The Albany Academies coordinate single-sex and coeducational learning environments to develop diligent students of high character who become curious, critical thinkers.
October 23, 2020
The Skim

  • Mindful Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays
  • "A Day in the Life on the Hudson River"
  • National Latin Exam
  • Music in the Halls
  • Upper School Battery Drum Line
  • Academy Road
  • Writing Center
  • Halloween Safety Information and School Information
  • AAPA
  • Athletics
  • Upcoming Holiday Travel and Hosting
Dear Friends,

How do we build community at school, celebrate the end of another successful week, raise awareness for a good cause, and do it all while observing health and hygiene protocols?

Today, many students and faculty did this by wearing pink to support the American Cancer Society's "Real Kids Wear Pink" initiative. They also enjoyed the lovely fall weather at lunch, in recess, and during passing. A lucky few also heard another three-song hallway concert , courtesy of our Chamber Singers, albeit socially distanced and with masks on.

For me, these snippets of "normal" school life are invaluable reminders that the quality of our lives is often linked to how we decide to live them.

I hope we all continue to choose to live it up.

Happy Friday!
Mindful Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays

Our School counselors and Institutional Advancement Office have partnered to provide tips about mindfulness on Mondays, and general wellness on Wednesdays. These tips will be published to our social media accounts, and you don't need to wait for Monday or Wednesday to practice them.
"A Day in the Life on the Hudson River"

Traditionally, the AAG fifth grade class participates in "A Day in the Life on the Hudson River," hosted by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year, the class was unable go out to the Hudson and collect their data for the DEC. However, the 5th graders were still excited to participate in the virtual event, held on October 22. Prior to this event, the students participated in a Zoom lesson with field researcher, Amanda, from the DEC. The students gained a great deal of background knowledge for the virtual event, while also impressing Amanda with their own knowledge and skills!
National Latin Exam

Congratulations to the 2020 MS National Latin Exam winners! The Exam was held in March but the awards were delayed due to COVID-19.

Introduction to Latin: 
High Achievement-Madilyn B.'25  
Achievement- Zooey H.'25, Cameron M.'25, and Theodore H.'25

Latin I: 
Summa Cum Laude (Gold Medal)- Rhea A.'24, Mia C.'24, and Kennedy S. '24
Maxima Cum Laude (Silver Medal)- Mia V.'24
Music in the Halls!

The Chamber Singers performed a three-song mini-concert on Friday in the foyer of The Albany Academy building. While the community was not invited to watch the performance due to social distancing, the music could be heard throughout the hallways! Thank you to the Chamber Singers, Mr. Streifert, and Faculty Band members Dr. Milliken and Mr. Jacobs for the wonderful performance!
Upper School Battery Drum Line

The Upper School Battery Drum Line has 11 members who are putting in the necessary work to hone the craft of the veteran drummers while helping new drummers flourish. Utilizing the open space in the "Old Gym", the Line is able to practice social distancing while perfecting movements, marching cadences, and exploring new concepts. In his fourth year on the Line, student leader Oliver N. '21 is helping the group, consisting of 45% Freshmen, put their best foot forward. With plenty of talent and determination, this ensemble stands poised to deliver impressive and enjoyable performances over the course of the 2020-2021 school year.
Academy Road

The student run newspaper, Academy Road, published approximately 30 articles last year which is a testament to the involvement of both our writers and editors. New articles have been added which you can view by clicking here.
The Writing Center is now open for in-person visits everyday during H block in the AA Library with Ms. Marchetti. 
Halloween Safety Information and School Information

Halloween Safety Information

Halloween School Information

All School
  • Costume masks will be allowed. However, if there are any facial openings in the mask, a facial covering is required.
  • Costumes must be school appropriate and may not include blood, guts, gore or weapons.
  • We ask that parents do not send in any classroom treats.
  • The Academies will be providing allergy-safe candy for students.

Upper School
Upper School students will be allowed to dress down in Halloween colors (black, orange, purple,) or wear a school-appropriate Halloween costume. At 2:20 p.m., seniors will have the opportunity to decorate a booth for their sports team, club or community commitment, and give out candy to LS students at their parade.

Middle School
Middle School will be having a Halloween costume contest! Students
can wear their uniform, purple, black, or orange Halloween themed outfits or Halloween costumes. We encourage everyone to wear costumes! There will be grade winners and a final Middle School winner for the contest.

Lower School
Lower School is getting ready for a spooktacular Halloween! The day will begin with a ghoulish game of BINGO, include an enchanting virtual visit to Mrs. Miner's Storybook Pumpkin Patch and conclude with an afternoon of enchanting Trick-or-Treating on the AA Track!
AAPA

Next week is the last chance to donate! The AAPA Uniform Exchange will be accepting any gently used uniforms & spirit wear items until 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.
Athletics
The AA Varsity Golf Team celebrated a milestone on Tuesday with cake! The team celebrated not only their victory match against Schalmont, they also celebrated Coach Jak Bestle's 250th consecutive career victory spanning over 18 years! Congratulations to the team and Coach Bestle!
The AAG Varsity Tennis Team won their match against Voorheesville on Monday and Schoharie on Wednesday. The team currently has a 4-3 record. Congratulations!
The AAG Varsity Golf Team won their matches against Holy Names on Monday, and Queensbury on Tuesday. Spectrum News interviewed some of the team members before the match on Tuesday. The team continues to be undefeated. Congratulations!
Upcoming Holiday Travel and Hosting
 
We hope you are beginning to plan for the upcoming holiday season, including managing travel and hosting in such a way that it does not pose a health risk to your family or our school community. As a secondary consideration, we worry that not doing this might put our ability to continue to operate the school in an in-person learning mode at risk.
 
With this in mind, here are our preferences regarding holiday travel and gatherings:
 
  • We would prefer that families avoid traveling to states or countries listed in NY’s COVID-19 Travel Advisory
  • If you do travel to a state or country on the Advisory list, we ask that you adhere to the legal requirement to quarantine for 14 days after travel. 
  • If you do this, please communicate it with us and have your child quarantine at home. We will move them to temporary remote learning status during their quarantine.
  • We also hope that families will use appropriate judgement when hosting people from states or countries listed on the Advisory list and adhere to the quarantining guidelines in the Travel Advisory.

We understand that New York State is contemplating changes to the Travel Advisory system that is currently in place. If changes are made, we will update our preferences to reflect them.
 
For more information on planning for the holidays, see the CDC’s Coranavirus Guide to the Holidays. I know how unusual it is to have us weigh in on your out-of-school plans, but we are living in a time when we are interconnected by the decisions we make.