April 21 district updates

  • Posted April 21, 2020
Myers teacher Ashley Gaston and student Victoria Penman

Ashley Gaston (left) and Victoria Penman

Perspectives in Online Learning

Tuesday's installment of Perspectives in Online Learning features a vignette from Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School eighth-grade ELA teacher Ashley Gaston as well as a video from one of her students, Victoria Penman.

Perspectives in Online Learning is a forum we have created to allow teachers and students to share their experiences with virtual teaching and learning. We will highlight a new vignette or video each day while schools are closed due to COVID-19. 

We hope you enjoy hearing the perspectives of your colleagues and our students!

Telehealth physicals for working papers

For students seeking working papers who have not had a physical exam within the past year, City School District of Albany Medical Director Dr. Laura Staff can provide a telehealth physical to assist students in obtaining the required Physical Fitness Certification. 

Parents and guardians should contact their child’s school counselor for assistance in arranging a date and time for a telehealth appointment with Dr. Staff. For more information about working papers, please visit our Pupil Personnel Services section. 

Board meeting Thursday

The Board of Education will meet remotely Thursday evening and will continue development of the 2020-21 budget proposal. The public meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the meeting once again will be held online due to COVID-19.

The public portion of the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. You will be able to access the meeting here. 

•    The username to access the public live stream is: meet@albany.k12.ny.us
•    The password is: albany2020
•    If you choose to listen by phone, please dial (415) 655-0001. The attendee access code is: 24512109.

Mindfulness resources

Whether you're looking for live guided meditations connecting you to others, a quick practice to help you find your ground or a free course on how to meditate, check out these free mindfulness resources to find calm and nourish resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The state also is partnering with Headspace to provide New Yorkers with free meditation and mindfulness resources. New Yorkers can access a collection of free guided meditations, along with at-home mindfulness exercises and additional resources to help address rising stress and anxiety. 

Calm.com also provides free melodies to invite peace comfort into the mind and heart. 

COVID-19 testing sites in Albany

Whitney Young Health Center at 920 Lark Drive is open each weekday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. for COVID-19 testing. Please note that all testing is by appointment only, after being screened for symptoms over the phone. To be screened, please call (518) 465-4771.  

Albany County also is offering COVID-19 testing in Albany by appointment at these locations for the rest of this week: 

  • Wednesday, April 22 -- Capital South Campus Center, 20 Warren St., noon-4 p.m.
  • Thursday, April 23 -- Bleecker Terrace Apartments, North Manning Boulevard, 9 a.m.-noon
  • Friday, April 24 -- Capital South Campus Center, 20 Warren St., noon-4 p.m.

The county will announce new days and times for these locations on a weekly basis. Please visit the county’s website for updates and more information. 

Resources for talking with children about COVID-19

The Pupil Personnel Services Department would like to share the following resources with helpful guidance on talking with children about COVID-19. 

•    National Association of School Psychologists: Guidelines for talking to children about COVID 19
•    ChildMind Institute: Supporting families during COVID-19
•    The Daily Reporter (Spencer, Iowa): Talking to kids about coronavirus

You can find these and additional resources for supporting children, teen-agers and adults in the social-emotional resources section of our COVID-19 Information page. We also have additional information about support resources for staff in the reminders section of this document. 

Change of address reminder

This is a reminder that all address changes still require proof of new residency. This includes an electronic or photocopy of a photo ID and two proofs of address in the name of at least one of the student’s parents or guardians; those proofs must have been issued in the last 30 days. 

The official Change of Address form is available on our website. 

Office hours for secondary students

You may have noticed in our Google Classroom schedules for middle and high school students that each day includes office hours in specific subject areas. 

Office hours are a regular part of the schedule for college students. We built this concept into our online teaching and learning schedules at the secondary level to provide students with opportunities to ask questions and get extra help outside of the regular instructional periods in each subject.

Students can drop in on office hours during each regularly scheduled time slot simply by logging in to their Google Classroom in each specific subject. 

Meal program updates

The district has served more than 90,000 meals during the school closure and has expanded our meal delivery service again this week to allow us to serve even more families. 

As a reminder, we have seven school locations for our “grab and go” meal pickup service in addition to our 20 daily delivery routes. The school sites are open each weekday from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.:

  • Albany High School (Washington Avenue entrance), 700 Washington Ave.
  • Albany School of Humanities (ASH), 108 Whitehall Road
  • Arbor Hill Elementary School, 1 Arbor Drive
  • Giffen Memorial Elementary School, 274 South Pearl St.
  • Schuyler Achievement Academy, 676 Clinton Ave.
  • Tony Clement Center for Education, 395 Elk St.
  • William S. Hackett Middle School, 45 Delaware Ave.

Chromebook distribution

The district has distributed approximately 2,200 Chromebooks to students and families and is continuing efforts to meet the needs of families that are without computer access at home. We also are working to obtain and distribute hotspots to help the approximately 550 families we have identified with no Internet connection at home. Both of these processes will continue to be managed through the schools.

Families can help us in this process in two ways. When you talk with your child’s teacher, please let them know that you have a need for computer access at home. Your teacher will help gather the necessary information. Families also can call their child’s school and leave a message with the following information:

  • Student name
  • Student grade
  • Student ID number (if available)

Following this process will help us meet the needs as efficiently as possible moving forward. 

