Albany School District Newsletter
MARCH 2024
Doing something BIG in a special little place
A Message From Mr. Soderberg, Superintendent
With Spring knocking on the door and the hope of warmer weather our attention shifts to outdoor activities, registration for 4K, state testing, spring sports and activities, class trips, graduation, and yes, yard work.
It may be chilly outside but the Comet Spirit inside the Albany School District keeps us warm. The Spring is hopping with many student activities, events, and accomplishments to celebrate and look forward to.
When spending time with the staff and students it’s easy to see just how special this place is. The strong connections are clear and powerful, and the sense of community and collective responsibility separates Albany from many other districts.
I want to thank the community for their exceptional support of our students and staff. We are truly “Doing something BIG in a special little place”.
It's a great day to be a Comet!
Go Comets!
Mr. Soderberg
A Message from Mr. Ritzert, 4K-12 Principal
Happy March, Comet Nation,
Welcome Spring, what an exciting time of the year. I can’t share enough congratulations to the players and coaches of the Albany-Monticello Girls Basketball team for earning the Division 5 STATE TITLE! This program represents both of our communities with honor and pride. We were fortunate enough to be along for the ride in this historic season. The semi-finals and finals games were about as exciting as it gets! I know I was on the edge of my seat at the Resch Center!
In addition to success in athletics, we have had several other events that have taken place in which we are proud. March was certainly a busy month, our events included:
Hosting the Section 5 FFA Speaking Contest for the second consecutive year
Annual Easter Egg Hunt, which was an egg-cellent adventure
“I Hate Shakespeare,” was a smashing success as our students put on 2 wonderful performances
4K Open House honoring our future littlest learners
As we come back from Spring Break, I look forward to closing out Quarter 4 on a positive note with all of our students and staff. To make sure students are supported as needed academically during their LEARN time, a slight adjustment for our MS/HS students for their LEARN time will include the following:
MS/HS staff will choose students they need to see on a particular day
MS/HS staff will notify students during their 3rd-hour class who they will see on that particular day
Students could see 1 teacher or 2 teachers, or not be assigned to a particular teacher during their LEARN time. This depends on what they need and what is communicated between MS/HS staff. Additionally, this can fluctuate daily. Those students not requiring additional support from their teachers will continue to have access to the gym, Library, or commons during their LEARN time.
As always I continue to be impressed and proud of the support we continue to receive in our partnership between home and school. I cherish every conversation I have with students, staff, and our families. As we continue our work together, I can proudly say we remain committed to doing BIG things in this special little place.
Go Comets!
Mr. Ritzert
A Message from Ms. Becher, Director of Special Education/Student Services
The ACT will take place on Wednesday, April 10th
9th graders - PreACT Secure
10th graders - PreACT Secure
11th graders - ACT with Writing
12th graders - Do not report to school - Work on Career and College prep
All students will be tested on the areas of English, Mathematics, Reading and Science. 11th graders will take the additional Writing Test.
Students should report to school on time. Students only need No. 2 pencils and an approved calculator. Extra pencils and calculators will be available if needed. Students should not bring any electronic devices, books, food, or other items. Students will be provided a break and a snack at the midway point of the test.
After testing, 9th and 10th graders will continue with their regular school day. 11th graders will be permitted to leave after testing is complete, but are welcome to stay for the remainder of the day.
WINTER JACKETS
Please remind your children they must wear their jackets to school. The Wisconsin weather changes so much between recess, and we want only the best for our students. Thank You!
SCHOOL DISTRICT NURSE - RACHEL ARNOLD
As we continue through the cold and flu season I am including some guidelines on attendance. We encourage parents to send students to school each day if injury or illness does not significantly compromise the student’s health and there is no risk of illness transmission to the school community. Students should remain home / will be sent home from school if they:
● Have been experiencing episodes of vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours
● Have a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher. Students must be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school.
● Are experiencing any symptoms severe enough to hinder participation in class and school activities (i.e., headache, body aches, fatigue, pain, uncontrolled cough)?
● Possibly have an untreated communicable illness (i.e., strep throat, impetigo, scabies, draining pink eye).
● Tested positive for COVID-19 (please remain home for five days from symptom onset or positive test).
Students may attend/return to school:
● When symptoms are improving
● Vomiting and/or Diarrhea free for 24 hours
● Fever-free (100.4 degrees F or less) for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication
● If necessary have been evaluated and cleared by a healthcare provider
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT - MR. BAKKEN
6th Grade Science- This group is just finishing up our unit on the electromagnetic spectrum. We have talked about visible light, microwaves, radio waves, and more. Soon, the students will be constructing a light maze using flashlights and mirrors. The students are excited to start building!
