Posts filed under ‘Parents’
Parents are invited to attend Title I review meetings in all clusters
Download parent flyers in English and Spanish
‘Leveling’ done, maximum class sizes in effect
Leveling, our annual process for adjusting staffing levels and reassigning teachers after student enrollment stabilizes, has been completed for the 2012-13 school year.
Every summer, APS assigns staff to schools based on projections of student enrollment. Leveling is necessary because by the time the new school year begins, projected enrollment may differ from actual enrollment for several reasons. One reason is that a large number of students register and actually begin school after the first day of school. Approximately 10,000 students began school between August 7 or Day One and September 7 or Day 24, which is our designated cutoff day for leveling this school year. As part of the leveling process, we have made staffing adjustments that reflect not only student enrollment, but also our careful consideration of the academic and programmatic needs of students and schools.
Now that leveling has been completed, class sizes across APS will be no higher than board- and state-approved maximums. Note that the official state-required count of student enrollment (i.e., FTE count) takes place on the first Tuesday in October (October 2, 2012), after which minor adjustments may be required to ensure that classes do not exceed the approved maximum sizes:
2012-13 APS class-size maximums (unchanged from last year):
- Kindergarten: 25 students
- Grades 1–3: 26 students
- Grades 4–8: 33 students
- Grades 9–12: 35 students in the core classes
School Communications Survey
APS parents, please help us communicate more effectively by completing a quick survey. The survey includes 7 questions and is available on the homepage of your school’s website. In addition, printed copies of the survey are available at all schools. Your feedback is very important to us, as the results from this survey will impact our communication strategies at the school level and throughout the district. The survey will close on October 31st. Thank you for your participation!
New Customer Service Standards Launched by APS
Atlanta Public Schools is undergoing significant changes. One of those changes is a new, focused effort on customer service.
Superintendent Erroll Davis has made it an imperative that we provide fast, efficient service in warm, welcoming environments for our students, teachers, parents, staff, and colleagues.
Benteen Gives Campaign
On August 31st, 2012, Benteen Elementary School hosted a clothing and school supply campaign for the families of the community. They opened the campaign during the morning and afternoon for parents to take as many items as needed for free! It was a huge success, as about 75 parents arrived at the school starting at 7:30 a.m. to participate. The room was overflowing with families taking advantage of the many book bags, gently used clothing, books, school supplies, shoes, and school uniforms that were supplied for them.
Joi Thrash, the Assistant Principal at Benteen, coordinated this event with the help of several staff members for about a month. They created flyers, called parents, and spread the news by word of mouth. All of the items were donated by a law firm, personal friends, and staff members. “I felt that it was a great success, and that the parents really were appreciative of the nice things that were provided. It feels good to me as a leader to know that this campaign was a success and touched the lives of many,” says Joi Thrash.
Although the campaign was a great opportunity for families to gain useful items, such as coats and boots for the winter, it was also a great way for them to connect and bond with the school. This event opened a door for parents to be involved with the school and interact with the faculty as well. One of the parents stated, “We need to do this more often because it makes parents come out of the community and have a face in the school.” This campaign served as a perfect medium to reach the parents, as many of the families were in need of the things that this event provided. “I believe that the Benteen Gives Campaign will tighten the bond between parents and the school for years to come, because our help reassures the parents that we genuinely care,” says Simone Hubbard, PTA President. Because of their great success, Benteen is already planning similar events, such as a coat drive before Christmas. We are really looking forward to the upcoming events at Benteen as they continue to share great things with their community!
APS superintendent speaks about district’s past and outlines agenda for new year during State of the Schools address
West Manor student, James Bond, introduces APS Superintendent, Erroll B. Davis, Jr. at 2012-13 APS State of the Schools address
In an address to hundreds of APS stakeholders last Tuesday, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) superintendent, Erroll B. Davis, Jr., announced that after enduring a tumultuous year of challenges, APS has embarked on the new academic year as a more stable district refocused on “the real work of educating children.”
The superintendent stressed that moving forward APS will focus intently on four key areas: excellence, equity, ethics and engagement.
