November 15, 2023 - Superintendent's Update

As we approach this Thanksgiving, we are especially grateful for the tremendous work of our teachers and staff teams, our supportive parents, families and community who work together each day to ensure our students are well supported in their well-being, learning and growth.

National Paraeducator and Support Professionals Day

In the Ann Arbor Public Schools, today and every day, we proudly recognize our AAPS paraeducators and education support professionals for the critical services and support they provide our students and teachers every day. 

American Education Week is held each year the week before Thanksgiving, and Wednesday (today) of this week is designated by the National Education Association (NEA) as Education Support Professionals (ESP) Day. 

Paraeducators and educational support team members hold a very special place in the hearts of everyone in our school communities. These professionals serve on the frontline every day in connecting, nurturing and supporting our students across our classrooms and schools. 

On this Educational Support Professionals Day, we’re coming together across the Ann Arbor Public Schools to share our gratitude and celebrate these amazing people who are the connectors who complete our excellent school teams. 

You can read the full AAPS Paraeducator & Educator Support Professionals message here.

Native American Heritage Month

While we honor and celebrate individuals of Native American ancestry every day in our classrooms and across our schools in the AAPS, during November, we explore and deepen our collective awareness and understanding through rich art, literature and other cultural and learning connections. 

We are a stronger school community as we honor, embrace and celebrate our diversity, continually create a culture of belonging for all and value the connections that unite us as an inclusive Ann Arbor community.  

You can read the full AAPS Native American Heritage Month message here.

National School Psychology Week

Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to give special thanks to our AAPS School Psychologists during National School Psychology Week. This is a time when schools throughout the U.S. recognize and highlight the important work of school psychologists - to support and serve all students in developing essential social-emotional skills to improve their academic experience.

We appreciate and celebrate our wonderful AAPS School Psychologists who serve our students, families and staff every day. We thank you for your expertise and the professional commitment, care and connections you provide for our students and our AAPS community.

You can read the full AAPS National School Psychology Week message here.

Veterans Day

While we are grateful for the service of our veterans every day in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, on Saturday, November 11th, we paused, along with the rest of our nation, to honor and thank all those who have served our country for their service and commitment to freedom. 

We express deep gratitude to our nation’s 18 million veterans, including over 500,000 Michiganders, for their courageous service and sacrifice in protecting the citizens of our great state and country. We honor these brave women and men who defend our freedom. 

You can read the full AAPS Veterans Day message here.

High Schools

Congratulations to Pioneer & Skyline High Schools, who have been awarded the AP Honor Roll Silver Status Award from the College Board for the 2022-2023 AP testing cycle. 

To achieve Silver status, schools must meet criteria in areas including College Culture (40% + of graduating cohort took at least one AP exam in high school), College Credit (25% or more of graduating cohort scored a three or higher on at least one AP exam during high school), and College Optimization (2% or more of graduating cohort took five or more AP exams during high school, and at least one was taken in 9th or 10th grade). 

Pioneer and Skyline are among 1,430 out of 4,570 schools (9%) designated with Silver Level AP School Honor Roll recognition.  Congratulations!

We have enjoyed the fall drama production season so far, and congratulations to our students and staff on their fall productions. I was delighted to experience Huron’s Little Women, directed by AAPS Alum Clarence Collins - a fabulous production! Skyline’s Pirates of Penzance, Pioneer’s Addam’s Family and Community’s Museum are wonderful presentations to round out the AAPS Fall show season. 

K-8 and Middle Schools

Our K-8 and middle schools are continuing with fall parent-teacher-student conferences; fall 2023 NWEA reports will be sent home to parents on Friday, November 17th. 

Ann Arbor Open’s FIRST Robotics TEAM received the Judges Choice Award and was awarded third place for Robot Design over the weekend! A2 STEAM at Northside is hosting its Middle School Expo from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on Wednesday. 

Elementary Schools

Elementary schools are also wrapping up fall parent-teacher conferences, and parents can anticipate Term 1 report cards and NWEA reports to be shared via electronic secure send on Tuesday, November 21. 