7th/8th grade science- The students have been learning about the different types of forces, like gravity, friction, and pressure. Next we will learn about the many simple machines we use everyday. By the end of the month, students will be making Rube Goldberg machines out of materials found around home. The students have been engaged and are eager to get started.
Biology 2- The students have started their first couple of dissections. This has included clams and earthworms. Next we will start talking about arthropods and dissecting grasshoppers and crayfish. The students have been inquisitive and have enjoyed the “hands-on” experiences.
Brandon Bakken
Albany MS/HS Science (608) 862-3135 Ext. 2203
MS/HS TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION DEPARMENT - MR. BROUGHTON
Greetings, From the Tech Ed Department. As we move into spring break and April, our Fab Lab classes are wrapping up their awesome Adirondack chair projects. Meanwhile, our introductory class is delving deeper into Computer-Aided Design(Onshape) and 3D printing. On the other end of the spectrum, our intermediate classes are laying out sheet metal projects and blueprint reading to create metal shelves.
Thanks, Bryce Broughton
ELEMENTARY GENERAL MUSIC - MS. STEFANIK
4K-K: Students have been working on call and response in songs with one of their favorites “See You Later Alligator.” Students have also been working on adding their own actions to songs and improvising movements to match the meaning of a song.
1st & 2nd: Students have been learning about performing expressively. They have been learning spring themed songs and exploring how to use rain sticks and scarves to portray the meaning of the songs.
3rd - 5th: Students have begun their instrument family lessons, beginning with the woodwind family and guitars/fretted instruments. Students have started Instrument Karate, where they earn different colored “belts” for each new song that they learn on their instrument. 3rd and 4th grade students are learning to play the Glockenspiel and 5th grade students are learning to play the Ukulele!SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT- MRS. BROWN
6th Grade Geography: Geographers are starting fresh for quarter 3 with a mini-unit on the Middle East. Students will become familiar with the political and physical geography of the area. We will then take a look into cultural and economic practices common in the Middle East.
7th Grade Ancient History: Ancient Historians just began our unit on Ancient Greece before spring break, getting familiar with Greek geography. We will now take a look at how geography extended itself into Ancient Greek religion and politics. This unit is one of our longest, and most enjoyable for students! Students can expect this unit to be filled with fun projects and events.
10th Grade World History: Students in World History will return from break learning about the rise of totalitarian dictatorships in the 1930s and extend into a brief unit on World War II. Extending what students learned about WWII last year in U.S. history, we will focus on the motivations and effects of the war in Europe and Asia. Students will also look at the causes and cost of the Holocaust while examining actions taken toward reparations.
Modern U.S. History: Students just finished their unit on the Vietnam War and will now take a look at the counterculture movement in the United States during the 1960s-1970s.
SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT- MR.CAMPBELL
Here is what is happening in Mr. Campbell's classroom...
8th Grade:
We have spent the month of March discussing the different paths that the United States was taking in the early to mid 1800s. The North was focused on manufacturing, encouraging immigration and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the South was focused on an agrarian society enabled by slavery and limited investment in factories and infrastructure. This created two main regions of the United States that were on very different paths. This divergence of thinking would later come back to haunt them in the 1860s. We finished up the month right before spring break by discussing the start of the women's rights movement and the Seneca Falls Convention. When we return from break we will continue our discussion on Manifest Destiny and westward expansion.
9th Grade:
The past month we have been discussing a crazy time in United States history known as the Roaring 20s. This time period was known for new inventions, mass production of goods, the rise of the automobile, and the development of mass culture. There were also some ill effects including the rise of the gangster and the failure of prohibition. Meanwhile, society was setting itself up for one of the biggest economic disasters in U.S. history: the Great Depression. We left off at break starting our discussion on this topic.
Civics:
The civics students have been working hard to finish up our unit on the Judicial Branch. We took a test on this unit and also did a quick project showing the symbolism of the three branches of government. Meanwhile, students took the third round of the state civics test. Our average was an 82/100 on the test which is a great accomplishment for the students in Albany. When we return from break we will be conducting a mock trial where students will go through the process of a real court trial and the various roles in the court.
Psych:
The psychology students spent the first part of the month discussing motivation and emotion. A little into the month the students started discussing different theories of where we obtain our personalities. Is it learned behavior or is it linked to genetics? The students listened to the various theories related to these two ideas. Students also learned about defense mechanisms and had some very interesting role-play scenarios to showcase these situations.