Davis made the statements at the Carter Center during the 2012 APS State of the Schools (SOS) address. During the annual address, the superintendent informs the business community, metro area leaders, APS partners, volunteers and parents about the current condition of the school district, highlights accomplishments from the previous school year and outlines the district’s goals and priorities moving forward. The forum also gives attendees an opportunity to ask the superintendent questions during a brief question and answer period following the SOS speech.
In his speech, Davis acknowledged special guests sitting in the audience, which included new APS principals and the longest serving principal in the district, Cascade Elementary School principal Dr. Alfonso Jessie, who has served generations of APS students since 1966.
Davis also recognized high school counseling coordinator, LaVerne Ware. He indicated that under Ware’s leadership APS ranks third in the nation for grooming the highest number of Gates Millennium Scholars, and second among U.S. school districts with the most African American Gates Scholars.
Other APS 2011-12 achievements mentioned include delivering more growth on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the nation’s report card) than any other participating urban school district, and graduating almost 2,100 students who earned more than $86 million in college scholarship offers.
Davis addresses stakeholders attending the SOS event
When speaking about the school system’s challenges, Davis did not shy away from the multiple hot-button issues that made national headlines. He addressed them individually, and thanked the citizens of Atlanta for their support, outspokenness and passionate engagement during the difficult times.
“As community and business leaders, parents, board members, students and APS employees and citizens, we came through it together,” Davis said. “We are stabilizing this school system, and we have begun to refocus on the real work of educating children—with honor, integrity, focus and transparency.”
And in the spirit of transparency, Davis revealed that over the past year, district leaders have made some “stunning discoveries” with respect to student performance. According to Davis, about 80% of APS schools need intensive support.
But there is good news. Davis said that APS is on the right path and poised to succeed. The formula for success will concentrate heavily on emphasizing excellence throughout the district, offering more opportunities for stakeholder engagement, restoring and maintaining an ethical culture and ensuring a more equitable distribution of district resources.
Before closing, the superintendent reminded attendees that the APS community worked together to make last year’s achievements possible, and that same sense of unity can produce even greater results in the future.
“Together, we achieved these things, Atlanta! And we are capable of so much more,” Davis said.
Davis responds to questions from the audience following his SOS speech.
Click on the link below to view State of the Schools multimedia (full video, special video presentation, speech audio and speech transcript).
APS Parent Academy – Common Core Standards: February 25, March 3 and March 10
Come learn how APS will transition from Georgia Performance Standards to Common Core State Standards. This informative workshop will provide an overview of the new standards and offer practical ideas for activities to help children learn at home.
Parents are encouraged to attend ANY session that meets their schedule.
All sessions are from 10am – 2pm
- Saturday, February 11, Kennedy Middle School – 225 James Brawley Dr., SW 30314
- Saturday, February 25, Price Middle School – 1670 Benjamin W. Bickers Dr. SW 30315
- Saturday, March 3, Inman Middle School – 774 Virginia Ave., NE 30306
- Saturday, March 10, BEST Academy – 1890 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy., NW 30318
- Are aligned with college and work expectations;
- Are clear, understandable and consistent;
- Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
- Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
- Are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
- Are evidence-based. (source: http://www.corestandards.org)
Download the flyer HERE.
Take the APS Parent Survey
From the office of Deputy Superintendent for Instruction, Karen Waldon
In an effort to provide support to students who may have been adversely impacted by the 2009 CRCT Testing administration, the Atlanta Public Schools is requesting parent input through a very important survey.
The feedback from this survey will be used to assist us with the parent component of the district’s Accelerated Support Plan.
Please take a few minutes to provide feedback on how we can better serve your child and the community as educators. We would like to know your opinion as a parent in order to adequately allocate academic intervention and support. The survey is confidential so you will not be identified.
The estimated time to complete the survey is between 5 to 10 minutes. Thank you very much for your support.
The following is the URL where the survey can be completed: ASP Parent Survey or copy and paste the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7X3Y2VW
