During Teacher Appreciation Week (May 7-11), I am humbled by the challenge and responsibility that our teachers accept each day. I respect, admire, and salute our teachers. The impact a teacher can have on a child’s life is often tremendous and life changing. This week I welcome ACPS administrators as guest bloggers to share their thoughts with you on the impact teacher’s have had on their lives and the opportunity to express their thanks for the outstanding work of all teachers. The following comments – an excerpt from the Curriculum and Instruction newsletter “Making It Real” - are from ACPS Chief Academic Officer GwenCarol Holmes. Read the rest of this entry »
Teacher Appreciation Week (May 7-11)
May 7th, 2012Proud to be a Titan
May 3rd, 2012Purpose is important… we care about the success of each of our students and staff members.
Learning is important. Performance is important. Achievement is important. Management and oversight are important. Our goals, our reputation, our successes, our school family, each individual Alexandria family are important.
We look back to last year’s community screening of the documentary “The Race to Nowhere,” which started dialogue about the pressure facing our students regarding time management and possible over-commitment. As a community this year, we explored the concept of “Building Windmills and Transforming Communities” with our special guest, author/inventor/student William Kamkwamba, who provided an inspirational story about building a windmill in his backyard in Malawi, Africa. Mr. Kamkwamba’s message to all of our eighth-graders was about hope and possibilities. Additionally, we were recently thrilled to welcome Midori, to T.C. Williams High School, who instructed and performed with our orchestra students before appearing with the remarkable Alexandria Symphony Orchestra. Read the rest of this entry »
Ask the Superintendent
April 30th, 2012This week, I had the opportunity to discuss issues related to summer school, school outreach to families and the health of the school system with the OldtownAlexandriaPatch reporter Sharon McLoone. The following questions were submitted to Patch by parents of children in Alexandria City Public Schools. I welcome opportunities to engage parents and our community in the education of our children. I wanted to share this week’s discussion with the Patch with you and invite you to submit questions for discussion. Read the rest of this entry »
ACPS facts… no politics, nothing personal, no rhetoric:
April 18th, 20121. ACPS and the City of Alexandria use the same auditor for its operating and overall budgets. ACPS budgets have received national awards each of the past three years as the auditors have commended our financial reports and processes. The recent CIP procedural review was part of our additional ongoing reviews of each department. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr. Sherman’s Letter to the Community
April 10th, 2012Dear Colleagues and Neighbors,
When I accepted the position as the Superintendent of the Alexandria City Public Schools in 2008, the School Board and I made a commitment to review all programs and to take action if needed. When the review process began two things were evident immediately:
* This school division is, with rare exception, staffed by caring, dedicated, and professional individuals who want the very best for each and every student
* The systems of this school division need study and updating. Read the rest of this entry »
