The Albany Academies coordinate single-sex and coeducational learning environments to develop diligent students of high character who become curious, critical thinkers. |
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The Skim
- Faculty Spotlight
- Shakespeare Competition
- Alumna Treats Lower School students to Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical
- 2021 NYSSMA Solo Music Festival
- February "Composers of the Month"
- Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
- ARTrageous
- Admissions Event: Asked & Answered
- College Board’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award
- AIM Survey
- A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms
- Black History Month
- Introducing The Positive Pulse
- AA Varsity Swimming & Diving Meet Livestream
- Sports Update
- Coach Young Featured on Coaches Corner
- Summer Camp Registration
- Blogging with the Academies
- Meet our new Director of Admissions & Enrollment
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Dear Friends,
This is a robust email at the end of a busy week, so I will keep my greeting short and informative.
Surveillance testing results are delayed. We experienced a shipping delay with samples this week. We now expect to report results tomorrow, Saturday, with all the usual communications to you after results are received and processed. Early next week, we will share more information about what we have learned from the surveillance testing pilot program and our plans going forward.
High-risk sports and competitive athletics have been a robust topic this week, both regionally and at school. Our Leadership Team and Athletic Department are working through the Department of Health guidelines that have been shared with us and are developing contingency plans and policies should the county meet the 4% positivity gating threshold or the guidance changes.
To date, 50 employees report having received a COVID vaccination, representing 30% of the school’s professional community. Sharing this information is voluntary, as is receiving the vaccine, although we hope that all teachers and staff will do both.
Finally, in educational news, we are looking forward to the start of Black History Month on Monday. The faculty have been thinking deeply about aligning the month’s educational goals with our curriculum and pedagogy and our work with diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Writing this made me realize how much I am looking forward to a time, in the not so distant future, when more than a quarter of the information I share with you is about teaching and learning, rather than public health concerns.
Until then, have a lovely weekend.
Warmly,
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Faculty Spotlight
As far as I am concerned, teachers worldwide have achieved superhuman status this year and are deserving of continuous accolades. Closer to home, we received the following warm feedback for a few of our own:
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“When my child was a second-grader, she had a teacher who was everything a teacher should be. She set a standard for her students that was just a bit above what they might realistically reach, but these demands were always couched in the warmth and kindness of a teacher who truly loved and cared for her students. As my daughter moved on to other teachers, it was clear that in her mind (and ours), this was the gold standard for teachers, and none have measured up since. And so it went until last Friday when, working at her desk remotely during the school day, she looked up at me and said, "You know, I have two teachers this year who are just as good; Dr. Kim and Ms. Donovan. They are tough, but they always help me, and they really care."
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“I want to sing the praises of Dr. Brower. My son is fortunate to have her for both Advising and Latin. She has always been attentive and meticulous in her work, but over the last several months, her efforts to ease my son’s transition to remote learning have been tremendous. Through her advising responsibilities, she has offered him strategies to succeed in his other classes. As parents, we are better prepared for all the unpredictable things this new world holds in store for us. Her professionalism, mixed with her devotion to our boy’s success, is what we were looking for when we put our son in AA all those years ago.”
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“Jess Grogan is amazing. Our sons have been fortunate to have her as a teacher and an advisor. If anyone knows how to teach boys, it is Jess Grogan. She gets it, plain and simple. We have two very different children, and she understood them as individual students immediately. Jessica was made to be a teacher and sees a broad, long-term view, which is appreciated, particularly during these uncertain times. As we approach the end of middle school, it saddens us to think that we will no longer have her directly involved with either of our boys. It has been such a wonderful experience for us.”
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Shakespeare Competition
The year's annual Shakespeare Competition finals will be held on Zoom for all families to attend on February 5 at 7:00 pm. There will be a repeat showing for students on Tuesday, February 9 during Advising. The winner will move on to the regional competition this spring. The zoom webinar ID is: 861 6324 6630
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Alumna Treats Lower School students to Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical
Thanks to the generosity of alumna Joan Dembinski ‘55, our Lower School students were treated to a showing of Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical earlier today. The play follows eight-year-old Lily Polkadot, who just moved to the “Squares Only” small town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot in an all-Square school, Lily faces an almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers. From daily bullying, to segregated drinking fountains, Lily’s quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her unique polka dot skin blooms into an unexpected pal-ship. Inspired by Ruby Bridges and the events of The Little Rock 9, Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical serves as a colorful history lesson, reminding us that our individual differences make us awesome, not outcasts.
Our sincere thanks to Joan for bringing this experience to our students!
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2021 NYSSMA Solo Music Festival
We are excited to offer students the opportunity to participate in the NYSSMA Solo Music Festival from April 30th-May 7th. This is only for the instrumental non-piano) or vocal student that has already been working with a teacher (Academy or private) on a solo to prepare for this festival.
