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
- April 16 CDC Risk Assessment for Schools in Albany County
- Voluntary Student COVID-Surveillance Testing, Week of April 18
- Uploading COVID Vaccinations to your Child’s Medical Record
- Lower School & Middle School Bacon Bat/House Day
- A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms
- Guest Speaker
- Spring Gathering Auction Item
- Reminder from the College Counseling Department
- Athletic Post-Season Honors
- Senior Athletes Recognized
- Yearbooks
- Virtual MS/US Summer Class Registrations
- Hannaford Helps Schools
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Dear Friends,
With apologies to TS Eliot, April can indeed be the cruelest month. I thought of this as I watched the snowfall this morning and listened to the radiators come back to life on campus.
April’s potential cruelty continued to be a theme today as I surveyed news on the COVID front, both out of the midwest and locally. For me, these cautionary accounts remind us that we’re not yet done with the pandemic, as much as we might want to be. Our destinies continue to be intertwined, such that decisions made outside of school have the potential to come back to campus and impact us all.
On a lighter note, today we enjoyed the energy of lower and middle school Bacon Bat and House Day celebrations and look forward to their reprise in the upper school next week. Below you will also find some well-deserved press and recognition of some of our students’ athletic achievements, information about ordering yearbooks, and directions on how to upload vaccination cards to student records.
According to guidance released this week from New York State, this last item may play a significant role in some of our larger end-of-year gatherings for upper school, including prom and commencement. More information will be coming soon as we develop these event plans.
Best wishes for a generous Ramadan to those who celebrate!
Sincerely,
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Voluntary Student COVID-Surveillance Testing, Week of April 18
Voluntary Surveillance COVID testing will be offered for the week of April 18. Testing will then be discontinued unless needed as an additional mitigation strategy.
Due to the relatively small number of participants, we have transitioned to the Abbott BinaxNOW rapid antigen test. This test requires sampling with a nasal swab administered by trained personnel. The test must be completed on-site.
- Testing for girls will be on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, from noon - 4 p.m. in the AAG Nurses Office.
- Testing for boys will be on Thursday, April 22, 2021, from noon- 4 p.m. in the AA Nurses Office.
- If you would like to participate in you must sign up at:
- The sign-up deadline is Monday, April 19, at 5 p.m.
- The cost is $15 per student.
- A revised consent form will be emailed to those who sign up, which must be returned prior to testing.
- Results will be available on the day of testing
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Uploading COVID Vaccinations to your Child’s Medical Record
As individuals 16 years of age and older receive vaccinations, please use the Magnus Health portal to update an image of your child’s vaccination card to their medical record. This is a secure portal for confidential student health records portal that is only available to our school nurses. Please see the visual guide, below for step-by-step directions to do this.
If you have any questions regarding uploading images of vaccination cards, please contact:
Phone: 518-429-2302
Phone: 518-429-2403
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Lower School & Middle School Bacon Bat/House Day
Lower School and Middle School students had fun participating in Bacon Bat and House Day!
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A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms |
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In Library 7, AAG students celebrated National Poetry Month by building and sharing their own cento (Latin for "patchwork") poems. |
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The class Dance Workshop is rehearsing for the Upper School Fine Arts Spring Presentation which will be on Wednesday April 28 at 6:30. Save the date!
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Students in Mr. Neudel's Grade Six science class worked on a lab setting up each phase of the moon using a light, a globe (Earth) and a smaller ball for the moon. |
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Students in Grade 5 Concert Band play Solfege Name That Tune with Ms. Kouloritis. |
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The Athletic Training Class is learning about the shoulder anatomy and injuries with the help of thier Covid appropriate Skeleton, Junior. |
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AA Grade 2 students made signs, shirts and wrote to senators to raise awareness about endangered species. |
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Guest Speaker
Tess Taylor, an American poet, will have a "Tess Talk" on Tuesday, April 20 with 10th Grade girls.
Tess Taylor is the author of the poetry collections Work & Days (2016) and The Forage House (2013). Her work has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, the Boston Review, the Harvard Review, Literary Imagination, the Times Literary Supplement, Memorious, and The New Yorker. Taylor’s third book, Last West, is a hybrid photo and poetry book retracing the steps of Dorothea Lange in California. Revisiting the landscapes where Lange photographed (including the site of Migrant Mother) Taylor documents the uneasy, haunting echoes between past and present. This work appeared as part of the Dorothea Lange: Words & Pictures exhibition at MoMA in February 2020.
