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
- Snow Ball Dance Photos
- Snapshots From Around Campus
- Inquiry Lab
- Guest Speaker
- Shakespeare Competition
- College Search Kickoff for the Class of 2021
- AAG Second Grade Good Fit Books
- Wizard of Oz Day
- Book Fair
- Summer Camps
- Mid-Winter Dinner to feature John McClintock '57
- Spring Gathering 2020
- Faculty Spotlight: Mr. Dennis Barron
- New Staff Member: Mr. Mark Vogel
- Alumna Spotlight: Colleen Quaglia '17
- Varsity Swimming and Diving
- Volleyball Skills
- A Special Visit
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Dear Friends,
Happy Professional Development Day!
While students were beginning the long weekend, our faculty spent today engaged in professional learning.
Primarily aligned with our strategic goal of examining the impact of single sex and coeducation on the growth and development of our students, teachers worked with Master Trainers from the Gurian Institute and also discussed a range of topics in faculty-developed workshops, including: how the brain thinks, feels and behaves; the book
Sapiens
and the implications that its premise may hold for educating students in a rapidly changing world; an examination of the teenage brain in an age of ubiquitous technology; connecting executive functions with habits of mind; the concept of
Mindsight
from Dr. Daniel Siegel's book,
Brainstorm
; building inclusive classrooms; and chapters from the books
The Minds of Girls
and
Saving our Sons
.
I am grateful for the colleagues who developed these workshops, the dedicated educators who spent the day engaged in professional development, and to be part of a school community that values such learning.
Have a great weekend!
Warmly,
Chris
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Snow Ball Dance Photos
Pictures from the Snow Ball Dance are now available to view online. Please click
here
and use the access code AAFAMILY. Thank you to iSmile Studios for capturing great photos!
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Snapshots From Around Campus
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Mr. Zabinski's Grade 7 History class worked on projects involving 18th century forts in North America.....their design, function, and purpose. Some chose to report on Robert Rogers and his innovative colonial militia known as "Roger's Rangers." The boys made models and posters and gave class presentations.
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With great pride and respect, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was thought of by the
AA Grade 4
,
on this attitude of gratitude day!
The students shared their written thoughts about Dr. King in Chapel.
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The 8th graders at AAG did a fabulous job on their performance of Wizard of Oz last night! This play is part of a long-standing tradition at Albany Academy for Girls.
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Inquiry Lab
8
th
Grade Science completed an inquiry lab in which they designed their own circuit and came up with a research question to test. Students investigated questions such as the effect of the number of bulbs in a circuit on the brightness of the bulb, which classroom materials are conductors and which are insulators, and the effect of the length of wire or distance from the battery on the brightness of the bulb in the circuit.
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Guest Speaker
Emma Dodge Hanson visited with our 6th Grade boys on Wednesday. Emma is a photographer and works with Karen Flewelling. Karen is a retired teacher and started the organization called Drilling for Hope, which provides wells and water systems to villages throughout the world.
During the visit, Emma shared many of the photographs that she took during her trips to Nepal and Ethopia as well as many other countries. She brought in two jerry cans that many people use to carry water to their homes and schools in these countries. The boys took turns carrying the jerry cans around the Chapel and couldn't believe how heavy the two cans were during that short walk. After the presentation, the boys were able to ask Emma some questions about her experiences in these countries.
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Shakespeare Competition
Students in Upper School English classes are in the process of delivering their Shakespeare monologues. The students memorize a speech of 15-20 lines and recite it to their classmates from memory. We will hold the run-offs for Ninth and Tenth graders on Tuesday, January 21, and on Wednesday, January 22, for Eleventh and Twelfth graders. The winning boy and girl from each grade level will then compete in the finals on Friday, January 24, at 2:20, in the Caird Chapel.
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College Search Kickoff for the Class of 2021
The college search process is officially about to begin for the Class of 2021! To help start this process, four college senior enrollment officers have been invited to present an overview of the process. This is a mandatory event, so both juniors and their parents should plan to attend. The journey starts now!
