Education Committee Update: January 15, 2013

  

 

By: Nicole Foerschler Horn

Atlanta Public Schools’ Calendar Community Input

APS is seeking community input on next year’s school calendar.  The School Calendar Forum in our community will be held at Inman Middle School on Monday, January 28th from 5:30 PM until 7 PM.

Click here to see the proposed calendar: http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/aps/Board.nsf/files/933T2S754BB0/$file/20130114%20calendar%20draft%20final.pdf

As reported in The Buckhead Patch last year, the three general models for school calendars are:

Balanced Calendar: A “balanced” calendar features 8-9 week blocks of instructional days with weeklong breaks evenly distributed throughout the school year. A balanced calendar usually includes a 9-10 week summer break.

Traditional Calendar: A “traditional” calendar features long blocks of instructional time with limited breaks during the school year. A traditional calendar usually includes a 10-11 week summer break.

Year Round Calendar: A “year round” calendar usually features 8-9 week blocks of instructional time with 3-week breaks distributed throughout the year. In a year round model, intersessions are provided for students during these breaks with opportunities for catch-up and enrichment, if funding is available. A year round calendar usually includes a 5-week summer break.

School Start Times: Proposed Changes

APS announced last week it is considering changing the start times for schools. The proposed changes are:

Elementary:  Start time 7:45 (with bus drop off from 7:00 – 7:15), Dismissal 2:15

Middle School:  Start time 9:05 (with bus drop off from 8:35 – 8:50), Dismissal 4:05

High School:  Start time 8:30, Dismissal 3:30

The proposed changes were presented to the Atlanta Board of Education on January 14 and will be voted on during the February 4th meeting.

For more information about the proposed changes, read the Midtown Patch article: http://midtown.patch.com/articles/aps

If you are interested in speaking at the upcoming BOE meeting, you may sign up at 5 p.m., prior to the board meeting.

Navigating through Common Core: An Interactive Workshop for Parents

APS will host an interactive discussion with parents about Common Core. Discussion topics include:

• Common Core – State Standards, the impact on my child and me
• Common Core – Resources to help my child at school and home
• Common Core – It’s easy as “ABC”

The two regional meetings for the Grady Cluster are scheduled for January 31:

10 AM – Noon: Crim High School, 256 Clifton Avenue, SE, Atlanta GA 30317

6 PM – 8 PM: Drew Charter School, 301 East Lake Boulevard, Atlanta GA  30317

If you have questions, contact APS Family Engagement Specialists Shelia Cornelius or Renee Shields at 404.802.3820.

Congratulations to Grady High School’s Posse Students

Three of the twelve APS seniors recently named 2013 Posse Scholars (each earning a four-year, full-tuition scholarship worth approximately $100,000) are from Grady High School. The awards come from The Posse Foundation, which recruits students who demonstrate extraordinary academic and leadership potential and sends them to college in supportive, multicultural teams called “posses.” Join us in congratulating Grady High seniors:

• Autumn Rivers, who will be attending Bard College
• Diana Powers, who will be attending The College of Wooster
• Bill Vaughn, who will be attending Syracuse University

Named in December, Posse Scholars will spend the rest of their senior year and the summer – January to August – participating in intensive college-preparatory training sessions every week. Then, throughout their college years, scholars will continue to receive support and development in the form of mentoring, retreats, internships and other meaningful activities. The Posse Foundation administers a rigorous college access and youth leadership program that boasts a college graduation rate of 90 percent.

Again, best wishes and congratulations to the 2013 Posse Scholars across APS!