back to school

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Hazy afternoon at DCA (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

First Day of School Three Weeks Away –” It seems as if summer just started, but before you know it, the 2022-23 school year in Arlington will be starting. The first day of classes for Arlington Public Schools is Monday, Aug. 29.” [Patch]

Pet Adoptions Down Slightly — “The Animal Welfare League of Arlington reports that 2,444 cats, dogs and small animals were adopted from its shelter during the 12-month period ending June 30. That’s down slightly from the 2,587 in the preceding year, which may be a positive sign that things are calming down in the get-along-with-COVID world that is now being experienced.” [Sun Gazette]

Go to Morning Notes Read more
Around Town

Virginia’s annual sales tax holiday returns this weekend

By Kelly Anderson
Pentagon City mall and S. Hayes Street (file photo)

Virginia’s annual back-to-school tax holiday is coming up this weekend and one local shopping center is using the occasion to hold a donation drive.

This year’s statewide sales tax holiday is taking place from Friday through Sunday (Aug. 5-7). Those shopping in Virginia can rack up tax savings on eligible products, including back-to-school clothing and supplies, emergency preparedness items, and certain energy- and water-efficient home appliances and fixtures.

Go to Virginia’s annual sales tax holiday returns this weekend Read more
Schools

Learning Gaps, Outdoor Lunch Top of Mind for APS Administrators, Parents

By Jo DeVoe
Standardized testing performance data for the last three available years (via APS)

For the first time since March 2020, most Arlington Public Schools students will be in their classrooms for five days of in-person learning, starting Monday.

Some students will continue at a distance, but overall, the school system says it is focused on three areas this year: accelerated learning, health and safety, and social-emotional learning, according to last night (Thursday’s) School Board meeting.

Go to Learning Gaps, Outdoor Lunch Top of Mind for APS Administrators, Parents Read more
News

School and Emergency Supplies Are Sales Tax-Free Through Sunday

By Jo DeVoe
Shingles blown off the roof of a house by a tornado in Cherrydale earlier this summer (staff photo)

This weekend, locals can stock up on virtually everything needed to batten down the hatches in the event of a natural disaster, or to go back to school, without paying Virginia sales tax.

Hurricane season, which will last through Nov. 30, is about to reach its peak, with 15-21 tropical systems potentially forming this year. People can get a host of hurricane readiness products sales tax-free through Sunday.

Go to School and Emergency Supplies Are Sales Tax-Free Through Sunday Read more
Schools

Tensions Over Virtual and In-Person Education Boil Over in School Board Meeting

By Jo DeVoe
Sheila Leonard address the Arlington School Board with her daughter (Image via APS)

Thursday night was not a typical Arlington School Board meeting.

A contentious public comment period, during which Board Chair Monique O’Grady called for order multiple times, preceded news that Arlington Public Schools has launched school-based COVID-19 testing and preschoolers will gain access to four days of in-person instruction.

Go to Tensions Over Virtual and In-Person Education Boil Over in School Board Meeting Read more
Schools

APS Makes In-Person Learning the Default Next School Year, While Families Have Remote Option

By Jo DeVoe
Students in-person for a hybrid class at Kenmore Middle School (Image via Arlington Public Schools)

Arlington Public Schools families will have two prospects for school in the fall: five days a week of in-person learning or a fully remote K-12 learning program.

This week, APS opened up a two-week window during which families can choose how their children will attend school. Families have until Friday, April 30 to make their choice.

Go to APS Makes In-Person Learning the Default Next School Year, While Families Have Remote Option Read more
Schools

Arlington Public Schools Stays Course with Hybrid Instruction This Spring

By Jo DeVoe

Arlington Public Schools administrators are reiterating their commitment to getting more students into hybrid instruction this semester and five-day in-person instruction this summer and fall.

That’s unlikely to appease parents who want a quicker return to full-time in-school learning, however.

Go to Arlington Public Schools Stays Course with Hybrid Instruction This Spring Read more
Schools

Arlington School Board Asks Superintendent for More ‘Aggressive’ Return Plan

By Jo DeVoe
Students in-person for a hybrid class at Kenmore Middle School (Image via Arlington Public Schools)

Some Arlington School Board members are putting pressure on administrators to get more students inside school buildings more often.

Arlington Public Schools has finished a month-long process of phasing students into school buildings for a hybrid, two-day-per-week model of in-person learning. Currently, about 35% of students are still fully virtual, and some of them are on waitlists for in-school instruction.

Go to Arlington School Board Asks Superintendent for More ‘Aggressive’ Return Plan Read more
Schools

APS Slated to Address New CDC Guidance, Impact on Return-to-School Plans

By Jo DeVoe
Dorothy Hamm Middle School students read during in-person instruction (Photo courtesy APS/Twitter)

(Updated 4/5/21) Arlington Public Schools is preparing to release more information on its plans for getting students into classrooms during the current semester.

During the School Board meeting this Thursday, Superintendent Francisco Durán is slated to address updated K-12 school guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was released on Friday.

Go to APS Slated to Address New CDC Guidance, Impact on Return-to-School Plans Read more
Schools

Arlington Public Schools to Remain in Hybrid Model Through June

By Jo DeVoe
Superintendent Francisco Durán receives a temperature check while visiting a school (photo via Arlington Public Schools/Twitter)

Arlington Public Schools announced Tuesday that it will finish out the 2020-21 school year offering hybrid and virtual learning options.

As of this week, about 64% of students of all grades are in-person — mostly for two days a week — while 36% are at home full-time in distance learning. The last cohort to return were students in grades 7-8 and 10-12, concluding three weeks of phased returns.

Go to Arlington Public Schools to Remain in Hybrid Model Through June Read more
Schools

Return to School, Inequity Top of Mind for Arlington School Board Hopefuls

By Jo DeVoe
School Board candidates Miranda Turner (left) and Mary Kadera (right). Photos via candidate websites.

Two Democratic hopefuls for the Arlington School Board want to see full-time in-person learning and more consistency across Arlington Public Schools.

Miranda Turner, who made a name for herself calling for a quicker return to in-person learning, and Mary Kadera, the vice president of the Arlington County Council of PTAs, are looking to fill the void that will be left when Board Chair Monique O’Grady steps down. They are the only two to have met the March 1 deadline to be considered for an endorsement from Arlington Democrats.

Go to Return to School, Inequity Top of Mind for Arlington School Board Hopefuls Read more
View More Stories