Canandaigua City School District

A few more gems from the first day of school for students in Grades 1-12! We are !

Welcome back! School started today for students in Grades 1-12! We look forward to welcoming our UPK and Kindergarten students tomorrow! We are !

Kicking off the 2024-2025 school year with the Senior Sunrise for the Class of 2025! What a beautiful sunrise!

The class and their advisors met at the stadium this morning and art teacher Mr. Josh Mull was the student selected speaker. Mr. Mull worked at the primary school as an art teacher when the Class of 2025 started kindergarten in the Fall of 2012.

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The Academy's Open House this year will be in a NEW format! Come check it out!

All students and their families are invited to attend this year's Open House, which will be held on Thursday, September 12th, 5:00-7:00pm. It will be an open format this year, and students and their families will have the opportunity to walk around and greet teachers. There will be no “bell schedule” like we’ve had in the past. There will be students in the hallway to help you find teachers’ classroom locations. Students, please accompany your parents so you can introduce them to your teachers.

Also available this year:
• Big Awesome BBQ Food Truck will be available in the bus loop! Get your dinner and come visit your teachers!
• Activity Fair will be in the small gym
• PTSA booth will be in the atrium
• There will be a photo backdrop available in the atrium
• LOTS of Community Partners will be joining us in the Atrium with resources and information specifically geared towards Teens!

Thank you to the high school students who added some chalk art to welcome our Kindergarten students. One community, Transforming Lives.

THROWBACK THURSDAY - 1999

25 years ago this fall Canandaigua Academy defeated Brewster 17-14 at the Carrier Dome to win the 1999 New York State Class A Football Championship led by Coach Mike Foster.

Canandaigua Academy returns to the Dome on Friday, September 6 to play in the National Football Foundation Kickoff Classic on Friday, September 6 at 8 pm against West Genesee (Section III).

Ticket Link: https://am.ticketmaster.com/syracuse/buy/2024highschoolclassic

Tickets are $15 the day of the game, $12 presale

Note: Syracuse University has a clear bag policy for all spectators

Today we welcomed the Canandaigua Academy Class of 2028 and new students to the Academy! Students received their schedules, met with older students, toured the building, and had lunch. We look forward to four wonderful years with the Class of 2028!

The Canandaigua Academy Class of 2037 visited the primary school this morning! They practiced their routine, met their teacher, and played with their new classmates! Welcome!

Today our UPK (Universal Pre-Kindergarten) students had the opportunity to practice their bus run! We are excited for them to start school on Friday, September 6!

The UPK and Kindergarten Bus Run & Orientation is Wednesday, August 28! Kindergarten students attend in the morning and UPK students attend in the afternoon. 🚌 What a fun tradition that our new students get to ride their bus route to school with their parents!

📢Today, we had the privilege of welcoming our incredible student leaders for a special Community Circles training session! They are gearing up to make next week’s Freshman and New Student Orientation a great experience for all involved.

These student leaders are the heart of our school community, and we are so proud of their dedication and enthusiasm in creating a welcoming environment for the incoming Class of 2028! 🎉

We can’t wait to welcome our newest members of our Academy family next week. The future is bright! 🌟

🌈 Pot of gold = Canandaigua Academy Football Camp 🏈

THANK YOU 👏👏👏 to The Spot for your ongoing support of our school community. Today they distributed 700+ backpacks with all the supplies needed for the year to students at Canandaigua and Victor schools. The Spot is a volunteer organization that was set up eight years ago to support families in need.

For more info, check out this article:

https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-the-spot-is-spot-on-with-backpack-program-food-pantries-more/article_15a3c666-5349-11ef-a0d9-2f6387003c13.html

Incoming Kindergarteners gathered for Popsicles with Principals for some playground fun and tasty treats 🌞🛝🍧

Mrs. Tonya Russell has been appointed as the Director of Special Programs for the Canandaigua City School District. Mrs. Russell has extensive experience leading and teaching in the special education setting. Most recently, she spent the past two years at the Auburn Enlarged School District as a special education coordinator. Prior to Auburn, she worked at the Geneva City School District for twenty-one years, including four as the director of student services. She started her career as a special education teacher at Geneva High School and also chaired the Committee on Special Education (CSE) and Committee on Preschool Special Education when she was a teacher on special assignment.

Mrs. Russell earned her bachelor’s degree from SUNY Geneseo in special and elementary education. She earned a master’s degree in education from SUNY Albany. She attended the University of Rochester where she earned her advanced certificates in school district and building leadership.

She shared her excitement about the new position, “I am absolutely thrilled to join the outstanding team of educators and strong tradition of excellence in the Canandaigua City School District. I look forward to serving students and families as well as collaborating with staff and the community to foster inclusive learning environments that meet the needs of all learners.”

Mrs. Russell will begin on September 16th. For more information on the special programs department, please visit our website: https://www.canandaiguaschools.org/academics/special-programs

Our ESY high school students had a wonderful time at Buffalo Bills Training Camp!

Students celebrated their Summer Reading Success by having an Olympic themed closing ceremony 📚☀️🕶️

Sarah Callahan appointed as the Director of Professional Learning and Data Coordination for the Canandaigua City School District

Mrs. Callahan most recently served the last five years as the Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Learning at the East Rochester UFSD. Her work at East Rochester has included creating collaborative curriculum, instruction, and professional learning systems with a focus on literacy, grading for equity, and MTSS. She also served as the District's Chief Data Officer.

