ACPS has announced that in Fall 2020, students will attend school virtually and have access to additional resources, including:

• Enhanced and formalized social, emotional and academic learning supports 
• Childcare options with community partners
• Continued meal distribution
• Expanded technology resources

On Friday, Aug. 7, the Virtual PLUS+ reopening proposal will be presented to the Alexandria City School Board to vote on before submission to the Virginia Department of Education on Aug. 14.

Learn more and provide your feedback through the ACPS website.

Our amazing music teacher, Ms. Koss, has set up Google classroom pages (one for grades K-2 and the other for grades 3-4. Mr. Ramirez was awesome and made an encore page for grade 5). This may be the best way to receive some music lessons/activities because some of the music files are so large. There is plenty of information/activities up there that Ms. Koss sent out in emails already. This will be a place to have everything in one spot for music classes. Thank you so much for your patience as teachers navigate how to best teach online!

You can join from a student’s chromebook. Siblings with a chromebook can join the younger kids’ classrooms as well. Sharing is caring!

Google Classroom Codes for Music

K-2 code- ukosin6
3-4 code- q2x7vvv
5 code- hjlxnap

Ms. Tio has made available a number of take home sheets that she and fellow ACPS art teachers developed. A few are age-specific (K-2) and (3-5), and the others are coloring sheets about famous female artists, some of which your students have studied in art class (Faith Ringgold and Frida Kahlo). Feel free to download, print out and enjoy!

Grades K-2 Art Activity

Grades 3-5 Art Activity

Drawing Steps for One Point Perspective

Faith Ringgold Coloring Page

Frida Kahlo Coloring Page

Yayoi Kusama Dots Coloring Page

Yayoi Kusama Pumpkins Coloring Page

Zaha Hadid Coloring Page

Schools will close on Monday, March 16, 2020. See ACPS Coronavirus Update for Friday, March 13, 2020 at 12:00 p.m.: acps.k12.va.us/coronavirus.

During our closure, a daily update will be sent out via ACPS Express around 1 p.m to all families and community members who are signed up to receive these updates. Sign up for ACPS Express now. There will be a webinar at 3 p.m. every day to answer questions from families.

Important Info:

Learning Activity Packets for Emergency Closing

How can I get internet access at home?
Sign up for Comcast Internet Essentials. Visit www.internetessentials.com.

• Comcast is offering a FREE 60 day service and then $9.95/month
• New customers receive a free self-install kit that includes a cable modem with a Wi-Fi router.  There will be no term contract or credit check and no shipping fee.
• For assistance call 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.

Will there be other instructional supports?
ACPS-TV will be running educational content from 9 a.m. through noon each day. More information will be sent out on Monday.

Will there be continued access to food?
Families in need may also contact our local food pantry at https://www.alive-inc.org/ or 703-837-9300.

Food Access Update During School Closures

Starting Monday, March 16, 2020, Alexandria City Public Schools will be providing emergency meals at no cost for any child under 18 and any family who needs it.

There are two ways to access food while schools are closed:

1. Individual Meals to Go: Any child between the ages of 2 and 18 – whether or not they are eligible for Free or Reduced Price Meals – can pick up a meal to go in a bag. Stop by the Chinquapin Drive side of T.C. Williams High School (door 14) between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. to pick up a meal-to-go. You do not need to fill out any forms to pick up a meal-to-go.
    
2. Family Meal Packs: You can order a family meal pack online and pick it up at the drive through pick-up point outside Chinquapin Recreation Center (Chinquapin Drive side of T.C. Williams High School, door 14) between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m the following day. If transportation is an issue, please remember to check the box to request meal delivery. Fill out the form to request a family meal pack.

Additionally, students and families can access the supports below if there is a crisis or emergency during the time of the closure:

• Crisis Text and Crisis Link: 
  • Text: CONNECT to 85511 
  • Call: CrisisLink: 703-527-4077
• Alexandria Safe Place
• Alexandria City 24-Hour Emergency Mental Health Services
• Alexandria City Health Department
  • Contacts
• Inova Alexandria Hospital (ER)

For additional information and regular updates, please go to the ACPS website page dedicated to COVID-19.

Below are some helpful links about the High School Project in case you haven’t seen them. On September 26, the ACPS School Board will vote on where to build additional buildings and if they will build a second high school in Alexandria or have one “connected high school network.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) A great overview of the project.

Site Investigation, Site Alternatives and Cost Comparisons

Educational Programming and Site Analysis Report More detailed info. about the programming concepts.

Guiding Documents and Resources Data compiled over the past few years.

What has the Maury PTA done this year? Check it out here.

ACPS has announced that it has named Victor Powell the next principal of Maury, filling the giant shoes of Ms. Jackson. Powell, who is currently an assistant principal at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School, begins July 1. Welcome! Read more about him here.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week – check out the fantastic ways we’re honoring our teachers!