The Albany Academies coordinate single-sex and coeducational learning environments to develop diligent students of high character who become curious, critical thinkers.
October 8, 2020
The Skim

  • Flu Shot?
  • Traveling Out of State
  • Writing Center Open for 2020-2021 Academic Year
  • Magnus App Issues
  • Storybook Pumpkin Patch
  • Virtual Mystery Reader
  • Welcome Back David!
  • Please Remember to Order Lunch! (We'll Help You!)
  • Undefeated Athletic Teams
  • Fall Picture Days
  • AAPA
  • Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month
Dear Friends,
 
Today is the 18th day of school operations. In any other year, this would be unremarkable. In 2020, I think it’s a significant milestone. 
 
Our professional community continues to manage additional COVID-related workload and pressure with true grace, and our students have shown resilience and adaptability in the face of extraordinary demands on them. We are working harder than ever, in unprecedented ways under unique conditions, and for an unknown length of time.
 
It will be a real irony if we are doing all this to preserve our health, just to pay for it with our well-being. Which is the risk we run if we ignore self-care and push ourselves until our body or mind doesn’t allow it anymore.
 
The more sustainable solution may be to acknowledge the additional stress we are facing, modify our expectations about what we can accomplish, and truly commit to taking care of ourselves. I’m sharing this as we head into a holiday period, with the hope that some form of self-care is part of your plan for the next few days.
 
This is probably easier to write than it is to do, especially for a hard-charging professional and family community.
 
But no one wins a marathon by sprinting at the start. 
 
Sincerely,
Flu Shot?
Managing a significant influenza outbreak on top of the protocols already in place for COVID screening would put a considerable strain on our operations. In a worst-case scenario, it might trigger a move back to distance learning. We can all help mitigate this risk by getting vaccinated for the seasonal flu. We hope you will join us in protecting yourself, your family, and our school community by getting flu shots through your healthcare provider or at the local pharmacy.
Traveling Out of State


If you are traveling out of state for the long weekend, please be mindful of New York State’s travel restrictions. As of today, the following states and territories are on the NY Department of Health’s restricted travel list:
  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Guam
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Mexico
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Oklahoma
  • Puerto Rico
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming
Travel to these areas requires a quarantine period upon return to New York, as well as the completion of a travel form with the state. Please also reflect it in your students’ daily COVID survey.

Writing Center Open for 2020-2021 Academic Year

In our continuous effort to provide all essential services and resources, The Albany Academies’ Writing Center is now open virtually for all upper school students. 

Students can Zoom into 874-877-3293 (passcode: academy200) during E block and H block each and every school day (with the exception of day 6 advising). Times will be staffed by multiple English faculty and no appointment is required.

Whether it’s an English essay that’s due tomorrow or in a week, yet another college application supplement, or revising a lab report, the Writing Center can help. 
Magnus App Issues

We understand that the Magnus Mobile App used for COVID symptom screening had issues with slow responses this morning. Magnus has since increased its server capacity by 25% and is investigating whether there are additional technical issues associated with their latest update. We anticipate that these issues will be fixed by Wednesday morning; however, we have noticed that completing the survey before 7:00 a.m. also seems to allow users to avoid these issues.
Storybook Pumpkin Patch

The Albany Academies Lower School Libraries are growing our virtual Storybook Pumpkin Patch, and we’d love your help! Decorate a pumpkin to look like one of your favorite book characters and send in a picture to be part of our slideshow.

  • Choose your favorite storybook character
  • Find a pumpkin that is small to medium in size (real or fake)
  • Gather your decorating supplies. Acrylic paints or permanent markers work best. You can add materials, like yarn, buttons, wiggly eyes, etc.
  • Decorate your pumpkin.
  • Email the entry form and picture to Laura Miner by Friday, October 23rd. 

We will be putting together a slideshow of all pumpkin pictures that are submitted.
Participation is completely voluntary. Have fun and be creative! Please contact Laura Miner or Eileen Kim if you have any questions.
Virtual Mystery Reader

The Kindergarteners at AAG welcomed their first virtual Mystery Reader through Zoom this week. The girls enjoyed having a parent join the class to read We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. They are looking forward to future visits from many more virtual Mystery Readers!
Welcome Back, David!

Grade Five students welcomed David back to the classroom this week. David is a Chinese box turtle that joined Mr. Neudel's science class in September of 1988!
Please Remember to Order Lunch! (We'll Help You!)
Preordering lunches have worked well in Lower and Middle School (when parents have direct control of the process), and have been a “work in progress” in the Upper School (when students control the process). We will be sending a reminder email about this on Mondays for the next few weeks, with the hope that it will help us get this behavior routinized.
Undefeated Athletic Teams
The AA Varsity Golf Team is off to another strong start.  The squad is currently 6-0 with eight matches remaining in the season. Leading the way are Seniors Nick L., Timmy C. and Chris H., with Juniors Ben H. and Chick L. also making significant contributions.  Rounding out the roster are Senior Jack S., Junior Ryan T., and Sophomores Sam G. and Mike I. 
The AAG Varsity Tennis Team competed against Voorheesville on Tuesday. Congratulations to the team for winning the match 7 - 0. Single winners were: Tia D. ' 21, Renee P. '21, Brooke O. '22, Marleigh S.'23, and Chloe S. '25. Double winners were: Callie K. '23 & Morgan L. ' 21; Katie D. ' 24 & Rhea A. '24.
Even with the uncertainty of COVID-19, things are off to a great start for our AAG varsity golf team! The team currently holds a 2-0 record with 6 more matches scheduled for the season, and their most recent victory over Shaker High School. The team is made up by Kennedy S. '24, Nicole C. '23, Jillian R. '24, Samantha V. '25, Shea W. '22, Allison F. '22, Jillian B. '21, and Charlotte D. '24. News Channel 10 will be covering the AAG golf team on Wednesday, October 14th at their home course, Colonie Country Club. 
Fall Picture Days
When:

AAG: October 14, 2020
Remote Learners: November 4, 2020

What to Wear:

AAG Lower School: white polo and jumper (girls may wear sweatpants under their jumpers)
AAG Middle School: white polo (with logo if you have one) and blue skort
AAG Upper School: Full formal uniform including blazers
AAPA

The AAPA Uniform Exchange will be accepting any gently used uniforms & spirit wear items from October 15 through October 30. This will be the only time donations will be accepted during the 2020-2021 school year. Donations can be dropped off to Ms. Katie Conroy at AAG and Mrs. Dodie Motley at AA.

Please mark your calendars for an AAPA meeting on October 14 at 9:00 a.m. Zoom details will be forthcoming.
Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: 
What is “Latinx” & Who Uses It?

Latinx is a fairly recent addition to the English language. It is used as an adjective to describe people of Latin American origin or descent as a gender-neutral or non-binary alternative to Latino or Latina. Here’s a short examination of why this word has entered the language, the various perspective that people have on its development, and a little research about its usage and popularity.