The Albany Academies coordinate single-sex and coeducational learning environments to develop diligent students of high character who become curious, critical thinkers.
December 11, 2020
The Skim

  • Message from the Health Office
  • AAPA Meeting
  • Alumni/ae "Chat with the Head" Sessions
  • Alumni/ae Speaker Series
  • Fine Arts Winter Presentations
  • NYSSMA Solo Piano Festival Registration
  • A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms
  • Academy Road
  • End of Year Giving
Dear Friends,
 
This was another week of heavy, COVID-related communications, so I will keep my greeting brief and this email relatively COVID-free. I hope this will allow us an opportunity to focus on the stellar teaching and learning that’s happening at school, regardless of what instructional mode we may be in.
 
Happy Hannukah to those who celebrate it!
 
Sincerely,
A Message from the Health Office

Please keep our Health Office informed if your child develops symptoms and/or goes for a COVID test, and any testing results.
AAG School Nurse: Angela Sears
AA School Nurse: Lisa McDonald
AAPA Meeting

The Albany Academies Parents Association held its monthly meeting this week featuring Dr. Fran'Cee Brown-McClure P'27 a member of The Albany Academies Board of Trustees and Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Union College. Fran'Cee spoke to more than 30 parents about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and how the Academies are moving forward with their DEI initiatives. The meeting was recorded and is included on the AAPA page of the website if you would like to watch it.

Head of School Chats with Alumni/ae

Head of School Chris Lauricella P'20, '22 and Chief Advancement Officer Ann Wendth have been hosting alumni and alumnae "Chat with the Head" sessions this month. The informal and interactive Zoom calls have left them appreciating the tremendous passion our graduates have for their alma mater! Participants from the classes of 1951 through 2010 have joined in from across the country. They simply love the Academies and are interested to know how the School is adjusting and surviving today and what we are planning for 2021 and beyond.
Alumni & Alumnae Speaker Series

The Alumni and Alumnae Associations – in partnership with the Office of Institutional Advancement -- are bringing back the Alumni/ae Speaker Series for our Upper School students! Of course, this year the sessions will be virtual.

The first one is scheduled for January 14 and will bring together four very accomplished alumni and alumnae who have spent time in the military. They will share their insights with students about lessons learned, the importance of leadership and service, and the array of opportunities in the military. Panelists include: Lieutenant Frank Blake ’96 (Army); Major Conor Stewart '05 (Marine Corps); Lieutenant Meghan Poukish Bodnar '99 (Navy); and Lieutenant Tara Somersall Parten '06 (Army). 
Fine Arts Winter Presentations
Fine Arts Winter Presentations
Our PreK-Grade 12 students and Fine Arts Faculty worked hard to prepare for the Fine Arts Winter presentations. Family and friends were treated to four wonderful virtual presentations over the past two weeks.

Congratulations to our PreK-Grade 12 students and our Fine Arts Faculty!
NYSSMA Solo Piano Festival Registration

Registration is open for the NYSSMA Solo Piano Festival. This year’s festival dates are March 5 & 6, 2021. The festival will be done entirely in a virtual format, with students playing their solos through Zoom (or a similar format decided by NYSSMA) in order to be adjudicated. The registration fee is $16 for Levels 1-4 and $24 for Levels 5-6. In order to register, please submit the following information along with a check payable to The Albany Academies to Matthew Streifert before January 8, 2021. (Please be sure to check your calendars carefully before you select a preferred day and time as it can be challenging for them to change the appointment once the final schedule is made.)
 
Student Name:
Student Grade:
Solo Level (1-6):
Preferred Day (Fri/Sat):
Preferred Time (Morn/Aft/Eve):
A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms
"An interview with yourself from 10 years in the future!"
In the Upper School Filmmaking and Theatre Classes students are working with Mr. Johnson on writing scripts to film and record themselves asking questions and then again answering questions as if it's them from 10 years in the future. They then will edit it together to look like an actual interview you might see in a documentary or TV news program.
AAG lower school dancers are learning excerpts from the ballet, the Nutcracker!
The Kindergarten class had fun learning the "March" from Act one with their favorite stuffed animal for accompaniment. 
Furry friends joined our AAG Grade 10 students at the start of Mrs. Marchetti's English Classes to help celebrate Chicken and Biscuit Days! The celebration was part of the Mindfulness Initiative of focusing on what we are grateful for.
Academy Road Online Newspaper

Academy Road has a number of new articles including one on the Composers of the Month, reviews of new tv shows, an op-ed on the college application process, and an actor's perspective of doing the play Almost Maine, online. Click here to view Academy Road.
Year-End Giving

As 2020 comes to an end, the Office of Institutional Advancement would like to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all your support through the last 4 months. With your help we raised $61,000 for our athletics programs through Legacy of Dreams, we received more than $71,000 in Annual Fund gifts on Giving Tuesday, and most importantly, we were able to offer our students 51 days of safe, in-person learning while simultaneously supporting those attending classes remotely. Yes, it’s been a hard year, but together we’ve accomplished so much! 

With 2021 in sight, our students serve to remind us that HOPE for the future is really what The Albany Academies is all about. Our parents and our professional community share a common HOPE: that all our students will thrive and prosper. While we reflect on the challenges of the year behind us, we are focused on the great work ahead of us. We have 724 students looking forward to coming back to the classroom next year. Let’s give them the support they need. 

If you have not yet made your donation to the 2020-21 Annual Fund, or if you have and you’d like to contribute again, you can easily make a year-end gift by following this link, https://annualfund.albanyacademies.org/g/2020-21-giving or you can mail a check to the school. No gift is too big or too small and every dollar is needed to support our families in 2021. 

We HOPE you find joy and gratitude during the coming holiday season and we HOPE you have a happy, healthy, and safe New Year.