APS Teammates,

Spring break is just about here. I want to thank each of you for your continued hard work and dedication to APS and our students. For those who will have time off next week, I wish you a safe and restful holiday. As the weather gets warmer, outdoor activities increase, so please remember to be safe and enjoy time with your family and friends.

This has been a busy time with CSAP. I recognize that CSAP brings added pressure and work. I want to recognize all of the teachers, educational assistants, para educators and administrators who work together to improve student achievement. I have seen your dedication first hand and I greatly commend you for it. I am highly optimistic we will see positive changes in our future CSAP scores and I am more excited each day for the success story about our school district.

Support staff members continue to pick up the PACE with their continued hard work and dedication by providing clerical assistance to parents and staff, safely transporting students, assisting in the energy conservation program, providing health services, feeding students, managing technology operations, offering athletic opportunities, maintaining safe, comfortable and clean environments, and the numerous other aspects of support that are offered each and every day. The support you provide is invaluable. Your hard work is recognized and appreciated.

So many exciting things and successes are happening in APS providing opportunities for students, staff and parents. The APS Board of Education unanimously voted to accept William Smith High School as the district’s first Pilot School to begin in the fall of 2008. The Rose Community Foundation provided a $378,000 grant that will be used to improve learning for second language students in APS. Dedicated parents at 11 APS schools recently completed a six-week program through Bright Start Family Literacy where they learned how to help their children succeed in school through interactive workshops on communication and literacy. ConnectEd, a state-of-the-art communication system that enables APS to send telephone and e-mail messages to all APS families and staff in about an 10 minutes was implemented. I am especially pleased about the partnerships that were recently created with several Colorado Universities providing exceptional opportunities for APS students as we work to achieve our vision: to graduate every student with the choice to attend college without remediation.

All of this would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of all APS staff members. Thank you for all you do for the students in the Aurora Public Schools. I appreciate your commitment and I am honored to be on your team!

JB

John L. Barry, Superintendent
Aurora Public Schools
15701 E. First Ave., Suite 206
Aurora, CO 80011
303-365-7800

“There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”

John F. Kennedy