The Albany Academies coordinate single-sex and coeducational learning environments to develop diligent students of high character who become curious, critical thinkers. |
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The Skim
- 2021-2022 Re-enrollment Now Open
- New CDC Indicators of the Risk of COVID Transmission
- Travel Questions to Consider
- NY State Travel Advisory
- Affinity Group Meeting
- Sign-Up for Voluntary Student COVID-Surveillance Testing, Week of March 8
- Bender Summer Writing Class
- AP Exam Schedule
- Save the Date!
- Alumni Speaker Series
- Charter Day
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Winter Musical, The Theory of Relativity
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AAG Grade 4 Play Mirror, Mirror
- A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms
- Sports Updates
- Upcoming Sports Facebook Livestream Schedule
- Spring Gathering
- Summer Camp Registration
- Celebrating Women's History Month
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Dear Friends,
I find it affirming to follow the co-curricular activities we can provide our students, regardless of any challenges we may face this year.
Over the last few weeks, it has been so rewarding to watch the progress, and triumphs, of our swim, basketball, hockey, and squash teams on Facebook and in the news.
This week and last, lower school students celebrated Founders Day and Charter Day by contributing individual chapters to memory books about how Albany Academies might shape their lives. I imagine this will make for fascinating reading when they revisit them in middle and upper schools.
Yesterday we had the second installment in a series of virtual alumni panels planned for the year. Our students had the chance to engage incredibly accomplished alumni and alumnae representing a range of medical specialties, including research, oncology, cardiology, and cardiothoracic and retina surgery.
Tonight, I’m looking forward to watching "The Theory of Relativity," our upper school winter musical. Next week I look forward to some live theater from our fourth graders as they take the stage in "Mirror, Mirror."
Tomorrow, we have a team of students competing in the National Science Bowl. Although it’s virtual this year, I trust they will still enjoy the ability to compete and meet the accomplished scientists and engineers who judge the competition.
These are a small sample of the co-curricular activities available to students, despite the pandemic. They are made possible through the dedication of the professional community members who coach, direct, or sponsor them and the students committed to making them happen. I couldn’t be prouder of all involved and know this year is teaching us valuable lessons in resilience and perseverance.
Have a lovely weekend!
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2021-2022 Re-enrollment Now Open
Deadline: March 12
Re-enrollment contracts for the 2021-22 academic year are now available through the Blackbaud portal. As this is a new way of distributing and executing enrollment contracts, please follow these steps to re-enroll your child or children:
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Sign in to the Blackbaud portal and click on the banner link that reads, “you have contracts to review and approve.”
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General Terms and Conditions. Please indicate your enrollment plans for next year. Kindly note that, counterintuitively, a “yes” response means that you are “not enrolling,” and a “no” indicates that you are re-enrolling. This is an unfortunate quirk of the third-party admissions platform that we are unable to change.
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Your Student Information. Please confirm that the information presented is correct (Grade, Tuition, Fees) and enter your initials where indicated.
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Select a Payment Plan. Please select your preferred payment plan and indicate if you will be enrolling in the Tuition Refund Plan (which is highly recommended).
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Contract Cancellation and Refund information, please review these terms enter your initials where indicated.
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Deposit. We are accepting ACH payments and credit card payments for tuition deposits this year. You may also make your deposit payment in school or mail a check; please follow those options’ instructions.
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Acceptance. Please review the enrollment contract and sign it electronically.
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When done, you will see a Confirmation of Completion message.
Thank you for doing this by the March 12 deadline, as we rely on this information to begin student scheduling and other mission-critical planning processes. Thank you, as well, for your continued support and commitment to The Albany Academies community.
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New CDC Indicators of the Risk of COVID Transmission
The Center for Disease Control has issued updated guidance regarding quantifying the risk of COVID transmission in schools. The guidance keys levels of potential risk to two metrics regularly tracked at the county level:
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“NAATS” are nucleic acid amplification tests such as molecular PCR tests.
