Cardinal Courier - October 26

Trunk or Treat THIS SATURDAY October 30 12-2pm!

The Abingdon Elementary PTA will be hosting a Trunk or Treat on Saturday October 30 from 12-2pm in the Abingdon parking lot. Students and their families are invited to drop by the school anytime between 12 and 2pm that day in your costume to collect candy! Here is some more information on what a Trunk or Treat is - and some spooktacular ideas for decorating your car or spot!

Abingdon will not be hosting the Halloween parade during the school day this year and we are hoping that everyone will join us on Saturday for this fun occasion!

There are 11 spots available still (see map below) and we are also in need of a few more volunteers to help during the event. SignUp Genius to Reserve a Spot or Volunteer!

Abingdon Volunteer Program

APS requires that all parents volunteering in the building complete a Volunteer Application. In addition to verification of an applicant's identity, COVID 19 vaccination is required for the application to be approved.The process takes about a week to complete. If you plan to volunteer in the school this year please be sure to complete the Volunteer Application here.

2022-2023 School Year Calendar

APS is seeking community input from families, staff, and community members related to the development of the 2022-23 School Year Calendar. A survey is available from October 18-October 29, 2021. More information, including the approximate timeline for approval by the School Board can be found at Engage with APS! webpage.

Fall 2021 Boundary Process

Virtual Open Office Hours TONIGHT 7:30-8:00pm and Thursday 12:30-1:00pm Links to meetings can be found here.

APS will be adjusting boundaries between Abingdon and Dr. Charles R. Drew elementary school. Planning units will be moved from Abingdon to Drew to alleviate over-crowding at Abingdon. Here are important dates for the process:

Thursday October 14 at 7pm: Presentation of Proposal to School Board See the Fall 2021 Boundary Proposal for Abingdon to Drew here.

Virtual Community Meetings: APS will hold four Virtual Community Meetings for the Abingdon to Drew ES process (dates below).

• The same information will be presented at each meeting: overview of proposal, supporting information, Q&A.

• Simultaneous interpretation is available in Spanish, Arabic, Amharic, and Mongolian (as needed).

• Please note there will be a Spanish Only session and English interpretation will not be available.

• Virtual Community Meeting #1: Saturday October 16 11:45-12:30pm

• Virtual Community Meeting #2: Tuesday October 19 12:45-1:30pm

• Virtual Community Meeting #3: Wednesday October 20 7:45-8:30pm (Spanish Only)

• Virtual Community Meeting #4: Thursday October 21 7:45-8:30pm

Virtual Open Office Hours: APS will hold two Virtual Open Office Hours for the Abingdon to Drew ES process:

• The office hours will provide the community, especially those families impacted by a reassignment, the opportunity to ask questions and receive a response.

• Simultaneous interpretation will be available in Spanish.

• Families who communicate in a language other than English or Spanish can submit questions in their preferred language to Engage@apsva.us and a response will be provided.

• Virtual Open Office Hours #1: Tuesday October 26 7:30-8:00pm

• Virtual Open Office Hours #2: Thursday October 28 12:30-1:00pm

Wednesday November 3: School Board Work Session to review the boundary proposals, immersion feeders, Q&A

Tuesday November 16: School Board Information Item – Superintendent’s Proposal for Boundary Adjustments for the 2022-23 School Year

Tuesday November 30: School Board Public Hearing – Superintendent’s Proposal for Boundary Adjustments and Immersion Feeders for the 2022-23 School Year

Thursday December 2: School Board Action Item on Superintendent’s Proposal for Boundary Adjustments for the 2022-23 School Year

Important Upcoming Dates

• Wednesday October 27: Early Release at 12:26pm

• Friday October 29 Abingdon Spirit Day - Storybook Day: Students and staff are encouraged to dress up as storybook characters. Our Language Arts staff will organize story reading and other activites in the school

• Tuesday November 2: No School for Students (Grade Prep Day)

• Thursday November 4: No School (Holiday - Diwali)

• Friday November 5 Abingdon Spirit Day - Getting Back to Green Day: Students and staff will dress up in green in honor of the Green Zone. The Mental Health Team will provide a lesson on getting back to the green zone and other activities in the school

• Tuesday November 9 at 6:30pm: November Abingdon PTA General Membership Meeting (PTA 101)

• Thursday November 11: No School (Holiday - Veterans Day)

• Friday November 12 Abingdon Spirit Day - Patriotic Day: Students and staff will dress up in Red, White and Blue. There will be an organized salute to those that served in our Armed Forces!

Please reach out to us at abingdonelementarypta@gmail.com with any questions.

Sincerely, Jackie Winkelvoss PTA President