NO SCHOOL: Holiday Recess 12/23–1/1
COMMUNITY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2024
Reflecting on a positive first month of school
As we begin October and shift into full fall mode this week, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on some of the highlights of our first weeks of school.
We had a very positive start to our school year during September, from our energizing opening days, through our Summer Celebration and Safety Day at Arbor Hill Elementary School on Sept. 14 and last weekend’s outstanding Hall of Fame and Homecoming activities at Albany High School – punctuated by big wins for our girls’ soccer and football teams!
I am again reminded daily of the tremendous strengths of our school district, and the exceptional students, families and employees that make us shine. I hope you’ll read on in our first Community Update of 2024-25 to learn more about great things happening over these last few weeks.
As we move on through the fall, we’ll continue to focus on our initial implementation plans from the district-wide communications audit we conducted last winter and spring in partnership with the National School Public Relations Association. We’ll also emphasize recommendations for our Human Resources Division to bolster our processes for recruitment and retention, and to continue our commitment to diversity among our employees, especially in the classroom.
The work of our Cell Phone Use Task Force also began during September. This group of teachers, administrators, parents and guardians, and students has come together to address this timely and critically important issue facing all school districts nationwide. You can watch the video from our Sept. 26 Board of Education meeting for an update.
We also continue to pay close attention to the conversations about cell phone use in school districts throughout the Capital Region, and will watch for guidance from the state in the first months of 2025.
Parents and guardians, for your October planning please remember to sign up for parent-teacher conferences Oct. 24-25. This is an excellent opportunity to check in with teachers on your student’s progress to date. It’s a vital part of the home-school partnership that helps all of our students succeed!
Sincerely,
Homecoming & Hall of Fame 2024
From our Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Albany High girls' soccer 3-0 win over Schenectady in the morning, through the pre-game festivities before the big football win over South Glens Falls and a cameo appearance from Mickey Mouse in the afternoon, Homecoming 2024 was a great day to be a Falcon!
Falcon 5K on Sunday!
Don't forget, the 10th Albany Booster Club Falcon 5K and Fun Run is coming up this Sunday, Oct. 6, in Washington Park.
Registration fees provide funding for the Albany Booster Club to support a variety of extracurricular activities throughout the City School District of Albany. Celebrate the start of the new school year, support our students and our community, and enjoy the beautiful sights of Washington Park!
Hall Monitor Academy: Fall 2024
This new 10-day academy is designed to provide our newest hall monitors with de-escalation techniques and crisis response, familiarize them with safety and security procedures in buildings, meet our school resource officers and develop an overall foundation of skills that will allow them to start out successful from day one.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
We are proud to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month 2024 with celebrations throughout our district, including the Albany International Academy parade pictured above!
Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized each year from Sept. 15-Oct. 15.
Keeping our students warm
A reminder that the City of Albany is collecting donations to support Mayor Sheehan’s annual Cash for Coats drive, which provides new winter coats and other warm clothing items to district students.
You can make donations through Nov. 1.
This year marks the 16th Cash for Coats drive. Since it began, the program has purchased more than 15,000 new coats and tens of thousands of new hats, gloves and mittens for Albany children.
Blood drives save lives
Albany High School hosted its first blood drive of the academic year on Sept. 25 and we are thrilled to share that 62 pints of blood were donated, which will potentially save 183 lives!
It was exciting to see 35 first-time donors participate, and our student coordinators – Anya Stetzer and Nathan Martel – showed exemplary leadership with the support of librarian and advisor Alicia Abdul.
Whalen earns spot in elite choir
Congratulations to Albany High senior Iris Whalen, who has been accepted to perform in the highly competitive Treble Chorus of the Conference All-State Music Festival later this year!
Whalen was chosen from thousands of singers throughout the state after her exceptional performance at last spring’s New York State School Music Association solo festival. She will perform in the All-State Music Festival in Rochester at a Dec. 8 concert at the renowned Eastman School of Music.
If you’ve been to a show at Albany High recently, you’ll likely recognize Whalen from her leading roles in the last two musicals, and her many performances in several school choral groups.
Summer Celebration a big success
More than 400 people turned out for food, music and great prizes at this year’s Summer Celebration and Safety Day at Arbor Hill Elementary School on Sept. 14!
Thanks to our sponsoring partner Mohawk Ambulance – we couldn’t have done it without you! Also, a shout-out to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York for providing some 200 bags of food, and to all our community partners who enjoyed the day with us.
Best of all, thanks to the families and friends who joined us on such a beautiful day!
Looking ahead
Don't forget that you can view our online calendar for a look at all the important events coming up throughout the district and at our schools! Also, be sure the contact email we have on file for you is correct so that you automatically receive regular updates through SchoolMessenger, and don't forget to follow us on our various social media platforms!
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.