The following message is from Hackett Principal Michael Paolino and concerns seventh- and eighth-graders who will return to the buildling for in-person learning during the fourth quarter.
Dear Families:
We are excited that your student will be returning for in-person/hybrid instruction during the fourth quarter at William S. Hackett Middle School. I am writing to provide you with details about how the school day will work for our returning students in grades 7-8 and the steps we are taking to maintain healthy and safe learning environments as more of our students return to our school building.
School times
The times for your student’s school day will not change. Whether our students in grades 7-8 are attending school in-person or remotely, the school day will start and end at the same time during the fourth quarter, which begins April 26.
The school day for general education students in grades 7-8 will be 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Students who have selected the hybrid model will have a mix of in-person and distance learning each week. Please see the schedule below. By the end of the fourth quarter, all students will have received in-person instruction for 20 days and distance instruction for 20 days.
First month
| Last name | First day in-person | In-person days | Distance days |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-L | April 26 | M-T-W | Th-F |
| M-Z | April 29 | Th-F | M-T-W |
Second month
| Last name | First day in-person | In-person days | Distance Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-L | June 1 | M-T | W-Th-F |
| M-Z | May 26 | W-Th-F | M-T |
What to bring to school
Students should bring their Chromebook, charger and earbuds to school every day and make sure to charge their device before to coming to school. Students will receive their ID badges on the first day of school, and they should bring those to school every day as well. In addition, students should wear a facemask every day and may bring a container of water to drink.
Busing
Transportation is available for students who live 1.5 miles or more away from school or whose Individualized Education Plan requires specialized transportation. Specialized transportation is provided by First Student; all other transportation for eligible students is provided by CDTA.
Eligible students can ride any CDTA bus in the city to get to and from school. The City School District of Albany also has worked with CDTA to add a second tier of tripper buses to serve our hybrid students in grades 7-8 during the fourth quarter. Trippers for eligible students in grades 7-8 will be scheduled to arrive at school between 7:46-7:50 a.m., and to depart school between 3:08-3:11 p.m. CDTA tripper service for our in-person sixth-graders will stay the same.
CDTA will allow students to ride without an ID for a week to give us time to distribute IDs. After the first week, your student’s school ID will serve as their bus pass if they are eligible.
Arriving at school
Students in grade 8 should enter through the main entrance. Students who ride a yellow bus (First Student) or who are in grade 7 should enter through the cafeteria entrance behind the school.
At each entrance, students will go through routine security screening and have their temperature taken. We will provide every student with a grab-and-go breakfast to eat in their first-period classroom. We also will provide students with a copy of their schedule so they know in which rooms their classes are located. Student schedules also are available via schooltool.
Schedules and changing classes
There will be no change to student schedules. However, students will transition between classes and move through the hallways.
Lunch
Students will eat lunch in the cafeteria for half of their lunch period and be assigned to study hall in their homeroom for the other half of their lunch period (roughly 20 minutes for each). Students will be assigned seats during lunch and each seat will be 6.5 feet apart. The cafeteria will be cleaned and sanitized between lunch shifts.
COVID-19 precautions
All students, faculty and staff must wear a facemask at all times except when eating. Hallways will be marked with signs and other reminders to remain 6 feet apart. Hand sanitizer will be readily available and the importance of clean hands will be stressed. Staff will be on hand to reinforce social distance requirements as students move throughout the building.
In every classroom, desks will be placed at least 6 feet apart. Students will be expected to wipe down their desk as they enter the classroom. We will provide wipes for students to use for this purpose. Health and safety procedures at Hackett and all district buildings continue to include cleaning and sanitizing nightly. We will continue with these procedures.
Other important information
Please remember to complete the health screener for your student each day. If your student is sick and will be out, please call the school and let us know.
Orientation programs for students and families
We will be holding behavior expectation orientation for in-person students on their first day back in the building. We will have a slide presentation to accompany the orientation, and we will make that presentation available to families during the first week.
We also are planning a virtual orientation program for students and families Wednesday, April 21 at 7 p.m.
All of us at Hackett Middle School are very excited that we will see your student in-person, and we also are looking forward to continuing to serve all of our students who have selected distance learning for the rest of the school year. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact me at mpaolino@albany.k12.ny.us or (518) 475-6475.
