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Ann Arbor Public Schools

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April 17, 2026 - Weekly Update

AAPS District News

The AAPS District News shared an Exceptional Profile of a Pathways math teacher. We also shared a pair of Pioneer ensembles earned all-state honors, Ann Arbor community joined with AAPS to strengthen bonds around student mental health and a family of AAPS teachers. Read all of the AAPS District News stories here.

 

AAPS Board of Education

The next Board of Education Regular Meeting is Wednesday, April 22, at 7:00 PM at 3700 Earhart Road. You can review a recap of the last meeting here.

 

National Occupational Therapy Month 

Each April, we have the opportunity to recognize our outstanding AAPS occupational therapists. The theme for 2026 is “Enriching Lives Through Meaningful Engagement." We appreciate the significant health and wellness work our AAPS occupational therapists provide as integral members of our Special Education and school teams. We are grateful for their significant role in inspiring our students daily to achieve personal, school and life success.  

 

National School Library Month 

The American Association of School Librarians recognizes School Library Month every April to celebrate school librarians and libraries. This month, school librarians host activities to help students and school communities celebrate the essential role that strong school libraries play in transforming learning. We are proud to honor our Ann Arbor Public Schools professional librarians and the critical work they provide in serving our students. 

 

PSAT/SAT Rescheduled to Tuesday, April 21st

The SAT testing for 11th graders and the PSAT for 10th graders that were scheduled for April 15th have been rescheduled to Tuesday, April 21st. There will be a late start for 9th and 12th graders on April 21st.

 

Ann Arbor/Saline College & Career Fair

The Ann Arbor/Saline 2026 Annual College and Career Fair is free and open to all students and families in surrounding counties on Wednesday, April 29th from 6 to 7:30 PM at Saline High School. Students can pre-register here. More information is available here.

 

Friends of Freeman Spring 2026 Newsletter

Learn about recent and upcoming happenings at the Freeman Environmental Education Center in the Friends of Freeman Spring 2026 Newsletter. 

 

Mental Health Support

When you or your child needs help, it’s hard to know where to turn. To ease the burden of finding the mental health and substance use services you need, AAPS has partnered with Care Solace. Care Solace’s multilingual and culturally sensitive Care Companion team is available 24/7/365 to quickly connect individuals to community providers regardless of need. Call 888-515-0595 (available 24/7/365 with multilingual support) or visit: caresolace.com/aaps to search or click “Book Appointment.”

 Information about Care Solace is available in Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin.  

 

AAPS Summer Music Program

The AAPS Summer Music Program is open to students in Washtenaw County grades 5-12. Students will have the opportunity to display their existing talent and be challenged to develop new skills. Registration is now open, click here for class offerings and descriptions and click here for how to register.

 

Transportation

Families may continue to apply for Space Available Transportation throughout the school year. It generally takes one week to check availability after the initial student counts are conducted.

 

My Stop is a free desktop and mobile app that provides parents access to bus route information such as a child’s assigned bus, bus stop location and updates on the estimated time of arrival at the bus stop. My Stop allows parents and students to plan for late or on-time arrival and prevent missed pick-ups. Click here for more information and how to login.

For more information on transportation go here.

SchoolCrossing Guards Wanted

The City of Ann Arbor is currently hiring school crossing guards. Duties include, holding up a hand-held "STOP" sign until all children are safely across the street and reporting any unsafe observations, incidents or accidents involving students to school authorities. Click here to learn more and apply.

 

AAPS Securly Tip Line

AAPS is pleased to offer this anonymous tip line for students, staff and families to address bullying, mental health concerns or important “See Something, Say Something” concerns. The Securly Tip Line can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play, and a bookmark will be placed on all student Chromebooks. Students, staff and parents can initiate an anonymous tip outside of the app via phone: 1-833-300-STOP, email: tipline@securly.com or their website: https://www.securly.com/tip. Or visit the OK2Say - the State of Michigan’s anonymous tip line: https://www.michigan.gov/ok2say. 

 

Securly Parent Portal - How to Opt In

In the AAPS, we utilize a cloud-based web filter called Securly to keep students safe on their district-issued device. To help parents monitor their child's online activity at home, AAPS offers the free Securly Home app. This application allows web-based filtering and parental controls on district-issued devices at home. Parents may set rules to allow or disallow certain websites, pause the internet connection to the device as desired, and receive weekly usage reports. To OPT-IN to the Securly Parent Portal service, please encourage families to use the pathway as outlined below:

If families have any questions, they can always reach out to the Student & Family Help Desk at 734-997-1222.

 

Michigan Safe Storage Law

MCL 28.429 requires individuals to keep unattended weapons unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container if it is reasonably known that a minor is likely to be present on the premises. Additional resources are available on the Michigan Department of Education website to assist families in maintaining firearm safety. 

Rec and Ed

Registration is OPEN NOW for:

Applications Are Open-  High School Volunteer Program - Launch Your Future This Summer Current 8th–12th graders: Gain real-world experience and develop leadership skills at a Rec & Ed Summer Camp! Learn more here or contact Elyse Bairley at bairley@a2schools.or with questions.

Youth T-Ball, Baseball, and Softball Registration - Opens April 20 at 10:00 AM! Sign up through Monday, May 11 at 5:00 PM. Practices will begin the week of June 15—don’t miss out on a fun season ahead!Learn more here.

Summer Camps - Time to sign your child up for summer camp adventures! There's no better destination than Rec & Ed, where children ages 3-15 years old can CREATE, PLAY, and EXPLORE all summer long. www.aarecedonline.com/camps

Spring & Summer Class Registration - Check out Rec & Ed's wonderful spring/summer line-up of early childhood (ages 0-5), school-age youth (ages 5-14), and adult classes and activities at aarecedonline.com. With so many NEW classes being offered, you are sure to find something you like. Spring into learning with Rec & Ed - where curiosity blooms!

