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Wednesday, January 07, 2009
The Albany Academies e-newsletter
Week of January 5
Happy New Year and welcome back to the first electronic newsletter of 2009!
ACCOLADES
Math Teacher named as WNYT NewsChannel 13 'Top Teacher'
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Deborah Bischoff (pictured at left), a member of the Mathematics Department at the Academies, was recently nominated for and selected as one of WNYT NewsChannel 13's "Top Teachers."
Mrs. Bischoff has been an educator for the past 25 years and is an important part of our school community here at the Academies.
In addition to her teaching and mentoring roles, she has a strong belief in the importance of young people getting involved with community service efforts. |
She will be interviewed soon by Elaine Houston of WNYT and a 2-minute story will air on her later this month. She will also take part in a special recognition dinner in May with other teachers selected for this honor from throughout the Capital Region.
Academies students selected for Colonial Council Music Festival
Sixteen Academies students have been selected to participate in this year's Colonial Council Music Festival on Saturday, February 7 at 2:30 p.m. at Voorheesville Middle/High School.
Seven of our Middle School students will be participating with the Junior High Chorus and nine of our Upper School students will be participating with the High School Chorus. Each ensemble is made up of top students from schools throughout the Capital Region.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children & seniors. Make sure to save this date and come support our students!
Boys Varsity Basketball Team excels in tournament
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Congratulations to our Boys Varsity Basketball Team for its outstanding showing in the Thomas Jefferson bracket at the KSA Tournament in Lake Buena Vista, FL at the end of December.
The boys made it to the championship game before losing a hard fought battle against Los Alamitos -- the 12th ranked Class 2A team in California.
Pictured (left to right) holding up the team's plaque for its impressive performance are Rachel Gallucci '21 and Jack Fruscio '22. |
In other athletics news, Madison Daly '10 of the Girls Varsity Ski Team was recently nominated for and selected as a Dunkin' Donuts High School Sports Player of the Week by WNYT NewsChannel 13. Madison is an accomplished scholar-athlete who finished in the top 5% of skiers in each race that she participated in during the 2007-2008 season and was selected as an alternate for the Section II State Team.
Andrew Catalon from WNYT will be interviewing Madison and her coach, Dennis Centofranchi, on January 13 at Willard Mountain. The story will air on January 27 during the 6 p.m. broadcast.
Special recognition to Sarah Kandath '11 for being selected the "Athlete of the Fall" for tennis by the Times Union.
Special recognition to Stephen Quilinan (Form VI) for being selected as the "Athlete of the Fall" for golf by the Times Union and to Jimmer Bennett (Form VI), Prosper Muna (Form VI) and Jamel Fields (Form V) for being named to the Times Union All-Area Football Team.
Amadou Gueye (Form VI) won the 55-meter hurdles competition with the leading time in the country in the Bishop Loughlin Games on December 20 at The Armory in Manhattan. The Bishop Loughlin Games is a track meet that attracts very talented athletes from all over New York State and New Jersey.
Academies receives honorable mention in 2009 CASE II Accolades Awards
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We are pleased to announce that our new publication A2, The Albany Academies Magazine recently received an Honorable Mention in the Magazines (Independent Schools, 4-color) category in the prestigious 2009 CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) II Accolades Awards.
CASE District II is a regional organization of advancement professionals in the areas of alumni relations, communications and philanthropy.
Its purpose is to advance the knowledge and wisdom of its colleagues through district training programs, communication vehicles and networking opportunities. |
The CASE II Accolades Awards program recognizes excellence in 40 different categories, including alumni relations, communications, design, development, grant writing, magazines, marketing, news writing, photography, portals, publications, and Web. This is a tremendous honor for The Albany Academies to garner for its publication efforts.
Good Morning America profiles Academy graduate
ABC's Good Morning America will be airing a story on Christopher Cuomo '88 this Thursday, January 8 between 7 and 9 a.m.
Chris will be taking on a new role with Good Morning America and the program will be profiling his background and education.
Academies student performing in RENT at Cohoes Music Hall
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Maya Kurchner '11 will be performing in the school edition of Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway musical RENT at Cohoes Music Hall.
The production will run from this Friday, January 9 to Sunday, January 18 with each performance beginning at 8 p.m.
For more information, visit www.cohoesmusichall.com. |
IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS
Don't miss the Alumni Hockey Game on January 10
Please plan on joining us for the Annual Alumni Hockey Game this Saturday, January 10 beginning at 11 a.m. at the Robison Family Hockey Arena in The Albany Academies Field House.
Lunch will be held in The Buttery after the game at 12:30 p.m. followed by the Boys Varsity Hockey Team facing Worcester Academy.
We encourage you to bring your family to this event to interact with Academy graduates and support our hockey program.
Please RSVP to the Office of Alumni/ae Relations at (518) 429-2425 or reddingm@albanyacademies.org.
Mandatory college program for juniors scheduled for January 8
A mandatory college program for juniors and their parents will be held this Thursday, January 8 at 7 p.m. in the East Campus Auditorium.
The event will include a series of college admissions workshops presented by admissions officers from Tufts, Skidmore, RPI and Siena.
Spread the word about these upcoming Admissions events
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Our upcoming Entrance & Scholarship Exam dates include this Saturday, January 10 at 9 a.m.; Sunday, January 25 at noon; and Saturday, February 7 at 9 a.m.
