Welcome Back to Our School Buildings!

Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. spent Tuesday traveling across our city, as he welcomed back many of the 1,291 students who returned to school buildings. This group of students with disabilities and English Learners are some of our most vulnerable and were prioritized for return in the first phase.

Speaking at Mount Vernon Community School, he said, “I want to thank our team for all their hard work that they have done over the past year to prepare for this moment. We are back. I am glad that we finally got to this part.”

Mount Vernon Principal Liza Burrell-Aldana added, “We have been looking forward to this day since March of last year. The teachers and students are our ‘why’ so just watching them today learn in their classrooms safely and smiling … they are just so happy to be back. This has been a great day and we really appreciate the fact that we can see them again.”

Please enjoy these back to school photos on the ACPS Facebook page.

Next Tuesday, our second group of hybrid students return to school buildings, followed by all remaining hybrid students on March 16.

VIDEOS: A Day in the Life for Our Hybrid Middle and High School Students

What will the day look like for a hybrid middle or high school student attending learning in school buildings? Take a look!

VIDEO: Middle School

VIDEO: High School

Daily Symptom Checklist Instructional Video

Each morning before your child leaves for in-person learning at school buildings, be sure to complete the online Daily Symptom Checklist, which you can access on the ACPS and school website homepages, on Clever, or in the ACPS mobile app. You will also receive a link through text message each day your child is scheduled for in-person learning.

The Daily Symptom Checklist is just one way you can help to keep our community safe.

Find out how to complete the Daily Symptom Checklist in the following video:

VIDEO: How to Complete the Daily Symptom Checklist

COVIDWISE App: Help keep our school community safe

In preparation for their return to school buildings next week, ACPS is encouraging all secondary students with mobile devices to download Virginia’s free COVIDWISE Exposure Notifications app to assist contact tracing efforts in the event of exposure to the virus.

COVIDWISE is Virginia’s official exposure notifications app that lets you know if you’ve likely been exposed to another COVIDWISE user with a positive COVID-19 test result.

Latest Community Health Metrics

Here are the most current community health metrics, connected to our ability to keep schools open.

See Alexandria’s latest K-12 school health metrics on the Virginia Department of Health website.

The Identity Project: The Superintendent’s Picks and Other Finalists

Through a robust community engagement process, we have been able to narrow the selection of new school names to three finalists each for T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School.

The last set of community polls ran Feb. 5 through Feb. 19.

These polls revealed 14,947 entries from students, families, alumni, staff, and community members. Careful consideration in solidifying the top three names came from public support, suitability to the campus and student population and met the ACPS School Board policies.

Three Finalist Names for T.C. Williams High School:
Alexandria High School (34.20% from public poll)
Titan Community High School (21.26% from public poll)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg High School (10.13% from public poll)

Three Finalist Names for Matthew Maury Elementary School:
Naomi Brooks Elementary School (30.46% from public poll)
Rosemont Park Elementary School (20.72% from public poll)
Jean Reid Elementary School (9.36% from public poll)

Learn more about the finalist names (PDF).

After careful consideration and aligned with public input, Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. recommended the following names at the March 4, 2021 School Board meeting:

T.C. Williams High School to be renamed Alexandria High School
Matthew Maury Elementary School to be renamed Naomi Brooks Elementary School

There is one more opportunity for the community to have a say in the final naming decision during the Alexandria City School Board Public Hearing on March 18, 2021. Individuals must register in advance to speak at this hearing.

The Board will vote on April 8, 2021, and the new names will be implemented on July 1, 2021.

ACPS Athletic Hall of Fame: 2020 Recipients Announced; Nominations Open for 2021

With each generation, friends and supporters from the Alexandria community look for ways to honor the successes of athletes, coaches or teams by memorializing their achievements to inspire the current students of ACPS to strive for excellence.

Given that the pandemic delayed our process of confirming 2020 nominees, the final voting process took place at the March 4, 2021 School Board meeting. The following honorees were voted in and will be inducted into the ACPS Athletic Hall of Fame (AHOF).

2020 ACPS Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees:

Katherine McAdoo, Swimming, T.C. Williams High School, Class of 2000
Roberta Elliott Speight, Track and Field, T.C. Williams High School, Class of 1984
Bob Kessler, Basketball, George Washington High School, Class of 1952
Cedric Matterson, Track and Field, T.C. Williams High School, Class of 1984
Craig Harris, Basketball, T.C. Williams High School, Class of 1977
Lynwood Robinson, Football, George Washington High School, Class of 1971
Mike Hynson, Basketball Coach at T.C. Williams High School and George Washington High School; Francis C. Hammond High School, Class of 1959
1971 T.C. Williams High School Football Team

See the 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Bios (PDF).

In 2014, the Alexandria City School Board established the AHOF to honor eligible athletes, coaches and teams of the past, present and future. The AHOF may also honor members of the community who have made significant contributions to the ACPS athletic program.

