Exchange Student in Need of Host Family for Spring Semester
AFS, the international student exchange program, is currently hosting a 17-year-old student from Jordan, the recipient of a prestigious full scholarship under the Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) program. We are in need of a permanent host family for Ali, for the Spring Semester. Ali attends Albany High.
Respectful, active and warm are just a few of the words to describe Ali. In the future, he plans to study medicine and become a doctor. His favorite hobby is playing soccer for the school's club. He likes soccer because it keeps him active and healthy. At home, Ali enjoys helping his mother prepare dinner and clean the house. He also participates in community service across his city. Hoping to discover a new world and become more independent in the process, he has been looking forward to participating in this exchange program. Ali is an amazing and highly accomplished individual.
The YES program provides scholarships for students from countries with a significant Muslim population. For more information about YES, visit http://www.yesprograms.org/.
If you or someone you know is interested in opening their Berkeley or Albany home to a new culture and provide a nurturing environment for this young man for the remainder of the school year, please contact our staff person, below. For more information about AFS, please visit afsusa.org.
Albany High School Choirs' 1st Annual Dessert Theater!
An Evening Of Musical Adventure And Pastry Perfection
Friday November 30, 7:30pm at Albany Veterans Memorial Hall
Saturday December 1, 2:00pm and 7:30pm
Our newly-designed fundraiser of the season features music across all styles, genres, and time periods (including Disney, Renaissance, and classic decade hits). Throughout the event, be ready to be entertained musically and filled to your heart's content with all-you-can-eat desserts! We'll have plenty of cookies, cupcakes, brownies, pies, and other assorted faire (with a good helping of fresh fruit, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly options).
Tickets are $15 at albanyvocalmusic.com/dessert or via any AHS choir student.
We hope you'll be part of a new annual tradition and help put this new fundraiser on the Albany map!
Budget Presentation Parent Ed Night @ AHS
Please join PTSA board at AHS Library on December 4th 8-9pm for AUSD Budget Presentation parent ed night, presented by Superintendent Val Williams.
Superintendent Val Williams will give a presentation on the coming AUSD budget cuts and share what the Budget Advisory Committee has been doing. This committee will be presenting their report to the AUSD Board of Education on Tuesday, Nov. 13. These budget recommendations will be used to make final decisions on the budget cuts starting next year.
AUSD is facing over 2 million dollars in cuts next year, with even more in the years to come. This is an opportunity to stay informed and hear directly from our superintendent about how decisions are being made. This issue has the potential to have direct impacts on our students.
Help Albany Donate to Victims of the Camp Fire
Dear Albany community,
As you know by now the Butte County fire has affected numerous people in the north state. Being Chico natives who were raised in Chico, attended Chico State we are taking part in this effort to help those in need. Many many of our friends and family have been affected by the fire and have lost their homes and loved ones. The latest rumor is that my parents' house survived- one of five in a neighborhood between Chico and Paradise that had about 50-60 homes. My mom as she was leaving said, "there was a river of embers flowing down the street as the neighbors houses were burning." Fortunately they are ok, but sadly some people either didn't make it or their homes were lost, and some neighborhood friends are in the hospital from smoke inhalation or burns. It is very difficult to come to terms with this reality as people's lives have deeply been affected forever.
Please join us in our personal crusade to get a U-haul donated filled with essential items as there are 52,000 homeless people in need of basic essentials. Please read the following from people who are in the trenches and what they need:
Backpacks
Phone chargers are desperately needed
duffel bags, luggage
underwear
socks
Blankets are what are primarily needed
Toiletry items
Safeway, or Costco gift cards are also very useful
Soaps
The goal is to fill up the U-haul by 6pm on Friday. Please drop all donations off to the Albany High School front lobby.
Sincerely,
David Janinis, Marin PE
&
Ernesto Rogers, AMS PE
Award-Winning Documentary "Near Normal Man" Screening at UC Village
Prepared to stop hate? Make sure you see Near Normal Man at the UC Village Community Center on November 16th.
This award-winning documentary shows how one young man defied the forces that sought to destroy him in the Holocaust, then sparked a fierce public battle in Skokie, Illinois, 30 years later; leading a fight against Neo-Nazis with courage, kindness, and hope for this country. This 30-minute film and discussion (led by producer/director Charlene Stern) is co-sponsored by Albany Unified School District, City of Albany, University Village, and the Albany Community Foundation, as part of "Bay Area Stands United Against Hate Week", November 11-18, 2018.
Date: Friday, Nov. 16th
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: UC Village Community Center
Cost: Free, no tickets necessary. Please arrive early to be seated before the program begins at 6:00pm.
