June 6, 2025 - Weekly Update
Calendar: June 11 - Last Day of School - Half Day
This will be the last AAPS Weekly update for the school year. If you will not have a child in AAPS in the fall, but are interested in still receiving the Weekly Update, click here to sign up for the emails.
AAPS District News
The AAPS District News shared highlight videos, stories and photos from Commencement Ceremonies for Community, Huron, Pathways, Pioneer and Skyline. We also shared that Huron Jazz Orchestra made the top ten at the worldwide Essentially Ellington Festival and Skyline crew competed at Canadian Nationals. Read all of the AAPS District News stories here.
AAPS Board of Education
The next Board of Education Regular Meeting is Wednesday, June 11th, at 7:00 PM at 3700 Earhart Road. The meeting on June 11th will include a Public Hearing on the proposed 2025-26 budget. The Ann Arbor Public Schools’ board management online platform BoardDocs, has migrated to its newest platform, Diligent Community. This web-based governance solution is more user-friendly and designed to streamline our processes and enhance communication and transparency.
Congratulations AAPS Class of 2025 Graduates
Over the past week we celebrated nearly 1400 new AAPS high school graduates at Commencement Ceremonies. As we congratulate the graduates, we also recognize all of the teachers, support staff and building leaders that guided the grads throughout their educational experience and thank the parents and caregivers of the Class of 2025 for sharing these amazing young people with us and entrusting the AAPS with their education. You can find links to AAPS District News stories, highlight videos, photos and CTN’s Broadcasts of our Commencement Ceremonies here.
AAPS School Quality Survey
Parents and AAPS school based staff should have received emails directly with a link to provide feedback via the AAPS School Quality Survey. These are the last few days to participate, as we will close the survey on Monday morning. This survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. All Responses are strictly confidential. In case you didn’t receive the email, you can take the survey by clicking here: https://survey.k12insight.com/r/2025-SchoolClimateSurvey-Families
AAPS Enrollment
Enrollment is open through July 2nd for Schools of Choice. Check for school and grade level availability. Enrollment for Young Fives through 12th grade at your neighborhood school is available year round.
AAPS Summer Food Service - Meet Up and Eat Up
The Ann Arbor Public Schools announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program for children again this year. Free meals will be made available from June 23rd to August 1st to children 18 years of age and under or persons up to age 26 who are enrolled in an educational program for the mentally or physically disabled that is recognized by a State or local public educational agency. Click here for full details including locations and times.
AAPS Summer Music, Art and Theater
The AAPS Arts Program is open to Washtenaw County students in grades 3rd through 12th. Students will have the opportunity to display their existing talent and be challenged with new skills. The program runs at Skyline High School from Monday through Friday, June 16 through Wednesday, July 2, 2025, no Class on Wednesday June 18th (no electric power at Skyline due to construction) and Thursday June 19th (Juneteenth). More information and registration here.
AAPS Geothermal Demonstration
The AAPS Capital Program and the Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability & Innovations will be hosting a Geothermal Demonstration on Wednesday, June 18th on the campus of Mitchell Elementary School. Participants will learn about geothermal technology and visit an active drilling location. Multiple sessions will be available between 4 PM and 5:30 PM. Click here for event details. To select a session time and reserve your spot, please sign-up here. Long pants and closed-toe shoes are required.
Care Solace - AAPS Mental Health Partnership
Care Solace is AAPS’s free Mental Health and Substance Abuse Care Coordination Service. Summer is near, as you fill your days with sunshine and fun don’t forget to care for your mind and soul. Enjoy the outdoors, reconnect with loved ones, rest well and do something joyful each day. If you need support, Care Solace is here - free and confidential 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to connect students, staff and their families to mental health, substance abuse and ABA service providers, even during summer break.
Over 200 languages are supported, and help is available to those with and without insurance.
Using Care Solace is easy!
- Call 888-515-0595 anytime. A dedicated Care Companion will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments and follow up with you to make sure it's a good fit.
- Search anonymously by visiting caresolace.com/aaps
Information about Care Solace is available in Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin.
AAPS Summer Learning Resources
AAPS offers a variety of summer learning resources including the online Sora district-wide digital library available 24/7 all year long and learning apps through Clever. Also available through Clever thanks to our partnership with Varsity Tutors is a myriad of courses on subjects from French and chemistry to third grade reading and math practice and areas of interest like coding, drawing and cooking. Additionally AAPS offers high school credit recovery classes and A2 Virtual+ summer classes.
AAPS Free On-Demand Learning Resource For Students
The Ann Arbor Public Schools, in partnership with Varsity Tutors, is making a free set of 24/7 learning resources available to our students via Clever. Our 5th - 12th graders now have immediate access to a learning platform with the following:
· Chat Homework Help
· Asynchronous Academic Support Courses
· College Preparation Tools and Courses
· SAT Prep
· Myriad Live and Asynchronous Extracurricular Courses like coding, chess, comic drawing and more.
The Varsity Tutors Platform gives students more opportunities to learn at their own pace. We invite you to view this short video overview of the platform and resources.
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 the app via phone: 1-833-300-STOP, email: tipline@securly.com or their website: https://www.securly.com/tip.
AAPS Securly Parent Portal
In the Ann Arbor Public Schools, we utilize a cloud-based web filter called Securly to keep students safe on their district-issued devices. 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.
Immunizations Requirements for 2025-26 School Year
State law requires that all students enrolling in preschool, Kindergarten, 7th grade and all new students provide proof of immunization status or a waiver by the start of school. Parents/guardians can provide this proof by dropping off, emailing, or mailing copies of immunization records to the school office before the first day of school.
- Free or low-cost immunizations and sports physicals are available all summer through the UM Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools (RAHS). RAHS clinics located at Scarlett Middle School isopen to all AAPS students, no matter which school they attend. Call (734) 677-2708.
