Dear Friends,

It was another successful week at The Albany Academies!

We started the week (after the snowstorm) with a school-wide celebration of Lunar New Year. Students were resplendent in red and gold spirit wear, lucky red envelopes were handed out by the Chinese Honor Society, and thousands of delicious dumplings were provided by parent volunteers as we celebrated the Year of the Rabbit. Many thanks to them, Dr. Jessica Chen, our International Studies Coordinator, and our modern language department for coordinating this celebration and the educational experiences supporting it.

We should be particularly proud of our robotics team, Botman, which won last week’s First Robotics Utica event and secured advancement to the regional championships in March, when the best teams in New York State will battle it out. Thank you to the student competitors, parent and faculty volunteers, and our STEAM coordinator, Mr. John McNally, for the time and effort that went into achieving such a spectacular result.

We have also had some more media accolades for individual scholar-athletes this winter season, as well as our teams' many standout athletic performances. But, regardless of whether it makes the paper or the screen, we are very proud of the hard work of all our students, both in the classroom and on the court, ice, track, pool, or snow. 

Best wishes for a fantastic weekend!

Chris Lauricella

Head of School

The Risk of COVID Transmission remains HIGH

The community level of COVID-19 infection in Albany County is High, per CDC standards. The CDC recommends the following precautions during periods of high transmission:

• Wear a mask indoors in public
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms
• Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness

Attendance

A reminder to all parents of the protocol for reporting absences is to email attendance@albanyacademies.org when notifying the school of students arriving late,or requesting for students to leave school early.

Please don't email Mrs. Motley, Ms. Conroy or advisors, directly regarding absences or appointments. Thank you for your cooperation.

Important Reminder about School District Bus Transportation Deadlines

If your student requires busing to or from The Albany Academies for the 2023-2024 academic year, the deadline for requesting this service from your home school district is soon coming due.

While many districts have a different deadline date, some do require registration requests back by March 1^st for the following academic year.

Your family received notification about this from your home district, including forms to request busing next year. This information is mailed to your home address from your home district office, however it is also available on your home school district's website, often under a "transportation" tab.

Your home school district's administrative office is the best direct point of contact if you need help with busing requests. If you require additional assistance, please contact Andrea Faragon.

Financial Aid

Reminder! Families that are planning to participate in our Financial Aid program for the 2023-24 School Year should submit the 2023-24 Parent Financial Statement at School and Student Services by February 15, 2023. Information about how to apply for Financial Aid can be found on our website or families can contact The Office of Admissions at Admissions@albanyacademies.org to receive instructions.

Please note - each year requests for financial assistance exceed our financial aid budget. Aid is therefore allocated on a first come, first serve basis and is carefully managed in conjunction with the Admissions and Re-Enrollment processes. Financial Aid decisions will be communicated together with Re-Enrollment Contracts. Preference will be given to families that complete their financial aid submissions by February 15, 2023.

From the AAPA

Please mark your calendars for the next AAPA meeting:

February 2, 8:00 am - This meeting will focus on STEAM with John McNally and Adam Collett as our speakers. Parents have the option of attending this meeting in-person or virtually.

Look for an upcoming email from the AAPA with more details.

Family Fun Month

February Fun! Save the date for the following fun Academies community events in February: 



Sunday, February 5, 1:00 p.m.

Family Skate at the Robison Family Ice rink – The hot cocoa was a big hit, so we plan to offer the cocoa bar again! 

Sunday, February 12, 1 – 3:00 p.m.

Families are invited to participate in a guided snowshoe exploration at Thatcher Park. Space is limited and RSVP’s are required.  

Chinese New Year Celebrations

Preschoolers celebrated the Chinese New Year by exploring traditions associated with the holiday. Ms. Zhao gave the students a special lesson as she taught them how to make their own dumplings using playdough!

Dr. Jessica Chen P'32, '33, Director of International Program, and parent volunteers worked very hard to prepare 4,000 dumplings for our students and professional community to enjoy during lunch on Tuesday. Thank you to everyone who was involved to make this such a special celebration!

