Summer School Update

En Español

Dear APS Staff and Families,

As you begin to make plans for this summer, I am writing to share updates to the APS Summer School Program for 2020. This year, in order to make the best use of available staff and resources, and to serve the students of greatest need, we will no longer be able to offer elementary summer enrichment programs, including: Global Village Summit, Fun with Coding, Math Academy and Summer Laureate. Outdoor Lab sessions will continue for elementary and middle school students.

We came to this decision based on increased challenges in staffing summer school strengthening, as well as anticipated budget reductions for the 2020-21 school year. While this was not an easy decision, these changes allow us to sustain our high-quality summer strengthening program and provide excellent teachers and staff to serve students with the greatest need.

We are working closely with the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to identify similar offerings and will communicate comparable camp providers through a follow-up School Talk message in early February, prior to the DPR summer camp registration. Arlington County offers fee reductions for eligible students, making these options comparable in price to APS offerings. Please note:

• DPR summer camp registration begins on February 12 at 7 a.m.  Lots of fun and enriching experiences for your student, with reduced fees as needed.
• Don’t wait to sign up for a camp until you hear if your student is referred to APS summer school.  Spots fill quickly.  Students who are referred to APS Summer School and must cancel a camp in conflict with APS Summer School can notify DPR by Monday, March 16 to get a full refund. All other cancelations follow DPR Cancelation Policy.

The APS Summer Strengthening Program, which runs July 6-31, will continue to be offered for elementary students who meet specific eligibility requirements established by the Department of Teaching and Learning. Enrollment is by teacher and principal recommendation only for students who are at least one grade-level below in reading and/or math. Eligible students will be notified during Parent-Teacher conferences on March 5-6. A letter will also be mailed to families indicating student eligibility.

Lastly, the make-up and strengthening fee for all programs, PreK-12, will be $150. Students who currently receive free or reduced-price meals will continue to pay $56 for summer classes, and students who receive Extended School Year services, may attend free of charge. The 2020 Secondary Enrichment fees and New Work for Credit fees will remain the same as in 2019.

These changes were presented by APS staff and approved by the School Board at the December 19 meeting. The full presentation is available online on BoardDocs.

I hope that this notice helps you plan accordingly. I also encourage you to participate in the APS Summer Activities Fair on Friday, February 7. This is a great way to learn about the many academic and arts programs, sports camps and other offerings available for the summer. Additional resources are provided below. Please contact the Summer School Office by phone at 703-228-7645 or by email at  summerschool@apsva.us, if you need additional assistance.

Sincerely,

Cintia Johnson
Interim Superintendent

Additional Resources:

• Arlington County Parks & Recreation Summer Camp Catalog: Available online Jan. 29 at https://camps.arlingtonva.us.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/
• Submission Saturday: Arlington County Parks & Recreation Offices are open to process fee reductions, answer pre-registration questions and learn how to register online. Saturday February 8 from 9am-4pm.  Located at 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington, VA 22206: https://parks.arlingtonva.us/events/submission-saturday/
• Arlington County Parks & Recreation Summer Camp registration begins at 7am on Feb. 12: https://parks.arlingtonva.us/programs/summer-camps/
• APS Summer School registration begins March 5: https://aps2016.apsva.us/summer-school/