Spring Break has come and gone, and we were so happy to be able to come back after the very extended “break” we had last year. It seems as though Covid has slowed a little, and we have been fortunate to continue with our scheduled year. We are very thankful to have made it to this point. This is a busy time for our students and staff, but we still have to buckle down and finish the year strong.
Our testing will begin on April 7th with Juniors taking the ACT. In the weeks following, our 3rd-8th graders will begin their state assessments in ELA and Math subject areas. The 5th and 8th graders have a science assessment along with their ELA and Math. Juniors have the ACT, Science, and US History Assessments to take as requirements for graduation. For a detailed schedule, please click on the following link: Testing Dates. You can also see a full list of all activities under the events section of our school webpage. Our teachers and students have worked hard to prepare for state tests, so there is no need to stress or worry. Students just need to use the knowledge they’ve gained from the best teachers in the state. All of the tests should be completed and behind us by April 30th.
This year, we started having monthly school/parent partnership nights. The purpose is to help bridge the gap between the school and community. It is an opportunity to open up communication between the school and parents. It has been a success, but we hope to have more involvement as we continue these meetings each school year. Our last one for the year, will be Tuesday, March 23rd at 5:45 in the HS library. We hope you can make plans to join us.
The Technology Student Association will be competing in their virtual State competition in the next few weeks. BETA members have completed their virtual state competition, and they are waiting to know if they qualified for nationals. Each organization will move forward with nationals in July, but they both may be through a virtual platform. Baseball and track are underway at Alex, so each day brings on a new adventure as we continue to compete.
Our elementary students participated in Read Across America before the break and they had many activities to encourage reading. Some activities included mystery readers, introducing new books, full day reading parties, and dress up days. It was a great way to continue to incorporate reading while making reading enjoyable for our students and staff. Our HS teachers have found creative ways to implement reading throughout their content areas to encourage the importance of reading across-curriculum. Reading is important to learning in all content areas, and we appreciate our staff for reminding our students of the importance of being lifelong readers.
As we think of all of the things we have accomplished this year, during a pandemic, I am proud of our perseverance through all of this. Our teachers have gone the extra mile to work through quarantines and virtual days. Our students have overcome some new obstacles that a year ago, we had no idea we were even facing. We stared adversity right in the face, and charged full force ahead. We know there are things we can always improve on and learn from, but our staff and students at APS are up for the challenge. There is no better place to call home than APS, a place that loves the WHOLE student. A place that is ready and always willing to conquer any challenge at hand. So, as we are near the end, we will keep learning, teaching, loving, pushing, and encouraging each other. We are Alex and it’s always a great day to be a Longhorn. Let’s end strong, Longhorns!