9.21 Atlanta Public Schools Weekly News Tip Sheet (September 21-26)

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Office of Communications and Public Engagement
130 Trinity Avenue SW | Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Ian Smith, Executive Director
404-802-2855, office
404-603-6934, cell

ian.smith@atlanta.k12.ga.us

 

Seth Coleman, Media Relations Manager
404-802-2891, office
404-406-5570, cell
seth.coleman@atlanta.k12.ga.us

   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     

September 21, 2020

 

Atlanta Public Schools Weekly News Tip Sheet
(September 21-26)

Editors/Producers/Reporters: The following is a list of events, programs, accomplishments and/or initiatives occurring in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) this week. Please use it as a guide as you develop your coverage plans.

Members of the media are invited to attend all events on the Weekly APS News Tip Sheet. If you have an interest in these stories, please contact Seth Coleman, Media Relations Manager.  Thank you for your interest in Atlanta Public Schools!

 

(Monday, September 21) APS to Provide Free Meals to All Children Throughout the District

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently announced an extended Seamless Summer Option (SSO) waiver, which allows free meals to all children (ages 1-18) in communities designated as areas of community eligibility. On Sept. 9, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) School Nutrition Program announced that the entire state of Georgia has been declared an area of community eligibility through Dec. 31, 2020.

Through this new guidance, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) families no longer need to register or order meals through MySchoolBucks. APS will provide free meals to all children (ages 1-18) in all communities throughout the District.

Beginning Monday, Sept. 21, APS will continue to offer students the weekly 5-day meal kits (5-breakfast meals and 5-lunch meals) by bus delivery and curbside pick-up. Bus delivery stops can be found in the document below by scrolling to find your location, grouped by cluster. Nutrition will discontinue the Tuesday Express meal service.

Click here to locate meal distribution bus stop locations. Alternatively, curbside pick-up is available at these 14 school locations from 3 PM – 6 PM.

 

Carver Cluster

Carver High School, 55 McDonough Blvd. Atlanta, GA 30315

 

Douglass Cluster

BEST Academy /CSKYWLA, 1190 Northwest Dr. NW, Atlanta GA 30318
Frederick Douglass High School, 225 Hamilton E. Holmes Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

 

Grady Cluster

John Hope-Charles Walter Hill Elementary School, 112 Boulevard NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Mary Lin Elementary School, 586 Candler Park Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30307

 

Jackson Cluster

Maynard Jackson High School, 801 Glenwood Ave. SE, Atlanta, GA 30316
King Middle School, 545 Hill St. SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

 

Mays Cluster

Benjamin E. Mays High School, 3450 Benjamin E. Mays Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA 30331

 

North Atlanta Cluster

Bolton Academy, 2268 Adams Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
Garden Hills Elementary School, 285 Sheridan Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30305

 

South Atlanta Cluster

South Atlanta High School, 800 Hutchens Rd. SE, Atlanta, GA 30354

 

Therrell Cluster

Bunche Middle School, 1925 Niskey Lake Rd. SW, Atlanta, GA 30331

 

Washington Cluster

Booker T. Washington High School, 45 Whitehouse Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA 30314

Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy, 1626 Westhaven Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA 30311

 

 

(Monday, September 21) Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring Featured in Virtual Town Hall on Race and Healing the Community

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring will join several leaders from throughout metro Atlanta, along with prominent authors, and students and community members for a virtual town hall titled “An Evening of Enlightenment: Race & Healing – A Community Conversation,” Monday, September 21, at 7 PM.

The event serves as the official kick-off event for the 2020-2021 Citywide Race2Read Challenge, which aims to erase the critical literacy gap by uniting schools, families, churches, businesses and public and private sectors to help increase reading proficiency of APS students by achieving 10 million leisure reading hours for the 2020-2021 school year. It is moderated by CBS46 anchor Shon Gables and will be streamed on the station’s website (cbs46.com), Facebook page and Instagram account.

 

 

Using the theme, “We must build a city that reads so that we can be a city that leads,” the discussion will help shepherd a collective mission to promote understanding.

 

Joining Dr. Herring will be Clayton County Superintendent Dr. Morcease Beasley; Alston & Bird Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Derin Dickerson; Urban League of Greater Atlanta President Nancy Flake Johnson; UPS Executive Communications Manager Janet Stovall; as well as authors Tiffany Jewell (This Book is Anti-Racist), Jewell Parker Rhodes (Ghost Boys) and Nic Stone (Dear Martin).

 

 

(Thursday, September 24) APS to Host Virtual Town Hall to Provide Information on Approach to Reopening Schools

Atlanta Public Schools is preparing for a return to in-person instruction as soon as the public health data indicates it is safe.

As such, the District is inviting the community to join a Virtual Town Hall, live on Facebook, Thursday, September 24, at 6 PM. APS Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring and other administrators will discuss, take questions and receive feedback on the District’s phased approach, facilities preparations, instructional plans, and which students would return first if COVID-19 numbers trend down. A Spanish interpreter will be present.

APS Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AtlantaPublicSchools  (@AtlantaPublicSchools)

 

Mercedes-Benz USA Donates $340,000 to Support Atlanta Public Schools for 2020-2021 School Year

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) has bolstered its support of Atlanta Public Schools (APS) with a $340,000 donation as the District enters the 2020-2021 school year.  

MBUSA’s donations will support the following areas: 

  • APS District-wide coronavirus (COVID-19) relief efforts during the 2020-2021 school year, which include, but is not limited to virtual learning, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) incentives, teacher support, emergency funding, and school supplies.
  • L.P. Miles Elementary School for personal protection equipment (PPE) materials and supplies for virtual learning, Social Emotional Learning/School Culture support, 21st century media center furniture with docking stations.
  • Michael R. Hollis Innovation Academy in support of the school’s STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). MBUSA has supported Hollis Innovation Academy with annual donations and volunteerism since the school’s founding in 2016-2017.
  • Communities in Schools, a local non-profit organization, for onsite coordination of wraparound services such as counselors, social workers, and community health/wellness support services directly impacting L.P. Miles Elementary School.

 

Throughout the school year, MBUSA will take part in district-wide appropriate, curated volunteer engagement opportunities – virtually and in-person – that follow COVID-19 guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

 

MBUSA helped APS kick off the year in support of the District’s Pop-Up Back to School Bash events with a donation of 1,600 backpacks to students, as well as a fleet of vehicles to assist in distributing the donated backpacks to Miles Elementary School parents and students, in a low-contact drive-through event at the school. All faculty, staff and MBUSA volunteers followed recommended safety guidelines during the drive-through event, an extension of the company’s Curbside Caring initiative, an extension of its Greatness Lives Here program.


(Photos and b-roll of the Pop-Up Back to School Bash events can be found here.)

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About Atlanta Public Schools

Atlanta Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state of Georgia, serving approximately 52,000 students across 87 schools. The District is organized into nine K-12 clusters with 58 traditional schools, 18 charter schools, six partner schools, two citywide single-gender academies and three alternative programs. To learn more about Atlanta Public Schools, follow us on social media – Twitter (@apsupdate), Facebook (Atlanta Public Schools), and Instagram (apsupdate) – or visit us online at www.atlantapublicschools.us.