5 Take-Aways from December 10, 2010 Meeting

1. Reflections - January 25th is the County Reflections Award Program. The reception starts at 6:15pm, awards ceremony starts at 7:15pm. Please plan to attend this wonderful event. and celebrate "Together We Can..." Our hard-working Reflections chairs could use help with the reception, please contact Cecelia Espenoza at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Wendy Carter at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are available to help!
2. Budget - APS is continuing its process of Budget Development for the 2012 fiscal year. Budget priorities identified for the 2012 Fiscal year are:
   
   • Student Success/Student Achievement
   • Capacity
   • Technology/Communication
   • Teacher and Staff Quality/Compensation
   APS sent out a budget update prior to the holiday break and continues to solicit community input on the Budget Feedback Form. For more information, click HERE.
3. Course Sign Up for Middle and High School Students.
   Dr. Murphy discussed the Course Sign Up and Selection process for Middle and High Schools. He stressed the need to get the word out about the starting the process early and providing information about Advanced Diploma requirements. Dr. Murphy states, "In the New Year, secondary school students will bring home a Program of Studies with descriptions of the course options available to them. As a parent, you have an important role to play in the process of course selection. Please review the options and encourage your student to "stretch" and enroll in courses that are truly challenging. Research shows that students who do this are likely to learn some important lessons about themselves - and will be better prepared to succeed in life after high school. For middle school students, this means embarking on a pathway that ensures that they have completed Algebra I by the time they leave eighth grade. Elementary students need to begin planning how they can reach this goal when they enter middle school.
   If you have questions about the course registration process or would like further information about specific courses, call your student's counselor."
4. Strategic Plan - In June 2010, APS staff outlined an overall process for developing the 2011-17 Strategic Plan, and work has begun on the new six-year plan for the school division, which includes a series of community, teacher/staff and student forums. Learn more about the Strategic Plan Process by clicking HERE.
5. As a reminder, APS, Kindergarten Information Night is scheduled for Jan 24th. Arlington parents with children entering kindergarten in September 2011 are invited to attend the countywide Kindergarten Information Night on Mon, Jan. 24.