From the superintendent
Looking back, looking ahead
If you’ve traveled in a
boat, you know that at first
you feel the motion and swell
of every wave. It can be uncomfortable. Yet at some
point on the trip the sensation fades and you enjoy the
ride.
Think of our school district as that moving boat.
As passengers, we want
Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, Ph.D.
to arrive at our destination
Superintendent
– being the best urban
school district in America by 2020. But the journey – the
significant changes that are taking place that will get us
there – may feel rough at times
To alleviate some of the discomfort, I want to share
progress we’ve made this year.
Strengthened leadership through learning walks:
Some 75 building leaders took part in 15 walks, visiting
each other’s schools, observing teaching and student learning, sharing effective strategies for giving feedback and developing consistent expectations for observations.
Bolstered teaching practice with studio classrooms,
peer coaching:
• Over several months, 50 teachers took part in three studio classrooms, where one teacher’s classroom became the
subject of intensive study for a group of teachers, principals
and educational coaches.
• Nineteen seasoned teachers from throughout the district served as hands-on mentors to 550 of their colleagues, addressing the needs of a teacher, classroom or
group of teachers.
Defined clear and consistent curriculum: Teams of
educators worked to line up elementary, middle and high
school lessons with Common Core standards.
We also collaborated with the community on several
initiatives.
Created a vision for the future of Albany High School:
The Board of Education adopted a vision for high school
education in Albany after a year of community input
(see related story, page 1).
Expanded community participation, partnerships:
• More than 40 meetings were held throughout budgetdevelopment process to seek family and community input
• Dozens of local businesses supported individual school
projects; YMCA after-school programs were sustained
thanks to partnerships with the Galesi Group and CAP
COM Federal Credit Union.
• We worked closely with The Albany Promise to distribute early learning targets to prekindergarten providers,
develop English language arts and math goals for thirdand fourth-graders, and create a college- and career-readiness team.
Over the summer, my team and I will concentrate on
moving forward and sustaining these programs into next
year and beyond.
For 2014-15, our work will include:
• Building community support for a new or renovated
high school;
• Alleviating overcrowding in our middle schools;
• Reducing elementary-school class size; and
• Developing a mentoring network for African-American
and Hispanic boys.
We’re doing the hard work of guiding change and our
boat is headed toward smoother waters. With your help, I am
committed to continuing these important initiatives. And I
truly believe they will lead us to our destination: Together
we will be the best urban district in America by 2020.
Have a fantastic summer and see you on the first day of
school – Sept. 4.
Capital Education is published by the
City School District of Albany.
Please direct comments about the newsletter,
story ideas and questions to
Ron Lesko at (518) 475-6065
or [email protected], or
Lisa Angerame at (518) 475-6066
or [email protected].
City School District of Albany
1 Academy Park
Albany, New York 12207
2
www.albanyschools.org
Voices
Q: If you could be any animal for a day, what
would you be and why?
I would be a butterfly because butterflies
have the ability to go through important
changes with grace and lightness.
Throughout life, I will experience many
important changes that I hope to go
through with grace and lightness. A butterfly also symbolizes a significant change in
the course of one’s life, personality or way of thinking. Butterflies
have taste sensors on their front legs, enabling them to experience
life through motion. All of us could learn from butterflies to live
life through motion and accept the changes we go through throughout life.
If I could be an animal for a day, I would
be a monkey because I could hang tree to
tree. I would be able to peel a banana
with my foot. I could eat a banana and
scratch my armpit at the same time. I
could be nice and furry and brown. I
would probably eat all different kinds of
fruit and leaves. I could hide behind the
leaves. I could sit in trees and eat bananas. I could live in the
rain forest. That’s why I would be a monkey.
– Mia Leger, second grade
North Albany Academy
–Armani Currie, eighth grade
William S. Hackett Middle School
I would want to be become a whale because whales are one of the largest mammals in the world. They are free to travel
the world without question, and aside
from the occasional whaler and large
sharks, they have no natural predators.
