The Albany Academies coordinate single-sex and coeducational learning environments to develop diligent students of high character who become curious, critical thinkers.
September 24, 2021
The Skim

  • Close Contact and Quarantine Standards
  • September 24 CDC Risk Assessment for Schools in Albany County
  • Submitting a Vaccination Record
  • Haircuts
  • Traffic
  • Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
  • AAPA Meeting
  • Please Mark Your Calendars
  • A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms
  • It’s a hole-in-one!
  • News From College Counseling
  • Legacy of Dreams a success
  • Week at a Glance
  • Looking Ahead
Dear Friends,

It was terrific seeing so many of you at Legacy of Dreams last Friday, the first in-person gathering we have been able to hold in nearly nineteen months. Thank you to all who came out to Frog Alley Brewing to support athletics at the Academies!

If you couldn't make it, this was the first of several planned in-person events that support the school, and I hope you will consider attending one of these future events. After so many months of virtual meetings, it will be nice to be together in person.

We ended this first full week of school on a high note, with lots of learning, a busy campus engaged in fall sports, the last of our parent nights, and some excellent afternoon energy as lower and middle school students took to the fields for our new after-school athletic offerings.

I hope all those new to the school are settling into the community and that returning families and students are helping with this transition. I also need to remind us that we are not yet back to whatever normal was pre-COVID. If it helps, I have begun to think about what we are doing now as "normal COVID operations." 

With that in mind, there is some information below about normal COVID operations that may become particularly relevant soon, as well as a note about how you can help us return to standards with something as simple as a haircut.

I hope you have a great weekend. Happy fall!

Sincerely,
“Close Contact" and Quarantine Standards

Unfortunately, this week we had a confirmed case of COVID within our student community, which resulted in some quarantine recommendations and prompted me to remind everyone of the current guidelines for close contacts and quarantines:

  • Individuals are considered “close contacts” if they have been less than 6 feet away from an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over 24 hours in all school settings except a classroom or structured outdoor setting.
  • There is an exception to this guideline for students in an indoor classroom who are wearing masks at all times. In this case, the distance to be considered a close contact is reduced to being within 3 feet of an infected individual. This exception only pertains to students.
  • A close contact who has provided proof of being fully vaccinated will not be required to quarantine unless they become symptomatic.
  • An individual is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their last vaccination (first or second shot, depending on vaccine).
  • A close contact who is unvaccinated or has not provided a vaccination record will be required to quarantine, usually for 10 days after the last known contact with an infected person.
  • Individuals who are confirmed to be positive for COVID-19 will be required to quarantine for 10 days regardless of vaccination status.

These are CDC and NYDOH guidelines. While we help facilitate contact tracing and case communications, your local county Department of Health is the legal authority that issues quarantine orders and the ultimate arbiter of who is quarantined and for how long.
September 24 CDC Risk Assessment for Schools in Albany County
The Centers for Disease Control uses several indicators and thresholds for the risk of introduction and transmission of COVID-19 in schools. We assess this risk weekly using county data and adjust our mitigation strategies accordingly.
Submitting a Vaccination Record

Student vaccination cards can be easily uploaded to Magnus Health by doing the following. Magnus is a HIPPA compliant health record portal designed for this purpose.
Haircuts

This year we have committed to a return to our traditional standards as a way of grounding ourselves at a time of continued unpredictability. We have had many conversations with upper school students at the Albany Academy about this over the last two weeks, and we are grateful to those young men who are meeting the following standard:
 
Hair must be neat and worn above the collar in the back, above the ears on the sides, and may not hang below the eyebrows.

Unfortunately, despite repeated conversations, some students are not yet meeting this standard. We are now to the point where we need to enforce it for students who do not have an approved accommodation for religious or cultural reasons. If you are a parent of an AA upper school student, you received an email about this today from Hilary King. 

I trust that you will support us in these efforts. I also understand that students want to engage the community in examining our grooming standards’ rationale and relevance, and I look forward to a thoughtful discussion about this.
Traffic

A new year comes with learning or remembering traffic tips and rules that will make pick up and drop off safe and efficient:

  • AAG upper school and middle school families should use the Congregation Beth Emeth parking lot for pick up and drop off. Please remember to be good neighbors and that the Hebrew Academy is also in session, with students potentially walking in the lot.
  • Consider refraining from making a left at the Academy Road traffic light into the AAG lot during peak traffic hours. While this is certainly legal, it is often longer to wait for oncoming traffic to ease than it would be to approach AAG from Hackett Boulevard.
  • Unlike last year, lower school pickup and drop-off at AA is at the south entrance to the building, and middle school is at the Pool Lobby.
Suicide Prevention Month

September has been designated as Suicide Prevention Month to focus awareness on an often stigmatized topic. The Suicide Prevention Center of New York State (SPC) reminds us that “suicide is not about parenting skills. At its very simplest, it’s a sign that your child is in a vulnerable place and needs your help to stay safe.” SPC offers a curated list of prevention resources for parents to learn best practices for discussing this delicate topic with their children.
AAPA Meeting

The Albany Academies Parents Association will be holding its first meeting of the school year on September 30 at 8:30 a.m. It will be held as a hybrid meeting – both in person at the Schellenberger Alumni/ae Center, 93 Academy Road, and via Zoom. If you would like to join us remotely, please use this link. We hope to see you!
Positive Education Webinar
October 5 at 10:45 A.M.