- The Washtenaw County Health Department offers free and low-cost immunizations by appointment, including evening appointments. Call (734) 544-6700.
Ann Arbor Public Schools encourages parents/guardians to fully immunize their children to maintain a healthy school environment for all students and staff. By state law, parents or guardians seeking to opt their children out of one or more required vaccinations must participate in a science-based educational session with their local public health department. More information is available on the WCHD immunizations website.
Rec & Ed
FREE! Family Literacy Night (Ages 2-5 with an adult) - Let's Go Camping
- Designed to spark a love of reading and learning in young children. Wednesday, June 11th, 5:30 to 6:45 PM, Located at Westerman Preschool & Family Center, 2775 Boardwalk Drive. Registration is encouraged here.
🍂 Rec & Ed Fall registration is open NOW for…
- Before/After Care - Some programs are already filling up - sign up now to reserve your child’s spot. Learn more and register here: bit.ly/RecEdBAC.
- Fall Youth Soccer and Field Hockey - Don’t miss the kid-friendliest youth sports program in town. Registration deadline is July 21st. Links to register for either program here.
😎 One week left until your cool summer begins with Rec & Ed
- Some summer camps still have spaces available! Visit www.aarecedonline.com/camps and click on the At-A-Glance buttons.
- Take a walk on the funside with a youth or adult summer enrichment class. Check out the huge variety of classes for all ages and skill levels. Scholarships are available! Register today aarecedonline.com.
💬 Sign up to receive Fun Forward, Rec & Ed’s Youth and Family Newsletter
- Occasional emails feature upcoming programs, registration dates, discounts, and more. Sign up here: Fun Forward Youth and Family Newsletter! Preview the Summer 25 issue here.
Community Events and Information
Washtenaw County Health Department Offering Measles Vaccines
The Health Department is providing walk-in MMR vaccinations on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM and on Fridays from 8 AM to 3 PM at 555 Towner in Ypsilanti. The Health Department can check vaccine records if you’re not sure of your status. They can vaccinate those with Medicaid, Medicare, Washtenaw Health Plan, BCBS and those with no insurance. More information here.
Fast Track to Reducing Food Waste
Registration is now open for the Fast Track to Reducing Food Waste, the latest City of Ann Arbor program to help residents build the knowledge and motivation to change food waste habits at home. Offered in collaboration with the local nonprofit ZeroWaste.Org, the program runs June 8–29 and provides participants with daily food waste reduction tips, hands-on support and the opportunity to compete with neighbors for prizes from local businesses. To participate, residents can register here.
Adolescent Cannabis Use Workshop
June’s WISD Mental Health Workshop on Tuesday, June 10th at 7 PM via zoom will focus on Adolescent Cannabis Use with Dr. Leslie Lundahl from Wayne State University’s school of Medicine. Parents, caregivers and school staff are invited to learn how cannabis affects the developing brain, why teens may be drawn to it, how to spot signs of use and more. Register here.
Recordings of past WISD mental health workshops for parents can be found on WISD’s website here. Scroll down, click the + next to Parents/Guardians and then click on the video you would like to watch.
Top of the Park - Ann Arbor Summer Festival
Every summer, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival (A2SF) transforms Ann Arbor into a lively arts destination. Top of the Park is located on the University of Michigan campus, at Washington Street and Ingalls Mall. Activities run Tuesday through Saturday starting at 5 PM, and Sunday starting at 4 PM. This year’s festival is June 13th to 28th. Click here to see the full Top of the Park schedule.
Meet the Blue Angels
The US Navy flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels will be in town and you have a chance to meet a pilot and other team members on Friday, June 20th at 8:30 AM at Pioneer. The team will share a short video and then discuss what the team does in the skies and what their job looks like on the ground as well. This hour-long event is designed for middle and high school aged students.
AAACF Youth Council New Member Application is Open
The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation Youth Council is accepting applications for new members now through July 17th. The council is a youth-empowered and youth-led group of 25 young people who work together to make an impact on their community through volunteering, service and grantmaking. Learn more about aaacf.org/youth-council and apply here.
Aerospace Day at Willow Run
Local high school students are invited to Aerospace Day at Willow Run on Friday, July 25th from 8:30 AM to 4 PM. Learn more about careers in the aerospace industry. More information and registration here.
Ann Arbor Golden Paintbrush Nominations
Nominations for the 2025 Golden Paintbrush Awards are now open! The Ann Arbor Public Art Commission’s biennial awards are designed to recognize people in the community who’ve created or fostered art in Ann Arbor’s public spaces. Any individual, group or organization can be nominated for the Golden Paintbrush Award if their art demonstrates civic engagement, creativity or skill, and is publicly visible and maintainable. Anyone may submit a nomination, including for their own work. Nominations are due by Friday, August 1st, and may be submitted here.
Ann Arbor Fire Department Free Smoke Detector Program
The Ann Arbor Fire Department has launched a Smoke Detector Installation Program for residential homeowners within the city. This free program is designed to ensure that every home has working smoke detectors, which reduces the risk of dying in a house fire nearly by half. Learn more about the program and schedule an installation here.
Paddle or Float Down the Huron River Water Trail
There are inclusive universal access launches for everyone, including paddlers with disabilities along the Huron River. For locations with accessible launches, interactive maps, trip recommendations, camping, safety information and outfitters that provide equipment rentals and transportation go to huronriverwatertrail.org.
Choose a Safe Sealant
If you seal your asphalt driveway, avoid using coal tar sealcoats. Banned by several watershed communities, these products have high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), many of which are hazardous to human health. Instead, choose asphalt-based, acrylic or latex alternatives with low or no PAHs. Learn more at hrwc.org/coal-tar.
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