Good day, Atlanta Public Schools!
I’m Dr. Lisa Herring, Superintendent. Welcome back to “The Week,” where we provide you with a video summary of the news and information you need most from Atlanta Public Schools.
While we strive to provide quality teaching and learning in the virtual space, the absence of Atlanta Public Schools buses on our streets stands as one of the most visible differences of school years past. But even with a pandemic, our dedicated men and women of our Transportation Department find ways to put our students and schools first as they provide critical mobility needs for our food distribution and supply chain.
This week, we celebrated all of them – our bus drivers, monitors, mechanics, call center operators, and other transportation staff – during a special virtual ceremony in recognition of National School Bus Safety Week and also of Georgia School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. We also saluted our bus drivers and monitors earning APS Elite status for 2019-2020.
Our transportation team does so much more than just transport our children safely to and from schools. They actually find ways to invest themselves in our children’s futures, and so we call them our “Educators in Motion!”
We also continue to work with our generous partners to support our families and staff. Let me call out goPuff, a national distribution platform for consumers’ everyday needs.
As you know, APS began our weekly meal distribution in the spring of 2020 when COVID-19 forced school closures and students began distance learning from home. This week, goPuff donated 4,000 items, including toothbrushes and snacks, to APS students as a part of our distribution program. We had a special program at King Middle School on Monday to deliver more than 1,000 of those items!
Finally, I love to call out our educators achieving special honors. This includes Principal Diamond Ford of Hollis Innovation Academy, who earned national recognition recently for implementing core language arts curriculum at her school.
Dr. Ford was selected as the 2020 EL Education Silverberg Leadership Award winner. This award is given to a school leader who has successfully impacted student achievement outcomes through a deep implementation of EL Education practices, inspiring teachers, administrative staff, and students to embrace EL Education culture and to lead students to a superior education, enhanced character development, and sense of civic responsibility.
Congratulations to Dr. Ford and everyone at Hollis Innovation!
That’s “The Week” for this week! As usual, I ask that you continue to keep connected with Atlanta Public Schools and your home school.
Again, thanks for watching and for remaining engaged in the education of our children. Be Safe and Be Well!
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