Applying this methodology to Albany County's metrics, our current level of risk for community transmission at school is:
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Barring contradictory state or local guidance, these thresholds provide us more refined gating criteria for adding or removing additional mitigation strategies in response to the potential level of transmission risk we might be facing. |
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Travel Questions to Consider
As we get closer to spring break, public health officials continue to caution against unnecessary travel. However, if you plan to travel, kindly consider the following questions to assess your own risk and potential risks to the school community.
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How will you travel? There is a higher risk of COVID transmission in airports and traveling on public transport than traveling in private vehicles.
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Will you be indoors or outdoors? There is a higher risk of transmission indoors.
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Will you be in large public areas or smaller venues? There is a higher risk of transmission when in larger crowds of people.
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Will you be traveling somewhere where COVID protocols are required or somewhere where they are a matter of personal responsibility? There is a higher risk of transmission when interacting with people who do not follow COVID protocols.
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Will you stay masked and physically distanced? There is a higher risk of transmission when COVID protocols are relaxed or abandoned.
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Are you staying with others who follow sound COVID protocols? There is a higher risk of transmission when interacting with people whose mitigation practices are unknown to you.
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Is your trip timed so that you can follow NY travel advisory protocols before rejoining the school community? There is a higher risk of transmission to the community if individuals don’t follow these protocols.
If the answers to some of these questions put you in a higher risk category, please do everything in your power to make sure you are keeping your family and our community as safe as possible during your trip and upon your return.
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NY State Travel Advisory
When planning for spring break please be aware of the following:
- Travel restrictions are still in place for travel to a non-bordering state outside of NY, and state and county officials are discouraging non-essential travel.
- NY is NOT exempting individuals that have previously tested positive in the last 90 days from travel restrictions.
- This week Governor Cuomo announced changes to travel quarantines based on COVID-19 vaccination status. Formal guidance will follow.
- For travel to a non-bordering state to NY, individuals need to test within three days before leaving the visiting state, quarantine for three days upon return to NYS, and test on the fourth day. If they have two negative test results, they should be released from their travel quarantine.
- Individuals who have not completed both tests will be required to quarantine for ten days before returning to school or work.
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Affinity Group Meeting
The next Parents of Students of Color Affinity Group meeting is scheduled for March 24 at 5:00pm. If you are interested in joining the meeting please contact Ann Wendth.
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Sign-Up for Voluntary Student COVID-Surveillance Testing, Week of March 8
If you are interested in continuing to have your child surveillance tested for the COVID-19 virus, please use the link below to sign up for next week’s testing:
Sign-up must be done by 8:00 a.m., Sunday, March 7, 2021.
Please continue with symptom screening each morning, record results in the Magnus App, and communicate frequently and transparently with our school nurses regarding your children’s health.
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Bender Summer Writing Class
Once again we will be offering the two-week Bender Summer Writing Course. This class is open to Academy students entering grades nine through twelve next year. In this class students work on the fundamental components of essay writing in a workshop format. Because the course is highly individualized, students of all levels of proficiency can benefit. Eleventh and twelfth graders work on college essay topics in the second week. The course will be run in Zoom. There is no fee for the course.
Dates:
- First session, the weeks of June 21 and 28.
- Second session, the weeks of August 9 and 16.
Times: 40-minute classes of 4 or 5 students.
- Grades 9 and 10 8:30-9:10 or 9:20-10:00.
- Grades 11 and 12: 10:20-11:00 or 11:10-11:50.
These times are subject to change depending on the number of students that enroll in each grade level. The maximum number of students enrolled in each session is 20.
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Save the Date!
Grade 8 Parents Introduction to Upper School Webinar will be held on March 30 at 7:00pm. More information about this event will be included in the Sunday Weekly Update.
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Alumni Speaker Series
Our Alumni/ae Speaker Session was a great success! Thank you to our esteemed panelists, Dr. Robert Higgins '77, Dr. Seth Wander '02, Dr. Meenakashi Gupta '99, Dr. Alice Kim '89, and Dr. Pamela Carroll '81, for sharing their knowledge, experiences, and insights in the field of medicine. Our students continue to have amazing opportunities from our alumni and alumnae to learn about the many fields they can pursue.
