Schools

ACPS Express : ACPS Express 8/13/2021: Back To School Edition

It is time to turn the page on a new school year and look forward to the promise of what the 2021-22 school year will bring. Together, A ...

Press Release Desk, News Partner

Press release from Alexandria City Public Schools Express:

August 13, 2021

This Week’s Headlines: Opening Day for 2021-22 at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School ‘Step Up to School’ Orientation Day Orientation for Students Enrolled in Virtual Virginia Welcome Back: Helping Families Get Ready for the 2021-22 School Year Health and Safety Guidelines for 2021-22 School Year Back to School Form Packets Available Online as of August 20, 2021 Free School Meals are available to all ACPS Students for 2021-22 School Year Adult Education Registration Student Helpdesk Temporarily Unavailable ACPS Fall 2021 Social-Emotional Screening and Opt-Out Information Innovation Planning WorkShop: Putting the Plan in Action

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  • 8:00 a.m. to noon: Kindergarten and grade 1
  • 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. New students in grades 2-5
  • Simulates school day for kindergarten and first grade (bus transportation, grab and go meal, shortened schedule)
  • Provides orientation for new students (school tour, schedule, expectations)
  • Utilizes the availability of staff to assist/interact with students with school-based work
  • Grades K–5 Orientation: Join via Zoom at 6 p.m.
  • Grades 6–12 Orientation: Join via Zoom at 7 p.m.
  • The last day of summer meals for ACPS students is Aug. 20, 2021.
  • With our first day before Labor Day, school is starting earlier than usual and schools will be closed on Friday, Sept. 3, and Monday, Sept. 6 for the Labor Day holiday
  • On Aug. 18, families will receive their students’ bus transportation information via email; this will also be available in the PowerSchool parent account on that day
  • Students should be at the bus stops 10 minutes before the scheduled pickup
  • The student helpdesk is temporarily unavailable; students should bring their ACPS devices to school on the first day of school
  • Health and safety guidelines are evolving; please see below for ACPS protocols
  • Guidelines for visitors and volunteers in school buildings is provided below
  • All schools are ready to receive our students, with some schools finalizing facilities projects
  • Back to School Forms packets are all online this year, with printed packets available in Arabic and Amharic

    • Additional Information

  • Visit your school’s website to learn more about your school community and to stay up-to-date
  • Subscribe to your school’s newsletter and ACPS Express
  • Follow ACPS and schools on Facebook and Twitter
  • Get Back-to-School Night Dates and School Supply Lists
  • View school calendars at the ACPS website
  • Review the ACPS Student Code of Conduct and the Family Handbook
  • Individuals supporting the provision of in-person student supports, including city and partner programs
  • Individuals supporting/performing ACPS operations and maintenance; and
  • Individuals picking up students who have become ill during the school day

    • Community members can obtain a COVID-19 vaccine at no cost at an ACPS school on August 21 and 22 – see below for details. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Vaccines . Alexandria Health Department
    Francis C. Hammond Middle School (4646 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA)
    Contact: 703-746-4988 Schedule Now – Accepts Walk-ins Alexandria Health Department
    Samuel Tucker Elementary School (435 Ferdinand Day Drive, Alexandria, VA 22304)
    Contact: 703-746-4988 Schedule Now – Accepts Walk-ins  

    Complete your Back to School forms* by Sept. 15, 2021, to:

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  • Update your contact information to receive emergency notifications
  • Update or confirm your emergency contacts
  • Update your child’s health information
  • Choose your opt-out preferences

    • Registration is close at hand for Fall Adult Education English Language Learners ELL, Adult High School Diploma, and GED class registration. From Aug. 24 – Sept. 10, 2021 registration will be held. Day classes and registration will take place at 1340 Braddock Place and evening classes will be held at Alexandria City High School. Please email us at adulted@acps.k12.va.us to schedule in-person registration and more information.

    In order to address the social and emotional well-being of children and youth in ACPS amid the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, ACPS plans to survey students in grades three through 12 between Sept. 7 and Oct. 15, 2021. The information will be used by ACPS schools solely to implement universal and targeted supports and interventions addressing the social-emotional well-being of students. Information, including how to opt-out, was sent via email to families on Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. More details about the screening and the opt-out information are available on the ACPS website.

    Addressing the workshop, Dr. Sims said, “In order to take a different approach to tackle issues, you have to peel back the layers to see where change can be made. Just like a business comes together when a major challenge needs to be addressed, ACPS is using this workshop to come together to collectively find innovative ways to help bring about the changes called for in the Strategic Plan.”

    Keeping in mind the data can lead the way, ACPS Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. said it is time to look more at how “things can be” rather than how “things used to be.” Dr. Hutchings told the group of educators and staff: “If we want to have a legacy, let the legacy be that we transformed ACPS beyond the stratosphere, beyond anything anyone could imagine for us.”

    This press release was produced by Alexandria City Public Schools Express. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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