COMMUNITY UPDATE
OCTOBER 2023
A new year with a more familiar feeling
With our school year well underway, we wanted to connect with you to share some highlights from our first weeks of school as well as some important information as we look ahead this fall.
I have thoroughly enjoyed kicking off my first school year in Albany, and we are off to a very solid beginning. I hear from administrators, faculty, staff, students and families in all of our buildings that this school year feels much more comfortable and familiar than the past couple of years – a sign that we are continuing to move beyond the toughest days of the pandemic. In every building, we are focused on making sure every student has the academic and social-emotional support they need to reach their full potential.
Finally able to measure my time in Albany in months instead of weeks, it has been a pleasure getting to know many of you and talking about the many ways we can collaborate in support of our students. I am excited by the energy and willingness I continue to see displayed when it comes to addressing those areas in which we can improve. Only by working together can we solve issues that have frustrated us in the past – whether those issues are specific to our school district or community, or to public education in general. My thanks to all who are ready and willing to join us in this work!
Sincerely,
Joseph Hochreiter
Superintendent
Parent-teacher conferences Oct. 26-27
Our first parent-teacher conference days of the school year are coming up. We will stay with the new format we put in place last year and that was so well-received by our families, with evening and daytime hours in late October and early February.
Fall parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled on the afternoon and evening of Thursday, Oct. 26, and the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 27. You can view our online calendar event for specific schedules and times.
Holding parent-teacher meetings at this time of the fall and again in the winter, rather than once a year immediately before the Thanksgiving break as in the past, provides an opportunity to better support students throughout the school year. The flexibility of evening hours also provides more options for parents and guardians in scheduling.
Help make winter a little warmer for our students
A reminder that the City of Albany is collecting donations to support the mayor’s annual Cash for Coats drive, which provides new winter coats and other warm clothing items to district students.
You can make donations through Nov. 3.
This is the 15th year of the Cash for Coats program. Since its inception, the city has provided nearly 14,000 new coats and tens of thousands of new hats, gloves and mittens to our students. We are grateful to Mayor Sheehan and all of the terrific community partners who support this effort.
Framing a new future for historic windows
A group of 17 community volunteers has come together this fall to assist the City School District of Albany Board of Education in developing a plan for the future use of historic stained-glass windows that originally were on display in two former locations of Albany High School.
The 16 colorful windows were gifts of Albany High graduating classes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
You can read our full news story on this to learn more!
Hall of Fame and Homecoming Weekend a success!
Our annual Hall of Fame and Homecoming Weekend was a huge success Sept. 29-30! Albany High School kicked things off with a variety of Spirit Week activities, including a very fun video of our Cosmetology and Barbering students working with a reluctant Abrookin Career and Technical Center Principal Joe Slichko, Ph.D., on a makeover. Albany High’s Pep Rally on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 29 set the stage for a big day on Saturday.
We started the day by enshrining the newest class of inductees in the City School District Hall of Fame. It was an honor to celebrate the eight members of the Class of 2023:
Following a pre-game tailgate party to get everyone in the spirit for the Homecoming football game, the Falcons went on to a 45-30 win over Mohonasen behind five total touchdowns from senior quarterback Elijah Temple. He ran for three, threw for one and returned an interception for a huge momentum-turning score as Albany High rallied from a halftime deficit.
Breaking new ground
Before Annabelle DiStefano hung up her soccer cleats and put on a pair of running shoes for the fall sports season, only one member of Albany High School’s girls’ cross country team ever had won a Suburban Council meet since the Falcons joined the expanded league in 2015.
Barely a month into her first cross country season, DiStefano achieved that twice!
You can read our full news story on Annabelle to learn more!
Blood drive targets shortages, diversity needs
Albany High School’s first blood drive of the school year was a great success Sept. 27.
Under the direction of students Jakiem Walden and Jazlyn Goroursingh, and faculty advisor Alicia Abdul, the drive collected 49 pints of blood to address critical shortages the American Red Cross is experiencing nationwide. Nearly half of the donors were new donors.
You can read our full news story on the blood drive to learn more!
Looking ahead
Don't forget that you can view our online calendar for a look at all the important events coming up throughout the district and at our schools! Also, be sure the contact email we have on file for you is correct so that you automatically receive regular updates through SchoolMessenger, and don't forget to follow us on our various social media platforms!
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