We also want to share that all schools throughout the district are engaged in organizing winter giving endeavors to support children and families.

Special Education

The monthly AAPAC meeting on Monday, November 6, 2023, focused on sexual development, gender identity and sexuality for students with disabilities. Dr. Suzi Naguib from Sunfield Center presented on this important topic. I also appreciate that just prior to the monthly AAPAC meetings, our Special Education district team continues to support parents and families with a 6 pm drop-in hour - hosted in breakout rooms to protect confidentiality -  to connect with their Assistant Director or Director, ask questions and check in.  

District Health & Well-Being

We continue the work together to develop our shared understanding of well-being as a foundational component in our work together in the AAPS. 

The November 14 Leadership Council meeting yesterday focused on:

  1. reviewing data from the Fall AAPS Staff Well-Being Survey 
  2. conducting a root cause analysis on some of the results, specifically on an item around having enough ‘time at work to complete the work’ 
  3. exploring the Essential ‘Protection from Harm’ from the 5 Essentials for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being 

One Essential: To Protect from Harm

Creating the conditions for physical and psychological safety is a critical foundation for ensuring mental health and well-being in the workplace. 

Workplaces can:

  • Normalize and support the focus on mental health
  • Prioritize workplace physical and psychological safety
  • Operationalize diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility norms, policies and programs

The upcoming December 6 Early Release Day for all staff will focus on our continuing work during this 2023-24 school year to better understand and develop ways to actualize well-being in the workplace. 

District Strategic Partnerships

Ann Arbor continues as a community known for its giving, and for those who are considering giving during this season of gratitude, a reminder that information is available at the November 2023 Community Resource and Partnerships Update.

In this Issue:

  • AAPS Winter Giving - Check out the new a2schools.org/wintergiving page!
  • Resources for Winter Clothing, Food and Gifts
  • Resources for free car seats, health and mental health and online tutoring

Communication from the AAPS

To stay up-to-date with daily updates and information on school and district activities, you may want to follow us on social media.

We also regularly share updates on the work of the Board of Education in the BOE Update Newsletters. 

Inclement Weather Update 2023-2024

As we approach colder weather, we share reminders about our AAPS winter weather processes. 

This year, we will follow our well-established protocols for determining when winter/inclement weather closures are needed; we work in collaboration with the City of Ann Arbor, AAPS Durham transportation and County roads teams and other agencies. An important part of the process is that members of our AAPS team drive the roads overnight across the district during possible inclement weather to obtain real-time information. 

We will notify all students, staff and families of any change in school day plans as far in advance as possible to support our families in making necessary arrangements. As soon as a weather-related school decision is made, we will share the announcement across all AAPS communication channels: email, phone, social media and media outlets. 

Families who have moved or changed phone or email contacts should reach out to the front office in your school to ensure your contact information is updated. 

Gratitude

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

- Melody Beattie

As we celebrate this Thanksgiving, we have so much to be grateful for in the Ann Arbor Public Schools community. 

Our gratitude begins with our 17,000 beautiful children; we are most grateful for each and every child and the opportunity to serve and support their learning and growth each day at school. The light in their eyes and the energy and curiosity they bring to learning give us all joy and hope for the future. Thank you, parents, for sharing your amazing children with us.

We are grateful to the teachers, support staff and leaders of the Ann Arbor Public Schools for their incredible work each day. They serve as deeply committed and caring professionals, dedicating their lives and energies in service to our children; because of their continuing work and dedication, our children discover, grow and succeed at school each day. 

We are grateful for our highly engaged and supportive parents whose participation, alongside school and district teams, makes us a stronger, more connected school community. We all understand that quality public schools are the direct result of engaged, and supportive communities, and we are grateful to our Ann Arbor Public Schools community for their ongoing support.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve in the Ann Arbor Public Schools and for the opportunity to share this Superintendent Update.

Wishing you a peaceful Thanksgiving,

Jeanice Kerr Swift
Superintendent of Schools
Ann Arbor Public Schools