above and beyond to teach us what we needed to know.” — Sonya Gomes, former Menands School student
The Menands School District is “a small school community with big aspirations.” Highest among these aspirations is our commitment to providing Menands School students with a high quality, well-rounded instructional program. We are dedicated to supporting each student in the achievement of the educational outcomes that establish the foundation for success in high school, college, careers, and citizenship. Because we are a small school district, each Menands student is known by our entire staff. Menands teachers and administrators work closely with each other and with families to support each student’s strengths and needs.
Overview of Academic Programs
Menands School academic programs continue to evolve to incorporate current best practice in each discipline and to begin the transition from the New York State Standards to the Common Core Learning Standards.
The K-8 math program is aligned with the current NYS Standards, scope and sequence, and State assessments. The core program in kindergarten and first grade utilizes Saxon Math; the core program in grades two through five utilizes Houghton-Mifflin; and the core program in grades six through eight utilizes the Prentice Hall math series. At all grade levels, conceptual understanding, computational fluency, math vocabulary, real-world applications, and problem solving are emphasized. In eighth grade, high ability students are accelerated to Regents level integrated algebra.
K-8 English language arts and reading
are aligned with the New York State Standards of reading, writing,
speaking, and listening for information and understanding, literary
response and expression, critical analysis and evaluation, and
social interaction. Classroom instruction is based upon a framework
of balanced literacy, with a strong emphasis on read-alouds and
guided reading in the early grades and increasing opportunities with
a wide range of literary genres, literature circles, and
interdisciplinary projects as students progress through the grades.
Encouraging students’ interest in reading is fostered through an
emphasis on independent, self-selected
reading
at every grade level. Benchmark assessments are administered three
times a year to monitor students’ progress and to identify students
in need of support services. Students write formally and informally
across subjects and have many opportunities to write narratives and
persuasive and informational pieces across the grades.
The
K-8 science program is mapped with the content and skills of the
NYS Standards and State science assessments. In kindergarten through
fifth grade, students experience “minds-on” science through the use
of Science and Technology Kits for Children. In sixth through eighth
grade, students participate in numerous science labs and scientific
investigations. In eighth grade, high ability students are
accelerated to Regents level earth science.
In the
K-8 social studies program, students explore five dimensions of the
social sciences across the grades:
history; geography; economics; culture; and citizenship. At all
grade levels, students gain experience with important social studies
skills while focusing on specific grade level content as outlined in
the New York State core curriculum:
Kindergarten – “Myself and Others”
Grade one – “My Family and Other Families”
Grade two – “My Commmunity”
Grade three – “Communities Around the World”
Grade four – “Local History and Government”
Grade five – “The United States, Canada, and
Latin America”
Grade six – “The Eastern Hemisphere”
Grades seven and eight – “United States and
New York State History”
Teachers regularly incorporate technology,
research, interdisciplinary projects, and content area literacy into
their social studies instruction.
The Menands Inquiry Team, also known as “MIT,” is an academic enrichment program for high-ability, high-achieving students in grades five through seven. Working in small groups under the guidance of teachers, MIT students use an inquiry, project-based approach to investigate an essential question on a high interest topic. After extensive research and field work, students create a product or performance that demonstrates what they have learned. MIT supports the development of skills that are critical to success in the 21st century, including self-directed learning, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and the integration of technolog
The Menands
School District
recognizes the challenges that students and their families face as
they transition from one stage of their educational career to
another. As such, Menands School is proud to provide several
important transition
programs. Kindergarten
is a full-day program.
In August before the school year begins, kindergarteners
participate in “Kindergarten Warm-Up Week,” a set of four half-days
in which students ride the bus to and from school, get to know their
teachers, learn their way around the building, and begin learning
the classroom routines that they will experience in the year ahead.
