Dear Friends,

What a great first week of school! Students and teachers are settling into their routines, supported by our excellent staff and administrators. Fall sports are in full swing and today’s weather reminds us that October is just around the corner.

I want to say one last “Thank You” to the AAPA for such a fantastic Barbecue last Friday! We had over 400 people in attendance, which was a great way to celebrate our community. To keep this going, there are two upcoming events you should be aware of and consider attending.

Legacy of Dreams is next Friday, September 23, at 7:00 pm at the Crowne Plaza. This event is usually very well attended and is an excellent opportunity for adult mingling.

Homecoming is Saturday, October 8, anchored by the Caird Classic football game. Family tailgating begins at noon. This is a fun occasion to bring the entire community together.

Now that we are all back together and settling into the new year, I will send information about the Organizing by Division concept discussed in the spring next week. This will include an explanatory video, a Frequently Asked Questions page, and a link to architectural fit studies. Then, in October, we will survey the community about this concept.

Until then, best wishes for a great weekend!

Warmly,

Chris Lauricella

Head of School

“Substantial Equivalence” Regents Regulations 

You may have seen news reports that the Board of Regents approved “substantial equivalency” regulations for private schools earlier this week.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Board-of-Regents-approves-new-private-school-17437995.php

These regulations will not affect The Albany Academies and other schools accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools, as they were amended to specifically include accreditation as a path to verifying substantial equivalency. For those who were at the school in 2019, you may recall that we joined with other independent schools across the state to ask the Board of Regents to make this change to their proposed regulations. Thank you to all who wrote letters and supported this stance. You truly made a difference!

NYSAIS Accreditation

Every five years, we renew our accreditation with NYSAIS through a rigorous process that includes a self-study guided by rigorous criteria that explore all aspects of our program and operations. This self-study was drafted over the summer with input from a substantial cross-section of our professional community. We will soon submit it to a committee of educators from independent schools around the state, who will read the report and use it to guide a campus visit from October 30 through November 2. During this visit, committee members will interview a wide range of stakeholders and observe the school in action. They will then write a report of their findings with commendations for our work and recommendations for continuous improvement.

Faculty Member Art Show

Congratulations to our New Visual Art Teacher Jason Martinez who after having an Art show in Italy this summer, will have his next are show at "The New Gallery" in Hudson NY which runs from the 17^th of September thru October 9^th with an opening reception from 5pm to 9pm on Saturday September 17th. 

The New Gallery

610 Warren Street. Hudson NY 12534

www.thenewgalleryhudson.com

A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms

This week in Physical Education we worked on fitness, body movements and body control. Lower and middle school PE classes participated in our fitness testing which included running the mile, sit-ups, and pushups. More to follow next week. Pre-K and K boys learned how to move through the gym using different locomotor skills and learned some body control using some fun activities like red light green light using hula hoops as their cars, and we even took our dogs for a walk around the gym (don’t worry no one got bit and we didn’t lose any dogs!) We are looking forward to a fun year in Physical Education based off of how great our first full week was.

AA Grade 6 students participated in team building exercises this week

Our students were ready to learn as they started their second week of school.  We look forward to a successful 2022-2023 school year ahead!

8th grade AA Technology kicked off with the introduction to Science of Technology through Project Lead The Way.

5th grade AAG computer students are learning computer skills in Google Docs and Google Slides while using creative writing skills to work in teams to write a choose your own adventure story. 

Upper school advising groups, like Mr. Kauth's Form IV, were pumped up to be back together - spending some quality time on our first full day of classes. 

AA Lower School held its first Chapel on Thursday. Our new students were inducted into one of four houses and received their house polos from faculty members. Fourth graders started the Chapel off strong with the pledge and a great presentation.

AP Studio Art students are beginning to explore what themes they are going to create their portfolios around this year.

Today Albany Academy for Girls welcome their newest lower school students with the traditional pinning ceremony. This is one of many wonderful traditions at The Albany Academies. 

Amazon Smile Benefits the Academies

Did you know The Albany Academies are set up as a charity at Amazon Smile?

Join AmazonSmile

If you are not already an AmazonSmile member, simply sign up at smile.amazon.com and select your favorite charity to start generating donations, at no cost to you.

Turn on AmazonSmile in the Amazon app on your Smartphone

Open the app and find ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.

Spirit Store

Looking for new spirit wear? The Sideline Store hosted by BSN Sports is now live. Customize the design on apparel and gear and show your school spirit! Check out the selection of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and more!

Click here to visit our the Sideline Store.

Spain, Italy, and Greece Trip

Now that Covid is finally somewhat under control, we are bringing back international student travel opportunities. This year, we plan to run the Spain, Italy, and Greece trip that was initially scheduled for March of 2020 and was, of course, cancelled. 

