Archive for 2017
Keeping APS Safe in Irma Aftermath
District focused on safe return of students & staff to school UPDATE (6:30 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 14): We are open for business today! Atlanta Public Schools will follow a normal operating schedule now that our operations team has completed a full review of our facilities, buses, technology, and nutrition services in the wake of Hurricane/Tropical…
Read MoreAPS Closes Schools for Monday, Sept. 11, & Tuesday, Sept. 12
Sustained winds & gusts from #Irma = unsafe for kids and community Due to the anticipated inclement weather and dangerous high winds caused by Hurricane Irma, all Atlanta Public Schools campuses and district offices are closed on Monday, September 11, and Tuesday, September 12. Our team has been closely monitoring the weather conditions in collaboration with…
Read MoreWhen Inclement Weather Threatens APS
As reports continue about Hurricane Irma and concerns that the storms could threaten cities as far inland as Atlanta, I wanted to assure our school communities that we are closely monitoring the weather and tracking the storm’s development in collaboration with the National Weather Service (NWS). Based on the information we have received, it is…
Read More‘Labor of Love’: APS Strategies to Prevent Spread of Hate
As I reflect upon the contributions of our teachers and staff as we head into Labor Day weekend, I wanted to celebrate those who work with children and contribute to their well-being. But I cannot help but be reminded – because of recent events in Charlottesville, Va., and elsewhere around the world – that we,…
Read MoreAthletics in APS #UnitedWePlayTour Returns!
Nothing signifies the beginning of the school year – particularly in the Deep South and especially in Georgia – like football season! The sounds (bands and cheerleaders!), the smells (grilled hot dogs, popcorn at Grady and Lakewood Stadium, dirty gym socks – yes, please!), the colors (students, parents and fans all dressed in their school…
Read MoreDay One Dispatches from the District
As part of the Day One tradition in Atlanta Public Schools, my team and I have boarded an APS bus to visit students, teachers, administrators, support staff and the community to report on Back-to-School happenings across the district. Throughout Day One on this blog and on social media @CarstarphenMJ and @APSUpdate, we catch up with…
Read MoreDay One Dispatches from the District
As part of the Day One tradition in Atlanta Public Schools, my team and I have boarded an APS bus to visit students, teachers, administrators, support staff and the community to report on Back-to-School happenings across the district. Throughout Day One on this blog and on social media @CarstarphenMJ and @APSUpdate, we catch up with…
Read MoreCountdown to Day One in APS!
Atlanta Public Schools is only hours away from opening its doors on another exciting school year. As we move into the 2017-2018 school year, APS continues its journey of transformation into a culture with a child-centered mission and vision. More than ever, we need a real connection with our students, parents, caregivers … the entire…
Read MoreAPS First District in Georgia to ‘Recycle Across America’
We made an exciting announcement in Atlanta Public Schools today when our school district became the first to join the national “Recycle Across America,” which is designed to teach Americans how to recycle right! At the former Coan Middle School building today, volunteers from Bank America, Republic Services and Recycle Across America spent some of…
Read MoreHighlighting (and Understanding) 3rd Year of GA Milestones Results
57 Schools Improve, Up 17 More than Last Year While our beautiful students are away for summer break, my Atlanta Public Schools colleagues and I spend these months evaluating the past school year and preparing for the school year ahead. In what is becoming a Georgia education pattern, summer seems to also now mark the…
Read More