This week I am pleased to share the highlights of our new literacy initiatives, and the strategies teachers are using to empower students to become skilled readers. I also have updates on vaccinations for students ages 5-11 and other reminders for the month ahead, as we get ready to begin the second quarter.

Here are this week’s updates as we continue the fall season.

Reminders about October recognitions and acknowledgments, as well as an update on our efforts to accelerate student learning through targeted interventions and differentiated instruction.

An update on the W-L incident, calendar reminders, highlights of recent school visits, and an important message about the TikTok Challenge trend affecting our schools.

I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of our 20th neighborhood elementary school over the weekend – Innovation Elementary. In the words of the 5th grade students who spoke at the event, their school is a community of innovators who aim to be “smarter and kinder” and will ultimately be world changers.

As we continue into Fall, assessments are happening division-wide to evaluate and meet individual student needs – academically, socially and emotionally.

It is inspiring to see the great work happening across APS to help our students grow academically, socially and emotionally.

We look forward to the second week of school and hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend. Here are updates for this week and the month ahead.