They have a unique method of communication and are graceful creatures.
If I could be any animal for a day, I
would be a dog, a golden retriever. I
would be a golden retriever because they
are easy to train. Also, golden retrievers
are very frisky, like me. In addition, I like
the color of their fur. As you can see if I
could be an animal for a day, I would be a
golden retriever for many reasons.
– Supreme Fitzgerald, fourth grade
Philip Schuyler Achievement Academy
If I could be an animal for a day I would
be a cheetah. The reason why I picked this
animal is because I would love to live in the
wild and I would be the fastest land animal
in the world. I would like to chase other animals. I like being fast so I can run from my
predators like lions, Nile crocodiles, leopards and hyenas. I would prefer to be a carnivore and this will make me an amazing and interesting animal.
–Jonathan Francis, fourth grade
Eagle Point Elementary School
I would be a cheetah because I would
be fast and I could run and win against all
the people who think they are faster than
me. I would have the best pattern, eat delicious dinners and have a wide place to run
and be free. I would not have to do work.
Being an animal would be the coolest thing
that has ever happened to me.
–Sheela Patel, senior
Albany High School
If I could be an animal, I would be a
dog because they are so cute and lovable.
They come in all different colors and
breeds. Also, I would be a dog because
they can be used to help people, like seeing-eye dogs for blind people. Finally, I
would be a dog because sometimes people
just need a friend to cuddle with or to tell
their secrets to. That is all the reasons why I want to be a dog.
– Nahki Richardson, fifth grade
Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST)
I would want to be a kangaroo, because they hop and bop to the crocodile
rock. If kangaroos can box, that must
mean they are good with their hands and
would be able to play guitar. If they can
play guitar they’d be like Jason Mraz. If
they were like Jason Mraz then that’s the
animal I would want to be. That is, if I
wanted to be an animal.
– Patrick Tanner, junior
Albany High School
– James Hammond, seventh grade
Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School
At a glance: Eagle Point Elementary School
Principal: Kendra Chaires | Grades served: Prekindergarten-6 | Address: 1044 Western Ave.
The former Public School 27 was built in 1925. By the end of the century, the beautiful historic building was too small
for the growing population of children in the neighborhood, and many students were taught in temporary trailers, converted closets or hallways.
P.S. 27 was renovated in 2005 as part of the City School District of Albany’s facilities project. The district added a
40,000-square-foot addition that included space for new classrooms, a new cafeteria and a new gym, as well as energyefficient heating, air-conditioning and lighting systems. At the same time, the building’s façade, marble-trimmed lobby
and other historic features were carefully preserved and updated.
Students: 385 | Teachers: 34 | Total employees: 53
Points of distinction:
• Full-day prekindergarten and kindergarten
• Extended school day programs with academic,
enrichment and recreational activities
• Mentoring
Programs and partners:
• Addictions Care Center of Albany substance-abuse
prevention
• Albany Institute of History and Art
• Basketball
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region
• Boy Scouts of America
• Caldecott Book Club
• Charles L. Touhey Foundation, Inc.
• Chess Club
• The College of Saint Rose Massry Center for the Arts
• First in Math
• Hebrew Academy
• Italian Club
• JustRun!
• Kidz Art
• Kung fu
• PTA
• Police Athletic League (PAL)
• Reclassifying All Children Equally (RACE) with University at Albany
• ROAR Reading Buddies
• Scholars’ Institute
• School banking with SEFCU
• Sisters with Pride mentoring with University at Albany
• Stewart’s Shops on Western Avenue
• Student Council
• University at Albany Reading Partners
• Yearbook
• YMCA
What makes our school special?
Our mission at Eagle Point Elementary is to provide a safe
and nurturing environment that develops and promotes a
diverse community of confident, life-long learners.
Did you know?
Eagle Point Elementary School was so named because of
its location near the highest point in the City of Albany.
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