Students who are planning on participating in the NYSSMA Solo Music Festival should contact Ms. Kouloriotis with the following information before Friday, March 12th: Student Name and Grade, Instrument, NYSSMA Level, Composition Title, Required Movements, Composer, Arranger, and Manual Page Number.
Please also either send in a check to "The Albany Academies" or fill out a NYSSMA Solo Festival student account charge form for the following dues: Levels 1-4 $16; Levels 5-6 $24; All-State $30
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February "Composers of the Month"
The ‘Composers of the Month’ is for the students and the community to become familiar with a variety of composers in many genres of music as a part of our everyday experience. This month's composers [Wynton Marsalis, Scott Joplin, Johnathan Bailey Holland, Jessie Montgomery, & Chanda Dancy] will be played in all our Fine Arts classes to create a soundtrack of the month.
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Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Five Academies students won Northeast Regional Awards from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. "The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were founded in 1923 and, for nearly a century, have inspired bold ideas in creative teens throughout the country."
Congratulations to our talented students!
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"Subtle Pride" Drawing & Illustration by Epiphany D. '22
Silver Key Award
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"Clear Space of Mind...Only Mind" Mixed Media by Anqi W. '21
Gold Key Award
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"Ostensibly pt.2" Painting by Ursula W. '22
Silver Key Award
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"Black Lives Matter" Painting by Annika J. '23
Gold Key Award
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"Grandma" Drawing & Illustration by Anna W. '21
Gold Key Award
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ARTrageous Right Around the Corner
Save the date! Our annual fine arts fundraiser will be held virtually on Thursday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m. Previously known as Splash, ARTrageous supports all fine arts programs at The Albany Academies.
If you would like to join the planning committee, please contact Special Events Coordinator Sarah Adamowski at adamowskis@albanyacademies.org.
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Tell Your Friends and Family to Join Us
The Office of Admissions is hosting an Asked & Answered Information Session for prospective families to learn about our wide array of opportunities in athletics. This event will be hosted virtually.
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College Board’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award
The Albany Academies have been awarded the College Board's AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles. Female students who take AP Computer Science Principles are more than 5x as likely to major in computer science in college. Providing female students with access to computer science courses is necessary to ensuring gender parity in the industry's high-paying jobs.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the AIM Survey
Our vision for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work at The Albany Academies is to build a community in which all accepted students are authentically included in the full life of the school and feel like they fully belong.
To help us with this, The Albany Academies will soon be conducting the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM). This survey will provide us with a statistical understanding of our current climate of inclusion and clarify our next steps towards realizing our DEI vision.
All stakeholder groups will be asked to participate in this survey. Questions will be tailored to faculty, staff, administration, Board of Trustees, students in Grades 7 - 12, alumni/ae, and parents. As NAIS will not share individual responses with the school, your confidentiality is assured.
More information about the AIM assessment will be sent before its dissemination via email next week. We hope you will complete the survey when you receive it.
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A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms |
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Coach Gillham is working on basketball shooting and dribbling skills with the AA Pre-K and Kindergarten class. |
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Grade 3 students completed a successful debate on whether Three Billy Goats Gruff was a fable or a fairy tale, based on the characteristics in the story. Both teams had strong evidence to support their arguments. The boys were respectful and compassionate throughout the debate, making sure all voices were heard. Some of the students were swayed by the evidence they heard and changed their minds as a result of the debate. Bravo!
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Grade 5 students watched the Inauguration on Wednesday, January 20. It was very important to the students to watch History in the making. The class discussed how they are part of History on so many levels. They were very happy to have the opportunity to watch and learn. |
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Students in Photography I gather in small groups to prepare questions for a Zoom session with Boxers of Brule, director, producer, and cinematographer, Jessie Adler. Her work has been featured at the Tribeca Film Festival.
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AAG Grade 2 students have been learning how to read and use maps. The girls designed their own street maps on iPads and recorded verbal directions to navigate to different locations using a compass rose. |
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As a part of their study of Integration and Coordination, Mr. Young's Anatomy classes performed a cow eye dissection. With the shift to 100% remote learning this week in Form VI/12th grade, Mr. Young elicited the help of Mrs. King to perform the dissection "virtually" over Zoom. |
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The 9th grade boys researched and then participated in a Socratic seminar to help one another better understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in specific texts around the question: are all belief systems basically the same or are they fundamentally different?
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AAG Junior students have been working on resumes and cover letters. Mr. Lester, Director of Human Resources, was kind enough to present to all of Mrs. Lovett's leadership classes on the topic of Cover Letters. He highlighted their importance, structure and expected content. It was wonderful having him share is expertise and our students will be better for it! |
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Students in Dr. Milliken's Leadership Class spent time preparing for May Projects by selecting topics, discussing process and final product. They also engaged in a thought experiment looking at how we interact with others in society. |
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Black History Month
Celebrating Black History Month is an opportunity for us to focus on black Americans’ accomplishments and contributions to our collective history. While our students learn about elements of black history in individual classes throughout the year, February provides an opportunity for community-wide celebrations of these contributions through projects, displays, and presentations. Here are a few examples:
- Daily morning music selections will feature music written, composed, or performed by black artists.
