Oct. 31, 2025
Yondr pouch updates
We are committed to providing a distraction-free learning environment for our students. With that in mind, we have made some changes to how we use Yondr pouches, which are utilized to store personal electronic devices during the school day. Please read this news story to learn more.
Monday, Nov. 3: no metal water bottles
For the safety and well-being of our students, teachers and staff, starting on Monday, Nov. 3, students will not be allowed to bring metal water bottles or thermoses to school or to after-school activities. This includes, but is not limited to, Stanley cups. Please be sure to talk with your student at home about this and plan accordingly.
Per our City School District of Â鶹ӰÒô Wellness Policy, students will be permitted to carry transparent, plastic, sealable water bottles to support consistent access to fresh drinking water throughout the day.
School photos start Monday, Nov. 3!
Students in grades 9-11 will have their photo taken during gym class on one of the following dates: Monday, Nov. 3–Thursday, Nov. 6. (Link below includes the schedule so students and families can determine the day and class period for their school photo session!)
Students in grade 12 are reminded to book their senior photo session. Senior photos will be offered Monday, Dec. 8–Thursday, Dec. 11 and Monday, Dec. 15–Friday, Dec. 19.
Check out all the important details for school photo days in this news story!
Â鶹ӰÒô High welcomes new assistant principals
Karleen Brookshire and Shanell Brown started their new roles as academy principals at Â鶹ӰÒô High on Oct. 27! Check out this news story to read more about these dedicated leaders.
Â鶹ӰÒô Athletics in action
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Come join us for our final senior celebration of the season! We will celebrate our seniors on the football team on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 12:45 p.m. at the Â鶹ӰÒô High stadium prior to the game. Gates open at noon. Come for the ceremony and stay to watch our Falcons face off against Shenendehowa at 2 p.m. Let's go!
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Â鶹ӰÒô High is thrilled to host the Game Day Cheerleading Sectional on Saturday, Nov. 1! Tickets must be purchased on the . Doors open for spectators at 10 a.m. and our Falcons are slotted to compete at 1:10 p.m. Let's pack the bleachers and show our support to these amazing student-athletes!
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Congratulations to our for an incredible win at their tournament on Oct. 29! Our Falcons faced off against Queensbury, South Glens Falls and Shaker and the competition was extremely competitive. Our Falcons tied with Shaker, but ultimately were declared the winning team based on the total number of points scored.
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Our volleyball team (9-6 overall, 7-5 Suburban Council) faced off against Shaker in their at The Nest on Oct. 30. Despite a hard-fought loss, we are so impressed by our student-athletes' hard work and dedication to their sport this season. Falcons, your enthusiasm, tenacity and grit is an inspiration. We are proud of you!
- Winter sports season begins on Monday, Nov. 17! Read about the registration process in this news story.
Be sure to follow us on our Â鶹ӰÒô Athletics and pages to keep up on all the action!
FAFSA help sessions: Thursday, Nov. 6
Our next FAFSA Help Session event is on Thursday, Nov. 6, from 3-6 p.m. Check out this news story about how to prepare for your session and be sure to register via this for the Nov. 6 session.
for more details!
Join us for Heroes Cabaret Nov. 7-9!
The Â鶹ӰÒô High Theater Ensemble is thrilled to present our fall musical Heroes Cabaret which will run Friday, Nov. 7 to Sunday, Nov. 9!
Come help us pick Â鶹ӰÒô's next superhero at this one-of-a-kind production directed by Rose Biggerstaff and stage managed by seniors Millie Casanova and Freddy Lizardo!
Show times are as follows:
- Friday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.
General admission tickets are $15 and student tickets are $5.
Collaborative mural: find your path
Last Friday, Â鶹ӰÒô High teachers and staff were invited to participate in a one-of-a-kind professional development session: creating a large-scale collaborative mural designed by our Falcons to celebrate the variety of pathways we provide students at Â鶹ӰÒô High! Be sure to to see photos of the creative process and the final result!
Heated competition at our annual chili cookoff
Our beautiful new culinary space was bustling on Oct. 23 as staff, community members, family and friends sampled delicious chilis prepared by our Culinary II and Culinary III students at our annual . Our teams were so competitive that we had a two-way tie for first place! Congratulations to our first-place teams: Katerine Barros & KLana Hinds and Olivia Del Moor & Asia Green.
Check out this news story to read more about this awesome event!
Academy Lottery applications are open
Do you know a family with an eighth-grade student who would be interested in enrolling at Â鶹ӰÒô High? Private, parochial and charter school families in the city who would like to enroll their current eighth-grader in the lottery must be sure to complete an application by Nov. 25, 2025. Please note that all current district eighth-graders will have the opportunity to learn about the high school and complete the application with their school counselors, so no action is required for district families.
