News

High school staff and students are officially ready for the start of the new school year. Registration for all grades was last week. Both South Albany and West Albany high schools said registration numbers showed an increase in student enrollment. Official enrollment counts will be available after school starts.

Registration day allowed students and their parents to take care of business for the new year. They picked up schedules, paid fees, had student ID photos taken, received locker assignments and were given school t-shirts to officially welcome them.

Parent and community volunteers staffed registration stations and helped the day run smoothly.

Pictured are incoming students during freshmen registration day on Thursday, Aug. 25.

GAPS kicks off the start of each new school year with a motivational staff rally. This year, the event will begin with an optional walk from West Albany High School to South Albany High School.

The 2.6-mile walk is intended to be a team-building and wellness activity. It will start at Memorial Stadium, proceed on the right side of the road on Pacific, turn south on Columbus and continue on the left side of the road.

Staff may walk the whole route, drive to SAHS or hop on one of the buses that will wait at the 34th Street fire station for staff who want a lift at the halfway mark.

The regular staff program will start at 9 a.m. at South. Buses will shuttle staff back to West Albany High School after the event at approximately 10:30 a.m.

South Albany High School staff are back at work organizing their classrooms, including the culinary arts and music teachers who are moving into rooms in the new cafeteria.

The building is ready for the new school year, and the SAHS community is ready to show it off. This new building will be a source of pride for the school and the entire district.

The public is invited to two open house events:

Sept. 7 from 6-7:30 p.m. 

Sept. 24, 9-11 a.m.
Donors to the Albany Public Schools Foundation South Albany High School Fire Fund will be honored and thanked for their donations. Area leaders, including local legislators, have been invited.

Thank you to Red Canoe Credit Union for delivering more than a thousand pounds of schools supplies to the District FACT office today. FACT is the District’s Families and Communities Together program, which provides support for families in need.

Supplies were dropped off by (from left) Angie Stempson and Carey Mackey of Red Canoe Credit Union, Erin Hull, Tracie Johnson, and Gene Vey from FACT.

FACT staff is sorting the supplies now and expect to distribute supplies and backpacks to students next week.

Red Canoe staff said they received donations from several community partners, including backpacks from Costco and donations from community members.

“We are not the only ones who give out school supplies,” said Amy Davis, Vice President of Marketing at Red Canoe Credit Union. “A big thank you’s to St. Mary’s and St. Vinnie’s and to Love Inc. as well as the others who offer clothing and supplies. I’m sure there are many others we don’t even know about. We live in a generous community,” she said.

In addition to the school supplies, Red Canoe Credit Union said they will match the pounds of school supplies collected with a check. She estimated that the check would be available next week. It will help support families served by FACT.

“Red Canoe has partnered with us for several years now and we so appreciate them and all those who generously give for kids,” said Jim Haggart from the District. “Oftentimes you can hear the relief in the parents’ voices when they know they have somewhere to go to get help for school supplies.”

The School Board continues to review facility needs in the District for a possible bond proposal for next spring. A proposal could include projects to upgrade existing schools to address instructional program, safety and deferred maintenance needs and construction of one more new elementary schools to relieve overcrowding and manage growth.

Projections show that District enrollment will continue to grow, and current schools are at capacity. See Gaps anticipates high enrollment in Albany Democrat-Herald.

The last new elementary school constructed in the District was Periwinkle in 1977. See school building age timeline.

In October, the District will host a series of community meetings to gather input about community priorities for new schools, which will help the Board develop a final bond proposal. Superintendent Golden will seek public input on possible projects.

Please join us at one of the following meetings:

10/5: Timber Ridge School
10/12: Oak Grove Elementary School
10/20: West Albany High School
10/26: South Albany High School