Welcome back!
I hope everyone had a safe and restful week off! 'Winter' Recess held true to its name as the weather system certainly brought plenty of cold temperatures, snow and ice our way. Hopefully you stayed warm and had time to relax and enjoy family and friends.
It is hard to believe that as we return from our break, we are approaching the middle of Quarter 3. Grades close for interims this Friday, Feb. 27. As we begin to look ahead, we will prepare for the upcoming New York State assessments. In approximately six weeks, we will begin a heavy dose of testing including the 2026 New York State Assessments, Regents and Spring NWEA (see state assessment schedule below). The next several weeks provide us with no interruptions to the learning schedule prior to the start of assessments and will play a critical role in our ability to prepare our students for a long testing period. It is my hope that attendance will be high over the next several weeks, however, your child should bring a note following any absence and be sure to complete any missed work.
This week, we will hold our Quarter 2Honor Roll Ceremony on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium. We are proud to recognize 267 students for outstanding and exemplary academic achievement - including 99 students receiving bronze, 81 students receiving silver, and 87 students receiving gold. We congratulate them, and their families, on this achievement. Please note that on Wednesday we will also have an early-release day with all students being dismissed at 12:30 p.m. in order to accommodate staff professional development. This means we will have a modified bell schedule (similar to today) and students will report to all nine class periods, with the exception being that class time will be reduced by several minutes per period.
Our next Friday 'Fun Day' will take place on Feb. 27, and the theme will be 'Future Career Day'. We encourage students to wear clothes that represent their dream job! We will continue to celebrate each Friday Fun Day in a different way in order to boost school pride and add a little fun to our week. This is a great way to build healthy relationships and look forward to the weekend.
There is still time to participate in the City School District of Â鶹ӰÒô's annual Family and Community Partnership Survey. This survey is for our students, staff, and families to get feedback and input on our work as a district for the purpose of informing improvement and growth. Your input is an important part of this work. We hope you will complete this survey, which takes approximately 10-15 minutes, at your earliest convenience.
We are days away from the start of 'Music in Our Schools Month'! The month of March is a time when music education becomes the focus of schools and communities and a time to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children. Each year, we are proud to showcase our District's top choral, orchestra and band students through our All-City concerts. Please see our concert schedule below and consider joining us for one or all of these exciting events to celebrate music in our schools! Performances are free and open to the public!
Our Extended Day Program takes place on Mondays through Thursdays from 3-5:30 PM and includes a free snack and free door-to-door bus transportation home. Applications are available at the Attendance Desk at the main entrance and should be returned to the Main Office. Please contact Ms. Lewis at dlewis2@albany.k12.ny.us if you have any questions.
As we wrap up Black History Month, dedicated to the accomplishments of Black Americans, it is my hope that we continue to reflect on the past and look toward the future beyond just one month a year. Let’s keep in mind that every day we are making history by being kind to one another and building strong communities. Thurgood Marshall said, "In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute."
As a reminder, please be mindful of school bus safety signals and school-zone speed limits as both carry fines as much as $300 for stop-arm violations and $50 for speed-zone violations. Delaware Avenue in front of our school and Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and Technology is one of the city's school speed zones.
As a final note, Hackett will hold fire drill emergency response procedures periodically throughout the school year. The safety of everyone in our school community is extremely important. Holding these practice drills, including lockdown drills, is crucial to our overall emergency planning. Before we practice a drill, we teach students, faculty and staff about the procedures to follow in an emergency.
Stay connected!
Check out our website and in addition to my weekly emails. You also can reach out to us at (518) 475-6475.
Now for our 'Don't Snooze and Lose News'
Besides the items listed above, please make a note of the following information:
- As a reminder to our eighth-grade families who were not able to attend Â鶹ӰÒô High School's Curriculum Night on Jan. 7, , which includes lots of great information about all of the opportunities available for students at the high school.
- Our Second Quarter Honor Roll will take place Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium.
- Third-quarter interim grades close on Friday, Feb. 27.
- Our March PTA meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m. in room 112. We also will have a virtual option for anyone not able to attend in-person. You can .
- Teen Nights are held twice a year, and the next and final one is coming up on March 6! The event is open only to Hackett students, and students must bring their school ID to enter. Kids arrive at 6:00 p.m. and must be picked up by 8:00 p.m. There will be a DJ and dancing in the foyer and multiple activity rooms upstairs. Front door admission covers the DJ and some free snacks and drinks. A cash-only concession stand will also be open, with all proceeds benefiting students through the Hackett PTA. We count on adult volunteers to help the event run smoothly. , or to so a PTA representative can purchase bulk snacks and drinks to sell. As always, please reply to HackettPTA@gmail.com with questions, concerns or ideas.
- As March is Music in our Schools Month, we hope you will join us as we celebrate with the following concerts at Â鶹ӰÒô High School at 6:30 p.m.
- All-City Chorus concert - March 18
- All-City Strings concert - March 25
- All-City Band concert - April 1
- Quarter 3 grades close on Thursday, April 2.
- 2026 New York State Assessments Calendar
- English Language Arts - April 15-16
- NYSESLAT Speaking Test - April 20-24
- Mathematics - April 28-29
- NYSESLAT Listening, Reading, Writing - May 4-7
- Science Written Test - May 12
- Science Written Make-ups - May 13-14
Hackett Corner Quotes
- "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." - Nelson Mandela
Did you know?
- Dr. James McCune became the first Black American to earn a medical degree in 1837, studying in Scotland after being denied entry to U.S. universities. He returned to New York to open the first Black-owned pharmacy, which served as a hub for abolitionists.
- The Harlem Hellfighters were a legendary African American unit in WWI, famous for their exceptional bravery. They endured 191 days in continuous combat, which was longer than any other American unit and earned France's highest military honors, including the Croix de Guerre. After being discriminated against in the U.S. Army and denied combat roles, these brave men fought with the French, leaving a powerful legacy of valor.
- An all-black and all-female unit of the military, the 6888th Battalion, delivered mail to WW2 troops across England. Due to a backlog of unsorted and undelivered mail, service men were not getting their mail, impacting morale. African-American women were granted the opportunity to train for service and traveled overseas and efficiently created a new tracking system for the mail they received.