St. Thomas More Cathedral School (STM) moved swiftly and seamlessly to fully instruct students online in PreK to 8th grade amidst the Coronavirus crisis. With a 1:1 mobile device ratio already in place, students departed school on Friday, March 13 (a previously scheduled early dismissal) with their books, in addition to their iPad, Chromebook or HP touchscreen laptop prepared to learn virtually for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, teachers spent the remainder of that fateful half day in professional development to fortify their Google Classrooms and Seesaw accounts with activities. The foresight of having faculty and students experienced in online educational techniques since its inception has proven fruitful in the first weeks learning at home, particularly since Governor Northam closed Virginia schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 year.
STM students are now learning online with all of their teachers in a modified 4 hour daily classroom schedule that meets and exceeds the Diocese of Arlington requirements for instruction. Students participate live via Google Meet amongst other interactive applications, while the parents support each other in a private Facebook parent group dedicated to the school community. IT support tickets and even a Virtual Spirit Week have been successfully managed online in this ‘new normal.’ The teachers at STM have long embraced technology for integration into all subject areas.
Extended lane closures will occur this weekend beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 17, on I-66 East between the Dulles Connector Road and Sycamore Street for bridge work and other construction for the I-66 Eastbound Widening Project.
Details include:
Less than a week after announcing a transition to a vote-by-mail process for its School Board candidate endorsement caucus, the Arlington County Democratic Committee (Arlington Dems) has received more than 2,000 ballot requests representing all 54 Arlington voting precincts. This strong early response, precipitated by the statewide stay-at-home order triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, exceeds the total number of ballots cast in the 2019 School Board Caucus, and sets the stage for a potentially record-breaking Arlington Dems School Board Caucus.
“Arlington voters clearly are motivated by the vote-by-mail process necessitated by the current public health crisis – and so are we!” Arlington Dems Chair Jill Caiazzo said. “Arlington Democrats is on track to demonstrate that the vote-by-mail process is effective, secure and transparent, which is especially important during these challenging times. Our experience refutes the baseless attacks by President Trump and others against this important voting method.”
Delegate Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington) released the following statement after Governor Northam’s signing of HB 1547, popularly known as the Virginia Dream Act:
“After years of work in the legislature–and decades of activism from educators, students, and advocates across the Commonwealth–the Virginia Dream Act has finally been signed into law, expanding in-state tuition to undocumented students for the first time. For young people across Virginia who were denied the opportunity to earn a higher education due to their immigration status, this law will have a dramatic impact on their lives.
Extended lane closures will occur on I-66 East between the Dulles Connector Road and Sycamore Street from 10 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, April 10, through midnight, Saturday, April 11, for the I-66 Eastbound Widening Project. Single- and double-lane closures will be needed for bridge joint reconstruction work over Williamsburg Boulevard and Westmoreland Street. At least one travel lane along I-66 Eastbound will be maintained at all times during this work.
Details include:
More than 40 Arlington nonprofits have received a total of over $500,000 in emergency response support from the Arlington Community Foundation COVID-19 Prompt Response Fund, with more funds being disbursed daily. [see list of awardees, attached]
“The front-line organizations are really in urgent need of funds as they scramble to help our neighbors in crisis,” said Arlington Community Foundation CEO and President Jennifer Owens. “Thanks to the many generous people in our community, we are providing support on a daily basis. But the needs are immense and there is no end in sight.”
U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined their Senate colleagues in a letter calling for funding to support local journalism and media to be included in any future COVID-19 relief package. In a letter to Senate leadership and the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senators warn that the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes plummeting advertising revenue and profits, could decimate regional and local news outlets even as communities have become increasingly reliant on their reporting during the public health crisis. While news outlets across the country have reduced or eliminated print editions, Virginia newspapers have implemented pay staff cuts and furloughed staff to deal with the financial impact of COVID-19.
“The current public health crisis has made the already vital role of local news even more critical,” wrote the Senators. “Some of the most important guidance for families and businesses during this crisis has been highly localized. Local journalism has been providing communities answers to critical questions, including information on where to get locally tested, hospital capacity, road closures, essential business hours of operation, and shelter-in-place orders. During this unprecedented public health crisis, people need to have access to their trusted local news outlets for this reliable and sometimes life-saving information.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today wrote to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf urging the adoption of stricter measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at American airports.
Beyer wrote:
U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), and Gerry Connolly (D-VA) this evening held an urgent conference call with representatives of over a dozen Virginia lending institutions to discuss questions and concerns about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan program. The program, established by the CARES Act to support small businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, will begin accepting applications tomorrow morning.
“The clear intent of Congress in creating this program was to make this the simplest, easiest, fastest loan small business owners have ever gotten so they get the help they need right away. We urge lenders to do all they can to help small businesses in need. Millions of people are depending on them.
In recent years, 3D printing has emerged as a manufacturing solution for countless areas of everyday life, from producing musical instruments to housing structures and even prosthetic limbs. Now, it’s in the spotlight for its potential to protect medical professionals from exposure to novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Marymount University professor Dr. Eric Bubar is getting in on the action, with hopes of utilizing his unique skills to make a difference. A longtime provider of 3D printed upper-limb assistive devices, he is now shifting his focus to creating 3D printed, reusable face shields for use at hospitals in Washington, D.C., New York and beyond.
Having persevered for three weeks through the limitations of the current public health situation, Arlington’s Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery is temporarily closing its doors to ‘Call-In, Carry Out’ service on April 1, 2020. Chef/owner David Guas will continue his mission to provide the community and underserved kids and families with free, grab-and-go meals [Monday-Friday.] Guas founded the Chefs Feeding Families program, a collaboration with Real Food For Kids, which has been operational since the closure of Arlington County Public Schools several weeks ago. Chefs Feeding Families provides free, plant-based, nutritious meals for students, their families, and military families. By the end of this week, Guas will be serving on average 400 FREE meals a day.
Guas says that curtailing his three weeks of ‘Call-In, Carry-Out’ service for the general public was a tough decision – but that remaining open was no longer sustainable. As people hunker deeper down to shelter-in-place and flatten the curve, Guas also felt it was important to take every precaution and protect the safety of his staff and patrons. “The support for our carry-out service in recent weeks has been tremendous and heartwarming. As a small business that values local sourcing, our longevity affects the ‘survival’ of our vendors, as well as our staff: we are at an important point in the economy and the ripple effect will be powerful. But we also know when to say ‘enough,’ for now. We are so grateful to our patrons who’ve kept us going, and we can’t wait to get back to being their go-to gathering spot.”
FLARE, an amenity electric shuttle service, along with the Aurora Highlands Civic Association, collected and delivered over 800 lbs. of food donations from the Crystal City area for the Arlington Food Assistance Center on Saturday, March 21, and announced that food collection efforts will continue in the Crystal City area starting today.
“We were astounded to witness the generosity of friends and neighbors in the Crystal City area to donate much-needed food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center. Over 800 lbs. of food collected filled an entire FLARE shuttle,” said FLARE CEO Andres Delgado.
