The latest news ...
Thank you, Albany!!!
Voters overwhelmingly say yes
to 2012-13
budget proposal
Voters gave overwhelming support to the City School
District of Albany's 2012-13 budget proposal
Tuesday, with nearly 70 percent saying yes. That is
the highest approval rate since 71 percent said yes
in Albany's first school budget vote in 1997.
The $207.7 million budget, which carries a 1.5
percent tax-levy increase, passed 2,892-1,318.
Proposals to sell the former Schuyler Elementary
School/Albany High School and the former Sunshine
Building also passed by wide margins (90 percent and
88 percent, respectively).
Visit the
2012-13 Budget News section for complete
information about the proposals that voters approved
Tuesday.
Registration deadline Friday for
summer academies in Albany's public schools
 The City School
District of Albany once again will offer numerous
summer opportunities for students who will be
entering grades 7-11 for the 2012-13 school year.
There are 11 summer
academies to choose from. Each will be filled on a
first-come, first-served basis, so register today.
The registration deadline is May 18.
Visit our Summer
Academies/Camps section for more information and
to find out how to register online.
Albany High artist's work
garners congressional honorable mention
 A
self-portrait by an Albany High School senior earned an honorable
mention on May 14 in the 2012 Congressional Art Competition for the 21st
Congressional District.
Leeanne Tobler's work, "Self-Portrait in Charcoal" (pictured
at right) was chosen from the best of the best
of 13 local districts that submitted pieces to the
contest, which was sponsored by Congressman Paul
Tonko. (MORE)
Albany High holds record-breaking blood
drive
 For
the second year in a row, Albany High School students and staff rolled
up their sleeves to donate a record amount of blood to the local
American Red Cross.
And the sanguine Albany High senior who's been a
driving force behind this and the school's other
successful blood drives will earn a $400 scholarship
from the Red Cross.
Albany High holds blood
drives three times during each school year. Since
Fahima Muthuvappa (pictured at far right)
started coordinating the drives two years ago, the
number of donors has increased significantly. (Click
the highlighted text to watch a
News10 video clip
about the blood drive and her work on it.) (MORE)
Marching Falcons
extend hand of friendship
 A select group of musicians from the Albany Marching Falcons marching
band on May 10 provided the musical backdrop for a celebration at a
local Hebrew school.
About 30 students from Albany High School, Albany
School of Humanities (ASH) Stephen and Harriet Myers
Middle School, Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and
Technology (TOAST) and William S. Hackett Middle
School helped lead the Lag B'Omer parade for
Maimonides Hebrew Day School on Partridge Street. (MORE)
Albany High trio named '2012 Scholars'
Three Albany High School students were honored Wednesday at the 2012
Scholars' Recognition Dinner.
Seamus Daniels, Amal Hechehouche and Meredith O'Connell were among high
school seniors from 11 neighboring counties nominated by their schools
for outstanding academic achievement, leadership skills and service to
the community and their school.
Besides lauding the students, the Scholars' Recognition Dinner
spotlights the teachers they say have influenced them most. For Daniels,
that was English teacher Jennifer Houlihan. For Hechehouche, it was
science teacher Lawrence Bizzarro. And for O'Connell, it was English
teacher Loren Green. (MORE)
26 apply to lead Albany's public schools
Twenty-six individuals have applied for the City
School District of Albany's superintendent position.
The Board of Education's two-month national search
closed April 30, and the board now will review all
applicants to identify the candidates that will be
invited for first-round interviews later this month.
Second-round interviews with semifinalists in June
will be conducted by panels of community
stakeholders.
Visit our Superintendent Search section for
complete information.
District joins SUNY, community partners
to launch the Albany Promise
 Students
and families in three Albany neighborhoods are the
focus of an ambitious new partnership launched
Monday under the leadership of State University of
New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher.
The Albany Promise Cradle-to-Career Partnership
brings together SUNY and the City School District of
Albany with regional civic organizations, colleges
and elected officials in a commitment to improve the
education pipeline locally. The initiative will
focus on Albany's Arbor Hill, South End and West
Hill neighborhoods.
About 150 people attended the morning launch
ceremony at Giffen. An evening event also is planned
at Albany High School from 6-8 p.m. (MORE)
Four out of
five Albany High
varsity teams earn scholar-athlete kudos
Four out of the five
spring varsity
teams at Albany High School have received scholar-athlete recognition
from the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.
The award is given to teams with a composite grade-point average of 90
or higher. Boys' teams named are track and
tennis. Girls' teams named are track and softball.
Boys' track earned the highest overall average of
95.228. (MORE)
Albany High's select
choir
takes home the gold -- again
They sang three pieces of extraordinarily
challenging music at the most difficult level. And
the judges gave their performance a top rating.
