The following message is from Acting Principal Linda Martin and Assistant Principal Scott Thompson. You also can read a copy of the message here in a letter that has been mailed to families.
Dear Families,
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the 2021-22 school year at Tony Clement Center for Education – TCCE for short. We are happy to return to our building at 395 Elk St. for the 2021-22 school year, and we look forward to having our students back in school five days a week.
We begin this year with a new administrative team. Please be assured that all of us at TCCE are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment that is conducive to learning for all. We believe our faculty and staff embody the spirit of Tony Clement himself with their unwavering dedication and determination to support our students in their endeavors.
In addition to our employees, we are fortunate to have community partners that provide additional supports for our students and opportunities not found in other schools. This strengthens our ability to help students overcome any obstacle to success whether in school or the community.
Student orientation days
To ensure a smooth transition back to school for all students, the school district has designated Thursday, Sept. 2 and Friday, Sept. 3 as student orientation days. The goal of these two days is to welcome students back to school and provide them with information about school expectations, class locations and arrival and dismissal procedures.
Orientation for students in the Choices Program will be held Thursday, Sept. 2 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Only Choices students should report that day.
Orientation for students in the High School Program will be held Friday, Sept. 3 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Only High School Program students should report that day.
First full day of school
Wednesday, Sept. 8 will be the first full day of school for all students. The school day will begin at 9:10 a.m. Breakfast will be from 9:10-9:30 a.m. Students not eating breakfast at school will have the opportunity to participate in the “Resilience Block.” The school day will conclude at 3:30 p.m.
Health and safety precautions
We also are mindful of the health and safety protocols that remain critically important for all our students, faculty and staff. As we closely monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to align all our efforts with the guidance of federal, state and local health officials, as well as the New York State Education Department and Capital Region BOCES.
For the start of the 2021-22 school year, the following health and safety protocols will be put into place:
- Masks will be mandatory in school for everyone, regardless of vaccination status. Masks will be optional outside on school grounds.
- We will follow three feet of social distancing in our buildings wherever possible.
- In cases where we cannot maintain three feet, we will use polycarbonate dividers as an extra safety measure.
- We will conduct daily temperature screenings for all individuals upon arrival to school.
- We will continue to follow the same hand hygiene, and daily cleaning and disinfecting protocols that we have since the start of the pandemic.
- Masks will be required for all students on buses and we will return to regular capacity guidelines on all buses.
Important upcoming dates
Please mark your calendar for these events:
- Wednesday, Sept. 15 – Open House, time to be determined
- Thursday, Sept. 16 – Yom Kippur, no school
- Friday, Sept. 24 – Block Party, time to be determined
We also have included a flyer with information a variety of ways you can stay informed about what is happening
All in for Albany
A successful 2021-22 school year for our students will require that we all work together. We ask that you review this information at home with your students prior to the start of school, especially the important health and safety components. Now more than ever, it is critical that we are “All in for Albany!”
We look forward to meeting you and your student when the school year begins. In the meantime, please call (518) 475-6525 or email us at lmartin3@albany.k12.ny.us or sthompson2@albany.k12.ny.us if you have questions.
