COVID Closure Staff Update for Friday, May 1

- News and Announcements

Day 30 – Learning from Home Experience

Today, I would like to highlight the work of our team from School Nutrition Services on this, School Lunch Hero Day. As I’ve shared with you before, from the very moment we made the decision to close our school buildings, feeding our students has been one of our top priorities. To effectively relocate our school cafeterias from inside our buildings to hastily-arranged outdoor sites across our city certainly took something close to superhuman powers to pull off. 

It seems like such a long time ago that I arrived at door 14 of T.C. Williams High School on the Monday lunchtime after our division announced closure, pulled on blue plastic gloves and joined the team distributing bags of food to our families. I’ve observed with immense pride how this program has grown exponentially over the weeks. A huge thank you to our School Nutrition Services team and other essential staff led by our director, Cindy Hormel, for their flexibility, innovation and commitment on behalf of our students. To think we are approaching 200,000 meals distributed is nothing short of remarkable. I know how much our families appreciate their hard work. Today, if you visit one of our distribution sites or happen to be driving by in the neighborhood, please be sure to give thanks with a wave or a smile or a honk of your car horn. 

It’s May 1 and we are asking all seniors to take a video on their phones answering three questions: What do you love? What do you fear? What do you hope for? 

As we begin to grapple with innovative alternatives to our traditional graduation and senior year experiences, this is one project that will create a lasting memory for all 850+ seniors well into the future. T.C. Williams principal, Mr. Peter Balas, along with seniors TJ Horton and Amiya Chisolm who is also our Class of 2020 President, introduced this project live on Fox5 on Wednesday morning. Watch “T.C. Williams Class of 2020 plan a documentary”. 

We need your students’ help to make this happen today. Anytime before 11:59 p.m. we want every single one of our graduating class to answer those questions in three short videos of up to 60 seconds each.  

The footage will be woven into an incredible visual project inspired by Ridley Scott’s Life in a Day. This opportunity is for one day only! If you have a T.C. senior at home or in your classes, please make sure they participate in this today. This will make a lasting memory that, although may not be the one they expected or hoped for, will surely bring our seniors joy and comfort as well as plenty of Titan Pride.

Stay healthy, stay safe and stay informed.

Sincerely,

Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
Superintendent of Schools

School Lunch Hero Day

Today, on School Lunch Hero Day, we celebrate our amazing team in School Nutrition Services (SNS) that has been pivotal to the success of ACPS during the COVID-19 crisis.

From the day our buildings closed, staff put into action a hastily-arranged plan to ensure that students, who depend on school for much of their nutritional needs, would not miss out.

Week in, week out, the team continues to provide substantial and healthy meals to any ACPS student, and children over the age of two.

Cynthia Hormel, SNS director, paid tribute to the extraordinary efforts of her team.

She said, “We have a very dedicated team that works hard, collaboratively, for the common goal of ensuring ‘No Child Goes Hungry’.”

“Our goal today, and every day, is to provide nutritious meals that set our students up for a successful day of learning. A hungry child cannot focus on learning.”

To date, ACPS has provided close to 200,000 meals distributed from ten sites around our city.

This could not have been done without mobilizing an army of essential workers that stepped into roles on the front line at distribution sites and behind the scenes in school kitchens. The initiative has also been supported, at times, by the City of Alexandria, numerous volunteers, as well as local nonprofit organizations.

The work continues with staff constantly monitoring demand and efficiency on a daily basis and working with flexibility to open more sites, if a demand is identified.

Hormel added, “We have leaned on our staff a great deal since the beginning of the coronavirus response, but I believe our greatest achievement was getting the call on Friday, March 13, at 2:00 p.m. and having a system in place to begin serving meals the following Monday at T.C. Williams.”

Be sure to give them an extra special thank you at our distribution sites today – honk your horn, give them a wave and a smile and let them know you appreciate their heroic efforts.

For more information, visit our Food Access During School Closures. 

Health Insurance Open Enrollment Begins TODAY

If you are looking to switch healthcare providers, May is the month to do it.

This year, Open Enrollment begins on May 1 and ends on May 31, 2020. During this time, employees may review and change their benefits elections using Employee Self Service (ESS). Instructions for logging into and using ESS are available on Canvas under ACPS Human Resources. 

Due to COVID-19 and the closure of ACPS buildings, open enrollment meetings will not be held at schools and Central Office. However, all information will be available on the ACPS website and in Canvas, including opportunities for virtual open enrollment meetings.

The same as last year, ACPS offers three medical plans:

  1. United Healthcare POS (Point of Service Plan)
  2. Kaiser HMO
  3. UnitedHealthcare QHP (Qualified Health Plan) with Health Savings Account.  This plan has a tax-free Health Savings Account (HSA) for employees to save pre-tax money to pay for eligible health expenses. 

See the Benefits web page and Employee Self Service (ESS) for more information. If you have questions, contact HRBenefits@acps.k12.va.us.

Spread the Word: T.C. Seniors are Making a Documentary Film Today!

The Class of 2020 is making a documentary! Across the city of Alexandria, Titan seniors will be recording their stories all on the same day, TODAY. These videos will form part of their graduation ceremony.

Here’s how it will work:

Anytime between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., we ask every single one of our seniors to answer these questions in three short videos of up to 60 seconds each:

  1. What do you love? 
  2. What do you fear? 
  3. What do you hope for? 

Please remind your seniors to send in their videos using this form no later than 12 p.m. on Monday, May 4.

Tune in to our Board Meeting Today

During the closure of school buildings, our School Board is meeting virtually each Friday at noon. Watch the School Board Meeting. 

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

In the last video Q&A, Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. answered questions about the status of ACPS Capital Improvement Projects. 

  • Has the COVID-19 closures affected school building projects?
  • Why have some projects been able to be advanced while others have been delayed?
  • What projects could be expedited?
  • Are facilities issues like lead or copper in the water being addressed during the closure, or are those projects on hold to reduce the number of people in the buildings?
  • Will the new building for Douglas MacArthur Elementary School continue to move forward?
  • What will happen to the funding for a new high school building on the Minnie Howard campus?

Watch the twice-weekly Q&A video or see answers to these questions in the FAQ. 

We welcome you to send us your questions.

WANT TO HELP?

Please consider donating through ACT For Alexandria and the COVID-19 Response Fund if you are able. 

Community members who would like to volunteer should reach out to www.volunteeralexandria.org or 703-836-2176 to register for any additional potential volunteer opportunities.

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

Continuity of School Support and Academic Advisement

School Student Support Team staff, including school counselors, school nurses, school psychologists, and school social workers will be available during school hours throughout the closure. Monday – Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m staff will be connecting with students and their families. The Department of Student Services, Alternative Programs and Equity staff members are also available during this time and can be contacted by voicemail and at student_services@acps.k12.va.us.

Emergency Supports

If there is a crisis or emergency during the time of the closure, students and families can access the supports below:

We know that this is a challenging time. ACPS will continue to share information through the ACPS website, social media, and email. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your student’s school counselor or school social worker with any questions.

HEALTH REMINDERS

Don’t Feel Well?
Contact your primary health care physician.

Have questions, concerns or feedback? Contact us or contact your direct supervisor.

HR Questions? Contact hr@acps.k12.va.us.

Stay Healthy!
Wash your hands regularly. Regular soap is okay.