Schools | ARLnow.com

Schools Plan to Expand Using Temporary Classrooms, Interior Modifications

Published July 13, 2017 at 11:00AM

Arlington Public Schools will look to temporarily add more space to try to cope with its rising enrollment by adding temporary classrooms and making interior adjustments at several schools.

The Arlington County Board is expected to vote on a slew of proposals across eight schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels at its meeting Saturday (July 15). The temporary solutions are all recommended for approval by county staff, as “student enrollment is growing at a faster rate than APS can provide new schools and classrooms.”

Thomas Jefferson Middle School Set For New Turf Fields

By Brooke Giles

Published July 12, 2017 at 1:30PM | Updated July 12, 2017 at 2:17PM

The turf fields at Thomas Jefferson Middle School are set for a revamp

The turf fields at Thomas Jefferson Middle School are set to be replaced in the next year.

The Arlington County Board will vote Saturday (July 15) on a plan to replace the fields with synthetic turf. Staff from the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation said in a report that the current fields are “worn beyond reasonable repair.”

Demolition Well Underway at Wilson School Site in Rosslyn

By Chris Teale

Published July 7, 2017 at 11:00AM

Demolition of Wilson School in Rosslyn (Flickr pool photo by Jason OX4)

Construction crews have moved in and are well on the way to demolishing the former Wilson School in Rosslyn to make way for the future H-B Woodlawn and Stratford programs.

As of Thursday, very few walls from the school at 1601 Wilson Blvd were remaining, with piles of rubble, metal and bricks piling up as workers continue to clear the site. Construction on the new $100 million building is set to start later this year.

County Manager Recommends Lights For Williamsburg Turf Fields

By Chris Teale

Published June 30, 2017 at 3:45PM

The Williamsburg and Discovery site, with the fields on the left side

County Manager Mark Schwartz announced Friday he is recommending lights for two synthetic turf fields near Williamsburg Middle School and Discovery Elementary School.

Schwartz recommended that the two fields be lit with shielded LED lights that could be dimmed during evening play, and that lights be left on no later than 9:45 p.m. Eighty-four lights would be installed on six 80-foot poles to light the fields.

School Board Chooses ‘Hybrid’ Option For New High School

By Chris Teale

Published June 30, 2017 at 11:00AM

Arlington Public Schools will add 1,300 high school seats across the Education Center and the Career Center after the School Board approved the so-called “hybrid option” at its meeting Thursday.

The option, put forward by Superintendent Patrick Murphy last month, would add 500-600 seats to a renovated Education Center (1426 N. Quincy Street) by 2022, then add another 700-800 at the Career Center (816 S. Walter Reed Drive), which would get a renovation and an addition. The County Board denied a request to designate the Education Center as a historic district last month.

Schools Secured Due to Fairfax County Robbery

By ARLnow.com

Published June 16, 2017 at 11:20AM | Updated June 16, 2017 at 12:16PM

File photo

(Updated at 12:15 p.m.) Swanson Middle School, McKinley Elementary and Ashlawn Elementary were placed in “secure the school” mode Friday morning due to an armed robbery in Fairfax County.

The robbery happened just before 10:30 a.m. in the Willston Center, on the 6100 block of Arlington Blvd. While each are about a mile or more away from the robbery scene, the schools were nonetheless secured as a precaution.

Wakefield High Students Re-Take SOL Exam After ‘Irregularity’

By Chris Teale

Published June 16, 2017 at 10:00AM | Updated June 16, 2017 at 11:31AM

A letter to parents from Wakefield principal Chris Willmore said that on May 30 and 31, students had to move examination rooms after two-and-a-half hours of taking a test that does not have a time limit.

But, Willmore said, some students began talking while moving to the new testing area. Willmore said staff immediately reported what happened to the Virginia Department of Education, but a VDOE spokesman challenged that assertion and said it was reported after regular business hours on June 8. VDOE decided earlier this week that students had to re-sit.

School Board To Consider New APS Superintendent Contract

By Chris Teale

Published June 15, 2017 at 11:45AM | Updated June 15, 2017 at 6:53PM

According to a memo sent to her colleagues on the School Board by chair Nancy Van Doren, Murphy has requested a new four-year contract, effective July 1.

At tonight’s meeting, the Board will vote on whether to advance a notice of intent to renew Murphy’s contract as part of its consent items. If it passes, the contract would then likely be debated at the Board’s June 29 meeting.

AHC Mentoring Program Celebrates Students’ College Acceptance

By Katherine Berko

Published June 13, 2017 at 2:30PM

Del. Alfonso Lopez (D) gathers with the graduates

All 15 high school graduates from the pilot year of AHC Inc.’s new college guidance program will progress into higher education.

This year, the seniors applied to 71 schools and were accepted into 54. Together, they received nearly $500,000 in scholarship money, including full rides to Georgetown University and the University of Pennsylvania. Many of the students are the first members of their family to attend college.

Graduations To Mark End of APS School Year

By Kalina Newman

Published June 13, 2017 at 11:45AM | Updated June 16, 2017 at 12:44PM

Arlington Public Schools will begin to mark the end of the 2017 school year over the next week with graduation and promotion ceremonies.

Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for the following times and places.

W-L High School Closes Due to A/C Issues

By ARLnow.com

Published June 12, 2017 at 10:55AM

The HVAC problems at W-L struck on one of the hottest days of the year so far.

Separately, the air conditioning system for the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program was down this morning, but workers were able to get the chiller “back up and running,” according to an Arlington Public Schools spokeswoman. Classes there remain in session.

Parents, Teachers Divided on APS Technology Initiative Ahead of Possible Plan Tweaks

By Brooke Giles

Published June 7, 2017 at 3:50PM | Updated June 7, 2017 at 4:10PM

Apple iPad (file photo)

Arlington Public Schools parents and teachers remain divided over the county’s one-to-one technology initiative ahead of possible revisions to the school system’s strategic plan later this year.

The rollout of the program began during the 2014-2015 school year and provides iPads for elementary and middle school students, Macbook Air laptops for high school students. The hope was that every student attending an Arlington school would have a device by 2017.