Welcome back to another exciting school year! As we embark on this journey together, we are committed to creating an environment where your child’s safety, connection, and support are our top priorities. The well-being of our students is our foremost concern. Our schools are in a continuous process of improvement to ensure a secure environment for learning and growth. We are dedicated to providing a safe space where your child can thrive academically and socially. The need to build strong connections within our school community is essential for a positive educational experience. We are excited to welcome students back to classrooms where they will engage in meaningful interactions with their peers and teachers. Through various activities and programs, we aim to foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie among all students, creating an inclusive and supportive atmosphere. We understand that each child’s journey is unique, and we are here to support them every step of the way. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing attention and resources to help every student succeed. Whether through academic assistance, emotional support, or extracurricular opportunities, we are here to ensure that your child feels encouraged and valued.
We believe it is our responsibility to actively teach students the behaviors we want to see in the school and in the classroom. When a student is not demonstrating the expected behavior, it is our expectation that administrators and teachers will work to provide interventions and administer student discipline fairly and to provide a safe, positive, and nondiscriminatory educational environment for all students and educators. We also recognize that harsh or unfair exclusionary discipline practices and frequent disparities in the use of exclusionary discipline practices for children can contribute to students feeling unwelcome, unsafe, and unsupported. When this happens, educational staff miss crucial opportunities to support students’ needs and put students on the path toward success. Instead, schools should provide students with the social, emotional, physical, academic, and mental health support they need to thrive. To that end, our schools are using evidence-based approaches such as RULER, PBIS and Restorative Practices to meet students’ social, emotional, academic, and mental health needs. The Student Code of Conduct serves as a resource with guiding principles for creating safe, inclusive, supportive, and fair teaching and learning environments for students and school staff to give them what they need to learn and grow.
As we navigate this school year together, we invite you to partner with us in making it a successful and enriching experience for your child. We encourage you to read the Student Code of Conduct and discuss the expectations for behavior that allows our beautifully diverse community to be welcoming, safe and supportive. Once you have read, discussed and addressed any questions you and/or your family may have, please make sure you and your child sign the ACPS Signature Form and return to your child/children’s school. Your involvement and feedback are invaluable, and we look forward to working closely with you. Thank you for entrusting us with your child’s education. We are excited about the year ahead and all the wonderful experiences it will bring.
Profile of a Virginia Graduate