Prior to her tenure at East Rochester, Sarah served as the Director of School Improvement at the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. During her five years at The Partnership, she also served as the Supervisor of Planning Services and Coordinator of Instructional Services where she focused on providing interactive and engaging professional development and training opportunities for teachers and building/district administrators in the areas of standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment. She started her career as a business teacher, first as a Long Term Sub in Greece and then Wayne Central School District. At Wayne, she was their internship coordinator and also served as the school's Co-Director of the Teaching and Learning Center.

Mrs. Callahan earned her Bachelor's Degree in Business and Technology Management at Clarkson University and her Master’s Degree in Business and Marketing Education from Nazareth College. She earned an additional Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from St. John Fisher.

"I am so excited to begin this journey with the Canandaigua City School District. I'm truly honored to join such an outstanding school community and I'm ready to work side by side with faculty and staff to continue to help build capacity through professional learning and serve this amazing community," Callahan stated. She lives in Canandaigua with her husband and their two daughters and will begin at the Canandaigua City School District on September 3.

We are excited to share our brand family with new and traditional logos for the Canandaigua City School District.

For additional information, please visit: https://www.canandaiguaschools.org/use-of-logo.

JOIN OUR TEAM at the Canandaigua City School District
More info: https://www.canandaiguaschools.org/careeremployment

The Canandaigua City School District has the following job opportunities for the 2024-25 School Year:

- Instrumental Music Teacher - Instrumental Band & Brass Lessons - grades 5-12
- Director of Special Programs
- Bus Dispatcher
- Modified Girls Volleyball Coach
- Aides
- Monitors
- Secretary I
- Assistant Cook
- 5th grade teacher

Apply today!

JOIN OUR TEAM!

More Information: https://www.canandaiguaschools.org/careeremployment

We are now hiring:
Director of Special Programs
School Counselor - Canandaigua Academy
Custodians - District wide
Assistant Cook - Primary School
Building Aides
Cafeteria Monitors
Secretary - Special Programs
Bus Drivers

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SAVE THE DATE

Canandaigua Football will travel to the JMA Dome at Syracuse University on Friday, September 6 to play West Genesee as part of the National Football Foundation's Kick Off Classic. Tickets are $12 presale and $15 at the gate. We look forward to an exciting game to kick off the season at the Dome!

Ticket Information: https://am.ticketmaster.com/syracuse/buy/2024highschoolclassic

The Canandaigua Athletics Department is excited to announce Alyssa Zacharias as the head coach of the Canandaigua Girls Lacrosse program. Zacharias previously coached the team in 2017 and 2018 and led Canandaigua to the 2017 Section V Class B Sectional Title and the NYS Semi-finals. She was named the All Greater Rochester Coach of the Year in 2017. Coach Zacharias was an assistant coach on the team this past spring that had a record of 16-3.

Prior to coaching at Canandaigua, Coach Zacharias led Fairport Varsity Lacrosse for two seasons. In 2015 she was named the Monroe County Division 1 Coach of the Year. Additionally, her teams have twice been the recipient of the Section V Girls Lacrosse Robert Carpenter Sportsmanship Award (2015 at Fairport, 2018 at Canandaigua).

Coach Zacharias, a fourth grade teacher at Canandaigua Elementary School, graduated from Canandaigua Academy in 2007 and played four years of collegiate lacrosse at Nazareth College. In 2011 she was named the Empire 8 Conference Sportsman of the Year for Women’s Lacrosse. Zacharias and her husband, Jonny, live in Canandaigua with their two sons.

Congratulations and welcome back, Coach Z!

🎺🎶🎤🥁🎷 WELL DONE 🎷🎺🎤🎶🎺

Our Canandaigua Academy Jazz Ensemble performed at the Rochester International Jazz Festival last night!

The Canandaigua City School District is pleased to announce that Kris VanDuyne has been selected as Principal of Canandaigua Middle School.

Ms. VanDuyne has worked for the Canandaigua City School District since September 2004 and her experiences include being a high school and middle school social studies teacher, the Curriculum Area Leader Teacher for social studies, and Dean of Students at the Academy. In 2021, she was appointed as an Assistant Principal for the Coordination of Federal Stimulus Funded Activities. Since 2022, she has served as the Director of Professional Development for the District. For the past seven weeks, Kris has served as the Interim Principal at Canandaigua Middle School.

Ms. VanDuyne shared her excitement about the new position, and stated, “I am incredibly honored and excited to join Canandaigua Middle School as the next principal. This school has a strong tradition of excellence, and I am committed to building on that foundation by working collaboratively with teachers, staff, students, and families to create a nurturing and dynamic learning environment.”

Ms. VanDuyne is a graduate of Finger Lakes Community College and has a Bachelor of Science in History from SUNY Brockport. She earned a Master of Arts in International Studies from St. John Fisher College and an advanced certificate of study in School and Building Leadership from SUNY Brockport. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Buffalo.

Ms. VanDuyne will begin her position on Monday, July 1, 2024. Ms. VanDuyne has two adult children and lives in Manchester.

School is out for SUMMER! Have a wonderful and safe summer. We are !

Canandaigua Primary School ended the day with a Inflatable Race for the students in the front bus loop area! What a way to end the academic year! Thank you to all the participants and congratulations to the winner... We are !

Welcome to Canandaigua Academy, Class of 2028!

The 8th graders left Canandaigua Middle School as students for one last time, walked up Chapel Street, down East Street, and are now officially Freshman at Canandaigua Academy!

Congratulations and have a WONDERFUL summer! We are !

2nd Grade Field Day Fun! 🏃🏽‍♂️‍➡️💦☀️👟