Visit our Â鶹ӰÒô High Academy Lottery web page to learn more.
Exploring the mysteries of matter
The chemistry lab is the perfect place to study things that crackle, ooze and fog! This week our students dove into a with the guidance of our amazing Â鶹ӰÒô High chemistry teachers Anne Carroll, Cyrus Clark and Brady McDevitt. Check out these photos we captured in the lab and read this news story to learn more.
SchooLinks: tracking volunteer hours
Community service is a wonderful way for our Falcons to develop strong character and make a positive difference in the lives of those in our local community and beyond. Check out this news story which provides helpful details for students and families on how to log community service hours in the SchooLinks platform.
Concrete connections: an interactive lesson in construction technology
Students in Art Erbe's Construction Technology II and Construction Technology III classes were visited by professionals from Callanan Industries, Inc., a company that provides high-quality aggregates, asphalt, ready-mix concrete products and paving services to various clients, including state and federal agencies, municipalities and private sectors. Check out this news story to learn more about their about concrete production!
After-school tutoring at Â鶹ӰÒô High
Falcons, do you need extra help with your coursework? Join us at our , which runs Monday through Thursday from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in room 2235. If you need extra help with your classes, come join us and get some support from Â鶹ӰÒô High teachers. Hope to see you there!
Â鶹ӰÒô High communications
We hope you enjoyed this Â鶹ӰÒô High weekly update! As a reminder, to avoid overwhelming your inbox with lots of messages throughout the week, we curate this weekly communication on Fridays at this web page with important updates and exciting news to keep our Falcon families "in-the-know." Feel free to bookmark this page so you always have the important details you need at hand.
We also have dedicated Â鶹ӰÒô High social media pages on and . Follow us to see lots of great photos and reels!
Exciting events coming up soon
This is a list of events coming up that we want to draw particular attention to for students and families! These are just some of the great things happening here at Â鶹ӰÒô High, and remember you can view our full calendar to see them all!
Follow Â鶹ӰÒô High!
Looking for last week's update?
Important update: water bottles
For the safety and well-being of our students, teachers and staff, starting on Monday, Nov. 3, students will not be allowed to bring metal water bottles or thermoses to school or to after-school activities. This includes, but is not limited to, Owala, Hydroflask, Yeti and Stanley metal drinkware containers.
Upon request, students can receive a reusable water bottle, courtesy of the Â鶹ӰÒô Booster Club.
Please be sure to talk with your student at home about this and plan accordingly.
Per our City School District of Â鶹ӰÒô Wellness Policy, students will be permitted to carry transparent, plastic, sealable water bottles to support consistent access to fresh drinking water throughout the day.
Magnificent masons
Students from Art Erbe's Construction Technology II and Construction Technology III classes enjoyed a fascinating, hands-on job shadow experience at Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local Union #2 Training Hall on Wednesday! Check out this news story about their experience and of them working alongside masons, learning techniques for properly mixing and applying mortar with trowels while laying both brick and cement blocks.
Six Falcons to perform at the Area All-State Music Festival
Six brilliant Â鶹ӰÒô High School musicians have been selected to participate in the Area All-State Music Festival of the New York State Music Association (NYSSMA) on Nov. 22 at Proctors Theatre!
Margaret Ardrey, Celine Casasola and Anna Ustin will perform in the mixed chorus, Eli Stanwicks and Cameron Volk will perform in the symphonic band and Aidan Carlson will perform in the symphony orchestra.
Congratulations to each of these dedicated students for this outstanding accomplishment! Check out this news story to learn more!
Spectacular sports
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On Oct. 18, our had a strong performance in the Section 2 tournament hosted at Shenendehowa. In the singles bracket, the highlight of the competition for our Falcons goes to Azia Barao for her huge second round win vs. Niskayuna. A shout out to our number one doubles team of Audrey VanAmburg and Rikame Ayahao who took a first-round win 10-1 vs. Maple Hill in the doubles bracket.
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Congratulations to our for their 5-4 win over Colonie on Wednesday! Check out this news story to read about their upcoming tournament!
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On Thursday afternoon, our boys' soccer team faced off against Shenendehowa in their quarterfinal game. It was a thrilling competition, with our Falcons ultimately succumbing to Shen in overtime, 2-1. We are proud of our team for giving it their all on the field at yesterday's quarterfinal and throughout the season.
- Winter sports season is right around the corner! Read about the registration process in this news story.
