NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

    A new School Year!!

Here we go…  School starts (for the most part) tomorrow and we couldn’t be more excited.  We have a new superintendent, a new principal, a new vice-principal, and new teachers.  Also, there is supposed to be a new parent/school/educator communication system put in sometime this year.  AND… supposedly, APS will be working on improving their website.  Hallelujah!!   (Of course, I’ll believe that when I see it.)

I was looking around on our school’s website (which was slightly updated last Friday) and found a fifth grade teacher and her classroom website and, let me tell you; she really has it goin’ on.  I was secretly praying that our fifth grader would be in her class.  My prayers worked!  I’m very excited he will be in a classroom where the educator clearly knows how to work and consistently takes advantage of the tools provided.  It is obvious that she works very hard to maintain her website as well as communicate with the kids and parents.  I only wish all educators would/could/should (be able to) do the same.  Thank you, Carolyn!

(Dear Educators: if you would like for me to feature your classroom website, please email me!)

Here’s the link to Ms. Aparici’s 5th grade class website  Has she got it goin’ on, or what!  Thrilled we are…

Here’s what’s to come at APS:

• ParentLink

• APS Perspective  (PDF file): read through this and you can gain a perspective on the new District Goals and other pertinent items.

• I tried to link “School Matters”, which is a newsletter to the community that is similar to APS Perspective but the link is broken.  *sigh*  It pretty much said the same thing as the Perspective (which is the employee newsletter) but had some added tips for parents.  Hello… APS!

• If you go to the APS website and click on “Give APS Feedback”, you can tell APS and the BOE (Board of Education) what you think about adapting/adopting athletics, parents, and spectator Codes of Conduct.  Now’s your chance… Get over there and tell ‘em what you think.  It will save you lots of eyerolling in the long run.

There’s lots more to come and info coming in like torrential, monsoonal rains.

Stay tuned… I’ve been really, really busy but now have more time increase my involvement and report back to you.  Please feel free to comment, suggest, drop a line.  (My email address is natalieb39 AT G M A I L dot COM)

And, I missed you, too.

P.S.  To whomever changed the dress code: I really wish you would have told us about this at the end of LAST YEAR!  We’d already bought the boys a bunch of cargo pants (which, by the way, last longer and are much more durable than those crappy “school pants”) and now, since we took all of the tags off and purchased them over two months ago, we can’t even return them.  This cost us a pretty penny and we don’t have that kind of money.  Please communicate these types of changes SOONER!  Thank you.

/rant

P.P.S.  I found a backdoor link to School Matters.  There ya go.  It seems there are some problems with the translator APS is using and this should also be in Spanish.  If I find it, I will post it.  In the meantime, you can still click on the translator link on this page.  (Just above the technorati link.)