District news
Government Shutdown Relief
Families affected by the partial federal government shutdown may submit a Free/Reduced Price Meal application listing their current income if it's affected by the loss of work. Meal eligibility will be approved based on income status. When the shutdown ends, families who became eligible due to the shutdown should call and update their application to determine their continued eligibility. The Free and Reduced Price Meal application is available here.
Hear from students and the superintendent at the State of the District address on Jan. 24!
Mark your calendars for the 11th annual Arlington Public Schools State of the District Address on Thursday, Jan. 24 at Post Middle School. A tour of Post will begin at 6 p.m. and the program starts at 6:30. A rebui
ld of Post Middle School is the largest project in the Feb. 12 bond. There will be a panel of middle school students answering questions from the superintendent about what is working well, what needs improving, and suggestions they have to continue making Arlington Public Schools the best place to learn. Learn more about the event here.
School performance report now available
The 2017-18 annual school performance reports are now available for each of our schools. The purpose of the annual school performance reports is to inform parents, guardians and other members of the community about student performance. The reports include current and previous year student assessment results, school-level plans to achieve student learning goals and other information. You can view the reports here.
Winter weather is here! Receive school closure information through FlashAlert
Arlington Public Schools, through the Puget Sound Educational Service District, uses FlashAlert Newswire to communicate school closure information due to bad weather, hazardous road conditions or other emergencies to local media sources. Parents, students, staff and community members can register up to three email and/or cell phone text addresses in a single account and receive information at the same time as the news media. A free iPhone/A
ndroid app, FlashAlert Messenger, is also available and allows families and the public to receive emergency messages much faster and more reliable than text messages. As a subscriber you can also view all local emergency items and news releases on FlashAlertNewsire.net. Sign up today!
Arlington Public Schools Board of Directors approves running bond proposal in February
During its meeting on Dec. 10, the Arlington Public Schools Board of Directors approved running a bond proposal in February 2019. The requested amount has been decreased from $107.5 million to $96 million. Based on the district’s Facilities Advisory Committee recommendation, the new bond proposal would focus on improving safety and security at all schools, build an improved Post Middle School on the same site as the current building, and add eight classrooms to a crowded
Arlington High School. The total local schools tax rate from bond approval would be one-third less than the tax rate paid in 2018.
More information is available here.
Give your child the gift of attendance!
This holiday season, the best gift you can give your child is a good education. And the best place to get that education is in school. Every day. On time.
Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle. We know it’s tempting to extend your vacation by a few days on either side of the holiday. We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. The costs of plane tickets often influence when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school.
Just a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and put your child behind in school. This is as true in kindergarten as it is in high school.
So make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.
If missing school is unavoidable, talk to your children’s teachers in advance to create a plan for making up missed work. But remember, a homework packet cannot make up for the interaction and learning that goes on in the classroom. So give your child the gift of attendance and help build a habit of attendance.