Jan. 19 Deadline for Community Input on Section of 2018-24 Strategic Plan
Community members can still provide input before 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 19, on potential options for a mission statement, a vision statement, and a set of core values that will capture the essence of Arlington Public Schools in the 2018-24 Strategic Plan. Please review these potential options and share your input using a brief questionnaire available at aps2016.apsva.us/engage/strategic-plan/.  Community input is vital to the 2018-24 Strategic Plan, which will chart a course for the future of students, staff, and APS as a whole.  

Career Center Site Tour and Working Group Meetings
On Saturday, Jan. 20, the Career Center Working Group will host a Career Center and Study Area Site Walking Tour from 9 a.m. to noon at 816 S. Walter Reed Drive. This event kicks off the group’s work to develop a plan that defines how APS can open 800 new high school seats at the Career Center by 2022, within funding already approved by the School Board, while providing options for optimizing future development of public facilities within the study area. Working Group meetings are open to the public; this month’s meetings will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 22, and Monday, Jan. 29, at the Career Center. For more information, visit aps2016.apsva.us/career-center/.

School Board Information Item on Acceptable Use Policy
The School Board meeting tonight will include an information item that presents the first of two separate APS acceptable use policies for student devices used for learning. This policy is specific to federal guidelines and filtering; the School Board will take action on it on February 1. The second policy, which will be developed in February, will address topics such as internet safety, digital citizenship, rights and responsibilities, and shared ownership. This policy will be an information item at the March 22 School Board meeting and a School Board action item on April 5. The draft policies will be posted online for community review; feedback can be sent to engage@apsva.us. For more information, visit aps2016.apsva.us/engage/acceptable-use/.  

School Board Work Session on Elementary School Boundaries
The School Board will hold a Work Session on elementary boundaries at 7 p.m. on Jan. 23 in Room 101 of the Education Center (1426 N. Quincy St. Arlington 22207). School Board Work Sessions are open for observation by the public, but no comments are accepted at these sessions. These can be viewed at aps2016.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/.