Superintendent’s June 8 Update

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Dear APS Community,

Graduation season is here, and we are ready to celebrate our Senior Class of 2021 superstars, our 5th and 8th grade students being promoted to middle or high school, and all APS students during the next two weeks. As we approach the end of the school year, here are brief reminders.

Graduation Celebrations – The APS 2021 Graduation Schedule, including dates, times and locations, is available online. We invite APS students, families and staff to join in the celebration by sharing their favorite pictures from this year’s graduation or promotion events on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #APSGrads2021.

Year-End Dates – The last day of school for high schools is Wed, June 16 (early release), and elementary and middle schools end on Fri, June 18 (early release). Tomorrow, June 9, is an early release day for elementary students. Final report cards will be posted in ParentVUE for elementary students on June 18 and for middle and high school students on June 23.

APS Celebrates Pride Month in June – APS is recognizing and celebrating Pride Month to support our LGBTQ+ students and staff and to encourage all to honor our wonderfully diverse community. This is part of our strong commitment to equity and inclusion, to ensure APS is a place where all staff, students and families are welcome, valued and respected. Throughout this month, APS will share Pride Month resources online.

Health and Safety Updates – Also at the June 3 School Board meeting, I presented updates on how we are adjusting mask requirements and other mitigation measures in accordance with the Governor’s Orders which took effect in May. The changes are summarized online for APS summer school and fall 2021. Fully vaccinated individuals may now remove their masks when outside on school grounds and are exempt from quarantine if identified in contact tracing. Masks are required for everyone while inside our facilities and schools. These measures are subject to change as we anticipate additional revised guidance for schools prior to the start of the new school year.

Technology Over the Summer: Adjusted Device Turn-In Procedures – APS is committed to ensuring that students have targeted instructional resources available to them throughout the summer. At the end of the school year, students generally turn in their APS-issued devices, but this year, APS is adjusting the device replacement process. All students (except Grade 12), including those in grades 5 and 8, will keep their devices over the summer so they may participate in summer learning activities. Students should return their devices in the fall, if applicable.  Some students may receive new devices in the fall and will need to return their old ones at that time.

Extended Day Registration, Phase 2, Starts Tomorrow – Extended Day registration for all families officially opens tomorrow, and the registration window closes on June 23. Details about the process and links to register are available online. Families registering during this period will participate in a lottery and be assigned a family enrollment number. Students will be enrolled in order of the family enrollment number, if space is available. Otherwise, they will be placed on the waitlist in order of enrollment number.

Thank you for your partnership in making this a successful ending to the school year for our students.

We look forward to resuming five-days schedules for school in summer and fall.

Dr. Francisco Durán
Superintendent
Arlington Public Schools