Dear Friends,

It was another great week at The Albany Academies!

A focus of our professional development day on Monday was a discussion with psychologists Dr. Julie Morison and Dr. Melissa Them about student anxiety in the wake of COVID. Julie and Melissa work closely with our Student Support Team. This familiarity with the school allowed them to provide specific feedback and suggestions for refining our practices, as well as a general understanding of how the pandemic has affected the mental health of children and adolescents. 

We are very grateful for the time that Drs. Morrison and Them spent with us. Thank you, as well, to our family community, who understands that this type of professional development allows us to continually improve our work with students. If you are interested in learning more about how anxiety impacts learning, please see Dr. Them’s presentation below as well as the short video she references.

I enjoyed a wonderful potluck dinner at Leonard House with AAG Third Grade families. I am so grateful to be able to host these events after such a long pandemic-induced hiatus. Thank you to the families and students who attended for this yummy meal and engaging conversation. Thank you to the AAPA and Nancy Palluti in our Institutional Advancement Office for organizing the evening! These dinners are great community-builders sponsored by the AAPA, and I hope each class can schedule and attend one.

Tonight, I look forward to our Winter Musical performance of Cyrano De Burger Shack in the Chapel at 7:00 p.m. This musical is fun for all ages and will be a great night out for the audience. Student actors have been working hard on all aspects of the play, and I can’t wait to see it. I hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Chris Lauricella

Head of School

Regional Receptions for The Academies Community

The Office of Admissions is hosting a series of regional receptions for current and prospective families to meet and network with each other. The first regional event will take place at the Saratoga Golf and Polo Club on Tuesday, February 28 from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Drinks and appetizers will be served. To register, please contact the Office of Admissions at (518) 429-2348, by email admissions@albanyacademies.org or by visiting our online registration portal. The Saratoga Golf and Polo Club is located at 301 Church St. in Saratoga Springs. The second regional reception will be at the Chatham Brewing Company on Tuesday, March 7 at 4 p.m.

Family Fun Event

Lower School students and their families visited the Emma Treadwell Nature Center at Thatcher Park as part of the Family Fun events offered by our Admissions Office. The Biologist at the park taught students about animals indigenous to the region, their winter habitats, fur coats, and what and how they eat. After the hands-on learning lesson, the group hiked the trails with one of the park's nature guides to explore the animal's habitats. It was a great way to be with other families at the Academies!

Parent Potluck Dinners

Chris and Kristin Lauricella P'20, '22 hosted a potluck dinner with the AAG Grade 3 class at Leonard House on Monday. Thank you to Kristan Pelletier P'32, '36 and Nancy Palluti P'25 for organizing the event for parents and students. These gatherings are such a wonderful way to reconnect with other families and learn more about each other. We look forward to more of these class events in the coming months.

Mid-Winter Gathering a Big Success

Thank you to Armen Garo '73 for sharing why the Academy prepared him and so many other graduates for tremendous success at the Alumni Association's annual Mid-Winter Gathering. Armen also shared some of his experiences as part of the casts of the acclaimed 2022 movie CODA and HBO’s megahit The Sopranos. Special thanks to Kirk Harbinger ’85 from The University at Albany for hosting the gathering in the ETEC Building on the Harriman Campus and providing a great tour! Pictured here from l-r are Neil Murray '62, P'99, '05, '06, former Trustee and Chair of the Board of Visitors and Armen Garo '73.

NYSSMA Festival Registration

This year The Albany Academies will be participating in the NYSSMA Festival held at Farnsworth Middle School (Guilderland) on May 19 and 20. If you are interested in participating, please see Ms. Kouloriotis for a form to complete or email the following information to kouloriotisa@albanyacademies.org:

• Name
• Grade
• Instrument/Voice Range
• NYSSMA Level
• Is this a Jazz solo? 
• Composition Title
• Required Movements
• Composer/Arranger
• Manual Page Number (if known)
• Preferred Day/Time:  
• Friday PM
• Saturday AM
• Saturday PM
• Cost:
• I-IV $16
• V-VI $24
• All State- $30

All forms/emails must be submitted to Ms. Kouloriotis no later than Friday, March 17th. Please make checks payable to "The Albany Academies."

School Bus Safety

Please help keep our students safe as they board and depart their bus.

• The front circles of the AA and AAG buildings are for bus drop-off only. Please do not park in either circle.
• 5:30pm late buses pick up students after sports in the front circles. There have been incidents reported to the school of cars passing the buses while the red lights are flashing. Please do not pass a bus on school grounds while the red lights are flashing.

School Districts Winter Break Bus Transportation Reminder

The list below indicates districts that will not provide transportation to our students from Tuesday, February 21 through Friday, February 24 due to their district winter break. 

This information was sent to you during the summer months from your home school district however, The Albany Academies felt a reminder was a good idea.

Students residing in these districts will need to find another form of transportation as their home districts will not be in operation:

Averill Park Central School District

Ballston Spa Central School District

Berne-Knox Westerlo Central School District

Bethlehem Central School District

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District

East Greenbush Central School District

Guilderland Central School District

Ichabod Crane Central School District

Mohonasen Central School District

North Colonie Central School District

Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District/Coxsackie

South Colonie Central School District

Troy City School District

Voorheesville Central School District

Please contact your home district with any questions.

