Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF), as a school partner, provides rental assistance for qualifying families behind on rent and at risk of eviction.

AVLF also provides free legal advice, support, and legal representation for any families that may have a legal defense against eviction (for example, a tenant doesn鈥檛 owe rent, the landlord has an inaccurate ledger, the landlord has failed to maintain a habitable home such that the tenant鈥檚 back rent should not be a basis for eviction, etc.).

Contact AVLF for more information on how you can receive rent and/or legal assistance if you are at risk of eviction:

Pierce Hand, Staff Attorney / 678-245-0851 / phand@avlf.org

Shamyya Wyatt, Community Advocate / 678-245-9263 / swyatt@avlf.org

Nekesha Whitaker, Community Advocate / 404-859-1535 / mwhitaker@avlf.org

Vaccinations

While not mandatory, we strongly encourage vaccination among staff, eligible students, and families. The vaccine is our best line of defense. The research on its effectiveness and safety continues to be strong.

Universal Mask Wearing

All students and staff are required to wear masks on campus, but can remove masks outside.

Testing

We require mandatory testing for staff, exempting vaccinated individuals who voluntarily submit proof. Our schools strongly encourage all students to be tested weekly for COVID-19 at school every Friday.

Physical Distancing

Our classrooms are back at full capacity, but we are continuing physical distancing with 3 feet of separation between desks. We are also taking other precautions to support physical distancing, including minimizing use of shared spaces and tailoring class schedules to avoid overcrowding.

Hand Hygiene

We continue to promote good hygiene and handwashing. Our schools installed hand sanitation stations throughout the buildings.

Ventilation

Ventilation and air filtering is critical, and staff are encouraged to keep doors and windows open wherever possible. Most classrooms, and all classrooms without windows, have an air filter. We continue to emphasize cleaning.

At Price Middle School and PBSA, it is our job to train our eyes and minds to find opportunities when others lose hope. The past school year, especially, demanded an optimistic approach to our work. We had to create a new reality and make the very best of it.

We entered a pandemic last year in March expecting a 鈥渢wo week virtual break鈥� not knowing that over a year later we would still be searching for the normalcy we took for granted. But we have proven again that if our mindset is one of growth and belief, then as the great Maya Angelou wrote 鈥渟till, like air, we rise鈥�.

With full acknowledgment that so many people have suffered in the past year, I would like to look back and identify the things that went well, the things we learned, the things that will make us stronger going forward. Here are a few things that came out of the pandemic experience that I am grateful for.

We bridged a piece of the digital divide, providing computers and Internet access to all students and families. We have set the bar higher for what is possible going forward.

We improved our project based instruction and showed that a PBL approach 鈥� rooted in what is going on in students鈥� lives right now 鈥� can truly engage students and drive academic growth. Our high quality PBL showcases elevated student voice and creativity.

We learned new ways to engage both caregivers and community stakeholders, with record attendance levels at parent-teacher conferences and in our PBL showcases. We held virtual conferences to access parents that previously have been limited by distance and time constraints. We instituted amazing drive-by and outdoor events. We created pop up shops. We formed street committees. We did countless home visits. We celebrate student achievement and commitment every week. We made a commitment to meet students wherever the need was.

We identified creative ways to meet the needs of our families, especially through a comprehensive grocery distribution program and mental health outreach. Our talented and dedicated school engagement managers led the charge.

We built a stronger organizational culture through improved communication and professional learning communities. We have connected professionally in totally new ways starting with our work teams last summer that included teachers and leaders from all schools working together to solve new problems. We created new cluster wide technology solutions like our learning management system Otus, and we created new standards for what virtual instructional excellence looks like.

We set a new standard for pre-planning, which allowed us to begin a year of instruction fully virtual, in a safe and sustainable manner. Our teachers gained a generation鈥檚 worth of knowledge and expertise by using a plethora of interactive instructional tools to engage our students in new ways.

We refined our data strategies, leveraging best practices for student intervention and personalized learning, acknowledging that this analysis is now more important than ever

We committed ourselves to equity with a 鈥渂ottom-up鈥� coalition within our organization, and we had monthly cluster wide training for all staff and on our cluster leadership team. Instead of avoiding the challenges of the conversations on race and equity, we placed them front and center in a time when our students and staff needed it most.

We supported one another through what seemed like tragedy after tragedy. We lost parents, siblings, friends, and even colleagues. Still, we rose and came to work with heavy hearts and a collective purpose to stem the suffering of our students and give them the structure they need and the education they deserve.