Thanks,
Jeff Campbell
MS/HS Social Studies
Data Coordinator
Graduation Coordinator
HS/MS SCHOOL COUNSELOR - MRS. DOYLE
Signe Doyle
Middle and High School Counselor
608-862-3135 Ext. 2117
"Every child deserves a champion-an adult who will never give up on them."
HS ELA DEPARTMENT - MR. EVANS
April, come she will, and Albany ELA is full speed ahead!
Sci Fi/Dystopia is completing book clubs on choice dystopia books before starting their build-your-own-dystopia project.
In English 9, just finished Romeo and Juliet! Despite the play title, I think some were convinced not to hate Shakespeare. Students will now try their hands at creative writing using Shakespeare's literary devices. As always, we continue grammar work.
Creative Writing Workshop has written children's stories in order to write with a focus on audience and themes. We will be reading them to our kindergartners in Mrs. Brewer's and Ms. Hanson's class!
English 10 has just finished Macbeth on our way to projects that focus on real life characters who experience similar struggles.
Adventure Lit is in its survival unit! We are reading a variety of articles and Into the Wild by John Krakouer before we jump into writing a synthesis essay.
BAND, CHOIR & DRAMA DEPARTMENT - MR. KAROLEK
5th Grade Band: This month the 5th grade band continued working on music in their method book. The learned about scales and how they apply to their music.
6th Grade Band: This month the 6th grade band continued working on their concert music for our spring concert.
Middle School Choir: This month the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade choir students continued work on their music for our spring concert.
7/8th Grade Band: This month the 7th and 8th grade band continued work on pieces for concert festival and the spring concert. They also performed as a part of the Albany Pep Band to support the Albany/Monticello Girls Basketball team in the playoffs.
High School Choir and Band: This month the High School Choir and Band continued work on their music for concert festival and the spring concert. The HS Band students also performed as a part of the Albany Pep Band to support the Albany/Monticello Girls Basketball team in the playoffs.
Band and Choir Concert Update: The Albany Music department would like to invite the community to our Spring Concert on May 1st. The concert starts at 7:00 PM and the doors will open for the public at 6:15 PM. We are looking forward to sharing music with all of you!
Drama: This month the Albany Drama Department put on their performance of I Hate Shakespeare! By Steph DeFerie. The play was a major success and the students did a phenomenal job. We would like to thank all of the volunteers that helped along the way. We would also like to thank everyone that attended the performances!
MS MATH DEPARTMENT - MR. KOPLIN
Geometry: Students have been using their triangle congruence theorems to write flowchart and two column proofs to prove other properties of quadrilaterals.
8th Grade: Students have taken their knowledge of y=mx+b for tile patterns and extended it to learn about the slope of lines. They have learned to find the slope by taking the change in y and dividing it by the change in x. This will lead them to being able to write the equation of a trend line on a scatter plot.
7th Grade: Students compared data by looking at dot plots and box plots and comparing their measures of center and variability. For measure of center they calculated the mean and median and for the measure of variability they calculated the interquartile range (IQR) and the mean absolute deviation (MAD). They learned that the mean is affected by outliers.
6th Grade: Students started looking at expressions and to find the total cost for a list of groceries. This led to students thinking about unknown quantities where they could write expressions using variables. Students learned the vocabulary for variables and coefficients.
Tim Koplin
6-8 Math and Geometry
Albany School District
608-862-3135 x2213
MS ELA DEPARTMENT - MS. MCDONALD
6th Grade- In 6th-grade reading class, we're diving into Percy Jackson and Greek Mythology! We're enjoying Percy's adventures while also learning about gods, heroes, and monsters from Greek myths. We're also practicing using pronouns correctly and exploring different character traits.
7th Grade-
In 7th grade, we're reading the novel 'Tangerine,' exploring its themes and characters. We're also learning about athletes with disabilities through presentations, and practicing using helping verbs to improve our writing skills
8th Grade- In 8th grade, we're exploring the Odyssey as a graphic novel, examining it through the lens of the hero's journey. Alongside our literary exploration, we're diving into grammar with helping verbs and adverbs, and mastering ACE paragraphs for better writing. To understand the hero's journey better, we've watched a movie and documented its hero's journey.
Speech- In Speech, students have recently been honing their public speaking skills by giving informative speeches. In our most recent speech, students had to select a decade then inform the class about different important people, events, etc, from that decade. Our next unit we will be focusing on persuasive speaking. In this unit, students will have to create an advertisement and also give a Shark Tank style speech to a panel of judges.
Bailey McDonald
6-8 ELA
Yearbook Advisor
Forensics Coach
Albany School District
HS PHYSICAL EDUCATION - MR. OLSEN
HS MATH DEPARTMENT - MR. SCHWAB
The Algebra 1 students will be generalizing their knowledge about factoring in order to factor and solve quadratic equations.