Dr. Marty Seligman, '60, will be on campus as a guest speaker for a positive education webinar.

Dr. Seligman is the Director of the Penn Positive Psychology Center and Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology in the Penn Department of Psychology. He is a leading authority in Positive Psychology, resilience, learned helplessness, depression, optimism, and pessimism. He is also a recognized authority on interventions that prevent depression and build strengths and well-being. He has written more than 350 scholarly publications and 30 books.

Parents are invited to join the webinar on October 5 at 10:45 a.m.
Please click here to join.
Asked and Answered

The Office of Admissions is excited to host Asked & Answered Information Sessions! These sessions are a great way for prospective families to learn about our school as they consider their options for the 2022-23 school year. Please tell your friends and neighbors about these sessions and encourage them to RSVP! The next Asked & Answered session will be on Wednesday, October 6th at 3 p.m. in the Trustees Room. Questions? Contact Shellie Carr at carrs@albanyacademies.org or 518-429-2348.
A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms
On Attitude of Gratitude Thursday, through a writing activity, the AA 4th Graders let their parents know how much they respect and appreciate all they do for them.
First Grade dancers are learning how shape and pattern are essential to choreography. The girls are exploring "CATS" shapes that are curved, angled, twisted and straight to begin the choreographic process. 
This week 4th grade worked on measuring length in centimeters bringing the class outdoors.
AAG Second Grade held our annual Me Museum this week. Each Second Grader shared an exhibit of special items so we can learn about each other and build classroom community. 
AA Grade 5 students worked on creating interactive stories using Google slides.
AA Second graders went on a phonics hunt around the classroom!
It’s a hole-in-one!

Congratulations to Samantha V.'25 for scoring a hole-in-one during the September 20 Albany Academy for Girls golf match vs. Saratoga High School! Sam got her ace on hole 9, a 244-yard par 4, at McGregor Links Golf Club in Wilton, N.Y. and she assisted the team with a win against Saratoga with a total score of 113.
News From College Counseling

It has been a busy week filled with different colleges & universities visiting the Academies to talk with our Upper School Students. Please see the Week at a Glance section below to view the visits scheduled for next week.

The College Counseling Office will be hosting an Apps and Pizza event for the Class of 2022 on Sunday, September 26 at 3pm. The event will be held in the Stevens Center.

Photo: Students meeting with a representative from Fairfield University.
Legacy of Dreams a success

Thank you to the parents, alumni and alumnae who supported our Legacy of Dreams event last Friday evening at Frog Alley Brewing Company in Schenectady, which was a big success. It was a lovely evening out on their patio in the company of parents, friends, and classmates, and we were treated to a special visit by Dion Lewis, former NFL running back and Albany Academy student (thanks to Jenny Riitano Levy ’93, P’28, both pictured here). We’re also happy to announce that we raised $60,000! Our gratitude goes to event co-chair Andy Safranko ’91, P’23, '26 (pictured here) for leading such a fun event.
Week at a Glance
Monday, September 27
Day 4
8:15am Saint Anselm College (Rep: Rich Parez)
10:00am Quinnipiac College (Rep: Randy Ferguson)
10:45am Castleton University (Rep: Joseph Zeitler)
12:45pm Savannah College of Art & Design - SCAD (Rep: Andrew McKinney)

Tuesday, September 28
Day 5
8:15am University of Chicago (Rep: Tim Koenning)
9:00am Upper School Student Wellness Meeting (Trustees Room)
9:30am University of Rhode Island (Rep: Ruby Morris-Jones)
10:15am Drexel University (Rep: Christine DeLong)
11:00am Elon University (Rep: Megan Abernathy)
3:30pm 2021-22 Employee Events & Activities Planning Committee (Schellenberger Alumni/ae Center)

Wednesday, September 29
Day 6
7:25am AA Middle School Faculty Meeting (AA Room 3-26)
9:30am Merrimack College (Rep: Jasmine Garver)

Thursday, September 30
Day 1
9:00am University of Notre Dame (Rep: Brendan Corsones)
9:30am - 11:30am Professional Community Flu Vaccine Clinic (AAG Library)
10:30am St. Thomas Aquinas College (Rep: Vincent Vazquez)
11:45am - 1:45pm Professional Community Flu Vaccine Clinic (AA Faculty Lounge)

Friday, October 1
Day 2
9:00am Le Moyne College (Rep: Collette Montgomery)
11:30am The University of Tampa (Rep: Mark Harnischfeger)
1:00pm Kenyon College (Rep: Julia Adamo)
Looking Ahead
October 4 - 7 Spirit Week
October 5 Positive Education Webinar
October 6 Admissions Asked & Answered Information Session
October 8 Bacon Bat & House Day
October 9 Caird Classic Football Game
October 11 Indigenous Peoples Day/Columbus Day (School Closed)
October 12 School Pictures Make-up Day
October 13 PSATs
October 22 Fall Community Service Day
October 29 Lower School Halloween Celebration
November 5 - 6 Fall Production: Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare