Hello Students and Families:

Happy New Year! With the new semester starting we have important information to share with you about staying on track this semester, getting support when you need it and keeping up with important events and dates for the second half of the year. 

Fall Semester Grades  Grades for Fall Semester courses are now available in Aeries for all students. To see grades, students and guardians must log into their Aeries portal. In the portal, select Grades from the menu on the left side of the screen, and then the Grades item from the list. Only semester grades are added to student’s transcripts. If your child failed a class needed for graduation they may be referred to summer school or may need to make up the class another way. Counselors will be reaching out to families whose families are being referred to summer school soon 

If you have questions about your student’s grades, please contact your child’s teacher directly. Students can email their teachers from their AUSD Gmail account; the teacher’s name should automatically pop up when they type in the last name of the teacher. Parents and caregivers can find teachers’ email addresses by logging into their Aeries account and going to the ‘Classes’ tab. 

Tips for a Successful Second Semester  With the start of the new semester, we want to remind you of the support that AHS has to help you have a successful semester.

• Grades/Academic Support  If you have any questions about your grades or class assignments, we recommend that you reach out to your teachers directly. You can email your teachers from your AUSD Gmail account; their names should automatically pop up when you type in the last name of the teacher.  

• Students can also get help from their teachers during Advisory on Wednesdays and Fridays. Use Google Classroom or Canvas to find information about assignments and due dates. Progress Report grades are a good indicator of how you are progressing in your classes. There is still time to raise your grade before the end of the semester (December 19th). 

Subject Specific Support for Students

Math Hour Come get math support from math teachers and peers!

• Mondays, 4:00-5:00 p.m., Room A-313

• Tuesdays, 4:10-5:10 p.m., Room A-313

World Language Hours Come get extra help in your world language class from your teachers after school:

• French: Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Room A-210

• Mandarin: Thursdays, 4:00-5:00 p.m., Room A-212

• Spanish: Thursdays, 4:00-5:00 p.m., Room A-213

English Hour Listen to the Bulletin for information about the next English hour, an opportunity to get help from your English teachers after school.

Counseling Your counselor is a good resource for you to help connect you with academic and/or personal-social support. You may email your counselor to set up an appointment. Please remember that your counselor is based on your last name. Counselors’ current breakdown is listed at the bottom of the newsletter.

The Counseling Office is open for drop-ins during passing periods, at Break, Lunch and after school. For general questions, students are also welcome to drop in to Ask A Counselor every Wednesday and Friday during Advisory. At least one counselor will be on hand to help. Simply come directly to the Atrium at the beginning of Advisory and we will send students back to class with a pass.

For urgent situations, students may see Ms. Brice in the attendance office (with a pass). If you would like to set up an appointment with your counselor, please email your counselor (contact information below). 

AP Exams Students taking AP exams this year. Registrations continue until Friday March 6, 2026. 

There are two steps to complete: 1) pay the exam fee, and 2) enter your join code into your College Board AP account for the exam(s) you are taking. Both steps are required to order your exam. 

Refer to this AHS AP Exam Registration document for details and links.

Message from AHS Administration about Prom

Please be aware of the AHS Attendance Policy for attending prom this year. This information was sent out earlier this week from the AHS administration:

Here is a reminder of Albany's school policy regarding attending extra curricular activities:

Attending special school events is a privilege, not a right.  To attend Senior & Junior Prom in April, and to be a guest at other school dances, students need to be in good standing.  This also includes other events like field trips and athletic & visual/performing arts activities.  Here are following reasons that a student will not be able to attend school events:

1. Unserved Detentions - All detentions need to be served before purchasing a ticket to an event (if a detention is issued between the time a ticket was purchased and the day of the event, permission to attend can be denied).

2. Attendance & Truancy - Students may not be considered truant with unexcused absences. For the upcoming Prom, students may not have a total of 15 periods (or more) with codes Y or A (unexcused without explanation) during the Spring Semester. 

3. Disciplinary Action - Any student with recent disciplinary issues, like suspensions and/or referrals, may not qualify to attend.

Please note that there will NOT be Prom Appeal Applications this year.

Summer School Counselors will soon be contacting families whose students are being referred for AHS Summer School. More details about summer school will be shared soon.

Communication  We know that students receive many emails throughout the week. Now that most communication to the community is sent out via ParentSquare, please be aware that these communications are often listed as coming from “Aeries” rather than “Albany High School.” We encourage students to check their school email at least twice a week.

AHS Website Although the new AHS website has been launched, please do not rely on the information posted, as much of it is incorrect or outdated and still needs to be updated. We apologize for any confusion or frustration during this time.

AC Transit Pass Program Albany High School has been added to the Alameda County Transportation Commission's Student Transit Pass Program! The Student Transit Pass Program provides students with Free Youth Clipper Cards to eligible students. Use this link to apply.

Improve your focus this year!! With the news year upon us we thought we’d share three tips to fix your attention span. Please note that all AHS students have access to NY Times articles via their AUSD accounts.

1. Track your distractions: next time you start a task, keep track each time your mind wanders. Pay attention to when your focus is the best and when you’re most distracted in the course of a day.

2. Reduce distractions: put in place barriers or distance between you and your distractions - move your phone to another room, schedule real breaks from technology, and plan to make the most of your peak focus times

3. Train to increase the length of your attention span by removing screens, leaving earphones and other media sources behind, and take a nature reset.

Upcoming Dates/Events

MLK Day Holiday, NO SCHOOL                        January 19, 2026

Mid-Winter Break, NO SCHOOL                        February 16-20, 2026

Professional Development Day, NO SCHOOL March 20, 2026

Michelle Aselstine, A - Cho

maselstine@ausdk12.org 

Becca Burns, Chr - Kn 

bburns@ausdk12.org 

Tedra Grogans, Ko - Re 

tgrogans@ausdk12.org 

M.E. Durell, Rh - Z 

mdurell@ausdk12.org 

Diane Peterson, MacGregor & new 25-26 students 

dpeterson@ausdk12.org 

Administration

Vivian Balderas, Main Office Secretary                              510-558-2500

Mr. McNally AHS Principal/MacGregor Principal               dmcnally@ausdk12.org