Online registration to start on Monday
By Donnie A. Lucas
Parents of both returning and new students planning to attend Albany schools are urged to use the online registration portal that opens Monday, July 26.
The school district is using the Ascender Parent Portal for registration and a link can be found on the school’s website under the red button labeled “Parents Sources.” Then look for the Ascender link.
Parents can login to an existing account or create a new account if they do not have one. Follow the instructions provided on the website.
Anyone requiring in-person assistance for either the elementary or secondary campus can receive help at the high school office on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 2 and 3.
The office will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on both days, plus from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 3.
Elementary personnel will be at the high school to assist with K-6 new student registration or help parents having an issue registering through the online portal.
“All in-person registration for new students or those having issues using the portal will be consolidated at the high school for both campuses this year,” elementary principal John Gallagher said.
Students in grades 7-12 who register online next week will be able to pick up class schedules and check out a school laptop at the high school office during that time.
Elementary students will be issued laptops on the first day of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
“We have new Chromebooks coming for students in grades 3-4 that will not be here until after Sept. 1,” Gallagher said. “We will hand out computers to grades 5-6 on the first day of school.”
He noted that all laptops at the elementary level are required to be kept on campus.
Parents of secondary students who are setting up a new Ascender account should provide the cell phone number of the primary person to be notified of announcement texts.
“We need the cell phone of the primary person to be notified,” secondary principal Glen Hill said. “Please don’t put a land line if at all possible since I will be sending out mass text notifications about school information. If a land line is listed, they will not receive the texts.”
The secondary campus will be using the School Messenger program to communicate with parents, and the elementary will transition in August from “Bloomz” to the new Messenger system.
All elementary parents who signed up for Bloomz messages last year should have received a message recently that has links to all the registration information, school supply lists, a summer letter from Gallagher, and a copy of the school calendar for the coming year.
New Student Registration
Any students who are new to the district can still use the Ascender protocol to register, but will have to upload required documents by scanning them with their phones and submitting them through the website.
Items required for registration include the student’s birth certificate, shot record, proof of residency, copy of driver’s license, student Social Security card and a transcript or report cards (for grades 7-12).
New student registration is also available in-person on Aug. 2-3. Anyone registering in person must also bring all required documents.
Meet the Teachers
Both campuses have tentatively announced “Meet the Teacher” sessions on Monday, Aug. 16.
Students entering grades K-3 will meet at 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed by grades 4-6 at 5:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Nancy Smith Elementary campus.
Students who will attend secondary classes can meet with teachers from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
A band concert may also be in the works starting at 8:00 p.m.
Head Start
There are still spots available for both the Head Start and Pre-K programs offered at the elementary school.
New and returning Head Start families need to pick up applications at the Nancy Smith Elementary School front office.
Required documents for Head Start are income verification (tax return or pay stubs), birth certificate, immunization records, insurance card, CHIPS or Medicaid information, Social Security card, and proof of residency (parent’s driver’s license or identification card).
Head Start family service director Stephanie Jaco said Region 14 will then contact families for an eligibility interview and to complete the official enrollment paperwork.
Pre-K Program
Nancy Smith Elementary principal John Gallagher said parents of students who do not qualify for Head Start can come to the school office and pick up a pre-registration form to see if they qualify for pre-kindergarten.
Parents enrolling students in pre-kindergarten will need to provide proof of income.
Students who will be four years of age prior to Sept. 1 have priority over younger students if space is limited, but right now there is not a waiting list.
Criteria to qualify for the program include any one or more of the following qualifiers: eligible for free or reduced lunch program, having a parent who is on active duty in the military or who was injured or killed during military service, homeless children, students unable to speak and comprehend English, children in CPS, and children of a Star of Texas award winner.
All students being registered will need a copy of the child’s birth certificate, student’s social security number, proof of residency, and parent’s driver’s license or identification card.
Call NSES with question about Head Start and pre-registration for Pre-K at 325-762-3384 during office hours from Monday to Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
New Programs,
Free Meals
The school district is able to use grant money available because of the COVID-19 pandemic to assist students who may have been affected by the disruption of instruction or an instructional gap over the last 18 months.
The district is required to provide accelerated instruction to any students in grades 3-12 who did not perform at a passing standard on the 2020-2021 STAAR or EOC exams.
Eligible students can receive up to 30 hours of additional or alternative instruction for each subject area that did not meet passing standards.
Also, the state passed a bill providing parents with the option to have their child repeat a grade level in K-8, or repeat a high school course if parents feel that their students were impacted by remote instruction during the 2020-2021 school year. Parents must provide written notice to the school.
Finally, the district has applied for a grant for the coming school year that would provide all students in K-12 with free breakfast and lunch. If the grant request is approved, parents will not have to qualify for the free meals during the school year.
“This is a great opportunity for the district to assist all of our families next year,” superintendent Jonathan Scott said. This grant is only for the 2021-2022 school year.”
More information can be found at the district website: albanyisd.net.