 

Community Events and Information

City of Ann Arbor Emergency Debris Removal will begin on Monday, April 20th for areas hardest hit by this week’s tornado. As the city removed fallen trees from streets, sidewalks, bike lanes and utility corridors, debris was left behind so crews could focus on opening more public rights-of-way. Crews will return beginning Monday to clean up what remains in the public rights-of-way. Learn more here.

 

Kid Support is a peer support group for children and teens who have a parent, or loved one with cancer (either in treatment or post-treatment). Professionally facilitated at the Cancer Support Community Greater Ann Arbor center, this 4 week group offers children and teens an opportunity to make friends and learn skills to help them when cancer is in their lives. The program runs Tuesday Evenings April 21st through May 12th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Please contact the Cancer Support Community to register your family at 734.975.2500 or trevor@cancersupportannarbor.org. 

 

Climate Teach-In on Saturday, April 25th, from 1 to 5:30 PM at Mitchell Elementary. Returning for its fourth year, this free event provides residents the opportunity to learn from local sustainability leaders and other community members as they create and innovate climate solutions. Register now at a2climateteachin.com.  

 

Stem Cells-Bodies Under Construction is the next University of Michigan Museum of Natural History’s Science Cafe on Wednesday, April 29th at Conor O’Neill’s from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Hear from University of Michigan professors how scientists use stem cells to decode nature’s biggest construction project. Learn more here.

 

Mental Health Month is in May and the University of Michigan Medical School has a host of events planned to raise awareness about mental illness, its prevalence in today’s society and its impact on people of all ages and backgrounds. Click here for the full schedule of events and more information.

 

The 2026 Commuter Challenge is now accepting registrations for workplaces to join. The getDowntown Program encourages commuters across southeast Michigan to try alternatives to driving alone by walking, biking, carpooling, vanpooling, teleworking and taking the bus to reach their workplaces. The challenge will run May 1st through 31st and is open to people who work in the City of Ann Arbor, the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. Learn more here about the Commuter Challenge here.

 

AAATA The Ride’s Blake Transit Center to close starting May 3rd due to a construction project closure of 4th Avenue. Bus stops currently on 4th Avenue and at the Blake Transit Center will temporarily move to 5th Avenue and Washington Street. Route 29 will be temporarily suspended during construction. Route 26, which covers the same area, will have increased frequency to accommodate this temporary change. Visit TheRide.org/BTC for information on the Route 26 schedules that will work best for Pioneer students and to stay up to date on the temporary closure.

 

Youth Art Fair is now accepting applications for students in grades 4 through 12 to exhibit and sell their work at the 67th annual Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original from July 16th through 18th. The youth artists will enjoy more mentorship, peer-based learning and fun by exhibiting among over 200 professional artists. Learn more about the Youth Art Fair here and you can apply here. 

 

Summer D & D Group for Teen Mental Health is designed for teens ages 13 to 16. Thrive Counseling and Support is offering these groups focused on overcoming anxiety, reducing isolation and building social skills in a supportive, non-judgmental and affirming space. Click here to register for the program either at Ann Arbor District Library’s Mallet’s Creek branch or the Ypsilanti District Library’s Whittaker Location.

 

Free ESL and Academic Tutoring for Adults from Washtenaw Literacy

Washtenaw Literacy provides free tutoring for adults.  Want to improve your reading?  Math?  Computer Skills?  ESL?  Call us at 734-337-3338 or email merritt@WashtenawLiteracy.org for a Personal Tutor.  Or you can join drop-in tutoring. Learn more at https://washtenawliteracy.org/

 

Sustainability Updates in Our Community

This new series will provide weekly updates on sustainability activities unfolding in the Ann Arbor Public School District as well as in the Ann Arbor community. You can always learn more about this work at https://www.a2schools.org/departments/environmental-sustainability and www.a2gov.org/sustainability or by following the city's Office of Sustainability and Innovation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

 

  • CELEBRATE EARTH DAY IN ANN ARBOR. Earth Day is next Wednesday, April 22, and we’re celebrating with two BIG events! The Ann Arbor Earth Day Festival is THIS SUNDAY, April 19, from 12 – 4:30 PM at the Leslie Science and Nature Center, with hands-on activities, live entertainment, green technologies, water awareness, sustainable agriculture, and more. Additionally, registration for breakout sessions just opened for the A2 Climate Teach-In NEXT SATURDAY, April 25, from 1 – 5:30 PM, with opportunities to take action and engage. Learn more about both of these events at osi.a2gov.org/events. 

 

  • Save the Date, Saturday, May 9th from 1 to 3:30 PM will be the Freeman Spring Environmental Festival. We'll have more information and how to RSVP for this event organized by the Freeman Environmental Youth Council soon.

 

Learn more about AAPS Environmental Education initiatives here and other AAPS environmental sustainability initiatives here.

 

How to Address a Concern in the AAPS

If you have a concern in the AAPS, we want to hear directly from you. Please reach out directly to an adult, teacher, counselor or the principal at your child’s school. If additional assistance is needed with school issues beyond the school level:

 

For early childhood and elementary level issues, contact Melita Alston, Executive Director, Early Childhood and Elementary Education: alston@a2schools.org

 

For High School, Middle School and K-8 school issues, contact Dr. Roberta Heyward, Executive Director, K-8, Middle and High School Education: heywardr@a2schools.org