The trip will run from March 20-30, and the itinerary includes stops at Barcelona, Rome, Pompeii, Athens, and many other locations in between. Price includes airfare, all transportation between destinations, hotels, and two meals a day. Full details are available at this link: explorica.com/Brower‐7469

The deadline to register and reserve this price quote is September 28.  

If you have any questions, you can contact Dr. Brower at browers@albanyacademies.org

The Albany Academies 'Golf Any Course' raffle is live!

Don't miss your chance to win... only 150 tickets will be sold.

Enjoy a fun night playing a round of golf for four at any course around the world

using our new Trackman Golf Simulator.

Includes food and drinks for four.

Click here to purchase raffle tickets,

Only one week left until the event.

Join the Honorary Committee or purchase your tickets today.

September 19, 2022

Day 6

8:00 a.m. Upper School Chapel (Caird Chapel)

8:00 a.m. Upper School Morning Meeting (AAG Auditorium)

8:15 a.m. University of Connecticut (College Counseling Office)

9:00 a.m. SUNY Brockport (College Counseling Office)

11:30 a.m. Upper School Advising

12:00 p.m. AA Middle School Chapel (Caird Chapel)

12:00 p.m. AAG Middle School Assembly (AAG Auditorium)

1:30 p.m. St. Lawrence University (College Counseling Office)

September 20, 2022

Day 1

8:00 a.m. Upper School Chapel (Caird Chapel)

8:00 a.m. Upper School Morning Meeting (AAG Auditorium)

8:15 a.m. Roberts Wesleyan College (College Counseling Office)

9:45 a.m. State University of New York at New Paltz (College Counseling Office)

1:30 p.m. Rochester Institute of Technology (College Counseling Office)

September 21, 2022

Day 2

8:00 a.m. Upper School Chapel (Caird Chapel)

8:00 a.m. Upper School Morning Meeting (AAG Auditorium)

8:15 a.m. Colby-Sawyer College (College Counseling Office)

9:00 a.m. High Point University (College Counseling Office)

10:00 a.m. University of Rhode Island (College Counseling Office)

10:45 a.m. Bryant University (College Counseling Office)

11:30 a.m. Merrimack College (College Counseling Office)

12:45 p.m. University of Vermont (College Counseling Office)

1:30 a.m. Sacred Heart University (College Counseling Office)

September 22, 2022

Day 3

8:00 a.m. Upper School Chapel (Caird Chapel)

8:00 a.m. Upper School Morning Meeting (AAG Auditorium)

8:15 a.m. College of the Holy Cross (College Counseling Office)

8:20 a.m. Lower School Chapel (Caird Chapel)

9:00 a.m. SUNY Oneonta (College Counseling Office)

9:45 a.m. Bentley University (College Counseling Office)

10:30 a.m. Hartwick College (College Counseling Office)

11:15 a.m. University of New Hampshire - Main Campus (College Counseling Office)

12:45 p.m. Rutgers University - New Brunswick (College Counseling Office)

1:30 p.m. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (College Counseling Office)

2:15 p.m. King's College (College Counseling Office)

September 23, 2022

Day 4

Fall Dress Down Day

8:00 a.m. Upper School Chapel (Caird Chapel)

8:00 a.m. Upper School Morning Meeting (AAG Auditorium)

8:15 a.m. Hobart William Smith Colleges (College Counseling Office)

9:00 a.m. Villanova University (College Counseling Office)

9:45 a.m. Hofstra University (College Counseling Office)

7:00 p.m. Legacy of Dreams (Crowne Plaza, The Desmond Hotel)

September 26 - School Closed - Rosh Hashanah

September 28 -  Upper School Parent Night (Caird Chapel)

October 3 - Spirit Day

October 4 - Spirit Day

October 5 - Yom Kippur (School Closed)

October 6 - AAPA Meeting (Schellenberger Alumni/ae Center)

October 6 - Spirit Day

October 7 - Homecoming Pep Rally (Modified Schedule)

October 8 - Homecoming Tailgate and Athletic Competitions

October 10 - Columbus Day & Indigenous People Day (School Closed)

October 11 - Professional Development Day (No Classes)

October 12 - PSAT Test

October 12 - Lunch on Us Admissions Event

October 17 - Fall Pictures Make-Up Day

October 18 - Lower School Coffee Break (Zoom)

October 21 - Bacon Bat & House Day

October 28 - Fall Community Service Day

October 30 - November 2 - NYSAIS Accreditation Visiting Committee on Campus

October 31 - Track or Treat (AA Track)