Schools

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Back to School — The nearly 21,000 students enrolled in Arlington Public Schools are returning to class today. Watch out for school buses on the roads this morning.

Arlington Parents Like Their Kid’s School, Teachers — On Friday, we reported that a survey conducted on behalf of Arlington Public Schools found that parents were very much opposed to redrawing school boundaries. Now comes more evidence that parents of APS students are happy with their kid’s current school. Asked to grade their child’s school, teachers, and quality of education, parents gave each a 4.4 out of 5 on average. More from the Sun Gazette.

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APS Students Returning to More Relocatable Classrooms

By ARLnow.com

Relocatable classrooms —  superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy prefers the term “learning cottages” — are here to stay in Arlington County. The school system, having determined that the portable units are ten times more cost-effective than physically building a new classroom, has started buying rather than leasing the “relocatables,” and has started buying them four at a time for a further cost savings.

This summer APS added four relocatables each to Glebe, Carlin Springs, and Barrett elementary schools. One relocatable was installed at Nottingham Elementary and H-B Woodlawn, according to APS spokesperson Frank Bellavia.

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Beloved Ashlawn Elementary Teacher Dies Suddenly

By ARLnow.com

Long-time Ashlawn teacher Jimsey L. Frye is being remembered as a devoted educator with an infectious sense of humor. She died unexpectedly at the age of 61, at a time when she was getting ready to greet students for a new school year.

“Needless to say this is a loss for us and the larger school community, as Ms. Frye has touched so many lives in her many years of teaching,” wrote Ashlawn’s new principle, Judy Apostolico-Buck, in a letter to parents.

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Demolition Rubble Makes Yorktown High Look Like a War Zone

By ARLnow.com

Construction crews have been working feverishly over the summer to get the new Yorktown High School ready for students, while tearing down remnants of the old Yorktown High building. With one week left until students return and with a field full of rubble left to clear, it looks like the work may be coming down to the wire.

Check out the photos below, which show heavy equipment picking through huge piles of debris as well as a worker hosing down the rubble, apparently to keep dust down. Also below: a photo of the old high school, just before the demolition.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Fire Works Pizza Opens in Courthouse — The much-anticipated Fire Works Pizza has finally opened its doors and its large outdoor patio. A “healthy” crowd showed up for the first night, writes TBD’s Rebecca Cooper.

New APS Teachers and Staff Getting Ready For New School Year — This week, all new Arlington Public Schools employees are undergoing a comprehensive training program to prepare them for the fast-approaching school year. School starts on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Three-Year-Old Boy Drowns Near Chain Bridge — The Arlington County Fire Department pulled the lifeless body of a 3-year-old boy from the Potomac River yesterday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at Virginia Hospital Center. The boy had been picnicking with his family near Chain Bridge when he somehow ended up in the water. More from TBD/ABC 7.

Alaska Plane Crash Survivor from Arlington Back in Va. — Friends and family were on hand at Dulles Airport to welcome Arlington resident Jim Morhard back to Virginia. The 54-year-old lobbyist is still recovering from injuries he sustained in the plane crash that killed former Alaska senator Ted Stevens. More from WUSA 9.

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Arlington Schools Fail to Reach Achievement Objectives

By ARLnow.com

This year, 16 Arlington schools met federal AYP targets — down one from last year. The remaining 14 schools failed to meet AYP.

The neighboring Falls Church and Alexandria City school systems also failed to meet AYP. Fairfax County was the only school system in Northern Virginia to get a passing grade.

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Volunteer Opp: Back to School Donations

By ARLnow.com

Believe it or not, it’s almost back-to-school time. With August just around the corner, the Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless is seeking volunteers to help the children of homeless families get some new gear.

Specifically, AACH wants individuals or groups to commit to buying a complete outfit — pants, shirt, underwear, socks, shoes — for an individual student. The organization is also accepting donations of gift cards.

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