This event is dedicated to the victims of hate at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Suitable for high school students and adults.
Looking for Parents/Families to Help with Staff Thanksgiving This Wednesday
AHS Parents and Families, the PTSA invites you to participate in our Staff Appreciation event on Wednesday, November 14th. Let’s share our Thanksgiving gratitude with teachers and staff! Here is a signup link to help us organize:
Help Support Performing Arts @ AHS
Did you know that last spring Albany High School was not able to produce it’s annual spring musical? A group of us parents were alarmed to discover this and the following information -
Albany High is one of the only large high schools in the area without a theater class or full-time drama teacher.
The Theatre Ensemble, the drama club at AHS, is primarily student-run and they have struggled to find a faculty advisor every year because the workload is so large and the compensation is so small.
AHS used to support three amazing shows per year. Now, they are struggling to finance one show per year.
As a result, we parents mobilized and created the Albany Performing and Fine Arts Boosters (pFAB –silent “p”) and, as of July 2018, we are a non-profit organization (501 c.3).
I am writing to you at this time because we need to raise approximately $5,000 by December, 2018 in order to fund the Theatre Ensemble’s annual spring musical. We need this money to pay the following -
Stipends for the club faculty advisors, a professional theater producer, and musical and dance directors
Funds for the rights to the musical as well as costumes and sets
Costs for renting a theater and publicizing for the event
We hope that you will consider making a tax-deductible donation to PFAB at this time through our website, www.albanypfab.org or by mailing us a check made out to pFAB at 1005 Talbot Ave., Albany, CA 94706. Please support our children’s education in the arts and help the Theatre Ensemble produce a pFABulous (silent “p”) spring musical. In addition, please check us out on Facebook, and sign up on our website to become part of our mailing list and get involved in supporting theater arts at AHS.
Thanks so much for your consideration!
Heidi Ronfeldt
pFAB, President
AHS Career Fair This Wednesday
This Wednesday November 7, in partnership with our PTSA, Albany High School will be hosting over twenty local professionals at our Career Fair from 11:33-12:20 during your student's normally scheduled advisory. This revised format encourages all students to explore and ask questions of experts in fields ranging from education to engineering and many more! Join me in thanking our PTSA for all of their hard work, organization, and for providing this opportunity to all students.
A list of available presenters is here.
Alexia Ritchie, Principal
PTSA November Fundraisers
Habit Burger Grill
Weekday, Date (11/05/18), 04:00pm – 10:00pm
The Habit Burger Grill will donate 20% of sales from this event to benefit AHS PTSA.
Simply present a printed flyer or show offer on your smartphone, download the flyer here.
Good Eggs
This fall (until the end of November), 5% of every grocery order you place on Good Eggs will go back to Albany High School!
How to join the fundraiser:
Visit schools.goodeggs.com.
Enter the code ALBANYCOUGARS –– click "Shop Now.
Add your groceries to your Good Eggs basket and check out. New customers get $15 off with this code and if 20 new customers join the fundraiser, the school gets a $500 fundraising bonus.
Please consider joining if you order your groceries online!
Important Community Alert from Albany Police Department
Suspicious Male Approached Two Female Juveniles October 30, 2018
On 10/29/2018, at approx. 7:30am, in the 900 block of Key Route Blvd., a female juvenile on her way to meet a friend saw several people in the area trying to corral a loose dog. A short time later the friend saw a male subject holding onto the dog by the collar who appeared to then let the dog go in the same area. Both juveniles began to run after the loose dog. While partly down the 900 block of Key Route Blvd., the same male subject, now driving a newer model, full size, white truck with camper shell, pulled up alongside the two juveniles and said, “Get in”. The juveniles declined, and the male drove away. The reporting parties described the male adult as having a light complexion, approx. 27-32 years old, 5’6” – 5’8” tall, medium build with straight posture and a squared shaped face, unshaven, and short dark brown hair. They added that he was possibly wearing faded blue jeans.
Several minutes later as the two juveniles were walking on Key Route Blvd. near Washington Ave., the same male drove up alongside them again and said, “Hi girls”. They juveniles immediately ran away and called a parent.
If you have additional information about this incident, please call the Albany Police at 510-525-7300.
These events are a good reminder that we need to engage in conversation with our family members about being aware of their surroundings and not talking to strangers or approaching vehicles if the occupants attempt to engage them in conversation.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children www.missingkids.com and the Polly Klass Foundation http://www.pollyklaas.org/ offer resources parents and family can consult to find ways to keep children safe.