News and events - 6/10/24

Happy Monday! 

Only two more Mondays left in the school year! I've been doing this for many years, and I still marvel at how quickly the school year flies by. Before the celebrations begin, however, we still have some work left to do. NWEA Math assessments continued through last week and we also began the administration of the NWEA Reading assessment. The Algebra I Regents was administered last Tuesday and the Living Environment Regents is coming up this Friday. Also this month, Hackett is hosting visits for incoming sixth-grade students, including tours of the school and visits to several core and encore classrooms.

We held our final PTA meeting of the school year last Wednesday, and I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all of you who worked so hard this year in service to our school. This work is very important to the experiences our children have here at Hackett and helps shape our learning community on all levels. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve,” so I thank you for being great!

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. The dance is a semiformal affair, and students should dress appropriately. The event is very special for staff as well as our eighth-graders. It's a chance for eighth-grade students to dress up and pamper themselves, to get together with friends, some of whom may soon part ways, and create memories that will last beyond school. For those of us who work at Hackett, it brings a sense of community and family as we celebrate their hard work, growth and maturity over the past three years before we have to say goodbye. More information and the permission slip for the dance will be made available as we get closer. 

Attention parents of eighth-graders: 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 as well as be in good behavioral standing. Mandatory graduation rehearsals will be held on Monday, June 24 and Tuesday, June 25.

Lastly, I would like to give a very worthy shout-out to our Albany Marching Falcons! They are currently in France commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion during World War II (June 6). Band members performed at a memorial ceremony and also posed with photos of their family members and friends who served in World War II. Congratulations on this amazing achievement! Take a moment to watch here.

... and that was the week that was!   

Now for our 'Don't Snooze and Lose News' 

• Summer athletics – The district’s Athletics Department is partnering with the University at Albany Liberty Partnership Rising Stars program on a free five-week Middle School Sports Academy providing sports training and exposure, health and wellness education, academic enrichment and field trips. Deadline to sign up is June 21. Learn more here.
• Fall athletics – If you're interested in playing a modified fall sport, be sure to add these start dates to your calendar and make note of coaching information.
• Attention eighth-grade girls – Students going into ninth grade this fall are invited to attend a tennis interest meeting this Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on the Albany High School tennis courts.
• The sixth-grade team will be on their field trip to the Bronx Zoo on Thursday, June 13.
• The Living Environment Regents will take place on Friday, June 14.
• Fourth-quarter grades close on Friday, June 14.
• The eighth-grade team will be on their field trip to New York on Tuesday, June 18.
• The seventh-grade team will be on their field trip to the Boston Museum on Friday, June 21.
• The Eighth-Grade Dance is Friday, June 21, from 6-9 p.m. in Hackett's grand foyer.
• 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. 

16 DAYS TO GO!