Dear APS Families,
The Department of Teaching and Learning has prepared Continuous Learning Plans to address the academic and social-emotional needs of your child during the remainder of the school year. These plans focus on previously introduced learning from the first three quarters to ensure that all our students have mastered key concepts. Students will also have opportunities to enrich and extend their learning through a variety of activities.
The Virginia Department of Education has given each school district the freedom to develop its own continuous learning plan. You will note that each of our surrounding districts’ plans are distinctly different from one another. APS is fortunate that our students in grades 3-12 have their own devices, which allows us to deliver learning opportunities to them in a streamlined and efficient manner. As part of our commitment to ensuring equity of access to new learning for all students, concepts that students would have normally learned during the fourth quarter will be introduced in September, at the start of the 2020-21 school year.
Arlington Public Schools views the partnership that exists between families and schools as essential to success. We encourage teachers, students, and families work together to strengthen connections and ensure that students appreciate the importance of completing academic tasks as they close out this school year and prepare for the 2020-21 school year.
You may access the plans online at apsva.us/continuity-of-learning/, or
Download the plans in full here:
(These plans will be available soon in Spanish, Mongolian, Arabic and Amharic. We will notify families when the translations are available.)
Elementary: Students in PreK-5 will engage in learning activities focused primarily on literacy and numeracy. Additional choice activities related to Art, Music, FLES, Library, Physical Education, Science, and Social Studies can be found here: apsva.us/continuity-of-learning/elementary-choice-boards/ . Students in grades 3-5 will use their iPads to access digital instructional materials sent by their teachers. As students in grades PreK-2 do not have APS-provided devices, their plan is a packet of learning activities for the month of April. The materials will be available electronically through ParentVUE in the Documents section on Monday, April 13. Printed packets will also be available for pick-up at APS grab-and-go meal sites starting on April 13. The learning packet for May will be available later this month.
Secondary: Students in grades 6-12 will engage in teacher-led learning activities reinforcing previously introduced learning, using their APS-provided device (laptop or iPad). Instructional activities will be designed to be completed asynchronously.
Guidance for Families: Both elementary and secondary learning plans include recommendations for parents and guardians regarding how to structure their child’s day, which can also be found on the APS website at apsva.us/continuity-of-learning. Teachers will engage with parents regularly to ensure that they are aware of and able to support the learning plans in place to support their child. Across all grade levels, teachers and other specialists will call or email students/families once a week for a check-in.
Answers to questions you may have as you review these documents may be found online in the COVID-19 FAQ. You can also send questions to engage@apsva.us.
Our teachers, counselors and administrators will continue to serve as resources for your child and you during this unprecedented time. Thank you for your support as we all learn together.
Sincerely,
Bridget Loft
Assistant Superintendent
Department of Teaching and Learning
