Jan. 25 Engage Updates: Middle School Transfers; Elementary Boundaries; ACI Work Session; Drew Principal Search; Acceptable Use

Deadline for Middle School Transfer Applications is 4 p.m. Tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 26)
Transfer applications to Jefferson and Kenmore middle schools are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26. Application forms can be found at aps2016.apsva.us/school-options/.  Elementary school staff and the APS Welcome Center (2110 Washington Blvd.) can assist families who do not have access to the online forms. 

Elementary School Planning Initiative to Begin

• Review Will Look at Elementary Walk Zones & Locations of Neighborhood/Option Schools
• Final Goal Will be to Adjust All Elementary Boundaries

To prepare for the opening of the new Alice W. Fleet Elementary School and Drew Elementary as a full neighborhood school in 2019, and a new elementary school at the Reed site in 2021, Arlington Public Schools is putting in place plans to develop new elementary school boundaries between now and next November. The School Board held a Work Session Jan. 23 on elementary boundaries to discuss the scope and timeline of this work. At this session, staff proposed a two-phased approach.

• Phase 1: Review of Elementary School Locations and School Walk Zones (For School Board action Spring 2018)
  Staff will review the location of each elementary neighborhood and option school—and their walk zones—to consider revising the placement of the elementary option schools (Arlington Traditional, Campbell, Claremont, Key and Primary Montessori) to more strategically serve students in neighborhoods where they live, based on current enrollment data. This could result in changing the locations of some option and neighborhood schools, while maintaining the same number of elementary neighborhood and option schools.

• Phase 2: Elementary School Boundary Process (For School Board action November 2018)
  After the School Board makes a decision in Spring 2018 about whether or not to move the location of any elementary option or neighborhood school(s), staff will make preparations over the summer for a boundary process in Fall 2018. The fall process will focus on engaging the community in the process to revise all neighborhood elementary school attendance zones through boundary adjustments.

For the staff presentation from the Jan. 23 Work Session, including project timeline, community engagement, and related documents, visit aps2016.apsva.us/elementary-school-boundary-change/. The work session can be viewed at aps2016.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/.

School Board Work Session with the Advisory Council on Instruction
The School Board Work Session with the Advisory Council on Instruction (ACI) will be held 6:30-9:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Education Center (1426 N. Quincy St. Arlington 22207). This can be watched live at aps2016.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/.

New School Principal Search: Drew Elementary School
APS is conducting a search for a principal to lead the new elementary school at Drew, which will open as a full neighborhood school in September 2019. Staff, students, parents, and community members can share their input, using this questionnaire, on the opportunities and challenges with opening a new school, and the attributes and characteristics desired in a principal to lead this school. Since the new school’s attendance zone will be determined in the upcoming elementary boundary process, APS hopes for broad participation from nearby schools and community members. The questionnaire is available in English and Spanish, and will remain open through Thursday, Feb. 8. Printed copies are available in Amharic and Mongolian through the schools’ Bilingual Family Liaison Resource Assistants. For more information, the questionnaire and a timeline, visit aps2016.apsva.us/new-school-principal-search/.  

School Board Action on Feb. 1 on Technical Policy for Acceptable Use
The School Board will take action at its Feb. 1 meeting on the first of two separate APS acceptable use policies for student devices used for learning. This policy is specific to federal guidelines and filtering. This meeting will begin earlier than usual—at 6:00 p.m. To watch live, visit aps2016.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/watch-school-board-meetings/.