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

July 24, 2020

The Skim Head Lines Delay Reopening Update Reopening Webinars Survey Request Reminder: Enrollment Deadline Extended to July 31, 2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Meeting: August 11 Summer Camp Openings Still Available

Dear Friends, I hope this finds you enjoying the summer and that you have been able to rest and relax despite all that is going on. I imagine that you’re thinking quite a bit about the fall, as are we, so here is a short (2:34) video that explains a little bit about the development of our school reopening plan:

There is a link to a working draft of this plan below, so you can read and comment on it. As you do, I can’t emphasize enough that this is a working draft. It will change several times over the summer and into our reopening as we work through all the details involved with bringing students back to campus safely.  And we do believe we can do this safely. But we also have no illusions about it. It’s going to be a lot of work, it’s going to be hard, and it’s going to be unlike any school reopening we have ever experienced. I also believe that our very capable community of dedicated, mission-driven educators will meet the challenges we will face. I’m equally optimistic that students and families will partner with us on developing and then following a reopening plan that allows us to safely returning to in-person, on-campus instruction for the 2020-2021 academic year. Our strength is our community.  Warmly,

Reopening Plan Update This link will take you to a WORKING DRAFT of our school reopening plan hosted in a Google Doc: 2020 Reopening Plan Working Draft on Google Docs I encourage you to read this draft and offer any feedback you may by using the comment feature in Google Docs. If this process is new to you, here’s a quick video that explains how to do it (it’s very easy).  Using the comment feature will allow us to understand the specific sections of the plan that you might have questions about and help us keep track of family feedback efficiently. Thanks for reading, and for your input!

Reopening Webinars We have scheduled two webinars next week for families to learn more about the reopening plan: July 28, 2020 @ 12:00 pm Reopening Webinar for Families Zoom Meeting ID: 822 4114 8465 July 28, 2020 @ 4:30 pm Tuesday Reopening Webinar for Families Zoom Meeting ID: 822 4114 8465

Survey Request An email was sent out to the community yesterday requesting for parents to complete a survey. We are finalizing our plans for the opening of school and need some information from each of you to assist in the planning process.   The following information is needed to best plan and staff for the arrival and departure of students from school: Transportation plan Arrival time After-care for PK-8 students   If you haven't already completed the survey, please open the link below and complete the survey by July 30, 2020. If you have any questions, please contact Pam MacAffer at  macafferp@albanyacademies.org . https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvFWuKZe-zLQwF9bT6zrKHsRdcX4uVC0F8o214GK0-RRS1oQ/viewform?usp=sf_link Thank you in advance for your cooperation and attention to this matter.

Reminder: Enrollment Deadline Extended to July 31, 2020 As we move forward with reopening planning, we understand that some families would appreciate a clearer understanding of what this might look like before making final decisions about enrollment. Our draft reopening plan is just becoming available so we are extending the enrollment deadline to July 31 st this year. This will allow families an opportunity to review our reopening plan and make a fully informed decision regarding 2020/2021 enrollment. Please note that after this deadline, families are obligated for their contracted annual tuition per our usual terms and conditions. Please note that deposits are non-refundable.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Meeting: August 11 The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is responsible for leading organizational growth in this area over the next five years. The Committee is open to all interested community members and is composed of board members, students, faculty, school leaders, parents, past parents, alumni, and alumnae. We would love to have more families and students join this committee.  To do so, kindly email David Lester at lesterd@albanyacademies.org

Summer Camp Openings Still Available Are you searching for ideas that keep your children engaged this summer either in person or virtually? The Albany Academies Summer Camp can help. There are still openings!  Click here to register.

Next Update: August 7, 2020

https://www.albanyacademies.org/

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