The Albany Academies coordinate single-sex and coeducational learning environments to develop diligent students of high character who become curious, critical thinkers. |
|
The Skim
- January 20 Surveillance Testing
- A More Transmissible Virus? Time to Up our “Mask Game”
- Vaccinations
- Please help keep “flexible” from becoming “chaos.”
- New Policy: Clearance for Sport and Physical Education after a COVID Infection
- "Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?"
- Open House
- Admissions Event: Asked & Answered
- January "Composers of the Month"
- Mark Your Calendars
- AIM Survey
- Successful College Search Kickoff for the Class of 2022!
- A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms
- Happy 95th Birthday Mrs. Arvilla Cline
- Blogging with the Academies
- ARTrageous
- Annual Giving Report
- Financial Aid Program
|
|
Dear Friends,
This has been a week of “good news/bad news” on the COVID front.
Good News: our surveillance testing results decreased to three positive individuals this week. Bad News: two of these individuals had significant “close contacts” across the upper school.
Good News: this week, we believe the peak of COVID infections has flattened, both nationally and regionally. Bad News: the positivity rate is still very high, and new, more transmissible variants of the virus are most likely on the horizon.
Good News: COVID vaccinations are now available for our teachers. Bad News: current demand for vaccinations is much greater than the available supply of vaccines.
Good News: we are being as flexible as possible to meet the challenges of this pandemic. Bad News: we now find ourselves challenged in our ability to track which learning mode some students are in on any given day and need your help to keep “flexible” from becoming “chaos.”
Please read on for a little more information about each of these dichotomies. And don't lose faith; all the good news above suggests light at the end of the tunnel.
Warmly,
|
|
January 20 Surveillance Testing
Thank you to all who participated in surveillance testing this week. Here are the results:
- 632 individuals tested
- 629 negative results
- Three positive results
Of the positive results:
- One is a remote learner
- Two are in-person individuals in the upper school
Unfortunately, these two individuals generated a significant number of “close contact” orders in the junior class, which has us moving all students in Grade 11 to remote learning next week. All other students in the lower, middle, and upper schools who are not designated as close contacts can continue with in-person learning if they choose to.
We will be conducting another round of surveillance testing next week. Information will be sent about this on Monday.
|
|
A More Transmissible Virus? Time to "up our mask game.”
We should be particularly vigilant in protecting ourselves as we will likely encounter more transmissible variants of the COVID virus within the next few weeks. One thing we can do now is to think about replacing old masks or adding an additional layer of protection to existing ones. This New York Times article is a good starting point for more information. It includes an analysis of mask types and recommendations for new masks, should you wish to resupply.
|
|
Vaccinations
We are following New York State’s lead and recommending that our professional community receive a COVID vaccination. Over the last two weeks, our experience is that a significant majority of our teachers and staff are eager to do so, and many have vaccination appointments or already received the first dose. Anecdotally, we believe we have more than enough willing participants to create “herd immunity” within the professional community once we are all able to receive a vaccination. Our Human Resources department will be quantifying this over the next few weeks, and we will share aggregate data on this when we have it.
|
|
Please help keep “flexible” from becoming “chaos”
We are having an increasingly difficult time tracking a subset of upper school students who continue to move between remote learning and in-person learning on a frequent and ad hoc basis. This has become a significant issue over the past two weeks, impacting our faculty and administrators accountable for student attendance. To help with this, please do the following:
- Choose a learning mode for your student.
- Communicate your choice with us, and stay with this choice weekly.
- If your student wants to switch modes, inform us the week before the switch.
We hope we can solve this emerging issue collaboratively, rather than punitively, and thank you in advance for your assistance.
|
|
New Policy: Clearance for Sports and Physical Education after a COVID Infection
The Albany Academies has adopted a new clearance policy for returning to athletics or physical education after a positive COVID diagnosis. This policy is based on expert medical guidance from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM), and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
To return to physical activity, we now require a physician evaluation focused on cardiac and respiratory status, resulting in documented clearance to return.
This evaluation is not an appointment for an annual physical. It is a clearance examination, similar to what would be required to return to sports after an injury, concussion, or mononucleosis diagnosis. We recommend that once a student is diagnosed as COVID-positive, parents request an appointment for this clearance exam after the date that their child is released from isolation as determined by the health department.
Once clearance is received, our Athletic Trainer will progress the student-athletes through a staged, gradual return to full participation. This progression is similar to that followed for concussion return to play. More information about the process and required documentation will be provided to you when the health office is informed of your student’s positive COVID diagnosis.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding this protocol, please contact the health offices at AA or AAG respectively or The Academies Athletic Trainer, Ron Hutchins, ATC.
|
|
"Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?" |
Congratulations to Vice President Kamala Harris, the first female, first black, and first Asian-American elected to this office!
May you stand as an inspiration for this generation of Academies' students as well as all those to come.