The Entrance Exam is required for students applying to grades 5-12; students applying to grade 9 are eligible for a Merit Scholarship by taking the Scholarship Exam. |
The next Open Houses will be held on Tuesday, January 27 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. for ECA, Pre-K and Kindergarten programs and Wednesday, January 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Register online for the January 27 Open House.
Register online for the January 28 Open House.
Please help spread the word to your family and friends about these upcoming dates. Students entering 9th grade in the 2009-2010 school year will be a part of the historic 200th year graduating class of the Academies (1813-2013).
For more information, contact Director of Admissions Bramble Buran at (518) 429-2300 or buranb@albanyacademies.org, or Associate Director of Admissions Drew Lentz at (518) 429-2300 or lentza@albanyacademies.org.
Thomas Flynn '65 to address Academies audience
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Thomas Flynn '65 (pictured at left) will serve as the guest speaker at The Albany Academy Alumni Association's Mid-Winter Dinner on Wednesday, January 21 at 6 p.m. at Jack's Oyster House in Albany.
He will also be the next presenter in our Alumni/ae Speaker Series on Thursday, January 22 at 2:30 p.m. in Caird Chapel on the West Campus. Mr. Flynn will take part in a book signing following his presentation.
He recently had a new book titled Bikeman released that details his account of the events of September 11, 2001 -- the first epic poem to be published in the United States in almost 100 years. |
Please RSVP to the Office of Alumni/ae Relations at (518) 429-2432 or collins-schroedera@albanyacademies.org.
Mark your calendars for 'State of the School' on January 22
We encourage you to plan on attending the second annual "State of the School" meeting set for Thursday, January 22 at 7 p.m. in Caird Chapel on the West Campus.
At this forum, Head of School Richard F. Barter, AAPA President Deb Nelson, academic leaders and Board of Trustees members will discuss school initiatives, the budget and the Strategic Plan.
We strongly encourage your attendance at this event!
2009 Coaches vs. Cancer High School Challenge set for January 25
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The 2009 Coaches vs. Cancer High School Challenge -- hosted by The Albany Academies -- will be held on Sunday, January 25 at the Times Union Center in Albany.
All proceeds from this event will go to the American Cancer Society.
Both our Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball Teams will be playing in the tournament. Other schools competing include Bethlehem, Bishop Maginn, Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, Mohonasen, Newburgh Free Academy and Schalmont. |
The schedule is as follows:
Noon AAG Girls Varsity Basketball Team vs. Schalmont
1:45 p.m. Mohonasen Boys Varsity Basketball Team vs. Bethlehem
3:30 p.m. Bishop Maginn Boys Varsity Basketball Team vs. Boys and Girls High School
5:15 p.m. AA Boys Varsity Basketball Team vs. Newburgh Free Academy
Watch for upcoming ads about the event in the Times Union on January 18 and 22.
Please join us for an international festival
The International Student Committee, the Parents Association and Madame Keegan have been busy working on the International Taste of the World Festival scheduled for Saturday, February 28 from 3-5:30 p.m. on the East Campus.
We encourage all families to participate in this celebration of our community's diverse heritage. More information will be forthcoming.
Contact Madame Keegan at keegand@albanyacademies.org with any questions.
Join us for an evening of music & magic...
Planning is currently underway for the Academies' Spring Gala -- An Evening of Music & Magic set for Saturday, April 18 at The Franklin Terrace in Troy.
This year's event will showcase the artistic and musical talents of our students. Proceeds from this major fundraising effort will benefit our scholarship funds.
For more information, contact Director of Annual Giving Susan K. Tobin at (518) 429-2448 or tobins@albanyacademies.org.
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST
Parent Satisfaction Survey coming out soon
Parents at the Academies are among the most valuable members of our community. Therefore, we are encouraging all of you to take the time to complete a "Parent Satisfaction Survey" that will be sent out electronically in the next several days.
We appreciate your feedback and hope that you will take the time to complete this brief survey.
Summer Camp information coming soon
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Many of you may have begun searching for summer camp opportunities and programs that have the right mix of academic offerings, sports and the arts. You may also be looking for special sessions like SAT Prep courses, drivers education and tutoring programs.
For many years, The Albany Academies has provided unique camps such as LEAP, classic day camp and sports camps... and we will continue to do so in 2009. |
We are also very excited to announce three separate weeks of a new science camp "just for girls" ages 8-14 and a week for boys and girls ages 11-14 to be offered in partnership with the Children's Museum of Science and Technology; a drivers education course; and SAT Prep programs.
There will be lots more information coming, so please stay tuned. A postcard and brochure will be mailed shortly but make sure to check our website for updates over the next several months. We look forward to providing your children and the community with a special summer camp experience in 2009!
For more information or to provide names for our mailing list, contact Director of Operations Pam MacAffer at macafferp@albanyacademies.org or Director of External Affairs Ann Wendth at wendtha@albanyacademies.org.
Strategic Planning efforts continue
With the efforts of parents, alumni/ae, faculty and board of trustees members, a draft of the strategic plan is now being reviewed by the task force committees with the intent of presenting it at the January 20 Board of Trustees meeting.
George McNamee '64, Chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and a member of the Board, will be discussing the plan at the State of the School meeting on January 22 in Caird Chapel.
Please contact Academic Dean Stacey Giordano at giordanos@albanyacademies.org or Mr. McNamee at gmcnamee@nycap.rr.com with any feedback or questions.
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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