First day of classes for 2012-13 school year is August 6

Changes for new school year include boundaries, transportation

The first day of classes for the 2012-13 school year for most APS students is Monday, August 6, 2012. APS students who attend the district’s three year-round schools began classes for the new school year on July 10, 2012.

There are significant changes impacting students and parents for the new school year resulting from budget considerations and the district-wide redistricting initiative. These changes are detailed on the district Web site (www.atlantapublicschools.us) under the scrolling banner at to the top of the home page ’New at APS for the 2012-13 School Year’.

Beginning this school year, out-of-zone students enrolled in magnet programs at Douglass, Grady, Mays, North Atlanta and Washington high schools will no longer receive district pupil transportation to and from school. Students who reside outside of the attendance zones for these schools and meet certain qualification criteria will receive MARTA passes provided by the district.

Additionally, students attending Crim High School and West End Academy will no longer be provided district pupil transportation to and from these schools. MARTA passes will be provided by the district for students who attend these alternative schools and who meet certain qualification criteria. Also, students attending out-of-zone schools due to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) transfers will no longer be provided with district pupil transportation services. Georgia is one of a number of states that was provided a waiver from the NCLB requirements by the federal government.

The Atlanta Board of Education approved attendance zone changes and school closures as part of the district-wide redistricting initiative. APS schools slated for closure under the plan are Capitol View, Cook, East Lake, Herndon and White elementary schools, along with Kennedy and Parks middle schools. Parks and Kennedy middle schools will remain open during the 2012-13 school year.

The district has also reconfigured the schools into cluster configurations with specific elementary and middle schools feeding into designated high schools with an associated continuity of foreign language courses and academic programs.

The district’s two single-gender schools – Coretta School King Young Women’s Leadership Academy and B.E.S.T. Academy – are currently available for district-wide enrollment.

Parents may now access school zone interactive maps on the district website.

A number of other changes are being implemented for the 2012-13 school year. Students and parents are encouraged to visit the district’s Web site for details or contract their local schools.

Centennial Place Students Unveil Woodruff Park Playground

Thanks to Central Atlanta Progress, several Centennial Place Elementary students helped unveil the new Woodruff Park playground downtown on Tuesday, July 17 along with Mayor Kasim Reed and Atlanta Council Member Kwanza Hall.  Scroll down to see photos from the event!

Centennial students alongside Mayor Kasim Reed and Atlanta Council Member Kwanza Hall unveil the new Woodruff playground.

 

A Successful Day One for APS Year Round Schools

APS Cool Kid: James Bond

Chances are, when you hear the name James Bond, your thoughts instantly turn to spies, cool cars, hi-tech gadgets and a certain tall and dashing, tuxedo-clad secret agent.  But how often does that name leave you with thoughts of Atlanta Public Schools?

If you’ve called any APS phone number recently, you’ve probably made that connection.  James Bond is the Cool Kid with the big voice customers now hear when they call district phone numbers.  When callers are placed on hold, the fourth grader’s news updates keep them informed about what’s happening in the district.

James is excited to deliver the news for APS.  “I like informing all the parents about the changes happening in the APS schools,” James says.  But more importantly, he realizes that his news bites serve a purpose.  “This is important, because it helps people so that they’ll be ready when it’s time to go back to school.”

When he’s not keeping parents informed, the straight-A student spends his time doing kid stuff.  This summer James participated in a future space explorer program as part of Xanadu, the APS enrichment camp for gifted students.  James learned a lot about rockets at Xanadu.  But for him, the best part of the camp was combining those lessons with his creativity to build water and gunpowder rockets.

James is also a Lego enthusiast who can build just about anything with the miniature bricks.  And his fascination with robots has prompted him to experiment and teach himself about the world of robotics.

This interest in design, construction and experimentation suggests that James’ future lies somewhere in science and technology.  In fact, he says science is his favorite subject, and his professional goals include creating the first non-air propelled Hubber-craft.

James attends West Manor Elementary school, and has been an APS student since first grade.

Budding scientist and inventor James Bond is the APS Cool Kid for this week.

 

Tech High School to Close, Low Student Enrollment Cited

The Tech High School Governing Board announced the APS charter school will not reopen for the 2012-13 school year due to student under-enrollment and related financial issues.

 

A meeting for Tech High School students, parents and guardians is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at the school, where information about the closure will be provided as well as options for the continuing education of the school’s students. The school is located at 1043 Memorial Drive, SE, Atlanta, GA 30316.

 

Tech High School was started in 2004 with a focus on science, technology, mathematics, engineering and robotics.  Last year, the school enrolled approximately 200 students in grades 9-12.

 

APS Year Round Schools – First Day of School is July 10 (Video)

Boyd, Centennial and Hutchinson Elementary Schools: Time for Back to School

 

Project GRAD celebrates summer scholars

 As the Project GRAD Atlanta Summer Institute winds down, students enrolled in GRAD’s summer commuter program prepared for their unique and highly-anticipated closing ceremony. 

 The closing ceremony for the residential sites, which occurred on Saturday, June 23, included the culminating activity for the Summer Institute’s entrepreneurship program, which was facilitated by Operation HOPE.  

Through HOPE’s Banking on our Future program, students learned about financial literacy, capitalism, entrepreneurship, and how to take control of their financial futures.  Students selected and developed ideas for businesses, and during Saturday’s ceremony, they competed against one another by sharing their ideas on-stage in front of a live audience of parents, teachers, college faculty, administrators and Project GRAD Atlanta staff.

 Wells Fargo Bank representatives supplied Project GRAD commuter site students with financial literacy tools and techniques to help them preserve and acquire resources for college. 

Wells Fargo partnered with math instructors at Georgia State University  and provided an integrated financial literacy curriculum for students which focused on wealth building, saving for college, and careers in the financial sector.

 The closing ceremony for the commuter program was held on June 29  at Morehouse College’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Chapel.

 Of course, GRAD Scholars learned about more than entrepreneurship and financial literacy this summer.  Since the Summer Institutes are designed to promote and support a “college-going” culture, the programs focused heavily on strengthening life and academic skills in English/language arts, mathematics and college readiness.  Most importantly, since these skill-building classes occurred on actual college campuses, students experienced an enriching, first-hand view of life on a college campus.  

During the Summer Institute program representatives from each college’s admissions, financial aid, civic engagement, academic and athletic departments gave presentations and dialogued with students.

GRAD’s Summer Institute allows rising 10^th, 11^th and 12^th graders to engage in a three-week (June 3-23, 2012) residential experience or four-week (June 4-29, 2012) commuter experience.

The 282 GRAD Scholars enrolled in this summer’s commuter program were assigned toAtlantaMetropolitanCollege,AtlantaTechnicalCollege,Emory University,Georgia State University andMorehouseCollege. OglethorpeUniversity and theUniversity ofWest Georgia hosted the 120 students enrolled in the residential program. 

 An additional 27 Project GRAD Scholars will complete their Summer Institute at The Westminster Schools on July 13, 2012 as a result of Project GRAD’s long-standing partnership with Odyssey.  All students who successfully complete the Summer Institute with an 80 or above numerical grade point average will receive an educational stipend in recognition of their hard work and achievement this summer.

Brenda J. Muhammad to host community meeting at Parkside Elementary

Atlanta Board of Education member Brenda J. Muhammad, who represents district 1, will host a community meeting with Superintendent Erroll B. Davis, Jr. on Thursday, July 12, 2012, 6 p.m. at Parkside Elementary School, located at 685 Mercer Street, Atlanta, GA 30312.

The repurposing of Cook Elementary School will be discussed.