Led by Director Brendan Hoffman, Albany High
School's Select Choir earned a "gold" rating at the
New York State School Music Association's Choral
Festival May 3 at Bethlehem High School.
It's the third gold the ensemble netted in three
years, and its first time competing at Level VI --
the highest degree of complexity. (MORE)
Transportation applications available
for the 2012-13 school year
 City
School District of Albany families have until June
15 to complete applications for bus transportation
for their children during the 2012-13 school year.
Click on the highlighted text for an application for
yellow bus service
(for elementary schools, North Albany Academy and
Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School) or a
CDTA pass
(for transportation to Albany High School and
Hackett Middle School). (MORE)
Spring concert perfomances through June
 Students
in all 15 City School District of Albany schools will
present spring concert performances throughout
May and June. We invite you to join us in
celebrating our talented students by attending one
or more of these performances.
Click the highlighted text for a
school-by-school list of concert times and dates.
District students represent community,
country at world tournament in Japan
 Five City School District of Albany students represented their
community and their country March 24-28 in Tokyo at the 2012 World
Double Dutch Contest.
The students – two from Albany
High School and three from Stephen and Harriet Myers
Middle School – form Nanny’s Double-Dutch team. The
team joined 169 others from around the world and was
one of just two from the United States; Nanny’s
Double Dutch was the only team from New York state in
the competition.
Visit our District News section to read more.
Budding entrepreneurs help launch
credit-union branch at Albany High
 The
credit union at Albany High School is officially in business.
The Falcon Branch of First New York Federal Credit
Union -- so named for Albany High's mascot, the
falcon -- enrolled its first customers Thursday at
its location in the Parent Resource Center. (Click
here to see YNN's coverage of the event.)
Staffed by student volunteers, the branch will be open
Thursdays during the school's four lunch periods.
The student volunteers will be overseen by staff
mentors and a manager of the credit union's Albany
branch, an Albany High grad herself. (MORE)
New phone numbers at Albany High School
Albany
High School has new phone numbers due to an
upgrade of the school’s phone system. Here are
the new numbers for frequently contacted
offices:
•
Main office -- 475-6200
•
Attendance office -- 475-6210
•
Guidance office -- 475-6260
•
Abrookin
Vocational-Technical Center -- 475-6400
•
Citizenship Academy -- 475-6220
•
Discovery Academy -- 475-6230
•
Innovation Academy -- 475-6240
•
Leadership Academy -- 475-6250
•
Athletics office – 475-6310
Click
here to visit Albany High's website and learn
about the exciting things happening there.
District calendar lauds exceptional students
 Two
dozen outstanding students in the City School
District of Albany are recognized in the 2011-12
school calendar.
"Great things are happening in Albany's public
schools" is the theme of the calendar, which
features students from the district's 15 elementary,
middle and high schools.
Click here to find out more about each of these
extraordinary young people with big dreams and
bright futures. District families will receive a
copy of the calendar in the mail this week.
Important safety tips
for families
to review with children
The safety of our students is a top priority
in the City School District of Albany. We would like to remind parents of important safety
tips to review with the entire family.
These tips are intended to keep children
safe while they are walking, biking or riding a bus, as well as anytime they are out
in the community without parental supervision. (MORE)
Information about
pesticide use
The City School District of Albany will provide information to parents,
guardians and staff who want to receive advance notice about pesticide
use.
The district uses
pesticides as a last resort. And when pesticides are used, the district
practices Integrated Pest Management (IPM) -- a process for managing,
preventing and suppressing pests with minimal impact on human health and
the environment. The district hires outside pest-control contractors who
are required to follow IPM procedures. IPM is most successful when
teachers, students, employees and contractors work together.
If you would like to
be notified of pesticide use in the district, please contact the Buildings and
Grounds Office at 475-6160 to request a notification form, or
click here to download the form.
Asbestos plan notification
In accordance with the EPA Asbestos Hazard
Emergency Response Act of 1987 (40 CFR Part
763), the City School District of Albany put in
place a management plan to identify and manage
asbestos building materials.
Periodic surveillances are done every six
months. In addition, abatement projects have
been conducted in conjunction with district’s
facilities project. Specific notifications are
posted in the buildings where projects are done
prior to the start of the abatement work.
The Triennial Re-inspection was completed in
June 2010, reviewing and updating the management
plan for all district buildings.
The Asbestos Management Plan for the district is
kept on file at 33 Essex Street. These records
are available for review. For more information,
contact the Buildings and Grounds Office
475-6160.
Building inspection reports available
In
2010 a team of architects conducted a
building-condition inspection of all school
buildings in the City School District of Albany.
This inspection is conducted every five years;
reports for each
building are available for review. To
receive a copy or for additional information,
call the Buildings and Grounds Office at
475-6160.
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