This last year proved that not only can we survive, we can thrive. In any circumstance. In any environment. Our only limitations are in our minds.

There are two types of people in this world, and one type looks at our students, our communities, and our schools and sees only the deficits, only the barriers. But I look at our students and see absolute geniuses, and we must treat them as such. Anything less would be to abandon an unpolished diamond before allowing the world to marvel at its beauty. Our community cannot afford to be wasteful with our prized resources.

We are confident in the precautions our schools are taking to keep students and staff safe upon returning to school. We appreciate in advance your commitment and compliance to ensuring safe and healthy schools for our students.

PBSA COVID-19 IN-PERSON SAFETY PLAN

DAILY HEALTH SCREENING: Daily health screening and symptom checks will be performed for all staff and students prior to entering the building. This includes temperature checks and questions about common COVID-19 symptoms.

TESTING: All in-person PBSA staff are required to test on a weekly basis. In addition, we are working with APS to make COVID-19 Surveillance Testing available to all students and staff. COVID-19 Surveillance Testing is a non-diagnostic test that detects the presence of COVID-19 even in individuals who may be asymptomatic. More information on this kind of testing will be shared separately. For locations where students, teachers, and staff can get tested for COVID-19, please visit atlantapublicschools.us/COVIDTesting.

MASK MANDATE: All staff and students will be required to wear a cloth or disposable mask whenever inside the buildings. This is mandatory at our schools (and all APS facilities) at all times except when eating or drinking. Masks must cover the nose AND mouth. PBSA is providing two reusable cloth masks for each staff member and three for each student.

HANDWASHING/SANITIZING: Washing and sanitizing hands is key to preventing the spread of germs. Staff and students are expected to follow the following steps in regard to hand washing safety:

• Washing and sanitizing hands upon entering a classroom, with each school space having a hand sanitizer station
• Washing hands after bathroom breaks and throughout the day as a preventative measure
• Drying hands with paper towels
• Washing or sanitizing hands before and after eating
• Sanitizing hands before recess and after recess

PHYSICAL DISTANCING: To ensure that physical distancing is possible at all times, we are implementing the following protocols: staggered arrival/departure, building capacity will be kept below 60 percent, schedules tailored to avoid overcrowding in shared spaces (such as hallways, playgrounds, and restrooms), desks will be spaced 6鈥� apart, and lunch will be eaten in classrooms.

ADDITIONAL PPE: PBSA has purchased additional PPE and other supplies that can be made available to staff based on their role and need. Additionally, the following items are available in each classroom for teacher and student use:

• Hand sanitizer station
• Disinfectant spray bottle
• Paper towels
• Tissues
• Face masks (limited for replacement)
• Desk shields for each student desk

Thank you for the resilience and patience your family has shown this year. We are proud of each and every student who has engaged with virtual learning, and we appreciate the support provided by all caregivers in this difficult year.

Before the holiday break we had begun preparations to return to in-person instruction 鈥� for those families that wanted to return to school 鈥� by the end of January. However, due to the increase of COVID-19 cases throughout Atlanta at this time, 黑瓜吃料网 Built Schools has decided to postpone a return to in-person school until March 15, the beginning of the fourth quarter.

This means that students at Slater Elementary School, Thomasville Heights Elementary School, Price Middle School and Carver STEAM Academy will NOT start in-person instruction on February 1, as previously communicated. All instruction will remain virtual until March 15.

The health and safety of our students, staff, and community continues to be our top priority. COVID-19 spread levels are higher than they have ever been, and our local health system is overwhelmed. We also recognize the higher risk that COVID-19 presents to our school community.

We understand that for many of you, this decision is disappointing and forces your plans to change. We regret how difficult this has made it for families to plan. We are grateful for your patience and flexibility. In the meantime, we will continue to ensure that your students are offered the best virtual-learning experience possible.

We were looking forward to reopening our doors and having our schools filled with the joyful sounds of students and staff. But until we can do that safely, we truly believe this is in everyone鈥檚 best interest. We take very seriously the health and safety of your students. In addition to providing a high quality education, it is our highest priority.

We will get through this together. Thank you for your patience and support as we work hard to guarantee the safety of our community.

That means the District and all four 黑瓜吃料网 Built Schools 鈥� Thomasville Heights, Slater, Price and Carver STEAM 鈥� will postpone reopening plans for in-person learning until January 2021.

If you would like to know more about the reasoning behind this decision, you can and v.

All of us at 黑瓜吃料网 Built Schools agree with this decision. The health and safety of students and staff is paramount, and community health conditions right now make it hard to operate schools safely.

