Greetings on this beautiful spring morning!
We are officially in test mode! The 2024 New York State assessment period began last week with our English Language Arts assessments. We will follow with Math testing beginning on May 7 and Science testing on May 14. The NYSESLAT Speaking Test, assessing English language proficiency of all English-language learners, began on April 15 and will continue through May 24. See the complete test schedule below. Students must report to school on time during the testing dates. Please ensure that your child goes to bed at an appropriate time and has healthy meals on assessment days. This is particularly important during testing, as we hope to give all our students every opportunity to succeed.
You should be receiving third-quarter report cards this week and the last quarter of the school year is already underway. With that in mind, please continue to remind your children how important it is for them to focus on academic achievement. Attendance also plays a vital role in your child’s success at school, so we ask that you be aware of the attendance information indicated on their report card. Students are responsible for any missed work during their absence(s), as this will also affect their grades. Parents of eighth-grade students, please be aware of the requirements regarding the Moving-Up Ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, June 26 at 9 a.m. Students eligible to participate in the Moving-Up Ceremony must pass ALL their subjects and be in good behavioral standing.
In our ongoing commitment to enhance safety for everyone in our school community, the City School District of Albany has begun piloting new building entry procedures for all after-school events at Hackett. For the remainder of this school year, all Hackett visitors will be required to check in through our online security system and then proceed through security before entering the building any further. All visitors will be required to provide acceptable ID to be scanned. This process should move quickly; however, we recommend that visitors arrive a few minutes early to events and have valid ID readily available. Visitors lacking valid identification will be required to speak with the building principal. Thank you for your assistance and support as we work together to enhance our safety procedures.
Year-end field trips are coming very soon! The sixth-grade field trip to the Bronx Zoo is scheduled for June 13, the seventh-grade field trip to the Boston Museum of Science is scheduled for June 21, and the eighth-grade field trip to the Museum of Natural History in New York City is scheduled for June 18. Field trips are free for all students. Students are encouraged to bring extra money for snacks and souvenirs. Students interested in participating in the field trips must be in good behavioral standing at the time of the trip. Field trip details and permission slips will be sent home with students in the next week.
The Eighth-Grade Dance for the Class of 2024 will be held on Friday, June 21 from 6-9 p.m. in the Hackett Middle School grand foyer. This is a semi-formal affair, and students should dress appropriately. More information and the permission slip will be made available as we get closer to this event. Students must meet academic and behavioral requirements to participate in this activity.
We hope you have already purchased your 2023-24 yearbook, but if you haven't, please consider visiting our yearbook website and placing your order today. Yearbook orders must be made online at www.treering.com. Once at the website, please use the following code for Hackett: 1016488352114359. The cost for this year’s yearbook is $25. There will be no extra yearbooks available for purchase at the end of the school year, so please order yours today!
Now for our 'Don't Snooze and Lose News'
- If your student-athlete plays a JV or varsity sport, please consider signing up for a shift this season in the Albany Booster Club concession stand! The money made during home games on the AHS turf field supports a variety of extra-curriculars throughout the district.
- Our next PTA meeting is this Wednesday at 7 p.m.
- Fourth-quarter interim grades close Friday, May 17
- NYS testing dates are as follows:
- NYSESLAT speaking: April 15-May 24
- English Language Arts: Grade 7, April 30-May 1
- Math: All grades, May 7-8
- NYSESLAT Listening, Reading, Writing: May 13-24
- Science written test: May 14
- Science written test make-ups: May 16-17
- This is it! Our final musical performance of the school year! We hope you will join us as Hackett Middle School presents its annual Spring Concert and Art Show on Tuesday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m.
- The budget vote is coming! Save the date – Tuesday, May 21. There will be no school on this day.
- School will be closed from Friday, May 24 through Wednesday, May 29 through a combination of Memorial Day weekend and our three unused snow/emergency days. Classes will resume on Thursday, May 30.
- Class of 2024, awesome to the core! Parents of our eighth-grade students, mark your calendars: Hackett's Moving-Up Ceremony is Wednesday, June 26, at 9 a.m. APPROXIMATELY 59 DAYS TO GO!