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Charter Day
The Albany Academy celebrated Charter Day yesterday, to commemorate the founding of the school on March 4, 1813. Pictured within the photo is the first building known as the Old Academy building located in Academy Park. It still stands there today and is home to the City School District of Albany offices. Happy Birthday, AA!
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Winter Musical, The Theory of Relativity
Starting today, the Fine Arts Department presents the streaming of the Winter Musical "The Theory of Relativity" by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill.
Friday, March 5th at 7pm
Saturday, March 6th at 7pm
Sunday, March 8th at 1 pm
It is free to watch, you will need to obtain a streaming 'ticket' for each device you plan on watching it from. Email Rich Johnson if you have any questions.
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AAG Grade 4 Play Mirror, Mirror
On Wednesday, March 10th at 6:30 pm The Fine Arts Department presents the streaming of the AAG 4th Grade Play "Mirror, Mirror" by Brian D. Taylor
It is free to watch, you will need to obtain a streaming 'ticket' for each device you plan on watching it from. Email Rich Johnson if you have any questions.
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A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms |
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Dance Workshop's piece "Rising" has been selected for SPAC's Festival of Young Artists. The piece will be featured on their website which will launch on March 31.
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Carrying on from the bulletin board for Black History Month, students in Mrs. Mitsios’ history classroom began to ask which female historical figures she would display during the month of March for Women’s History Month. The end result was a selection of women from different backgrounds, cultures, disciplines, and times (many of which were suggestions from the students themselves). |
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Second graders kicked off their unit on time by making their own clocks. |
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The AAG Varsity Basketball team won against Hoosick Falls High School (56-35) on Saturday, and against Duanesburg High School (59-54) on Tuesday. The Bears lost a tough game against Ichabod Crane High School (42-59) on Thursday. |
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The AA Varsity Basketball team won against Bishop Maginn High School (86-68) on Saturday, and against Ichabod Crane High School (76-40) on Thursday. |
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The AA Varsity Hockey - New England Prep League won against Hoosac School (5-0) on Saturday. |
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The AA JV Basketball team won against Bishop Maginn High School (63-38) on Saturday, and against Ichabod Crane High School (65-44) on Thursday. |
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We just found out the results of the Colonial Council Girls Tennis, League All-Stars from the Fall 2020 season. Congratulations to Brooke O'Brien '22 on this achievement! All-Stars are nominated and voted on by Colonial Council coaches. |
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AA Varsity Lacrosse team began their season this week. The team started to practice skills in the James E. Poole Athletic Facility. |
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AA Varsity Swimming and Diving |
The AA Varsity Swimming and Diving team finished their season on Saturday. The Medley Relay team of Ian Y. '21, Brayden H. '23, Bryce H. '21 and Silas S. '21 tied the Section 2 record at 1:34.03 (which is currently 2nd in the Federation and 1st in the State, and an All American Consideration time). The meet finished with the 400 Free Relay team of Ivan Y. '21, Jack S. '21, Brayden H. '23 and Bryce H. '23 setting a pool and school record of 3:13.52 (which is currently 6th in the Federation and 4th in the state). Out of the 53 performances the team had 43 personal records, broke or tied 2 Sectional records, set 3 pool and school records, and earned 2 All American Considerations. Congratulations! |
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Upcoming Sports Facebook Livestream Schedule
AAG Varsity Basketball
Tuesday, March 9 at 6:00pm
Thursday, March 11 at 6:00pm
AA Varsity Basketball
Saturday, March 6 at 1:00pm
AA JV Basketball
Saturday, March 6 at 11:30am
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Tickets for the virtual Spring Gathering are on sale now! With every ticket purchased, you receive a special edition Spring Gathering 2021 t-shirt mailed right to your home. Spring Gathering directly benefits merit scholarships and financial aid at The Albany Academies, and we need your help to continue to support these crucial programs. To buy your tickets now, please visit https://SG2021.givesmart.com.
