Schools | ARLnow.com

Nottingham ‘swing space’ proposal puts cart before horse, says county-wide PTA

Published September 11, 2023 at 1:45PM | Updated September 11, 2023 at 2:33PM

CCPTA President Claire Noakes speaks at the School Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 (via Arlington Public Schools)

(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) The Arlington County Council of PTAs is criticizing plans to close Nottingham Elementary School and make it a “swing space” where students go when their school is being renovated.

In suggesting this change, the coalition of PTAs, or CCPTA, says Arlington Public Schools has not considered how little money it has in the next decade to spend on sorely needed renovations. It adds the move would disadvantage low-income, diverse neighborhoods that rely on schools for county and community-based services.

New speed humps to pop up near schools where drivers flout 20 mph limit

By Jo DeVoe

Published September 7, 2023 at 10:30AM

A 20 mph sign near Gunston Middle School on S. Lang Street (via Google Maps)

It has been 10 years since Arlington County last put up speed humps to reduce speeding.

Now, they will be coming to streets around a trio of schools where lowering speeds to 20 mph has not stopped drivers from going well past the speed limit.

NEW: Overdose reports at Wakefield prompt emergency response

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 30, 2023 at 3:30PM | Updated August 30, 2023 at 4:33PM

Wakefield High School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) Three days into the school year, Wakefield High School has logged a potential student overdose.

Medics were dispatched to the school at 11:30 a.m. and again about 45 minutes later for two students suffering possible drug overdoses — or, at least, the effects of suspected narcotics — according to scanner traffic.

Enrollment uptick continues for Arlington’s private schools post-Covid, while APS makes a comeback

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 30, 2023 at 11:30AM

St. Thomas Cathedral School

Arlington’s private schools say they are still riding a wave of enrollment increases that started early in the pandemic.

More than three years ago now, Covid lockdowns shut down schools, which reverted to distance learning. That fall, however, local private schools affiliated with a church or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington reopened their doors while Arlington Public Schools continued with virtual learning for most students for the better part of the 2020-21 school year.

APS students head back to school amid new focus on literacy and student wellness

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 28, 2023 at 4:05PM

Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán greets students at Gunston Middle School on the first day of school (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 4:15 p.m) Arlington Public Schools students headed back to school today and the positive energy, according to Superintendent Francisco Durán, was palpable.

“It was so wonderful,” he told ARLnow on a phone call this afternoon, debriefing from his morning spent visiting the half-dozen schools with new principals, including Gunston Middle School. “People are excited to be back.”

Nottingham parents claim plan to make the school a ‘swing space’ is based on flawed assumptions

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 18, 2023 at 11:45AM

Nottingham Elementary School parent Aaron Beytin addresses the School Board on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 (via Arlington Public Schools)

Two months after Arlington Public Schools floated plans to turn Nottingham Elementary School into a “swing space,” parents returned to the School Board with a message.

The assumptions the school system relied on for this plan are flawed, they said.

Yard work builds bonds and bots for Arlington robotics team

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 11, 2023 at 11:45AM

Koibots team members doing yard work to raise money (courtesy photo)

An Arlington Tech robotics team has an unusual strategy for building camaraderie and raising money ahead of competition season: yard work.

Every fall, members of the Koibots weed, rake and landscape around 40 yards in Arlington. Money funds the cost to pay for robot parts and travel and lodging when competitions start in March.

APS proposal to change middle school boundaries already has some opposition

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 10, 2023 at 10:30AM

Dorothy Hamm Middle School (via Arlington County)

Plans from Arlington Public Schools to redraw middle school boundaries have already prompted opposition from some families.

A new petition is circulating that calls on the Arlington School Board to reject the proposal and keep Dorothy Hamm Middle School, one of the affected schools, walkable.

APS mulls moving Spanish immersion program from Gunston to Kenmore Middle School

By Jo DeVoe

Published July 7, 2023 at 3:00PM

Gunston Middle School (file photo)

Arlington Public Schools is mulling moving the Spanish Immersion Program at Gunston Middle School to Kenmore starting two years from now.

The move would be part of a planned middle school boundary process also set to go into effect the same school year. APS is looking to balance middle school populations, as, without boundary changes, Gunston and Swanson are projected to become overcapacity and Williamsburg and Kenmore are projected to have seats available.

Independent School Board candidate James ‘Vell’ Rives drops out

By Jo DeVoe

Published July 5, 2023 at 10:30AM

Independent School Board candidate James 'Vell' Rives IV (courtesy photo)

An independent candidate for the Arlington School Board is bowing out of the race.

On Monday, four months ahead of the general election in November, James “Vell” Rives announced in an email that he was suspending his campaign. His announcement hinted that he may run again for School Board in a later election cycle.

Plans to turn Nottingham Elementary into ‘swing space’ prompt swift backlash

By Jo DeVoe

Published June 30, 2023 at 11:30AM

Nottingham Elementary School (via Google Maps)

A new proposal from Arlington Public Schools (APS) would send Nottingham Elementary students to other schools and use the building to house other students temporarily displaced by school renovations.

Parents of students at Nottingham were notified of the proposal yesterday (Thursday) by APS, ahead of a School Board work session discussing the proposal last night.

Parents call on APS to address slow academic growth, teacher turnover at Oakridge Elementary

By Jo DeVoe

Published June 28, 2023 at 1:45PM

Oakridge Elementary School in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood in May of 2023 (via Google Maps)

A small group of parents from Oakridge Elementary School are asking Arlington Public Schools to take a hard look at student achievement and teacher retention.

Student assessments show low growth and lower pass rates in math and science tests at the school in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood. Meanwhile, it has higher teacher turnover than the school system as a whole, according to the group, named Concerned Parents of Oakridge