November 2022 Newsletter

Download pdf here

SPOTLIGHT: Carrie Wielechowski
Carrie is the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator at Williamsburg Middle School. She works alongside students and staff to foster an environment in which everyone can learn, grow, feel seen and heard, and achieve. This includes recognizing and providing resources, tangible and intangible, that individual students and staff members need. She feels fortunate to work within a building and district that values all people. She feels that it is her job to continue building on the progress that has been made. Carrie moved to Arlington in 2014 with her daughters and husband. Prior to their move, she was a high school teacher in Wayne, Michigan, teaching business education and social studies. She earned a BA in Marketing from Michigan State University. After recognizing she was meant to work with and for people, she continued her education at Wayne State University, earning a Master of Arts in Teaching.

SPOTLIGHT: DR. KaMyka Glenn
Dr. KaMyka Glenn formerly served as the Secondary Transition Program Specialist for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), where she oversaw all transition efforts for the district, developed programs for students, and trained staff on best practices in the field. Dr. Glenn received her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Lynn University. She obtained her master’s degree from the George Washington University in Secondary Special Education and Transition Services, Interdisciplinary Transition Services. In addition to her work at PGCPS, Dr. Glenn also serves as an education consultant specializing in transition services, youth empowerment, and staff development (both professional and personal). Dr. Glenn has co-written several educational publications, including a one-on-one reading recovery program, Financial Aid for Youth with Disabilities Guide, and Pathfinders’ Curriculum: Make Your Move, The Choice is Yours! (interactive secondary special needs transition curriculum that promotes a successful transition from high school to post-secondary education). Her innovative app, Glenn Transition Action Plan (GTAP), helps special education students navigate the transition process. In APS, she currently serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator for Dorothy Hamm Middle School and serves as the lead developer and content creator of the Equity Profile Dashboard. Dr. KaMyka Glenn travels nationally to speak and facilitate trainings on various topics surrounding youth and education. Her passion is to empower and guide young people through their life experiences. Ultimately, she is a passionate educator who is committed to helping educators and educational leaders shift their paradigms in order to cultivate truly student-centered programs.

IMPORTANT DATES:
November 6 – International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
November 8 – Election Day
November 9-15 – International Week of Science and Peace
November 16 – International Day of Tolerance
November 20 – World Children’s Day
November 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

SPECIAL EVENTS:
National Chamber Ensemble- Jewish Musical Treasures – November 5 Gunston Arts Center Theater One The National Chamber Ensemble’s opening night marks Kristallnacht, a tragic event in history. While acknowledging this tragic prelude to the Holocaust that was to come, the performance will be a celebration of extraordinary music. The Ensemble will perform music of beloved composers whose music has remained in the mainstream of American life and whose contributions symbolize the vibrant and continued flourishing of Jewish culture.

Exhibition-Lex Marie: Let Them Kids Be Kids – November 6 Arlington Arts Center Let Them Kids Be Kids uses the playground as a framework with which to examine the joys of Black childhood and the ways in which issues of race and equity are inscribed on the site. Employing images from her personal life to examine these ideas, Lex Marie’s newest paintings and installations address the issue of adultification bias as she makes the case that all children have a right to innocence.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING:
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will be offering implicit bias training to school-based front office colleagues on Tuesday, November 8 as part of our initiative to train every APS colleague by the end of the 2023-23 school year. Please reach out to Ty Byrd at tyrone.byrd@apsva.us to learn more about this important initiative.

WHAT WE ARE READING:
Please use this link to share your thoughts on what we’re reading and offer suggestions to expand our library and collective knowledge. We are currently reading: Thriving Through the Unexpected: You’ve Been Chosen – Cynt Marshall

AROUND NOVA:
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble November 5, 2022 Center for the Arts at George Mason University Through the classical movements of Odissi dance, Nrityagram Dance Ensemble brings stories of the Hindu epics to life with their bodies. Chitrasena has been leading the development of Kandyan dance in Sri Lanka, being a key proponent to opening this dynamic style to women, whilst also preserving it as a cultural tradition.

TERM OF THE MONTH:
Equity: The unyielding effort to give everyone what they need to succeed by increasing access, resources, and opportunities for all.

Contact us at DEI@apsva.us

Follow us on Twitter @DEI_APS