In celebration of the Lunar New Year, Chinese Honor Society members filled over 500 red envelopes with candy to hand out to students during lunch. In the Chinese classes, students created handmade New Year's decorations to ring in the year of the rabbit.

Seniors and Chinese Honor Society students Brooks, Rory, Brett and Aidyn visited the First and Third grade classes to talk about the Lunar New Year celebration, traditions and vocabulary. The classes also tried authentic Chinese treats and snacks!

In celebration of the Lunar New Year, Seniors and Chinese Honor Society students Mack and JohnLi visited the Fourth grade class. They read the book Bringing in the New Year, taught the class how to say Happy New Year in Chinese as well as the Zodiac animals and to count from 1-12.

Dr. Chen and Mr. Hsu visited the the Second grade class today and taught the students how to make dumplings. The students enjoyed making and eating the dumplings!

International Taste of the World Festival

The Albany Academies will host the 12th annual International Taste of the World Festival on Saturday, March 11, 2023 in the Silipigno Athletic Facility.

We are inviting Academies families and student groups to share food and information about the cultural heritages represented in our community. If you are interested in participating by sponsoring a food table with a cultural display, providing entertainment and/or offering an interactive activity or craft, please click here for a registration form.

Robotics

The Albany Academies Robotics team, Botman 4809, was the winning alliance caption at their first tournament of the season. The team also won the Think Award with their exemplary engineering notebook, the third place Control Award because of their machine learning and gyro sensor Java code, and the third place Inspire Award given to model FIRST robotics teams. All of this has secured their advancement to the regional championship in March where the best in New York State will battle it out. Congratulations, Botman 4809 Team!

Online registration for summer camp for Albany Academies' students will open Tuesday, January 31 at 9am. Registration will open to the public on Tuesday, February 7.

Please click here to register. Please do not share the link with anyone outside of the Academy. We have a variety of camps for students entering Pre-K through twelfth grade! 

Refer a family and receive $25 toward your summer 2023 registration fee!

Join us for a week, a two week session or the whole summer! Program dates and rates are available on our website. On Monday, please visit The Albany Academies website for the 2023 brochure, LEAP class charts and more information on all our camps.  Please contact Karin Epstein at epsteink@albanyacademies.org or 518-429-2332 with any questions.

ARTrageous UPDATE!

Due to a higher demand for ARTrageous to be held "virtually" again this year, we have decided to go back to a VIRTUAL evening in support of The Arts! Please be on the lookout for a social media blast at 6:30 pm for the event link. We will also be keeping our silent auction open for an entire week. We look forward to your continued support of our students and the Visual & Performing Arts Program!

Mid-Winter Gathering to Feature Actor and Alumnus

The Mid-Winter Gathering, sponsored by the Alumni Association, will be held on Thursday, February 16, 2023, at 6:00 pm at the UAlbany ETEC Building on the Harriman Campus.

The featured speaker will be Armen Garo '73. Parents are encouraged to attend the event! For more information about the gathering and Armen, please click here.

Save the Date for Spring Gathering

Our annual Spring Gathering will be held on Saturday evening, April 29 at the Albany Country Club. For more information, please click here.

A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms

Students in afterschool robotics enrichment for 3rd and 4th graders are completing building and modifying their robots. Some groups have started programming and have successfully made robots that move! 

Students in 6th grade STEM use verbal and then written algorithms to instruct partners on how to build an exact replica of their 10-piece Lego masterpiece. We learned how important it is to be very specific and detailed with our instructions. 

Congratulations to Chloe P. '24 who won a Scholastic Art and Writing Award for her painting County Road 28 which she created in AP Studio Art!

Grade 8 students in Mr. Zabinski's History Class participated in the hypothetical trial of Captain Walter Schwieger, who torpedoed the R.M.S. Lusitania in 1915, was "charged" with crimes against humanity and war crimes. All students had a role and were required to research primary sources.  

On Friday, Pre-K, 1^st and 3^rd grade school sisters read books together and made bookmarks! We will meet throughout the school year to read books and to do more fun activities. The girls had a wonderful time reading with their sister classes!