October Spirit Week
Student Government has queued up a festive and fun October Spirit Week, which will take place Monday, Oct. 27–Friday, Oct. 31. Check out this graphic with all the daily themes!
Parent Student Teacher Association Meeting on Oct. 28
Parents and students, your voices matter! Join us for our Parent Student Teacher Association Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 5:30 p.m.! Visit our calendar event to learn more.
Parent University: Teletherapy Info Session on Oct. 29
Our district is committed to supporting the well-being of our students and supporting their mental health. With that in mind, we’ve partnered with to provide teletherapy, family check-ins and guidance, and psychiatric care – all with licensed clinicians and no waitlists.
Come to our at Â鶹ӰÒô High on Oct. 29 from 6-7 p.m. to learn more and check out this news story with helpful details about this initiative!
FAFSA FRIDAY: Friday, Oct. 31
Our first FAFSA Friday of the school year is on Oct. 31 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Students and families must book an appointment to participate. Check out this news story with details on how to prepare for your session and how to book an appointment.
Our next FAFSA Help Session event is on Thursday, Nov. 6 from 3-6 p.m. Visit our calendar for more details!
School photos are coming soon!
Students in grades 9-11 will have their photo taken during gym class on one of the following dates: Monday, Nov. 3-Thursday, Nov. 6. (Link below includes the schedule so students and families can determine the day and class period for their school photo session!)
Students in grade 12 are reminded to book their senior photo session. Senior photos will be offered Monday, Dec. 8-Thursday, Dec. 11 and Monday, Dec. 15-Friday, Dec. 19.
Check out all the important details for school photo days in this !
Creating a future-ready Â鶹ӰÒô
On Oct. 24, faculty and staff from the City School District of Â鶹ӰÒô gathered at Â鶹ӰÒô High to envision a future-ready Â鶹ӰÒô. It was wonderful welcoming so many district leaders and educators to our building to share the incredible career and technical education learning spaces and programming we have to offer. Check out this news story to learn more.
Register for Ski Club by Friday, Oct. 31!
We have extended the sign-up deadline for Â鶹ӰÒô High students in grades 9-12 to would like to participate in ski club for the 2025-26 school year! The final deadline for sign-up is Friday, Oct. 31.
Paperwork / fees to turn in to Â鶹ӰÒô High:
- For all returning and new ski club participants, the following items are due by Friday, Oct. 31 to Mr. Vacanti (room 1311):
- Filled out and signed permission form: hard copies are available in Mr. Vacanti's room (1311) or online via this .
- Filled out .
- $200 bus payment (check to “Â鶹ӰÒô High School” or cash).
Online registration / fees to complete for Jiminy Peak:
- All participants must fill out the Jiminy Peak online registration form by Friday, Oct. 31.
- Step 1: Visit the and enter the school username and password. The school username is 00SG-AHS and the school password is ALBANYHIGH26! (You must utilize our and log in credentials so when you set up your personal username and password at checkout, your child is tagged to our Â鶹ӰÒô High ski club program in their system.)
- Step 2: Select the items you need to purchase for your student. All participants must purchase the lift tickets. Additional options include lessons and ski/snowboard equipment rental. During checkout, you will create a personal username and log in so your purchase information is on file.
After-school tutoring at Â鶹ӰÒô High
Falcons, do you need extra help with your coursework? Join us at our , which runs Monday through Thursday from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in room 2235. If you need extra help with your classes, come join us and get some support from Â鶹ӰÒô High teachers. Hope to see you there!
Join us for Heroes Cabaret Nov. 7-9!
The Â鶹ӰÒô High Theater Ensemble is thrilled to present our fall musical Heroes Cabaret which will run Friday, Nov. 7 to Sunday, Nov. 9!
Come help us pick Â鶹ӰÒô's next superhero at this one-of-a-kind production directed by Rose Biggerstaff and stage managed by seniors Millie Casanova and Freddy Lizardo!
Show times are as follows:
- Friday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.
General admission tickets are $15 and student tickets are $5.
Â鶹ӰÒô High communications
We hope you enjoyed this Â鶹ӰÒô High weekly update! As a reminder, to avoid overwhelming your inbox with lots of messages throughout the week, we curate this weekly communication on Fridays at this webpage with important updates and exciting news to keep our Falcon families "in-the-know." Feel free to bookmark this page so you always have the important details you need at hand.
We also have dedicated Â鶹ӰÒô High social media pages on and . Follow us to see lots of great photos and reels!
Exciting events coming up soon
This is a list of events coming up that we want to draw particular attention to for students and families! These are just some of the great things happening here at Â鶹ӰÒô High, and remember you can view our full calendar to see them all!
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to .