Even so, we recognize that in our recent outreach to our families, about 25% of you indicated you wanted to return to in-person learning, and we understand that for many of you this decision may be disappointing. Please know that we are committed to providing extraordinary virtual instruction over the next ten weeks, and we will continue our efforts to engage every student and every family.

We are grateful for your patience and support as we continue to work hard to ensure our children are given the very best virtual learning experience, while keeping our community safe.

Free 5-day meal kits for ALL children ages 1-18: No advance order required.

Pick up at Carver High, Mondays 2-4:30pm: Or pick up from 13 other school locations (list available on APS website).

Weekly bus delivery, Mondays 2-5pm

Download Food Distribution Schedule.

More Information

• Slater Elementary: (404) 802-4050
• Thomasville Heights Elementary: (404) 802-5750
• Price Middle School: (404) 802-6300
• Carver STEAM Academy: (404) 802-4415
• Sylvan community routes:

But this year, in the midst of a global pandemic, four and five-year-olds across the country prepared for this life-changing experience to begin virtually. Instead of arriving in classrooms, meeting their teachers face-to-face and wearing backpacks bigger than they are, new Kindergarteners are experiencing their first days of grade school in front of a computer at a desk in their living rooms.

How do we make this transition to Kindergarten fun, engaging and…online?

Atlanta Public Schools offered 黑瓜吃料网 a grant from the United Way to sponsor a camp for rising Kindergarteners to help prepare them for the new school year. Kiuleia Brandon, Kindergarten teacher at Slater Elementary School, pioneered the program at Slater, but she faced a unique challenge: make it a virtual camp!

鈥淥ur goal was to create an online camp that gave PreK students an idea for what to expect in Kindergarten,鈥� says Dr. Brandon. Together with a team of two teachers and two professionals, Dr. Brandon set out to create an online experience that engaged these four and five-year-olds.

鈥淭heir attention span is about three minutes, so we decided to focus on fun, quick activities and switch the adults on the screen about every six minutes,鈥� says Dr. Brandon. The days included a morning meeting, storytime, brain breaks, science activities, art, games, bubbles and scavenger hunts, to name just a few.

Thanks to the generous grant, the team put together camp kits with materials for families to use at home. The kits included all the arts and crafts supplies, Legos and activities the students would need to participate in the online camp instructions.

Every day from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. students followed along with their teachers on the screen. The days each had a behavioral theme that they need in Kindergarten, including self awareness, self regulation and self control.

鈥淲hen kids start Kindergarten, they鈥檙e often not confident yet,鈥� says Dr. Brandon. 鈥淪o, in the daily share circle, we tried to get them comfortable talking and feeling confident. Kindergarteners need to practice self-regulation skills, so we practiced correct ways to respond to disappointment. They also learned in share circle that everyone can鈥檛 talk at the same time. These are all social-emotional skills they will need when they begin Kindergarten–virtually or in person.鈥�

鈥淔amilies have enough to worry about with the pandemic and tough economic times,鈥� says Ryan Shepard, Executive Director of the CARE Global Innovation Hub. 鈥淭hey should know where their next meal is coming from. This is just one of CARE鈥檚 initiatives to help address the global food crisis. With the pandemic it was clear that many families are in desperate need of help to put food on their tables.鈥�

On top of providing meals, CARE and partners will help provide jobs for educators and social service workers who may live on partial year salaries or depend on working summer programs to supplement their income. These professionals will staff the delivery, packaging, and distribution centers alongside partners from gig platforms like TaskRabbit, Lyft, and Uber.
鈥淲e are excited to collaborate with a team of professionals who are eager to serve their community, while earning much needed supplemental income,鈥� Shepard said.

This effort will include more than 35 paid summer jobs for educators and social workers. The goal is to expand the program in future to other cities including Houston, Louisville, and Chicago.

For media inquiries please contact:

• CARE – Rachel Kent, Senior Press Officer, rachel.kent@care.org
• Atlanta Public Schools- Rachel Sprecher, rsprecher@atlanta.k12.ga.us
• Seth Coleman, Media Relations Manager, Seth.Coleman@atlanta.k12.ga.us
• CHRIS 180- Chaundra Luckett, Chief Marketing Officer, chaundra.luckett@chris180.org
• Concrete Jungle- Katherine Kennedy, Director, katherine@concrete-jungle.org
• 黑瓜吃料网 Built Schools- Cara Frattasi, Communications Director, cfrattasi@purposebuiltschools.org
• YMCA- Erica Faulkner, Executive Director of Communications, EricaF@ymcaatlanta.org