In Algebra 2, the students will be delving deeper into trigonometry to extend their previous knowledge from Geometry. This will include examining trigonometric ratios as functions for any angle measure.
The Precalculus class will be examining three dimensional vectors and then moving into linear optimization using constraint equations and objective functions.
In Calculus, the students will be learning other methods to evaluate definite and indefinite integrals. Furthermore, they will be applying these methods in order to find volumes of uniquely shaped three dimensional objects.
The Statistics class will continue to add to their list of hypothesis tests with tests of correlation and analysis of goodness-of-fits for distributions. The class is also starting their experimental study papers.
Thanks, Jim Schwab Albany High School Math Teacher
HS SCIENCE DEPARTMENT - MRS. RYAN
Physics - Torque, radius, and momentum. After spring break we will be starting on rotational kinematics.
Biology - Students are learning about the cell cycle and how that relates to cancer. They are also learning the phases of mitosis.
Chem II - Students had a test on Ions in aqueous solutions and colligative properties. After break we will be studying Acids and Bases.
Physical Science - Students are starting a unit on chemistry and the periodic table. They will learn about isotopes, ions, and trends in the periodic table.
MS PHYSICAL EDUCATION - MRS. THOMPSON
The month of Feburary kicked off our Kids Heart Challenge. Everyone did any amazing job and we were able to raise $5,208 for the American Heart Association. I would like to thank everyone who was able to participate in this event. Each class had a lot of fun participating in different jumping activities to keep their hearts healthy, while raising money to help others. Way to go Albany!
MS/HS FACE DEPARTMENT - MRS. RUSSELL
8th Grade FACS
In the first two weeks of class the Eighth graders completed lessons on family, friends, careers and work skills. They are quite excited to start the Foods and Nutrition unit! We are learning about food borne illness, mise en place, reviewing kitchen safety and of course will spend some time on kitchen math as we prepare simple recipes in labs. We were able to sneak in a lab before Spring Break where students prepared a simple Easter themed recipe.
Culinary Skills -
This group of students seemed quite happy to finish the Vegetable unit and begin studying all about Meat! We were fortunate to receive a grant from the Wisconsin Beef Council again this semester so were able to purchase a variety of steaks. Ron Russell, an instructor from Madison College Artisan Meat's program, prepared the steaks explaining why they differ in tenderness. Students who had taken Anatomy and Physiology recognized some of the muscle names!
Confectionary Arts
Students prepared decadent cheesecakes - rich and creamy. They learned how to bake with yeast as a leavening agent making delicious cinnamon rolls followed by focaccia bread decorated with vegetables. Our next project is a decorated sheet cake where they will utilize their newly acquired piping skills and they will learn the art of filling and frosting a cake independently.
International Foods
We are starting a new round of powerpoints and labs for our second set of countries. The class unanimously agreed that Italian cuisine is amazing. We will soon be learning about Korea, the UK and Jamaica.
Alicia G. Russell
Family and Consumer Sciences
HS Student Council Advisor
Junior Prom Coordinator
SPANISH DEPARTMENT - MS. WICHITA
This month all Spanish classes participated in Locura de Marzo or March Madness. This is an event that involves more than 250,000 students from all 50 states and 20 countries around the world. There was a bracket of 16 different Spanish songs that students filled out. Every day we listened to two songs and students voted for their favorite. We also did activities to go along with the songs. We listened for key words, translated lyrics, and told opinions about the songs in Spanish. To wrap up the unit, each student wrote about the songs they liked and disliked and why. This year's Locura de Marzo was Para Vivirla by Alvaro Soler. It is an energetic positive song about living life your own way.
SPECIAL EDUCATION - MRS. KOLASCH
Life Skills Math: We have been continuing to work on our most challenging unit which is percentages and sales tax. Making sure you have enough money is key to being successful in your shopping experience. Students are also working on grocery shopping ads and including sales tax on their purchases.
Applied ELA: Our students have been working on their slides for Senior Presentations in April. We are also doing work on reading letters regarding employment, power of attorney forms and wills, unemployment applications and other written material they should have exposure to before graduation. Students are finding out about "life" while reading and completing materials.
Community Life Skills: The students made garlic bread pizzas recently, which involved not only finding the recipe, but determining a budget for purchasing the items, then making the yummy pizzas. We have been active in the community, including recently obtaining library cards and showing all that the library can offer. We have also begun doing volunteer work on Wednesdays at the Albany Thrift Store during the class period. Exciting opportunities continue for this class.
