AUSD Budget Priorities Town Hall This Saturday
AUSD Parents, Staff, Students & Community Members,
Click here to access an invitation to the AUSD’s Budget Priorities Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, October 21, 2017 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Albany Middle School Gymnasium. Please consider attending because we need your input to help shape AUSD schools by assisting us in prioritizing programs, positions, and policies while we balance the AUSD budget.
Click here to access the AUSD Budget Narrative document with additional information about the budget.
Click here to access more on information the Budget Watch section of the website.
Thank you.
Valerie Williams, Superintendent
Albany Schools to Remain Open on Thursday, Oct. 12th
Dear AUSD Families,
Smoke from the North Bay fires continues to affect the air quality in the Bay Area. According to Airnow.gov, the air quality index for the Albany/Berkeley area is deemed "unhealthy" and people are asked to exercise caution as follows: "People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion."
I have asked all schools to continue to exercise caution as they plan activities. Staff are keeping doors and windows closed during instruction and are limiting/canceling outdoor activities, including physical education, games and practices, as needed. Albany schools will remain open tomorrow.
lease encourage your children to refrain from rigorous activities if they are experiencing symptoms related to poor air quality.
We are saddened by the devastation caused by the fire and will continue to have the families who are impacted in our thoughts.
Thank you.
Val Williams, Superintendent
Local Air Quality Message
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
The North Bay fires are creating air quality issues across the Bay Area, including Albany. According to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Air Quality Index for our area is listed as "unhealthy for sensitive groups”. Both yesterday and today, we notified principals to be very mindful of PE classes, sports events/practices, and lunch/recess periods, and to also be mindful or any students who have respiratory issues. We also asked that schools either turn off or place HVAC/Fans on recycle to keep smoke out of classrooms and offices.
We will continue monitoring local air quality daily and will communicate with schools as long as the fires remain active or until the air quality has been reported as “good” by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Changes to the 9th Grade Research Project
Dear Albany High School Community:
The 9th Grade Humanities team is excited to announce changes to the annual 9th grade research project.
For more than ten years, the third-quarter 9th grade research project has been a debate project, designed to showcase students’ abilities to ethically conduct research, write persuasively, speak and present effectively to a public audience, and work cooperatively as a team.
The 9th Grade Humanities team has retained all of these learning goals, but revised the project in order to better reinforce values of consensus-building and civic engagement.
Our new third-quarter 9th grade research project is now called the Forum Project. Instead of two teams debating opposite sides of a topic, the teams will now engage in a public consensus-building process around a social problem.
The Forum Project will still require students to ethically conduct research, write persuasively, speak and present effectively to a public audience, and work cooperatively as a team. Teams will still deliver both planned and extemporized statements to an audience and a panel of judges. Teams will also continue to probe assumptions and question each other.
We are already very impressed with the abilities of this year’s 9th grade class, and we look forward to working with the students on this exciting project!
The 9th Grade Humanities Team
David Blinn, English
Diane Francis, IHS and English
Sean Krazit, English
Sara Oremland, Teacher-Librarian
Jessica Park, English
Juliet Radford, IHS
Emily Surowitz, IHS
Alexia Ritchie, Principal
Amazon Smile for Albany High School PTSA
Do you shop on Amazon? If so please use smile.amazon.com and select Albany High School PTSA as your charity.
To select Albany High School PTSA as your charity. Select your username in Amazon and find "Your AmazonSmile".
Thank you for helping the Albany High School PTSA
Last Chance for Senior Portrait Retakes
Senior portrait retakes will occur on Mon 10/16 - Wed 10/18 in the Library. This is the LAST CHANCE for portraits to be taken on campus. Please see the attendance office or Ms. Radford in 206 if you are uncertain of your scheduled appointment time. If you need to change your appointment or schedule a retake, please contact Prestige by going to www.prestigeportraits.com; on the main screen you can "confirm or reschedule your appointment." If you do not have an access code, you can enter 1234-5678.
We Need Your Input to Help Shape AUSD Schools!
AUSD Parents, Staff, Students & Community Members,
What?
We need your input to help shape AUSD schools by assisting us in prioritizing programs, positions, and policies while we balance the AUSD budget. Your input is needed in two specific areas: 1) Helping us determine what the AUSD community considers a priority, what we need to improve upon, what areas could be reduced and how; and 2) Helping us develop a timeline to make these permanent and ongoing reductions.
Why?
The need to make these reductions came about from the State changing the way it funds schools and transferring escalating State retirement costs to districts. Over the next few years, we need to reduce ongoing expenditures by $3 million dollars or increase our revenues. The reductions must be made to align expenditures with the flattening of State revenues.
How?
We are asking AUSD community members to provide your needed and valued input by filling out the Budget Priorities Survey and answering the following questions:
In order to balance the budget, we need to make permanent and overall reductions of $3 million. How do you want to implement these reductions?
- What should we reduce?
- Why should we reduce it?
- What should we maintain?
- What should we improve on?
When?
We are collecting stakeholder input between September & October.
Where?
Several Budget Priorities presentations are planned throughout the community throughout September - November.
AUSD community members are invited to attend a Town Hall meeting on Saturday, October 21st in the Albany Middle School gymnasium (time TBD).
Board of Education Meetings on December 5th & 12th and January 9th & 16th will continue the budget priorities process.
For more information click here to access the Budget Watch section of the website.
Thank you,
Valerie Williams, Superintendent
Help The Library Reach Its Fundraising Goal
With two weeks to go, the Library is just under 70% of its fundraising goal! One last push and they'll be there!
Order A Yearbook Before Prices Go Up
Purchase before the end of October to get the opening day price of $85. Call or click the image and enter AHS Job # 12564
Parent Volunteers Needed to Adimister PSAT
Parent volunteers are needed to help with the PSAT administration on Saturday, October 14. Volunteers distribute materials and assist teachers with monitoring students during testing. Please contact Ms. Reimuller, Assistant Principal, if you are available from either 7:45-10:00a or 10:00a-12:45p. Thank you! ereimuller@ausdk12.org | 510-558-2503