- An important black American will be highlighted daily via webinar.
- The Science Department is developing "I am a scientist" displays featuring black scientists who furthered scientific knowledge in various fields.
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The Upper School theatre class will be workshopping Rachel, by Angelina Weld Grimké, an influential poet, playwright, and teacher of the early twentieth century.
- The Grade 3 Wax Museum project will be presenting some lesser-known historical figures from the Revolutionary War, such as Phillis Wheatley, Crispus Attucks, and James Armistead Lafayette.
Stay tuned to Head Lines for more information during the month.
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Introducing The Positive Pulse
This year the Albany Academies have committed to Positive Education as an initiative to promote well-being and resilience among the faculty, staff, and students. Positive education brings together the science of Positive Psychology, created and led by Dr. Martin Seligman ‘69, with best practices in teaching to support the community in optimal learning and human flourishing. Each month we will be creating a newsletter called The Positive Pulse. We invite you to to view our first newsletter here.
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Sports Update
AA Varsity Swimming
The 200 Medley Relay of Ian Y. '21, Brayden H. '21, Bryce H. '21, and Silas S. '21 broke their own POOL record that they set last year with their time of 1:38.37 and is currently #1 in state; Bryce's lead off 50 Free time of 21.35 for the 200 Free Relay broke Ryan Caponera's Pool record and is currently #1 in the state; Brayden’s time of 58.60 broke the POOL record in the 100 Breast and is currently #1 in the state.
Varsity Ski Team
Two members of the Varsity Ski Team attended the Saratoga Invitational at Willard Mountain on Monday. Charlie B. '24 finished 29th out of 87 racers with a time of 42.96 seconds. Paul A. '24 competed in his first race, and finished 67th out of 87 racers with a time of 1:00.68. Congratulations!
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Coach Young Featured on Coaches Corner
This week, Michael Murray ‘99, interviewed boys’ swimming Coach Scott Young on his live streaming show, The Fitter & Faster Coaches Corner. The show is one of the most popular syndicated shows in the international swimming community, hosting Olympians, Olympic Team Coaches & NCAA National Champion Coaches.
Michael shared that, “I was honored to have Coach Scott Young on my show, the man who is responsible for inspiring my passion for the sport, my love for coaching and teaching, and who continues to encourage me to reach for new goals. I am forever proud of my 12 years at this wonderful institution. Thank you for allowing me to share and give back by honoring one of the best educators I have ever met. ”
In addition to being the Director of Online Programming for Fitter & Faster Swim Camps, Mr. Murray is the CEO of The Victor Swim Club and a member of the American Swimming Coaches Association Board of Directors.
See the episode here:
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Summer Camp Registration
It's never to early to start thinking about summer! Online registration for summer camp opens Tuesday, February 16 at 9:00 a.m. We have a variety of camps for students entering Pre-K through tenth grade!
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New this summer-Science Academy Mr. Essery and the students will be exploring chemistry, biology, physics, ecology and physiology. Each day will be a different type of science, problem to solve and adventure!
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Little Leap and Jr. Leap camps reinforce skills while having fun with weekly themed activities.
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Rocketry Camp will study the history of rocketry and design and build rockets with Mr. Neudel.
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The Leading Edge program will be focusing on team building, problem-solving, college preparation and service projects with Mr. Essery.
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Theater Camp will be performing fully staged short plays with Mr. Streifert.
We have a new LEAP structure and class offerings! Your child will choose a block schedule and participate in six classes a day for the week. Block schedules include a variety of academics, world language, visual arts and sports just to name a few!
Join us for a week, a two week session or the whole summer! Program dates and rates, LEAP class charts and more information on all our camps is available on The Albany Academies website at albanyacademies.org. Look for the 2021 brochure soon! Please contact Karin Epstein at epsteink@albanyacademies.org or 518-429-2332 with any questions.
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Blogging with the Academies
Be sure to check out our new "Blogging with the Academies" - https://www.albanyacademies.org/admissions/blogging-with-the-academies. Director of Admissions and Enrollment Nicholas Forcier and the Admissions team launched the blog recently to help prospective parents learn more about The Albany Academies. We'll add fresh content each week related to our school and education in general!
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Meet our new Director of Admissions & Enrollment and Share Your Experience
With re-enrollment season right around the corner, our new Director of Admissions & Enrollment, Nicholas Forcier, would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to gather your feedback on your experience over the first half of the school year. Our Admissions team will be reaching out to schedule a 15-minute Zoom meeting, but you can also click the following link to select a convenient day and time: https://calendly.com/shellieinadmissions/zoom-meetings-with-mr-forcier-and-academy-families.
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