College Search Kick-off
for the Class of 2021
Thursday, January 23
6:30 pm
Albany Academy for Girls Auditorium
Presenters
Christopher O’Brien - Associate Director of Admissions, Boston College
Linda Parker - Director of Financial Aid, Union College
Michael Plourd - Senior Assistant Director of Admission, College of the Holy Cross
Robert Springall – Vice President for Enrollment Management, Muhlenberg College
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AAG Second Grade Good Fit Books
Every Monday through Thursday small groups of second graders visit the AAG Library first thing in the morning to find books that are Good Fits. Students return the following week with a brief Book Review and to find a new book. On January 15, the class collectively met their goal of reading 100 books! We celebrated with a Lego Challenge. We are looking forward to reading the next 100 books!
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Wizard of Oz Day
On Thursday, February 27, the Albany Academies will be hosting a Wizard of Oz Literary Immersion Day. To help make Wizard of Oz Day extra special, February 27, 2020, will be an optional dress up day. Students who wish to participate may dress up as a character from the Wizard of Oz. Students who wish not to participate should wear their school uniform on this day.
In addition to classroom activities AAG will honor Dorothy's dream of returning home by collecting men and women's deodorant, children's diapers, pull ups
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Book Fair
We will be having a book fair for the lower and middle schools on January 29 - February 4. The book fair will be held in the Silipigno Athletic Facility Leadership Classroom from 11:30am -4:00pm. Click
here
to sign up to volunteer, set up e-wallet, check out the books that will be offered, and shop online!
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It's time to start thinking about summer! Online registration for summer camp opens January 29 at 9:00 a.m. We have a variety of camps (and Driver’s Education) for students entering Pre-K through tenth grade!
New this summer-Science Academy and Baseball Academy!
The
Science Academy
will be exploring chemistry, biology, physics, ecology and physiology. Each day will be a different type of science, problem to solve and adventure! Campers in
Baseball Academy
will work with Academy coaches and baseball players on drills, exercises and on-field situations.
Little Leap and
Jr. Leap
camps reinforce skills while having fun with weekly themed activities. Our
Adventures in Art
camp will help campers explore their inner artist.
Leaps & Bounds Adventure Camp
will traverse mountains and rapids while
Rocketry Camp
will study the history of rocketry and designing and building rockets.
The Leading Edge program will be focusing on team building, problem-solving, college preparation and service projects with Ronald McDonald House.
Musical Theater
camp will perform
Frozen Jr.
We have many new
LEAP
class offerings for your child to design their own daily schedule! Your child can spend the day playing sports, creating art, working on summer math and reading, building and launching a rocket, performing some mad science experiments or preforming on stage just to name a few!
Refer a Family! LEAP Year celebration -Double Credit! Refer a family who registers by February 29 and receive $50 credit toward your 2020 camp registration! Referrals after February 29 will receive $25 credit.
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 are available on The Albany Academies website at
albanyacademies.org
. Look for the 2020 brochure soon! Please contact Karin Epstein at
epsteink@albanyacademies.org
or 429-2332 with any questions.
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Mid-Winter Dinner to feature John McClintock '57
Please consider joining us for the Mid-Winter Dinner
on Thursday, February 6, 2020, at Jack's Oyster House,
sponsored by The Albany Academy Alumni Association featuring John McClintock '57.
For more details and to register please click here:
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Spring Gathering 2020
Consider joining the Honorary Committee for Spring Gathering!
This annual event - to be held on April 25, 2020 at Franklin Plaza - benefits today’s students by helping to ensure that the Academies remain accessible to all deserving young men and women. Proceeds from the event support the financial aid and merit scholarship programs at our school.
Registration -- including Honorary Committee -- is now available:
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Faculty Spotlight: Mr. Dennis Barron
This week the Faculty Spotlight is on Mr. Dennis Barron. Mr. Barron consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that our campus technology is running smoothly. It sometimes can be easy to forget how much detail and attention goes into making sure networks are up and running for all of us to easily download, share, and connect. Whenever fixing is needed it is always done in quickly and efficiently!
Thank you for being such a helping hand, Mr. Barron!
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New Staff Member: Mr. Mark Vogel
Mr. Mark Vogel joined the Institutional Advancement Office in the role of Operations Development Manager. He reports to Mrs. Joanne DelCarpine, Manager of Annual Fund and Donor Relations. In this role, Mark is the primary owner of the Institutional Advancement databases. In addition, he will receive, process, and acknowledge donor gifts, assist with donor research, and support the efficient functioning of the IA office.
