AAPS Superintendent Jeanice Swift Update for May 13
Update From Jeanice K. Swift, Superintendent of Schools
We are pleased to see our students, staff and families learning together and focused forward on a strong wrap-up of this spring quarter. Excitement is building across our classrooms and schools for our many upcoming spring end-of-year activities and as we look ahead to the next school year.
You may enjoy this video, Two Minutes at Angell, as one in a series offering a quick glimpse into Ann Arbor Public Schools, where our vision is Every Child. Every Day.
To remain current on happenings in the AAPS, you may see the latest in AAPS News stories from the week here.
National School Nurse Day in the AAPS
On Wednesday, May 11, 2022, we celebrated National School Nurse Day in the AAPS — a day designated to recognize school nurses who work as valued members of our school team to support the whole child: health, wellness, learning and growth of all students.
We have deep gratitude for the work of our 21 school nurses and their care and support of the health of our students, families and staff in the Ann Arbor Public Schools community. Thank you, AAPS Nurses!
You may read the full School Nurse Appreciation statement here.
Looking Ahead to Summer 2022!
Summer Learning in the AAPS
We are pleased once again to offer summer learning opportunities for our AAPS families, with many open enrollment options to meet the needs of our students. Summer learning encompasses all academic content areas, and programs are designed for elementary, middle, and high school, special education and English learners.
Families will find information and enrollment links for all of our summer learning opportunities here: https://www.a2schools.org/summer
We encourage everyone with interest to enroll now.
Summer Enrichment in the AAPS
Registration is open now for Rec & Ed Summer Enrichment Camps. We’re inviting campers to have fun, form friendships, find new talents and gain confidence with a summer they won’t forget. The possibilities are endless, with art, science, music, chess, robotics, drama, sports and many other types of camps available. Summer Camp 2022 will be in-person, and the AAPS COVID-19 Health and Safety protocols will be followed. Call Rec & Ed for details on scholarships.
Rec and Ed has also shortened the registration process by adopting a software package called ePACT. This allows parents to fill out most information forms one time and will only take a few minutes to review your information and sign any new waivers when registering for subsequent classes.
AAPS Is Looking for Additional Before/After School Program Staff for 2022-23
In this week’s A2Schools Podcast, we discuss the vigorous efforts in progress during May to add talented and committed team members to our AAPS before and after school care team. Our Rec & Ed team is recruiting to staff Before/After Care program sites in the AAPS. We are actively hiring Program Directors and Child Care Assistants/Noon Hour Supervisors. We are hiring for redesigned positions that include healthcare and retirement benefits, competitive wages and opportunities for advancement.
This week, we held a virtual information session featuring these positions, and you can learn more by watching this recording of a virtual Information Session about these positions.
You can learn more or apply here or here to join the Before/After School Program or for other Rec & Ed positions.
We are asking everyone to help get the word out about these job opportunities to support the addition of more Before/After care program locations across the AAPS.
Spring Safety Message to the Ann Arbor Community
The end of the school year is an exciting time, with high school students attending proms, graduations, graduation parties and all students participating in school and family events to kick off the beginning of summer vacation.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools and Ann Arbor Police and Fire Department teams want to help keep our children safe. We want to remind everyone that now is a great opportunity for families to review conversations around the importance of safety: when celebrating, teen driving and with all outdoor, water and other warm-weather activities. By working together as a community, we can help create a safer environment for our students during all end-of-school-year activities.
Please read the full Spring Safety Message here.
Time to Confirm Enrollment for Fall, 2022
If you have not already done so, May is the best time to confirm enrollment for fall 2022. If your child is currently enrolled, you will be receiving an email with a snap code. If you are new to the district, you can begin the enrollment process here.
Families wishing to apply for the Young Fives program, In-District Transfer, Schools of Choice or Non-Resident Child of Employee, are required to complete the pre-enrollment questionnaire found on our Enrollment website (click here). Applications will be accepted between May 2 – May 31, 2022. Approvals are based on space availability and are not processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Weekly COVID Update
We have updated the AAPS COVID-19 Case Dashboard today to show 288 cases reported this week. This is the highest weekly total of cases for the school year and represents a dramatic increase across the district. The cases reported represent those individuals who were on a school campus during their infectious period. Unfortunately, this increase includes additional outbreaks across several schools, with particular impact this week at the high school and elementary levels.
The increasing number of cases has pushed Washtenaw County into the High Level of COVID. The CDC recommends everyone wear a mask in indoor public locations.
Keeping symptomatic students at home, using school-based and home testing and universal masking have all helped limit the spread in our buildings. The most recent statement regarding universal masking, which continues in the AAPS, can be read here.
End-of-Year Ceremonies & COVID Mitigation
We are excited to celebrate our students – their achievements and success – while also maintaining the safest environment possible for our students, staff, families and community during end-of-year celebrations.
Our Ann Arbor Public Schools mask mandate remains in place for all end-of-year indoor activities, regardless of venue, which requires properly-worn masks for all students, staff and spectators.
Keeping our schools fully open for in-school student learning, enrichment activities and spring celebrations while maintaining the safest in-school environment possible for our students and staff continues as our top priority. We are focused on enjoying a strong finish to this 21-22 school year across our schools and community.
Thank you for all you do every day to support our beautiful students and staff, families and this wonderful Ann Arbor Public Schools community.