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Spring Gathering Auction Item |
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Check out this guitar signed by James Taylor! This will be one of many silent auction items available for bidding at the virtual Spring Gathering to be held on April 30.
Tickets are on sale now! With every ticket purchased, you receive a special edition Spring Gathering 2021 t-shirt mailed right to your home (Thank you to Kaari Stannard P' 20, '23 for underwriting these shirts). You should have already received an invitation in your mailbox. Thank you to the many parents who have supported this important event as a sponsor or Honorary Committee member. We are very grateful!
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 or join the Honorary Committee, please visit https://SG2021.givesmart.com.
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Reminder from the College Counseling Department
We will be administering the PreACT exam on Wednesday, April 28. All sophomores will be taking the exam on this day - regular classes will not be held the morning of April 28.
The PreACT is the Preliminary ACT. The importance of taking the exam is to practice and gain familiarity with standardized tests. Detailed information has been sent to sophomores and their parents.
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Athletic Post-Season Honors |
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AA Varsity Swimming & Diving
Earlier this week the Times Union reported on Section II All-Stars that were selected by Section II Coaches. Bryce H. '21 and Brayden H. '23 were both named as First Team All-Stars. Coach Scott Young P'21, '24 was named Coach of the Year.
On Tuesday, the Times Union staff selected Bryce H. '21 as Athlete of the Year for Boys' Swimming. Selected to the First Team All-Stars were Bryce H. '21, Brayden H. '23, Ian Y. '21, Silas S. '21, Ivan Y. '21, and Jack S. '21. Coach Scott Young was again named Coach of the Year.
The Varsity Swimming and Diving Team ended the season ranked #1 in the final State Dual Meet Rankings in the small school division. Please click here to view the rankings.
Congratulations to the team and Coach Young!
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AAG Varsity Basketball
Recently, the Times Union selected Erin H. '23 for Small School - Second Team All Stars.
The Daily Gazette also recognized Erin in their All-Area Girls Basketball Team article for Honorable Mention from the Colonial Council.
Congratulations to Erin, Coach Capitula and the AAG Varsity Basketball team on an amazing season!
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Senior Athletes Recognized |
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Seniors on the AA & AAG Varsity Cross Country teams were celebrated following a meet on Saturday.
Congratulations to Jessica E., Sara P., Jay M., Zain J., Alex L., and Esteban R.
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Seniors on the AA Varsity Soccer team were celebrated this week.
Congratulations to: Jackson F.,
Joshua M., Samuel M., Ryan A., Nicholas F., Bryce H., Christopher H., Thomas M., Christopher M., Peter M., Oliver N., Ian Y., and Thomas Z.
Also recognized were Baltazar D. '22, and Coach Tim Owens P'15, '19.
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Yearbooks
It is time to place your yearbook order! Click here to order a yearbook for your child. The deadline to place your order is May 15.
To order a yearbook for AAG enter passcode: 101411068383919
To order a yearbook for AA enter passcode: 10131170417192
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Virtual MS/US Summer Class Registrations
Registration is now open for the following classes:
Classes for Credit
July 5-August 13, 8:30am-11:00am
- Algebra 1
- Geometry
- Pre-Calculus
- Env. Geology
Skills Classes (Non-credit)
July 5-23, 8:30am - 9:30am
- 5/6 Math Skills
- Adv Algebra
- 7/8 English
- 11/12 English
July 5-23, 9:45am-10:45am
- 7/8 Math
- Int Algebra
- 5/6 English
- 9/10 English
July 26-August 13, 8:30-9:30
- 7/8 Math
- Int Algebra
- 5/6 English
July 26-August 13, 9:45-10:45
- 5/6 Math
- Adv Algebra
- 7/8 English
For registration questions, please contact Karin Epstein, Director of Summer Programs.
For math specific questions, please contact Robert Bischoff, Math Department Chair.
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Hannaford Helps Schools
Through May 29, The Albany Academies can earn money from the Hannaford Helps Schools program by shopping at the Hannaford store at 183 Delaware Ave in Delmar. If you purchase 4 participating Hannaford Helps Schools items, you will receive a receipt for 3 School Dollars at the register. Please place that printout into our school's slot in the Hannaford Helps Schools collection tower at the front of the store. Customers who shop with Hannaford To Go can give their School Dollar printouts to the associate handling their groceries and let them know which school slot to put them in.
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