"If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children's birthright"
Words courtesy of Amanda Gorman, the first-ever US National Youth Poet Laureate
|
|
|
The Office of Admissions is hosting a Virtual Open House on Saturday, January 23rd at 1 p.m. Although registration is preferred, prospective families will be able to join this event directly from our website. Questions, contact the Office of Admissions at 518-429-2348 or email Admissions@AlbanyAcademies.org.
|
|
The Office of Admissions is hosting an Asked & Answered Information Session for prospective families to learn about our opportunities in Athletics. This event will be hosted virtually. We hope you will encourage your friends and neighbors to join us for this event to learn more about The Academies! RSVP on our website at https://www.albanyacademies.org/admissions/event-registration?siteId=1237 or by calling the Office of Admissions at 518-429-2348.
|
|
|
January "Composers of the Month"
The ‘Composers of the Month’ is for the students and the community to become familiar with a variety of composers in many genres of music as a part of our everyday experience. This month's composers [Joan Tower, Antonín Dvořák, George Walker, Philip Glass, & Teresa Carreño] will be played in all our Fine Arts classes to create a soundtrack of the month.
|
|
Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events!
AAPA Community Meeting via Zoom: February 10 at 8:30am
Professional Development Day (No classes): February 8
|
|
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the AIM Survey
Our vision for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work at The Albany Academies is to build a community in which all accepted students are authentically included in the full life of the school and feel like they fully belong.
To help us with this, The Albany Academies will soon be conducting the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM). This survey will provide us with a statistical understanding of our current climate of inclusion and clarify our next steps towards realizing our DEI vision.
All stakeholder groups will be asked to participate in this survey. Questions will be tailored to faculty, staff, administration, Board of Trustees, students in Grades 7 - 12, alumni/ae, and parents. As NAIS will not share individual responses with the school, your confidentiality is assured.
More information about the AIM assessment will be sent before its dissemination via email later this month. We hope you will complete the survey when you receive it.
|
|
Successful College Search Kickoff for the Class of 2022!
Thursday evening, the College Counseling Department welcomed three senior college enrollment officers for a virtual presentation for our junior class and their families. The presenters covered such topics as Campus Visits and Interviews, College Essay and Supplements, and the Application Review Process.
We would like to thank the following presenters once again for volunteering their time and sharing their professional insight with the Class of 2022:
- Christopher O’Brien – Associate Director of Admissions, Boston College
- Robert Springall – Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Education and Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Pennsylvania State University
- John Young – Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Sophomores – your time is coming! The Sophomore College Night is scheduled for February 11th. Stay tuned for more details!
|
|
A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms |
|
 |
The kindergarten class explored water colors and how to make “thicker” and “thinner” colors by adding more or less water to their paint. They did an awesome job and had fun mixing colors to make new colors.
|
|
|
|
The trout are back! Mr. Essery's 9th grade biology classes will be monitoring the chemistry and conditions of these trout throughout the winter and spring, with the hopes of releasing many of them in a local trout-sustaining stream (previously Vly Creek and Doc Shaul's Creek near Howe Caverns).
The preschoolers even got a chance to see the trout when they were delivered to AAG.
|
|
|
|
10th graders in Dr. Dragoni’s World History class watched President Biden take his oath of office on Jan. 20. A presidential inauguration is always a historic moment, and so we took the day to read, watch, and talk about the significance of presidential inaugurations in America. |
|
AAG Kindergarten students practiced tossing and catching in PE Class. They worked on their eye and hand coordination skills. |
|
Mr. Streifert, Mr. Collett, Ms. Kouloriotis, and Mr. Johnson are working with the Cast and Crew of this year's winter musical "The Theory of Relativity". Faculty and students have been working in person and over zoom to create a musical that will be streamed March 5th, 6th, and 7th. |
|
Happy 95th Birthday, Mrs. Arvilla Cline!
Teachers make a difference everyday in the lives of their students. That influence and the memories of the teacher’s impact doesn’t stop when the school year is over. When
The Albany Academies heard that former AAG Latin teacher, Mrs. Arvilla Cline, was turning 95 years young on January 22, we decided to ask our current Latin teachers and students to help celebrate her. Latin classes made and mailed individual cards to Mrs. Cline. This thoughtful remembrance truly embraces The Albany Academies' legacy of educational excellence. Feicem Diem Natalem!
|
|
Blogging with the Academies
|
|
ARTrageous
Save the date! Our annual fine arts fundraiser will be held virtually on Thursday, February 18. Previously known as Splash, ARTrageous supports all fine arts programs at The Albany Academies. Visit ARTrageous21.givesmart.com to buy your ticket or join the Honorary Committee today!
If you would like to join the planning committee, please contact Special Events Coordinator Sarah Adamowski at adamowskis@albanyacademies.org.
|
|
Annual Giving Report
We'd like to invite everyone to check out the 2019-2020 Annual Giving Report, which celebrates the generosity of all donors to The Albany Academies between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.
|
|
Financial Aid Program
Families who are planning to participate in our Financial Aid program for the 2021-2022 school year are encouraged to submit their Parent Financial Statement to School and Student Services as soon as possible. Information about our Financial Aid program is available on the Parent Resources Board on your MyAcademy account. Questions? Contact Shellie Carr at 518-429-2348 or carrs@albanyacademies.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
