April 21, 2020

Dear APS families and staff,

This afternoon, Governor Baker announced he is extending his mandatory closure of Massachusetts public schools to the end of the school year.

Based on today’s information from the Governor, the school committee will vote on the last day of school at its next meeting on Thursday, April 30th. This meeting will be held remotely and the agenda can be located here. Additionally, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be recommending learning standards for the remainder of the school year, many of which the district already began implementing in phase 2 of our At-Home learning plan.

The end-of-year celebrations are meaningful for our students and families. All in the APS community look forward to being together to celebrate our students’ achievements each year, and I know we will be grieving the loss of coming together to honor our students’ achievements at a traditional graduation ceremony in early June. We are currently exploring options on how best to balance these celebrations with the need to protect the health and safety of our community. 

AHS Principal Philip Conrad is working with the senior advisors on all options for graduation and to acknowledge their accomplishments. I have asked all our principals to give thought on how best to recognize students at each grade level. I look forward to finding unique ways to support and celebrate them all.

We understand this is a difficult time and your health and safety are our highest priorities. We will communicate further information as it becomes available.

Shelley Berman

Superintendent