William S. Hackett Middle School
Michael A. Paolino, Principal

Judith Collins, Assistant Principal
45 Delaware Avenue, Albany, NY 12202

Ph: (518) 475-6475
Fax: (518) 475-6477
Hackett Web site: http://hackett.albany.k12.ny.us

Michael Paolino to serve as principal in 2009-10

Michael A. Paolino is the new principal at William S. Hackett Middle School.

Mr. Paolino served as interim principal of W. Kenneth Doyle Middle School in Troy last school year and comes to Albany with a passion to help all students succeed.

“I am excited for this opportunity and really looking forward to serving the Albany community as principal of Hackett Middle School,” Mr. Paolino said. “This district has made strong progress in recent years, and that includes significant gains at Hackett.

“I can’t wait to meet the students, families, teachers and staff, and get to work helping continue Hackett and the City School District of Albany on a successful path.” (MORE)

About Hackett Middle School

William S. Hackett Middle School serves students in grades 6-8 and is uniquely organized to educate students of all ability levels, from those struggling academically to those ready to accelerate. The school's environment is upbeat and caring, and there are many opportunities for young people to mature and grow, socially and academically.

Hackett reopened for the 2008-09 school year following a complete renovation of the 82-year-old building. The award-winning restoration and renovation maintains many of the classic architectural elements and blends an array of new elements into a facility that is the jewel of the City School District of Albany's ongoing facilities project to rebuild or renovate its elementary and middle schools. Check out a Photo Gallery highlighting many features of the spectacular new facility.

Upcoming events

• Tuesday, Feb. 9 -- African-American History Month Celebration, 5:30 p.m.

• Wednesday, Feb. 10 -- Honor roll reception, 3:15 p.m.

• Monday, Feb. 15-Friday, Feb. 19 -- Winter recess, no school

• Tuesday, Feb. 23 -- BLT/SDM meeting, 8:05 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Thursday, Feb. 25 -- Science fair set up.

• Friday, Feb. 26 -- Parent viewing of science-fair projects, 3:30-6:30 p.m.

News from the 2009-10 school year

• Hackett students on the air and in the news -- Several students of Spanish teacher Richard O'Riley had their on-air debut AND honed their bilingual skills Sunday during DJ Willlie Colon's live show on WCDB radio. Click here to read the Times Union story on the performance, and click here to view the Capital News 9 clip about the project.

• New gang-education program to be offered in sixth-grade health classes -- The City School District of Albany and the Albany Police Department have launched a new gang-education program for middle school students, the latest initiative in a broad community partnership aimed at expanding services for children and families.

  The Gang Resistance Education and Training program (GREAT) is a component of the four-year, $6 million Safe Schools-Healthy Students federal grant the district received in 2008 in partnership with a coalition of public and private agencies. You can read more about the GREAT program in our District News section.

• Click here to visit the City School District of Albany Photo Gallery.

• School supply lists for 2009-10 -- Download the list of supplies for each grade for the upcoming school year:

  • Grade 6

  • Grade 7

  • Grade 8

School times

• Breakfast beings at 7:40 a.m.

• The school day begins at 8 a.m.

• The school day ends at 3 p.m.

Absence from school
If your child is absent from school for any reason, call the school nurse at 475-6475 during the morning and provide a written excuse when your child returns to school.

2009-10 enrollment

The City School District of Albany has transitioned to a feeder enrollment model for middle school students beginning in 2009-10. Students from designated elementary schools are assigned to either William S. Hackett Middle School or Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School. Each school has about 650 students.

Students in the elementary program at North Albany Academy will continue on in that school's middle-level program, which serves about 150 students in grades 6-8. Visit the District News section to read more about the district's new model for middle school enrollment, including neighborhood zones.

Students who graduate from the following elementary schools will attend Hackett Middle School:

• Arbor Hill Elementary School

• Delaware Community School

• Eagle Point Elementary School

• New Scotland Elementary School

• Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST)

Visit the Middle School Enrollment section for more information.