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An exciting new year approaches!
August 2007
As we count down the final days of summer, it is my
pleasure to welcome you back for a new year with the City School
District of Albany!
I hope you’ve had an enjoyable summer and, like all of
us, are looking forward to an exciting, successful year in 2007-08. We
have been busy since June working to ensure continued opportunities for
all of our students to achieve great things in the classroom and beyond.
Of particular note, we have lengthened the school day for
all elementary and middle school students. Future plans also include
increasing the length of the school day for high school students,
however, the daily start and end times for the high schools will not
change this year.
Middle school students will receive an additional 30
minutes of instruction each day this year and elementary students will
receive an additional 15 minutes. Please note carefully the new times
for the school day in my recent letter to you and in the district’s
2007-08 calendar.
You also can find that information on our Web site. We
hope you will use the site throughout the year to stay up to date on
important news and information about our schools.
We also begin the school year making continued progress
in our exceptional facilities project with the renovation of William S.
Hackett Middle School and School 19. We appreciate the support of our
students and families from these schools who will spend 2007-08 in
temporary locations. I know you will be pleased with the results as we
develop one of the finest public-school infrastructures in the Capital
Region.
We also are excited to begin the second year of our
partnership with the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA),
an internationally renowned group of educators that has helped raise
achievement goals and outcomes in urban school districts nationwide.
Albany’s educators have benefited tremendously from the NUA’s
professional development strategies, and we are looking forward to
advancing those efforts in 2007-08.
We are especially excited to be the host city for the
NUA’s 2008 annual conference, “Teaching for Intelligence: Believe to
Achieve,” on March 28-30.
This national event will bring together more than 1,200
educators to discuss the most important educational issues of the day.
Themes for the 2008 conference will include the critical issue of high
expectations for learning for all students.
As we prepare for the school year, an important focus for
the district once again is working together with partners from across
our community in our collective efforts to maintain an educational
environment of high expectations, high performance and constant
improvement. I know that by working together we can build a supportive
environment that will yield excellent results for all students.
My best wishes for a successful year,
Eva C.
Joseph, Ed.D.
Superintendent
of Schools
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