As students transition from fifth to sixth grade, from sixth to
seventh grade, and from seventh to eighth grade,
evening transition meetings
are held in which students and parents learn about the
expectations, instructional programs, and special events of the
subsequent grade. Eighth graders participate in numerous
transition activities to help them prepare to leave Menands School
and enter Shaker High School, Watervliet High School, or Tech Valley
High School. These activities include a presentation on the three
high schools, attending orientation meetings at their school of
choice, participating in an interactive panel discussion about high
school featuring former graduates of Menands School, and a
presentation on opportunities to play interscholastic sports by the
North Colonie Athletic Director.
In the K-6 library/media
program, students develop information literacy skills in weekly
classes with the library/media specialist.
Students develop their skills through collaborative projects
that bridge the library research program and the classroom
curriculum. The
K-6 library/media program fosters the development of students’ own
personal interests, giving them the tools needed to explore topics
today and in the future.
Some of the skills included in library/media
instruction are selecting texts, navigating fiction and
nonfiction, taking notes, exploring information resources, and using
information responsibly to avoid plagiarism.
In grades 7 and 8, students continue to apply these skills in their
content area classes and in learning about their own personal
interests. The library/media specialist and the middle school
classroom teachers collaborate on research projects through which
students continue to practice the skills developed in the K-6
library program.
Students in grades K-6 participate in a formal computer literacy program through weekly classes with the library media specialist. In kindergarten through grade 2, students become familiar with the operation of the computer and age appropriate software programs that can be used to develop reading and writing skills. Students are introduced to a variety of digital resources including eBooks, websites, and subscription databases and gain experience with searching on the World Wide Web. In third grade, students, learn keyboarding skills. In grades 4-6, students use the Microsoft Office Suite, select and evaluate digital resources, and integrate subject area knowledge and Web 2.0 products. At all grade levels, students apply what they learn in computer literacy and library/media in classroom-based research projects.
K-8 art
is aligned with the New York State Standards and is taught through a
framework of
demonstrations, art history lessons, and a multitude of hands-on
projects that incorporate the principles and elements of art. At
the end of the year, students display their artwork in a school-wide
exhibit that features many genres of art and the historical
contributions of American and European artists. Throughout the year,
students participate in routine, informal critiques of their work by
the teacher and their peers. Students regularly participate in local
art contests, such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. contest at Siena
College.
The K-7 general music is
aligned with the National Standards for Music Education and the New
York State Standards. To encourage interest in music, students
create music at every grade level and perform in two school-wide
concerts and a number of school and community events. Benchmark
assessments are administered throughout the year to monitor
students’ progress and to create an audio portfolio that travels
with each student throughout the grades. Students may choose to take
instrumental lessons and play in the school band starting in fifth
grade.
The
K-8 health education program provides students with a knowledge
and skills-based approach for enhancing personal, family, and
community health and safety. A comprehensive health, substance
abuse, and violence prevention program entitled
The Great Body Shop provides the framework for instruction in
kindergarten through sixth grade. In middle school health education,
students gain experience with the skills of self-management,
relationships, stress management, communication, decision-making,
planning, goal setting, and advocacy. These skills are integrated
with functional knowledge in the following areas: physical activity
and nutrition; HIV/AIDS; sexual risk behaviors; alcohol and other
drugs; family life/sexual health; injury prevention; violence
prevention; basic first aid; self-care and personal health.
The
K-8 physical education
program provides students with extensive opportunities to improve
their movement skills and their knowledge of a wide range of sports
and games. A primary goal of instruction is to help students make
the connection between physical activity and good health. Using our
extensive outside play areas, a beautiful gymnasium, and a generous
supply of up-to-date equipment, physical education classes are
activity-based with the goal of getting students moving and enjoying
the benefits of a fit and healthy lifestyle.
-
District Code of Conduct (PDF)
The forms above are in PDF
format, which require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. Acrobat Reader
can be downloaded for free from the
Adobe Acrobat website.
Superintendent
Principal
Phone: (518) 465.4561
Fax: (518) 434.2840
19 Wards Lane
Menands, NY 12204
