Hello! I hope you have enjoyed the summer. It has been a busy one for all of us as we prepare for new challenges and opportunities in what will be a very different new school year.
Our return to school for 2020-21 will be unlike any we have experienced before due to the continued presence of, and precautions related to, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. This includes the difficult cuts to our state and federal aid caused by COVID-19’s deep economic impact.
However, I want to reassure you that, in spite of these challenges, our preparations for 2020-21 have focused on health and safety for all as our top priority. We also have prioritized the delivery of an academically rigorous educational program, including critical social-emotional supports, no matter which instructional model you have chosen for your children. Throughout the City School District of Albany, we are looking forward to welcoming all of our students when the new year begins.
To that end, I would like to share information about our school and student schedules. The first day of the new school year for all students will be a partial day of virtual orientation on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Please follow this link for more information about the school calendar for September, including arrival and dismissal times for students during the week of Sept. 21-25, and for full-day instruction, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Regarding student schedules and teacher assignments, as you can imagine, the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 has forced us several times this summer to put aside one well-developed plan and start building another. After absorbing the reality of the impending state and federal budget cuts last week, we are now in the process of developing final student schedules and teacher assignments. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8, you will be able to access this information through your child’s district Google email account, or our schooltool parent portal – https://schooltool.albany.k12.ny.us/schooltoolweb/. Both the student Gmail account and schooltool portal require your child’s district username and password. You can contact your building principal if you need help with your student’s network login credentials for these platforms.
As always, you also can contact your child’s school if you have more questions. We are looking forward to starting the new year and returning to serving your families as we continue to be “All in for Albany!”
Kaweeda G. Adams
Superintendent