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Summer Camp Registration
Online registration for summer camp is now open! We have a variety of camps for students entering Pre-K through tenth grade!
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New this summer-Science Academy Mr. Essery and the students will be exploring chemistry, biology, physics, ecology, and physiology. Each day will be a different type of science, a problem to solve, and an adventure!
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Little Leap and Jr. Leap camps reinforce skills while having fun with weekly themed activities.
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Rocketry Camp will study the history of rocketry and design and build rockets with Mr. Neudel.
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The Leading Edge program will be focusing on team building, problem-solving, college preparation, and service projects with Mr. Essery.
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Theater Camp will be performing fully staged short plays with Mr. Streifert.
We have a new LEAP structure and class offerings! Your child will choose a block schedule and participate in six classes a day for the week. Block schedules include a variety of academics, world language, visual arts, and sports just to name a few!
Join us for a week, a two-week session, or the whole summer! Program dates and rates, LEAP class charts, and more information on all our camps is available on The Albany Academies website at albanyacademies.org. The 2021 brochure is now available online! Please contact Karin Epstein at epsteink@albanyacademies.org or 518-429-2332 with any questions.
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Celebrating Women's History Month
Students in the Upper School are sharing daily fun facts during morning meeting in celebration of Women's History Month. The group then sends an email each day with more information about the fact and the person to Upper School students and members of the professional community. Below are two of the people highlighted this week.
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Tammy Duckworth
Did you know that Tammy Duckworth was the first Asian-American to be an Illinois Senator, and the first woman with a disability to be elected to Congress?
Tammy Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand in 1968. Her father was an American development aid worker, and her mother was Thai. After living in Thailand and Singapore, at the age of 16, Duckworth and her family moved to Hawaii. She graduated from the University of Hawaii and then attended George Washington University where she joined the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. After obtaining her master’s, she joined the National Guard and began to train to become a helicopter pilot. In 2004, she was called into active duty to Iraq. While flying in Iraq, her helicopter was shot down by a grenade and she lost both her legs as a result. After her accident, she was awarded the Purple Heart Award. In 2006, Duckworth served as State Director of Veterans Affairs, and in 2009, under President Obama, she served as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Three years later in 2012, she resigned from this position and ran for Congress in Illinois, defeating her opponent. After serving as a Congresswoman for three years, she ran for Senate and won, officially making her the first U.S. Senator born in Thailand. During her time in office, she has continued to pass influential legislation, advocating for Americans with disabilities. In addition to being the first Senator born in Thailand, Duckworth was the first person to give birth while in office, as well as the first woman with a disability to be elected to Congress.
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Katherine Johnson
Did you know that Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician who contributed significantly to the success of the American Space Program?
Katherine Johnson was born in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, in 1918. As a young child, Johnson was very intelligent and had a large interest in STEM. At the age of 13, she began attending high school and later graduated from West Virginia State College with the highest honors. After spending several years teaching, Johnson returned to school as the only female Black woman in her class at West Virginia University. Although successful in school, she decided to return to teaching in order to put more focus on growing her family. In 1952, Johnson pursued a temporary job in computing at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. During that time, she analyzed flight test data and investigated plane crashes. In 1958, after working at NACA for six years, NACA officially turned into NASA, shifting the main focus of Johnson’s work from air travel to space travel. The years following the creation of NASA defined Johnson’s career, as her work contributed significantly to the success of the Mercury Program to put Americans into space. On one occasion, John Glenn, an American astronaut, asked specifically for Johnson to check his coordinates that had previously been performed by the computer before he went on his mission, as he trusted her calculations more than the computer. Glenn’s mission was successful, thanks to Johnson and all her hard work. Johnson also went on to do work on the Apollo Program and the Space Shuttle Program. She retired from her position in 1986, after working for NASA for 33 years. In 2015, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President, Barack Obama. Sadly, several years after receiving the award, Johnson passed away in 2020 at the age of 101 years old. Johnson will forever be a role model to young women everywhere, as she didn’t let the discrimination that she faced due to her race or her gender stop her from achieving her life goals.
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