Monday Message: 1.10.22

January 10, 2022

Welcome Back and Happy New Year! Warm wishes to each of you for a very happy and healthy 2022 from the team at your PRC. We hope that the winter break provided an opportunity for you to make wonderful memories with your children, and we are excited to to connect with you during this new year. We anticipate that parent learning sessions will remain virtual for the time being, and as always, we can be reached at 703.228.7239 or via email at prc@apsva.us. We hope your children had a smooth transition back to school today, and as students are busy learning during the school day, we want to be sure to have opportunities for us adults to continue learning together as well. We are excited to kick off two new 2022 initiatives – our new Lunch and Learn Series and our Spanish language telenovela parent learning sessions. The virtual Lunch and Learns are designed to provide a brief opportunity to explore various disability related topics from the your home or office during a thirty minute lunch break. We hope you’ll log in with us on January 27th as we welcome Chiquita Seaborne, the Virginia Department of Education’s Family Engagement Specialist, who will share tips for families on communicating and collaborating with IEP teams. Registration and details can be found below.

We are thrilled to be partnering with the Offices of Family Engagement and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as we launch our first telenovela parent series, which will be facilitated by Monica Caldera Lozano, Equity and Excellence Coordinator, and Isabel Messmore, Family and Community Engagement Specialist. This five-week virtual evening series will serve as a companion to La Sopa de la Abuela’s five episodes, and will provide interactive and engaging experiences for parents. Registration and additional information can be found below.

Middle and High School Options Applications
The Application Portal for middle and high school options for the 2022-23 academic year is open until Friday, January 21 at 4pm. Applications must be submitted online for H-B Woodlawn, Arlington Tech, Wakefield AP Network, Washington-Liberty International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, Spanish Immersion at Wakefield and Gunston, and Montessori at Gunston. The lotteries will be held virtually on January 31, and notifications will be sent on February 7th. For more information, please contact the Welcome Center.

Please visit Secondary Options and Transfers FAQs for answers to questions frequently received about the options and transfers process. For additional information or questions, please contact the APS Welcome Center at 703-228-8000 or schooloptions@apsva.us.

Principal Appreciation Week:  We join Arlington Public Schools in acknowledging and celebrating APS principals this week. Read more here.

Free Weekly in-School COVID Testing: Arlington Public Schools strongly encourages all students and staff to sign up for free weekly COVID testing as part of our overall pandemic strategy to keep each other safe. Families must Opt In to allow students to be tested free in school. Even families who already opted in this fall must re-submit because APS has changed to a new testing provider. OPT IN here.

Instruction During Quarantine: Arlington Public Schools has posted information on Instruction During Quarantine here.

CR2

Since 2014, Children’s Regional Crisis Response has helped individuals, children and families who are experiencing a crisis across Northern Virginia. CR2 is happy to announce that they are now offering crisis services to adults, as well as children. In addition, they’ve undergone a name change and have become Community Regional Crisis Response (still known as CR2). They provide in-the-moment rapid response, 24/7, to children, youth, and adults who are experiencing a behavioral, mental health, or substance use crisis that puts them at risk for hospitalization. CR2 provides healing, support, and success. Call today for mobile crisis response and community stabilization if you or a loved one:

• Are experiencing suicide, assaultive, or destructive ideas, threats, plans or actions.
• Are experiencing a loss of control over thoughts and behaviors.
• Are experiencing escalating disruptive or at-risk behaviors.
• Have experienced a behavioral or mental health crisis within 72 hours.
• May be at risk for needing a higher level of care (such as 911 or hospitalization) if immediate intervention isn’t received.
• Are experiencing a current behavior or mental health crisis that is significantly interfering with everyday life in environments such as home, work, family, or social relationships.

Visit CR2’s website to learn more.

Please visit the PRC’s Events page for information on upcoming events.