Comet Coffee Cafe: Open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-11:30, this business continues to thrive each day. Iced tea will return in April and we have customers anxiously waiting! A big thank you to Attorney Howard and Dr. Anne Zavell of Highland Park for the generous donation of $200.00 to the cafe! We will be purchasing new coffee pots soon and other needed items.
Beginning April 1st, we will be offering Comet Coffee Mugs for purchase for $10.00! The mugs are 12 ounces, the same size as our regular coffee/hot chocolate/hot tea. Customers can use the mugs with refills being $1.00 upon each visit. And with the purchase of a mug, the first refill is on us! A big THANK YOU to Mrs. Traci Crain for the logo decals for the mugs!
On February 21st, Albany 5th graders Griffin Everson, Aniya Lisser, Jena Jones and Tenley Doescher represented Albany Elementary in the WEMTA Online Battle of the Books. In their division, 242 teams participated, answering trivia questions from a list of 20 books that they read. The Comet Nation was proud to have them represent Albany!!
COMET CALENDAR
March 25-April 1 - SPRING BREAK
School Resumes April 2
April 2 - PTO Meeting
5:00pm in the school cafeteria
April 5 - Alumni Basketball Tournament
Starts after school
April 6 - Alumni Basketball Tournament
Starts at 10:00am
April 9 - FFA Donkey Basketball
7:00pm-9:30pm
April 17 - Regular School Board Meeting
6:00pm in the Board Room
COMET SPORTS CORNER
Albany HS Track & Field Schedule 2024
Tuesday, April 2nd ~ @ Belleville HS 4:30pm
Monday, April 8th ~ @ Monroe HS 4:30pm
Thursday, April 11th ~ @ Cambridge HS 4:00pm
Tuesday, April 16th ~ @ River Ridge HS 4:15pm
Friday, April 19th ~ @ Brodhead HS 4:00pm
Monday, April 22nd ~ @ Darlington HS 4:00pm
Thursday, April 25th ~ @ Cuba City HS 4:00pm
Juda-Albany HS Softball Schedule 2024
Monday, April 1st (HOME) Juda vs. Orangeville 5:00pm
Tuesday, April 2nd (HOME) Albany vs. Belleville 5:00pm
Thursday, April 4th ~ (HOME) Juda vs. River Ridge 5:00pm
Saturday, April 6th @ Waunakee (11:00am & 1:00pm)
Tuesday, April 9th ~ @ Pecatonica 5:00pm
Thursday, April 11th ~ (HOME) Juda vs. Belmont 5:00pm
Tuesday, April 16th ~ @ Barneveld 5:00pm
Thursday, April 18th ~ @ Benton-Shullsburg 5:00pm
Saturday, April 20th ~ @ Monroe Tournament 9:00am
Monday, April 22nd ~ (HOME) Albany vs. Argyle-Black Hawk 5:00pm
Tuesday, April 23rd ~ (HOME) Albany vs. Monticello-New Glarus 5:00pm
Thursday, April 25th ~ (HOME) Juda vs. Highland 5:00pm
Saturday, April 27th ~ (HOME) Juda vs. Clinton & Palmyra Eagle 10:00am
Monday, April 29th ~ (HOME) Juda vs. Pecatonica 5:00pm
Monticello-Albany HS Baseball Schedule 2024
Thursday, March 28th ~ (HOME) Monticello vs. Parkview 4:30pm
Monday, April 1st ~ @ Orangeville 4:00pm
Thursday, April 4th ~ @ Iowa-Grant 4:30pm
Friday, April 5th ~ (HOME) Albany vs. Brodhead 5:00pm
Monday, April 8th ~ @ Belleville 4:30pm
Friday, April 12th ~ (HOME) Albany vs. Potosi-Cassville (DH) 4:30pm
Monday, April 15th ~ (HOME) Monticello vs. Black Hawk 4:30pm
Tuesday, April 16th ~ @ Barneveld 5:00pm
Friday, April 19th ~ @ Belmont (DH) 4:30pm
Monday, April 22nd ~ (HOME) Monticello vs. Argyle 4:30pm
Tuesday, April 23rd ~ @ Pecatonica 5:00pm
Friday, April 26th ~ (HOME) Albany vs. River Ridge (DH) 4:30pm
Monday, April 29th ~ (HOME) Monticello vs. Wisconsin Heights 4:00pm
Tuesday, April 30th ~ @ Black Hawk 5:00pm
Albany MS Track & Field Schedule 2024
Thursday, April 18th @ Parkview HS (4:00pm)
Tuesday, April 23rd @ Darlington HS (4:00pm)
Thursday, April 25th @ Belleville HS (4:15pm)
Monday, April 29th @ Beloit Turner HS (4:00pm)