End Of 3rd Quarter Update to the Community
Dear Albany High School students and families,
As we end the third quarter of the 2019-20 school year, I am struck by the circumstances we are facing and see it as both a time of loss and growth. I am so impressed with how much our staff, students, families and district have come together to support one another and cope with many mixed emotions, various educational and basic needs, all while sharing a sincere sense of optimism for better days ahead. Let’s combine our virtual efforts to teach and learn through the next nine weeks and ensure that the graduating class of 2020 is revered for the incredibly hard work it takes to be a student during these challenging times.
As you may know, I will be moving into my position as Director of Student Services and welcoming Darren McNally as the new principal of Albany High effective May 1, 2020. It has been such an honor to serve this Cougar community since 2017 and I look forward to continuing my efforts and energy with AUSD, a district that will forever be my home away from home.
Please take a moment to read the important information regarding grades below.
The 3rd quarter ended today, and teachers will be completing grading from this quarter and putting grades into Aeries after Spring Break. Grades for all students can be found in Aeries, and we will be separately notifying anyone that may be in danger of failing a course.
We have been grappling with the issue of grading, along with many others, since school was closed. Because almost all of the 3rd quarter was completed before closing, we are not modifying any of our grading policies for this quarter. We have issued guidelines to teachers to be accommodating of student's situations over the last three weeks so that grades are mostly a depiction of how students were doing before school closed, and their successes since closing.
For semester grades, which are the only grades recorded on transcripts and reported to colleges and universities, we are currently reviewing our grading policies with our faculty and district leadership. Like most high schools and universities, we feel the need to acknowledge how much more difficult teaching and learning is in this unprecedented moment. We also feel the need to acknowledge the successes of our students, and the hard work they and their teachers will continue to do until June. We will send out our revised semester grading policy by the end of the week back from Spring Break, April 17th.
Please continue to reach out to any AHS staff member for support, a pep talk or to find out how to best take care of ourselves and each other. I wish you rest, good health and peace during the spring break and look forward to the day when we celebrate school reopening together.
Best regards,
Alexia Ritchie
AHS Principal