IMPORTANT: April 8 school dismissal and activity changes

Early dismissal and solar eclipse safety

Hello SG Families,

I am writing to inform you of an important schedule change for our schools on Monday, April 8. The solar eclipse will take place during our normal dismissal time. To ensure the safety and well-being of all of our students, we will implement a half-day on the 8th.  

We understand that this may be an inconvenience to families, and apologize in advance. However, student safety is our top priority, and we believe this precautionary measure is in the best interest of all SG students. 

Unfortunately, our planned school watch parties will be canceled due to the half day. 

The upcoming solar eclipse is a once in a generation event. While we were thrilled to plan for solar eclipse watch parties, we have determined that the safety risk posed to our students who were not attending the event to be too great. Ensuring the proper use of solar glasses by all students, especially our younger ones, during the transit home would be a significant challenge.

Dismissal times on April 8:

  • Glendaal Elementary – 12 p.m.
  • Glen-Worden Elementary – 12 p.m.
  • Lincoln Elementary – 12 p.m.
  • Sacandaga Elementary – 12 p.m.
  • Middle School – 11:10 a.m.
  • High School – 11:15 a.m.

The district does plan to provide all SG students a pair of ISO-compliant solar eclipse glasses to use at home under the supervision of a parent or guardian. Glasses will be distributed to students on April 8 prior to dismissal.    

Solar Eclipse Details: The eclipse will begin around 2:30 p.m. and end around 4:30 p.m. Just before 3:30 p.m., our view of the eclipse will reach maximum coverage, about 97%. Please talk to your child about the eclipse and the importance of using the eclipse glasses if they look at the sun. 

Some important points to remember:

  • Never look directly at the sun without ISO-compliant glasses or filters.

  • The glasses we will be providing are cardboard “one-size-fits-all.” Talk to your child about holding the glasses over their eyes so they don’t slip off, especially if your child wears prescription eyeglasses.

  • Sunglasses are NOT strong enough to protect your eyes.

  • Do NOT look at sun/eclipse through your phone’s camera, binoculars, or a telescope without specially-designed lens filters.

  • Some children may be frightened or anxious about the rapid decrease in light, or misunderstand what is happening. It is a good idea to talk to your children about the eclipse ahead of time. You may find some of the resources below helpful.

  • If your child will be at home for most or all of the eclipse, you might want to explore some alternate ways to view the eclipse. Here are some examples, with more in the resources listed below.

Solar Eclipse Resources:

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.  

Susan M. Swartz, Superintendent    Rick Arket, Assistant Superintendent