This back-to-school week has been a tremendous time as AAPS staff is fully focused on welcoming each of our 16,500 students to a brand new 2013-2014 school year.
The week was filled with many special highlights for me: I was fortunate to launch the school year by visiting 9 schools on Tuesday, enjoyed attending the Roberto Clemente Open House on Thursday evening, and ended the week by visiting schools on Friday. As I have been out and about, I have met so many children, parents and staff who are smiling and happy to be back at school; the buildings sparkle – they are warm and inviting places for learning within strong and supportive neighborhood communities.
Of course, the first week of school is characterized by problem solving, and the AAPS team has been busy adjusting and attending to every detail to ensure that all students are well served in every school across the district.
We worked with the Leadership team this week on both the calendar and format for the upcoming School Community Forums, and we expect to release that schedule next week. In addition, we look forward to welcoming a new principal at Lawton Elementary, Ms. Shannon Blick, at a meet and greet event at Lawton next Wednesday, Sept.11 at 5:30 pm –parents and community are cordially invited to attend as well. We excitedly anticipate the arrival of Principal Blick at Lawton Elementary beginning on Sept. 16. We appreciate the expert service of Ms. Ruth Williams, retired principal, who has served as interim principal at Lawton to successfully begin the school year.
It is truly a great day in Ann Arbor Public Schools; thank you for your partnership in supporting the exemplary work of each of our students and staff. We know you have a choice when selecting schools for your children. Thank you for your confidence in Ann Arbor Public Schools, and thank you for the opportunity to serve.
Sincerely,
Jeanice Kerr Swift
Is there a place I can find out where you will be visiting and when? I would like to meet you, but I don’t know where you will be.
I worked with Ms. Blick for many years in Wayne Westland. She is a wealth of knowledge about ELA best practices and RTI. She puts students first always and will be a great addition to AAPS. So excited to have her on board! Well done AAPS!
I am delighted to see you bring 21st century social media tools to the effort to communicate with parents. I’ll look forward to reading subsequent entries.