Happy June!

It has been another fantastic week on campus, with final exams wrapping up and some more presentations of authentic assessments of learning, including a Renaissance Faire hosted by Queen Elizabeth (the First!).

Next week we will celebrate student achievements with various ceremonies across the divisions, leading to the Commencement of the Class of 2023 the following week. In addition, an amazing end-of-year event has been planned for next Tuesday by the AAPA, for which we are incredibly grateful. It should be a nice capstone to an excellent year!

Below you will find information about Christine Vaughan, who will be appointed our new Head of Upper School this summer. I want to take this opportunity to thank Lauren Catlett for her exceptional work this year as Interim Head of the division. Lauren will return to her previous duties as Assistant Head of Upper School next year, including supporting Christine during her transition to The Albany Academies.

Finally, The school urgently needs families willing to host international students and student-athletes. Hosting is supported by a significant monthly stipend to cover all costs. Interested families should contact Dr. Jessica Chen (international students) or Amy McClain (student-athletes) for more details.

Have a great weekend!

Chris Lauricella

Head of School

Upper School Division Director Announcement

We are pleased to announce that Christine Vaughan will join The Albany Academies as Upper School Director, where she will be the academic, cultural, and operational leader for grades 9-12 and post-graduate. Christine will be responsible for the daily operations of the Upper School while continuously developing the program in a way that attracts, retains, challenges, and develops students. 

Christine joins us from The Bethlehem Children’s School where she led a tripling of enrollment and solidifying the school’s financial position. Her initiatives led to a successful summer camp and an after-school program. From a student perspective, Christine and her team implemented a unique nature-based curriculum in the Albany area. She led diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives with the perspectives of all students, faculty, and staff, helping to create a more inclusive culture. In addition, she strengthened the administrative functioning of the school with improved budgeting, fundraising, and governing practices. 

Before leading BCS, Christine had a successful 15-year tenure working with upper school students and faculty as a Dean, Advisor, History Teacher, and Coach at the Kent Denver School and Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School. She holds a BA in Political Science and Psychology from Hamilton College and an MS in Educational Psychology from The College of Saint Rose. 

When she joins us on August 7, Christine will report to Chris Lauricella, Head of School, and be a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Textbook Return Information

BOCES

If you live in a BOCES serviced school district, on June 7th your child will drop their loaned textbooks to designated areas of the AA Pool Lobby and the AAG Library. Classroom teachers in Lower School, and advisors for Middle and Upper School will be advised by the Division Directors regarding drop off times.

BOCES books are barcoded to identify which student the books were assigned to. BOCES now services the following school districts:

• Albany
• Amsterdam
• Averill Park
• Ballston Spa
• Berlin
• Berne-Knox-Westerlo
• Bethlehem
• Bolton
• Brittonkill & Brunswick
• Broadalbin-Perth
• Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
• Cairo-Durham
• Catskill
• Chatham
• Cobleskill Richmondville
• Cohoes
• Corinth
• Coxsackie-Athens
• Duanesburg
• East Greenbush
• Galway
• Germantown
• Glens Falls
• Greenville
• Greenwich
• Guilderland
• Hadley-Luzerne
• Hoosic Valley
• Hudson
• Hudson Falls
• Ichabod Crane
• Lake George
• Mechanicville
• Menands
• Mohonasen
• Niskayuna
• North Colonie
• North Greenbush
• Queensbury
• Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk
• Rensselaer
• Salem
• Schalmont
• Schenectady
• Schodack
• Schoharie
• Schuylerville
• Scotia-Glenville
• Shenendehowa
• South Colonie
• South Glens Falls
• Stillwater
• Taconic Hills
• Voorheesville
• Warrensburg
• Waterford-Halfmoon
• Watervliet
• Wynantskill

Lansingburgh and Troy School Districts

Please return your child's loaned book directly to your school district textbook loan office.

Student Account Reminder

Please check your tuition account, located under the Billing tab on Blackbaud/myAcademies, to be sure your account is settled. Incidental charges such as AP Exam Fees, Extended Day and unreturned athletic gear have been added to student accounts throughout the year. Please direct any questions to Kim Russ in the Business Office.

World Languages Awards

The 8^th grade French classes had three students obtaining the award of Honorable Mention for the National French Contest Exam. They were Lily K., Ava P., and Chris Z. In addition, Henry B., also in 8^th grade, earned a Medaille de Bronze, bronze medal, for his score in the exam.

Last week, 7th and 8th grade students were recognized for receiving high marks on the National Spanish Exam. 

Earning Honorable Mention: Max A., James T., & Soren J.

Earning a Bronze Medal: Noah P.

Earning a Gold Medal: Ignacio G.

Congratulations to all participating students on their accomplishments! 

The 7th grade Latin classes had eight students recognized for receiving high marks on the National Latin Exam. They were Alex S., Ronit A., Rishik A., Patrick G., Patrick V., Ellie D., Vivian M., and Sophia K.

Congratulations!

Renaissance Faire

The AAG Grade 6 students were delighted to welcome Grades 1 - 4 to the Renaissance Faire held on Thursday. After watching a skit featuring some of the most notable figures of the era, students received passports to visit with each of the characters to learn more about them. Each Grade 6 student researched their character as part of their history curriculum over this past year.

