Building on the love of learning and ideation fostered in elementary school, middle school classes are collaborative and inquiry-based, filled with lively debate and rich discussion. Students engage in a variety of enriching programs that serve as critical outlets for creativity and self-expression, and foster self-awareness, confidence, and independence.

A Day in the Life of a Middle School Student

AVID

Students start their morning off with and Advisory period. During Advisory, students participate in AVID- Advancement Via Individual Determination – which fosters a safe and open culture, high expectations for teachers and students, and collaboration.

STEM

Each day, students have a STEM block consisting of back-to-back sessions of science and math. The extended period gives students time to conduct and analyze sophisticated lab experiments and delve into complex, multi-step math problems.

English Language Arts

Each day, students have a block of back-to-back sessions of English Language Arts, followed by history. Students engage in lively discussions of elaborate ideas and tackle a range of genres in English Language Arts and Social Studies.

Academic Enrichment Time

Students end the day with Academic Enrichment Time – ACE- where students work to enrich targeted skill areas that have been identified by our benchmarking assessments.

Middle School Academics

Humanities: English Language Arts

In literature, students explore compelling works of fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction from around the world. They read seven whole-class books each year, and through discussion, debate, and written responses, students learn to analyze and interpret their deeper meanings while developing an appreciation for literary style. Books on the reading list include The Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, and Dragon Wings by Laurence Yep.

Humanities: Social Studies

Our students experience history as the fascinating story of humankind, one that’s extraordinarily relevant to their modern lives. We don’t approach history as a checklist of facts and figures. Rather, we lead students in investigations of the ideas and movements that altered the course of history and continue to shape our world.

Whole Child

Middle schoolers become more self-aware while navigating positive relationships and social conflict. Specialists support the development and implementation of emotional wellness initiatives school-wide, in small groups, and through one-on-one instruction. Social-emotional learning is a key piece of the whole child curriculum. Our curriculum follows the New York State Social Emotional Learning Benchmarks which is aligned with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) benchmarks.

STEM: Science

Building on the technical skills they developed in elementary school, students experience the joy of discovery through science – biology, chemistry and earth and space science. Our science teachers are obsessed with sparking curiosity and inspiring students to become more engaged and purposeful observers of the world. This student-driven inquiry also promotes the development of independence and leadership.

STEM: Math

Students become confident quantitative thinkers and productive problem solvers in our mathematics program. Through building an understanding based on reasoning, not just calculation, students gain a deeper understanding of concepts and learn to use math as a vehicle for thinking critically about the world around them.

Meet the Middle School Team

Dr. Evans

Dr. Evans

Principal

Dr. Jennie Evans is Albany Leadership’s Middle School Prinicpal (M.S. Childhood Education (1-6), M.S. Literacy and Special Education (Birth-Grade 6), Ed.D Educational Leadership.) Dr. Evan’s has been working with the sixth grade since the beginning of the school year, she is excited to officially take over in the capacity of Middle School Principal.

Dr. Evans lives in Wynantskill, NY and, in addition to being the Middle School Principal, she is also an Adjunct Professor at The Sage Colleges in the Esteves School of Education.

Prior to becoming the middle school principal, Dr. Evans was the Director of Student Support Services at Albany Leadership. She also was a teacher and the Response to Intervention Coordinator at Albany Leadership.

Dr. Evans is excited to be working with Mrs. Mahani to support your students academic and social emotional growth.

Ms. Mahani

Ms. Mahani

Assistant Principal

Ms. Mahani is from Bethesda, MD and obtained a B.S. in both Elementary Education (Grades 1-6) and Special Education (Grades 1-8) from Towson University in Towson, MD. In addition, Ms. Mahani taught 5th Grade English Language Arts and Special Education Resource in Baltimore. Ms. Mahani then moved to Houston, TX for her husband to attend medical school and was a Special Education Department Chairperson at a Title I Elementary School. During that time Ms. Mahani helped close the achievement gap, by implementing research-based interventions and authentic Professional Learning Community meetings, while completing an M.Ed in Educational Leadership, K-12 General Administration from University of St. Thomas. Ms. Mahani moved to Albany as her husband matched to Albany Med for general surgery residency and began working at Albany Leadership as a Special Education Teacher.

Ms. Mahani is beyond thrilled to continue to work with Dr. Evans along with all staff, students, and families at the middle school.

FAQ

For more information, please contact us!

Does it cost anything to attend ALCS?

No. Albany Leadership is a free public school.

Does my child need to take a test to enroll?

No. There is no admittance test to enroll at ALCS.

What transportation does ALCS provide?

Transportation is dependent on the district in which you reside. For more information about transportation, please visit our transportation webpage.

Do I have to live in Albany to attend?

No. ALCS enrolls students from all over the Capital Region. We currently have students from over 14 districts.

Ready to apply?

If you are interested in applying to Albany Leadership, please click the “Apply Now” button. If you would like more information, or have any questions, please call our main office at 518-694-5300.

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