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.

Black History Month

February is dedicated as Black History Month, an annual celebration of the achievements of African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. History.

On Wednesday, some of our Upper School students spoke at an assembly about alumni and alumnae of color who have made a significant impact throughout the years. We also welcomed back to campus alumna Amari Duncan '14, Donor Experience Manager at the United Way of the Greater Capital Region, who shared her experiences as a student, athlete, and woman of color at Albany Academy for Girls.

Winter Musical: Cyrano de BurgerShack

An updated, modern-day version of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “Cyrano de Burgershack” tells the story of the eloquent Cyrano, king of the local BurgerShack, who can’t seem to win the love of his best friend, Roxanne.  Then she confesses her love for the attractive new burger-flipper, Christian, and Cyrano decides that playing Cupid and helping the tongue-tied Christian win Roxanne over is better than sitting on the sidelines, how can anything go wrong… 

Come see the first, in Academies' history, fully STUDENT run main stage performances in the Caird Chapel at 7pm on Friday, February 17 and Saturday, February 18.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Join us for this free performance!

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.

From the AAPA

Family Bingo night has been rescheduled to Tuesday, March 14 at 5:30 pm!

It's a fun, free, community-building night planned to chase those winter blues away.

Enjoy pizza and snacks while playing for prizes!

PLEASE RSVP for this event here:

www.albanyacademies.org/family-bingo-night 

A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms

Madame Guidon taught Mrs. Cooney's 1^st grade class about the significance of Mardi Gras.

Afterwards, the students celebrated by making Mardi Gras masks. 

Students from Middle School Sock Puppet Club visited ECA last week to read them a story and sing songs with the 3-year-olds. Middle School students created their own unique puppets from socks and added yarn, fabric, feathers and other craft material to give their puppets a distinct personality. The puppets were a hit!

Grades 3 and 4 students had a wonderful time cup staking in PE Class!

On Valentines Day, the AA Lower School Chorus performed Sing-a-Grams. Faculty, staff and students were treated with songs about friendship, kindness, and Academy life.

Mrs. Steven's Pre-K class created Valentine photo frames and played bingo for a special celebration!

Mrs. Mitsios and Ms. Kouloriotis’ 6th Grade boys participated in Kindness Week by reading to ECA and Lower School classrooms. The sixth graders led this project by selecting age-appropriate, engaging, and entertaining books for their different audiences. Not only was this a way to practice kindness, but it created a great cross-divisional experience for both Middle and Lower School students. 

News from the College Counseling Office

The college counseling team was thrilled to welcome Brendan Corsones, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Notre Dame University as the featured guest speaker for the Sophomore College Night for the Class of 2025. Mr. Corsones was able to offer an in-depth look at the holistic admissions review process and provided sophomores and their parents a breadth of information to consider. The college counseling team is thrilled to start this journey with them!

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 April 18, 2023.

• To order a yearbook for AA enter passcode: 10131170417192 
• To order a yearbook for AAG enter passcode: 101411068383919

Online registration for summer camp is open! 



Space is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis. We have a variety of camps for students entering Pre-K through twelfth grade! 

We have a number of camps already at capacity with a wait list:

Musical Theatre-Grades 3-6

Musical Theatre-Grades 7-12

Science Academy-Robotics & 3D Printing-Grades 5-6 & 7-9

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

Information about Summer Math Credit classes - Algebra 1, Geometry and Pre-Calculus coming soon.

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 and to join the Honorary Committee, please click here. It promises to be a very special evening!

Athletic Competitions - February 17 - 19

Friday, February 17, 2023

3:00 p.m. AA Varsity Swimming @ Sectionals (Away)

3:00 p.m. AA Varsity Hockey - NEPL vs. Nichols School (Away)

Saturday, February 18, 2023

9:00 a.m. AA Varsity Hockey - NEPL vs. Nichols School (Away)

12:00 p.m. AA Varsity Swimming @ Sectionals (Away)

2:00 p.m. AA Varsity Basketball vs. Long Island Lutheran High School (Away)

4:00 p.m. AA JV Squash vs. Berkshire (Away)

6:00 p.m. AAG Varsity Basketball @ Sectionals (Home)

*Please click here to purchase tickets for the AAG Varsity Basketball Sectionals game.

Sunday, February 19, 2023

9:00 a.m. AA Varsity Hockey - NEPL vs. Nichols School (Away)

*Tickets are required to attend NYSPHSAA Section 2 events. Please click here to purchase tickets for the AA Varsity Swimming and AAG Varsity Basketball Sectionals competitions.

February 20, 2023

Presidents' Day - School Closed

February 21, 2023

Day 6

Admissions Visiting Day

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 22, 2023

Day 1

Admissions Visiting Day

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 23, 2023

Day 2

Admissions Visiting Day

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

February 24, 2023

Day 3

AAG Founders Day

Admissions Visiting Day

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

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

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

3:30 p.m. Ski Club

February 28 - Admissions Regional Prospective Family Reception

March 2 - AAPA Meeting

March 3 - Winter Term Ends

March 4 - AA Charter Day

March 10 - Upper School Course Selection Assembly

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