Festival for Young Artists

Upper School dancers will be performing in The Adirondack Trust Company's Festival for Young Artists at Saratoga Performing Arts Center this Sunday, June 4. The festival will feature visual and performing art from young artists across the Capital Region that were selected by the SPAC adjudicators. 

Congratulations to Nat M. '23, Aoife C. '23, Chloe P. '24, Zooey H. '25, Grace K. '25, Katie L. '25, and Cameron M. '25 for having their work featured at the festival.

The festival will be held from 2:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. with the students performing at 4:20 p.m. The event is free, but you must register to attend. To register, please visit https://spac.org/whats-on/the-adirondack-trust-company-festival-of-young-artists/

Student Artist: Grace K. '25

Student Artist: Cam M. '25

Student Artist: Nat. M. '23

A Glimpse Into Our Classrooms

Students in Spanish III successfully finished a portfolio project on Immigration in the USA and the current economic and social situation in Mexico. Students gave presentations on various topics about immigration laws and policies and created a video. 

Ms. Brink’s 7th grade science class taking the practical part of their final exam. 

The PreK boys class had the opportunity to show parents their new swim skills they learned in their swim unit of PE class.

AAG third, fourth and fifth graders were invited to participate in Read for Ronald McDonald House. Participants asked friends and relatives to sponsor their reading throughout March. They raised $3,325.70! Thank you to all of the readers and sponsors for helping the families at RMHC! 

(Not pictured Aisling T '31)

Third grade girls just finished reading "Because of Winn-Dixie" which is a book about a stray dog. We made dog treats for Homeward Bound, an organization that helps to place stray dogs.

After AAG Fourth Grade's library performance of "Elephant & Piggie" books last week, AAG first grade was inspired to pair up with their own choice of the much-loved books and take turns reading to one another. Their confidence in reading aloud has progressed immensely through the year.

Summer is quickly approaching, and our camp weeks are filling fast! We currently have limited space available in Little Leap (entering pre-K and kindergarten), Jr. LEAP (entering first and second grade), LEAP (entering grades 3-8) and Immersion Chinese (entering grades 3-5). For detailed information about each program, LEAP blocks to choose your child’s schedule and to register for camp, please visit The Albany Academies Summer Program page.

Upper School Math for Credit Summer Classes

Classes: Algebra 1, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus

Dates: June 20-July 31

Time: 8am-11am

Cost: $1,250

Registration is now open. Click here to view class information. Click here to register for the class.

For math specific questions, please contact Math Dept. Chair, Robert Bischoff at bischoffr@albanyacademies.org

From the AAPA - End of Year Celebration!

The AAPA has planned an End of Year Celebration to close out a fabulous year on June 6 from 11:30 am - 3:00 pm. The faculty have asked for parent volunteers to assist with our students in Preschool through Grade 8. If you would like to help, please use the sign-up link below to see the volunteer opportunities. 

Click here to view volunteer opportunities.

*Please note that due to scheduling matters, we do not have a rain date for this event, so please make a wish for sunny skies that day. 

Golf Outing planned -- Make your reservation and purchase raffle tickets now for great prizes!



Spring is here, and it’s the perfect time to hit the links! Join us on Monday, June 19, at Colonie Golf and Country Club for a fun-filled day of golf. Come out to meet some of our scholar-athletes, purchase raffle tickets, have dinner with us, donate, or join us for a round of golf – no golf experience needed! The cost is $250 per person for golf and dinner and $60 per person for dinner only. To register, purchase tickets to our awards dinner and raffle, or donate, CLICK HERE.

June is Pride Month!

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated annually in June. We want to acknowledge this vital celebration with resources for our Albany Academy community.

Ways to Celebrate Pride Month

• Educate Yourself using the resources below.
• Consider your community's LGBTQIA+ inclusivity.
• Be an Ally
• Become an Advocate
• Attend a Pride Parade or Event. The Capital Region Pride Parade and Festival will be held on June 11 in Washington Park.

Resources:

https://capitalpridecenter.org/

https://www.openlynews.com/

https://www.518capitalpride.com/

June 5, 2023

Day 1

Lower School Field Day

June 6, 2023

Day 2

Middle School Field Day

11:30 a.m. AAPA End of Year Celebration

June 7, 2023

8:30 a.m. Final Assembly (Auditorium)

1:30 p.m. Last Chapel (Caird Chapel)

4:30 p.m. Senior/Faculty Dinner (Class of 1970 Pavilion)

5:30 p.m. Class of 2023 May Project Fair (Michael B. Picotte Field House)

June 8, 2023

8:30 a.m. AA Middle School Closing (Caird Chapel)

10:30 a.m. AAG Middle School Moving Up Ceremony (Auditorium)

1:00 p.m. AAG Kindergarten Graduation (Auditorium)

1:45 p.m. AA Kindergarten Graduation (Auditorium)

June 9, 2023

8:30 a.m. AAG Lower School Closing (Auditorium)

10:30 a.m. AA Lower School Closing (Caird Chapel)

3:00 p.m. Senior Tea (Courtyard)

June 11 - AAG Commencement Rehearsal

June 12 - AAG Commencement

June 12 - AA Commencement Rehearsal

June 13 - AA Commencement

June 14 - 16 - Professional Development Days