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Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Albany Academies e-newsletter
Week of January 11
8th grade play to be held this afternoon!
Pictured (left to right) are Antonia Fiore & Katharine Shadlock; Alessandra Aiello, Lauren Hoffman, Eliza Mineaux, Tanya Bakshi, Annie Bilinski, Micaela Stevens & Mahalia Cummings; and Gabrielle Guzman, Kayla Owens & Sarinah Pond rehearsing for the 8th grade production of "The Tale of Snow White."
The 8th grade girls will conduct a performance of Barbara Lennon's "The Tale of Snow White" (a take-off on Snow White) today at 5:30 p.m. in the AAG Auditorium. All Academies families and students are welcome to attend.
Led by play director Marisa Bellingrath, the girls have taken complete ownership of the play over the past two weeks -- assigning roles and learning their lines; designing sets, props and costumes; and preparing to present the play to a captive audience. This project has been a tradition at Albany Academy for Girls for more than 50 years!
Please join us this afternoon! A reception will immediately follow the play.
There will also be a special story in next Wednesday's Spotlight Newspapers about the play featuring Ms. Bellingrath and some of the 8th grade girls.
Parent Giving on the rise!
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We are happy to report that parent participation in the Annual Fund is on the rise. As of December 31, 2009, 25% of parents have made a gift to the Annual Fund. Thank you so much to all those who have contributed and continue to support the future of our school.
The Annual Fund accounts for nearly 8% of our annual operating budget. Gifts to the Annual Fund have an immediate impact as they support the day to day operations of our school. We still need your support to reach our goal of 65% participation by June 30.
Visit our Parent Giving page to find out how your class is doing or to make a donation.
If you have any questions, please contact Director of Institutional Advancement Kimberly Verstandig at (518) 429-2431 or verstandigk@albanyacademies.org. |
An 'out of this world' experience
Our Kindergarten boys -- led by faculty member Victoria Hays -- took part in an "out of this world" experience on Monday as the Scotia-Glenville Children's Traveling Museum visited the Academies to conduct a program titled "Journey Through Our Solar System."
The boys are currently studying the universe in class, including learning about each planet and gathering facts about them; creating a space poem; and making paper mache planets.
During the presentation from the traveling museum, the students discovered what makes our solar system so exciting and even had the chance to try on an astronaut helmet. The traveling museum visits schools throughout the Capital Region to offer unique educational and cultural opportunities to students.
Academies students to perform in musical
Three Academies students -- Kiley Hinkle '12, Dana Gough '11 & Evan Russum (Form II) -- will be performing in a production of "Footloose" from January 14-17 at Cohoes Music Hall.
This will be the second C-R Kids production featuring high school students from throughout the Capital Region. Congratulations to our students and best of luck with the production!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Limited spots remaining in Drivers Ed course
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Spots are filling up fast for the new Drivers Education program that we will be offering this spring through Bell's Auto Driving School.
This non-credit course will include 24 hours of classroom instruction and 24 hours of road instruction. |
Students must have a valid New York State Learner's Permit or license prior to taking the program and must be 16 years old by February 1. Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be issued an MV-285 Student Certificate of Completion.
The program will begin with an orientation on February 4 and the course (both classroom work and driving) will run from February 6 through approximately June 12. The cost will be $425 for Academies students and $450 for non-Academies students; a minimum of 16 students is required to conduct the program.
If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Director of Operations Pam MacAffer at (518) 429-2439 or macafferp@albanyacademies.org. We will be offering the Drivers Ed course as part of Summer Camp 2010 as well.
Open House -- January 26 & 27
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We encourage all Academies families to tell their friends and colleagues about our upcoming Open Houses on both campuses.
The Open House set for Tuesday, January 26 from 9:30-11 a.m. is for all families looking to enroll their children in Preschool, Pre-K or Kindergarten at the Academies. Prospective families for the January 26 Open House should meet at either AAG for the girls program or AA for the boys program. Please note that all those interested in the Preschool program should meet at AA. |
The Open House scheduled for Wednesday, January 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. is geared towards families looking to enroll their children in Preschool through Grade 12. The event will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. with a welcome in Caird Chapel. Attendees will then be able to meet with faculty members and receive tours of either AAG or AA.
For more information, contact Director of Admissions Bramble Buran or Associate Director of Admissions Drew Lentz at (518) 429-2300 or buranb@albanyacademies.org or lentza@albanyacademies.org, respectively.
Coaches vs. Cancer High School Challenge -- January 31
Pictured (left to right) are members of the AA Varsity Basketball Team in action.
Are you interested in helping out with a great day of hoops for a great cause? We are seeking parent volunteers to assist with the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer High School Challenge on Sunday, January 31 at Siena College.
Proceeds from this event -- hosted by The Albany Academies -- benefit the American Cancer Society.
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Director of External Affairs Ann Wendth at (518) 429-2385 or wendtha@albanyacademies.org by January 27.
The schedule of games is as follows:
Noon -- Guilderland vs. Cohoes
1:45 p.m. -- Guilderland vs. Mohonasen
3:30 p.m. -- Newburgh vs. Bishop Maginn
5:15 p.m. -- The Albany Academy vs. Nichols
The gates for the event open at 11:30 a.m.
Tickets are just $5 per student for an all-day pass, $7 per person and $15 per family.