Mark brings capability developed from several years of development work across a variety of organizations, most recently at the Albany Police Athletic League. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Public Affairs & Public Policy from The Sage Colleges, and a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Non-Profit Management & Leadership from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy at the University at Albany.
We are delighted to welcome Mark to the Academies!
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Alumna Spotlight: Colleen Quaglia '17
We are very proud of our young alumna, Colleen Quaglia '17, and her athletic accomplishments at The College of Saint Rose. Please click the link below for a recent article on Colleen's success.
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Varsity Swimming and Diving
Boys Varsity Swimming has had a great start to their season, going undefeated through their first five meets. Junior standout and co-captain Bryce H. '21 has led the way for the Cadet swimmers, garnering four State Qualifying times (100 Butterfly, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle, 50 Freestyle) and six pool records over that span.
Pictured are: Bryce, Ian, Brayden, and Silas
Bryce teamed with Ian Y. '21, Brayden H. '23, and Silas S. '21 to post the fastest in-season 200 Medley Relay in Academy school history (1:40.10), as they qualified for States and broke the Voorheesville pool record right before winter break. Last Tuesday, the same group broke the Canajoharie pool record that had stood for 36 years.
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In last Friday's meet against Albany High, Bryce broke his third record in as many meets, as he lowered the Academy pool record in the 50 Freestyle that had been held since 2002 by Ryan Caponera '02. And tonight against Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, Bryce broke Clayton Besch IV's 100 Butterfly Pool Record from 2017 with his time of 50.98. That time is also currently ranked #1 in New York State.
Pictured above are: Bryce, Ryan Caponera '02, and Coach Young
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Volleyball Skills
Four AAG sophomores participated in their first club volleyball tournament of the winter season this weekend. Natalie G., Isabel C., Juliana G., and Sia S. played with their respective 16u club teams in the annual January Joust tournament held at Mohonasen. Olivia D. '21, also played this weekend with her 18u team taking first place in their division. These players took what they learned through playing JV and Varsity volleyball for AAG and applied it to the game in some tough competition.
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Bruce Kauffmann ’67, Wendy Muhlfelder ’67, and Director of Institutional Advancement Ann Wendth enjoyed lunch together today in the Buttery. Bruce was in town from Virginia for a speaking engagement at the Fort Orange Club and stopped by the Academies with Wendy for a visit. We even gave him a tour of the new James E. Poole Athletic Facility!
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Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.
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On October 26th, 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a
speech entitled
“What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?
”
to students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia. In it, he lays out three important steps to follow in order for the students to reach their full potential, no matter their status life, and calls on them to actively commit to the struggle for freedom and justice. King’s words are inspirational for students of any age, of any era, and I highly recommend spending time with this 20-minute speech sometime over this long weekend.
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Week at a Glance
January 20 - 24, 2020
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Monday, January 20
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (School Closed)
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Tuesday, January 21
Day 6
12:15 p.m. AA Middle School Chapel (Caird Chapel)
2:20 p.m. AAG Snack Shack
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Wednesday, January 22
Day 1
12:15 p.m. AA Middle School Chapel (Caird Chapel)
2:20 p.m. AAG Snack Shack
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Thursday, January 23
Day 2
8:20 a.m. AA Lower School Chapel (Caird Chapel)
12:15 p.m. AA Middle School Chapel (Caird Chapel)
2:20 p.m. AAG Snack Shack
3:05 p.m. AAG Senior Speeches (Auditorium)
6:30 p.m. College Search Kick-Off (Auditorium)
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Friday, January 24
Day 3
2:20 p.m. Shakespeare Contest (Caird Chapel)
3:30 p.m. Ski Club
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Looking Ahead
1/31/20 AAG Middle School Coffee
2/3/20 Professional Development Day (No Classes)
2/4/20 POPs Concert
2/6/20 Admissions Lunch On Us
2/6/20 Alumni/ae Mid-Winter Dinner
2/12/20 AAPA Meeting
2/14/20 - 2/16/20 Spring Musical: Spamalot
2/17/20 Presidents' Day (School Closed)
2/18/20 - 2/21/20 Admissions Visiting Week
2/21/20 AAG Founder's Day Celebration
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