Make a Nomination for the 2021 ACPS Athletic Hall of Fame
Nominations for the 2021 honorees will be accepted for the ACPS Athletic Hall of Fame until March 31, 2021, for a fall 2021 induction. Current students in ACPS and young alumni will not be considered until five years past their date of graduation. The Athletic Hall of Fame Advisory Committee evaluates each nominee to determine its recommendations for induction into the ACPS Athletic Hall of Fame and submits its recommendation to the School Board for approval in June.

When filling out the nomination form, it is important to have specific information related to your nominee’s accomplishments. If not, you may receive a reply that your nomination does not have enough information in order to evaluate the candidate. The more specific information you provide, the more helpful it is for the committee.

Selections to the ACPS Athletic Hall of Fame are not selected based on the number of nominations received. However, you may submit additional information or documentation through an additional nomination form.

FOOD ACCESS: New Hours at Patrick Henry and Cora Kelly; Spring Break Hours

Food distribution hours at Patrick Henry K-8 School and Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology have changed.

The new hours of operation at Patrick Henry and Cora Kelly are:

Mondays: 7:30 a.m.- noon
Wednesdays and Fridays: 9 a.m.-noon.

Spring Break Food Distribution
During Spring Break, March 29-April 2, only the following food distribution locations will be operating:

T.C. Williams High School
Francis C. Hammond Middle School
Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology

Grab and Go meals will be available at these sites on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 7:30 a.m. and noon.

There will be no pop up site distribution during Spring Break.

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ACPS has multiple distribution meal site locations throughout Alexandria for all ACPS students and children over the age of two. See a map of food distribution locations.

GRAB-AND-GO MEAL LOCATIONS:

Grab and Go breakfast and lunch meals are available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the following locations:

William Ramsay Elementary School
5700 Sanger Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22311
7:30 a.m. to noon
Francis C. Hammond Middle School
4646 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22304
7:30 a.m. to noon
Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology – NEW TIMES
3600 Commonwealth Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22305
Mondays: 7:30 a.m. to noon
Wednesdays and Fridays: 9 a.m. to noon
Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School
1501 Cameron Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
7:30 a.m. to noon
Mount Vernon Community School
2601 Commonwealth Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22305
7:30 a.m. to noon
Patrick Henry K-8 School – NEW TIMES
4643 Taney Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304
Mondays: 7:30 a.m. to noon
Wednesdays and Fridays: 9 a.m. to noon
T.C. Williams High School
3330 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
7:30 a.m. to noon

And available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at our “Pop-Up” sites located at:

Mason Apartments at 75 South Reynolds Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
Brent Place Apartments at 375 South Reynolds Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
11:20 to 11:50 a.m.
Ruby Tucker Family Center at 322 Tancil Court, Alexandria, VA 22314
10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
Community Lodgings at 607 Notabene Drive, Alexandria, VA 22305
10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
Old Towne West Apartments (parking lot) at 500 South Alfred Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
11:20 to 11:50 a.m.
Corner of Florence Drive and Four Mile Road, Alexandria, VA 22305
10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
The Fields at 4309 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
Bennington Crossing Apartments at 441 North Armistead Street, Alexandria, VA 22312
11:30 a.m. to noon
2727 Duke Street (behind Bank of America), Alexandria, VA 22314
10:45 to 11:15 a.m.

NO SIGN UP OR REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE MEALS.

NOTE: No food distribution will occur on Tuesdays or Thursdays. The limited days for distribution is to support the practice of social distancing and to limit social gatherings. Meals for two days will be provided on Mondays and Wednesdays, and meals for three days will be provided on Fridays.

Other Food Resources in the City of Alexandria:

For food pantry locations and schedules in Alexandria, visit www.hungerfreealexandria.com or call ‪703-662-1067.

Questions? Or Need Translation?

Send us your question in Spanish, Arabic or Amharic:

Text ACPSMEALS to 797979 (English and Spanish)
Call or text 703-927-6866 (Amharic)
Call or text 703-927-7095 (Arabic)

Call the FACE Center’s Bilingual Parent Information Lines, available Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.:

For Spanish/English, call 571-775-9719
For Amharic/English, call 703-927-6866
For Arabic/English, call 703-927-7095

SAFETY REMINDER: Please remember to observe social distancing practices while at the food distribution site by maintaining six feet of personal space between you and other families or individuals.

Anyone exhibiting symptoms of a respiratory illness like fever, runny nose, sore throat, coughing or difficulty breathing on the day of food distribution or in the previous 24 hours should not visit a food distribution site but call a health care provider instead. If you do not have a primary care physician and are not enrolled in a clinic, you may CALL an urgent care center or emergency room.

UPDATES FROM THE ALEXANDRIA HEALTH DEPARTMENT

For all updates, see www.alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.

HEALTH REMINDERS

Don’t Feel Well?
Contact your primary health care physician. Don’t have insurance? Contact Neighborhood Health at 703-535-5568.

Have questions, concerns or feedback? Contact us.