Technical support for students and families

The City School District of Albany’s Technology Help Desk is available to assist students and families with issues related to connecting a Chromebook to wireless access points, or with student login to the Chromebooks or the Clever suite of applications.

You can reach the Technology Help Desk from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. each weekday at (518) 475-6195. 

Please note that the Help Desk cannot assist with matters related to use, content or activities within any of the district instructional applications or Google Classroom. Questions regarding the use of Google Classroom, instructional resources, learning tasks or expectations related to instructional content should be directed to each student’s teacher or principal. 

You also can find instructions and other helpful Google Classroom guidance in our online instruction section.

Free WiFi opportunities

We would like to provide these reminders about WiFi access for Albany families.

  • The City of Albany has partnered with FirstLight Fiber to offer Albany FreeNet, a free high-speed WiFi service. Any WiFi-enabled device – laptops, smart phones, PDAs, etc. – can connect to the network wirelessly wherever there is coverage. For more information, including a coverage map, you can visit http://albanyfreenet.net/.
  • WiFi at all Albany Public Library branches and two city parks (near Lincoln Park pool and Washington Park playhouse and skate park) remain turned on, so you can access them if you are in close proximity to those locations.
  • Charter Communications is offering free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription and at any service level up to 100 Mbps. To enroll call 1-844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households.
    • Charter will continue to offer Spectrum Internet Assist, high-speed broadband program to eligible low-income households delivering speeds of 30 Mbps.
    • Charter will open its WiFi hotspots for public use.
      • Check out this online map to help you find free WiFi locations nearest to you.

Mental health hotline

Along with the impact the COVID-19 outbreak is having on physical health, we can't underestimate the impact this pandemic is having on mental health. 

More than 6,000 mental health professionals have volunteered their time to help with New York’s response to COVID-19. For free emotional support, consultation and referral to a provider, call 1-844-863-9314. 

Domestic violence resources

The New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence has a message for victims during these challenging times: You are not alone. Please call the New York State Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline at 800-942-6906 for information on domestic violence resources in our community. You also can access these resources online.  

Health insurance assistance

NY State of Health is committed to ensuring access to affordable, quality health insurance for all New Yorkers so they can get the care they need during the COVID-19 crisis. 

Many New Yorkers are likely to be eligible for health coverage with financial assistance through NY State of Health due to their loss of coverage and income. NY State of Health opened a Special Enrollment Period last month to provide a safety net for people who are uninsured in difficult times like this. 

You can apply for health insurance immediately through NY State of Health. If you lost employer coverage, you must apply within 60 days of losing that coverage. 

Because of a loss of income, New Yorkers may also be eligible for Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus or subsidized Qualified Health Plan coverage. 

Visit NY State of Health online for more information. You also can contact the Marketplace directly at (518) 486-9102 or NYSOH@health.ny.gov.

Be counted for Albany in the 2020 Census – from home!

This is an important reminder that in spite of the closures and significant precautions in place due to COVID-19, the 2020 U.S. Census is underway. The Census Bureau is carefully monitoring the situation and follows the guidance of federal, state and local health authorities.

The most important thing you can do is respond online, by phone, or by mail when you receive your invitation. Responding now will minimize the need for Census Bureau workers to be out in communities following up. Help your community – and help the Census Bureau adhere to social-distancing guidelines – by responding online to the 2020 Census. Do your part. Stay home. Get counted.

OCFS childcare survey

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services is asking parents, guardians and caregivers who are in need of childcare to complete a Parent Need for Childcare survey. 

Based on the information collected in this survey, OCFS may be able to help families find the childcare program to meet their needs. It may be a challenge to find childcare due to COVID-19-related closures. However, OCFS is trying its best to support families to find high-quality childcare programs.

The OCFS website also has several resources available.

YMCA childcare partnership

The district is partnering with the YMCA to offer childcare services for health and emergency-response personnel. The YMCA is administering and staffing the program, which operates from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. daily at the following six schools:

  • Arbor Hill Elementary School, 1 Arbor Drive
  • Eagle Point Elementary School, 1044 Western Ave.
  • Giffen Memorial Elementary School, 274 South Pearl St.
  • New Scotland Elementary School, 369 New Scotland Ave.
  • Schuyler Achievement Academy, 676 Clinton Ave.
  • Sheridan Preparatory Academy, 400 Sheridan Ave.

The program has a limited capacity, with a maximum of 30 children per school (three classrooms with 10 children). The YMCA is staffing each room with two employees.

Online registration is available. Health and emergency personnel needing childcare are also welcome to call the YMCA at (518) 869-3500.

Picking up medications at school

In the event of an emergency, parents and guardians who need to pick up medication that is currently stored at school can contact Health Services Coordinator Suzanne McCarthy to schedule a time to pick up the medication.

Parents and guardians can contact the health services coordinator at (518) 475-6730 or smccarthy@albany.k12.ny.us. They should be sure to include their child’s name and school, and the best phone number where they can be reached. The health services coordinator will contact them to make arrangements to pick up medications.

National Grid assistance

National Grid has put a number of practices in place to assist families and lessen financial hardships during the COVID-19 crisis. These practices will remain in place until at least the end of April. They include the suspension of collections-related activities and service disconnections, more flexible billing and payment options and crisis intervention support for customers in need. 

Visit National Grid’s COVID-19 Information section for more information and ongoing updates.