The 9^th grade students in Mr. Kauth's History Class spent the past few days researching whether or not belief systems are all basically the same in their goals. Today that research was discussed in a Socratic seminar. 

AAG Key Club News

Last weekend the AAG Key Club went to the Regional Food Bank in Latham and sorted produce. The Food Bank collects large donations of food/toiletries from industry and distributes it to charitable agencies serving hungry and disadvantaged people in 23 counties. From Plattsburgh to Newburgh, in urban, rural, and suburban communities, the Food Bank provides over 35 million pounds of food a year to 1,000 agencies.

Academies in the News

Robotics builds problem-solving skills and forges friendships - WAMC Midday Magazine. Young people have been hearing for years about the link between emerging technology and their 21st-century future. So it’s no surprise that robotics is an increasingly popular sport for middle and high schoolers.

Albany Academy: Rensselaer Honda High School Basketball All-Star - WNYT. Congratulations to AA Varsity Basketball player Bobby C. '23 named a Rensselaer Honda High School Basketball All-Star! Bobby is averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game for the Cadets. Way to go, Bobby!

Athletics Competitions January 27 - 29

Friday, January 27, 2023

3:45 p.m. AA Freshmen Basketball vs. Guilderland (Away)

4:30 p.m. AA Varsity Swimming & Diving vs. Schenectady (Home)

5:00 p.m. AAG JV Basketball vs. Cobleskill-Richmondville (Away)

5:30 p.m. AA Varsity Hockey - CDHSL vs. Niskyuna (Away)

6:30 p.m. AAG Varsity Basketball vs. Cobleskill-Richmondville (Away)

Saturday, January 28, 2023

8:00 a.m. AA Varsity Indoor Track & Field @ Sectionals (Away @ Union College)

9:00 a.m. AA Varsity Swimming & Diving vs. Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (Away)

11:00 a.m. AA Freshman Basketball vs. Troy (Home)

1:00 p.m. AA JV Basketball vs. Rice Memorial (Home)

2:00 p.m. AA Varsity Hockey - CDHSL vs. Adirondack (Home)

2:10 p.m. AA Varsity Hockey - NEPL vs. Bishop College (Away)

3:00 p.m. AA Varsity Basketball vs. Rice Memorial (Home)

Sunday, January 29, 2023

8:00 a.m. AAG Varsity Indoor Track & Field @ Sectionals (Away @ Union College)

12:00 p.m. AA Varsity Hockey - NEPL vs. Standstead College (Away)

8:00 p.m. AA Varsity Hockey - NEPL vs. Upper Canada College (Away)

January 30, 2023

Day 5

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

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

12:10 p.m. Middle School Chapel (Caird Chapel)

12:10 p.m. Middle School Assembly (Auditorium)

3:30 p.m. Afterschool Winter Enrichment Programs

January 31, 2023

Day 6

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

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

9:00 a.m. Lower School Parent Coffee Break (Zoom)

11:30 a.m. Upper School Assembly

3:30 p.m. Afterschool Winter Enrichment Programs

February 1, 2023

Day 1

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

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

3:30 p.m. Afterschool Winter Enrichment Programs

February 2, 2023

Day 2

8:00 a.m. AAPA Meeeting (Schellenberger Alumni/ae Center)

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

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

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

3:30 p.m. Afterschool Winter Enrichment Programs

6:30 p.m. ARTrageous!

February 3, 2023

Day 3

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

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

3:05 p.m. AAG Senior Speeches (AAG Auditorium)

3:30 p.m. Ski Club

February 5 - Family Skate

February 9 - Virtual College Night for the Class of 2025

February 10 - Senior Snow Day

February 11 - Upper School Snowball Dance

February 13 - Professional Development Day (No Classes)

February 15 - Admissions Lunch on Us

February 20 - School Closed - Presidents' Day

February 21 - 24 - Admissions Visiting Week

February 28 - Admissions Regional Prospective Family Reception

March 2 - AAPA Meeting

March 3 - Winter Term Ends

March 11 - Taste of the World Festival

March 13 - Parent/Student-Teacher Conferences (No Classes)

March 15 - Admissions Open House

March 20 - 31 Spring Break