Holiday recess is almost here! 

Wishing all of our students and families a joyful and restful holiday break. We are excited to welcome students back in 2026 and look forward to more learning, growth and fun together!

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Reminders for the new year 

Please remember our school day starts right at 9 a.m. Students can enter the building at 8:55 a.m. With each day, it seems we have more and more students coming late to school. They are missing valuable learning opportunities when they are late. 

Please allow an additional five to ten minutes when arriving to pick up your child early from school. This is so they have sufficient time to gather their belongings and report to the main office. Students are not released to the office in advance to await pickup. This is to prevent students from having extended waits in the main office. Please do not call and ask to have your child ready ahead of time. Your child will be called out of class once you arrive. 

While we aim for daily attendance rates of 95% or higher, the school is currently experiencing an increase in reported illnesses. If your child indicates they are unwell or if you have observed symptoms at home, please keep them at home until they have recovered. We have observed several students arriving at school visibly ill; keeping symptomatic students at home is essential to safeguarding the health of our school community.

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Save the date

Besides the activities mentioned above, here are a few important upcoming dates. Please remember that this and more information are available on our online calendar.

• Wednesday, Dec. 24-Friday, Jan. 2 – No school, Holiday Recess
• Monday, Jan. 5 – Back to school in the new year
• Thursday, Jan. 8 – "Rocketship Time Machine" interactive puppet show and fundraiser to benefit fifth grade, 6:15 p.m.
• Monday, Jan. 19 – No school, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Wednesday, Jan. 21 – PTA meeting, 6 p.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 22 – Movie Night, grades 3-5, 6-8 p.m.

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Here to help

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments or concerns!

Lesley Buff
Principal
(518) 475-6775
lbuff@albany.k12.ny.us