Important note about next AAPA meeting
Please note that the next Albany Academies Parents Association meeting is set for Tuesday, February 2 at 8 a.m. in the Board of Trustees Room.
The meeting will also include the Drug & Alcohol Awareness presentation originally scheduled for February 4. The featured speaker will be Patricia Zuber-Wilson, Director of Legislative and Community Relations in the New York State Office of Government Affairs, Grants Management and Interagency Collaboration.
She will focus her remarks on what parents should know about underage drinking, peer pressure and other concerns of teenage behavior. More details will follow over the next few weeks about the program.
All parents are encouraged and welcome to attend.
Wellness Day -- February 3
Wellness Day 2010 will be held for all Upper School students on Wednesday, February 3. The day will begin with a "Wellness Wisdom" keynote address from Benita Zahn of WNYT NewsChannel 13.
In addition, the event will feature a presentation from Nancy Bruno about her "Beautiful Women/Genuine Men" exhibits through an interactive presentation. Her exhibits will be on display in the Main Hallways of both campuses from February 1-5.
Wellness Day will also feature a variety of workshops on topics such as pilates, self-defense, athletic training and relationships.
For more information, contact Upper School Counselor Patricia DeVost, LCSW at (518) 429-2300 or devostp@albanyacademies.org.
State of the School -- February 10
We hope that you will join us for the Annual "State of the School" meeting on Wednesday, February 10 beginning at 7 p.m. in Caird Chapel.
This annual event is an opportunity to hear from our Head of School about his vision for the Academies and the importance of collaboration with parents.
We hope that you can join us; more information will be forthcoming over the next few weeks.
Arts camp to be offered during March break
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We are pleased to report back that there were several parents interested in participating in a special arts camp in partnership with The Arts Center of the Capital Region during March break. Thank you to those who responded!
We will now go forward and coordinate the details and send them to you early next week.
If you have any questions, please contact Director of External Affairs Ann Wendth at (518) 429-2385 or wendtha@albanyacademies.org. |
8th grade trip to be rescheduled for March
AAG Preschool through Grade 8 Director Susan Rimkunas and AA Pre-K through Grade 8 Director Jeff Brown are currently in the process of rescheduling the 8th grade trips to New York City and Boston for March 25 & 26. Information will be sent home as soon as these dates are confirmed.
Do you have a special family tradition?
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We will once again be hosting the International Taste of the World Festival on Saturday, March 27 in the Silipigno Athletic Facility.
This special event celebrates our diverse school community and features an afternoon of cuisine from dozens of countries represented by our families, international dance demonstrations and other fun activities.
If your family would like to participate, please complete our registration form and return it to World Languages Chair Madame Keegan by February 12. We hope that you can join us for this exciting event!
CLICK HERE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TASTE OF THE WORLD FESTIVAL REGISTRATION FORM. |
Spring Gathering 2010 -- April 17
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We encourage you to make plans to attend the annual Spring Gathering auction & gala set for Saturday, April 17 from 6-10 p.m. at The Franklin Plaza in Troy. The event is just three months away!
As a current parent, you received an invitation recently to support this annual gala by becoming a member of the Honorary Committee.
Proceeds from Spring Gathering support the scholarship and financial aid programs at the Academies. |
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE SPRING GATHERING HONORARY COMMITTEE.
For more information regarding sponsorship and advertising opportunities, please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at (518) 429-2432 or collins-schroedera@albanyacademies.org.
Albany Children's Book Festival exhibitor opportunity
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Plans are well underway for the Second Annual Albany Children's Book Festival -- "Opening books... opening minds" -- on Saturday, May 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Already, nearly 40 children's authors and illustrators have confirmed that they will be joining us at AAG for the event -- hosted by The Albany Academies -- to sign books, give presentations and conduct workshops. |
This is a special opportunity for our school to promote literacy and the love of books to children and families in our region and we hope to draw hundreds of families from throughout the Capital Region to the Academies on May 15. There will be refreshments and many activities for children throughout the day.
As part of the festivities, we are offering nonprofit organzations that offer programs and services to children an opportunity to become an exhibitor at the event. If you are interested in participating, please contact Director of External Affairs Ann Wendth at (518) 429-2385 or wendtha@albanyacademies.org.
More information will follow over the next few months; however, if you are interested in volunteering for the Book Festival, please contact Tammie Jones at tammielj@aol.com.
There are many ways to get involved!
ATHLETICS
Highlights of the week in athletics
CLICK HERE FOR AAG RESULTS.
CLICK HERE FOR AA RESULTS.
All athletic schedules -- Varsity, Junior Varsity, Freshman and Modified -- for the winter season are available in the Athletics section of our Academies website.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
The Albany Academies is committed to developing the potential of the whole individual by building a community that fosters scholarship, leadership, character, service, and creativity. Our Compass of Core Values includes responsibility, self-discipline, compassion, ingenuity, respect, service, integrity and perseverance.
If you have any questions or comments about this electronic newsletter, please contact Ann Wendth, Director of External Affairs, at (518) 429-2385 or wendtha@albanyacademies.org, or Adam Doling, Communications Associate, at (518) 429-2344 or dolinga@albanyacademies.org.
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2010-2011 ACADEMIC CALENDAR
SPRING/SUMMER 2010 ISSUE OF A2 ACADEMIES MAGAZINE
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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