Friday Five: Williamsburg Wins National Award | Sept. 22, 2023

1.🏆 Williamsburg Named National Blue Ribbon School

Williamsburg Middle School was named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School by the US Department of Education earlier this week.

Williamsburg is the only middle school in Virginia and one of only 29 middle schools across the U.S. to earn the distinction.
The school earned the prestigious award for Exemplary High-Performing Schools.

Congratulations to Williamsburg Middle School students, staff and families for their hard work and dedication. Learn more about the award.

2. 📺 VIDEO: Every Student Counts – Attendance Matters

This week’s Every Student Counts video addresses the importance of regular attendance and strategies to ensure students are on time and present for instruction. Watch the video to see:

How attendance is tied to achievement at all levels.
How to track absences online.
How school staff connect with students to make them want to come to school.
Advice to help your student.

Subscribe to our AETV YouTube channel.

3. 🎓 Beyond APS: Career & College Fair 2023

APS will host its annual Beyond APS: Career & College Fair 2023 on Oct. 10.

The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center.
More than 125 colleges and universities will be present.
Students can register for a barcode at StriveFair.com for easy communication with colleges during the fair.

Families interested in post-secondary options are encouraged to attend this FREE event, with community-based organizations offering scholarships and resource information. See you there!

4. 🌠 Celebrate Blue Star Welcome Week

Did you know? Every year, approximately 600,000 active-duty and transitioning veteran families—or roughly 33% of the All-Volunteer Force—relocate.

Many have school-aged children. Most of these moves take place during the summer.
According to the 2022 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, only 33% of military family respondents reported feeling a sense of belonging to their local community.
When a military child feels welcome and like they belong at a new school, everything else improves—not only their mental and physical health but so much more.
That’s why we’re joining Blue Star Families and Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) to help military children all over the country feel welcome in their new schools.

To show military families how great APS is, we’re proclaiming Sept. 23rd – Oct. 1st as Blue Star Welcome Week! Learn more and get involved today!

5.📱 Download the ParentSquare App

The ParentSquare app is one of the best ways to stay up to date.

Download for Apple or Android.
If you haven’t registered for your ParentSquare account, go to com/signin and use the email address we have on file in ParentVUE.
Did you know? You don’t need a code or other activation key. It’s easy to sign up and you can set preferences to bundle all communication in one daily digest.

In December, teachers and school staff will no longer use platforms like Remind and Class Dojo to share classroom news. All communication will occur through ParentSquare. To learn more about ParentSquare and to view more resources, visit our ParentSquare information center.