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Superintendent's Update
April 12, 2024
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT'S DESK
Hello Auburn Families and Staff,
We made it! April vacation is here and if history is correct, the remaining days of the school year are going to fly by.
In this edition of The Superintendent's Update, I am sharing the next update of the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. I hope you find this information helps you to have a better understanding of the work we are doing in our schools each day.
And as I have said many times, the most important part of my job and that of the other administrators is safety. When I speak about safety, that means physical safety and social/emotional safety. This week we experienced an event at Auburn High School that was scary. As you know from my previous communication, three bullets were found in the parking lot of Auburn High School. The investigation determined that they had fallen from a vehicle during student arrival the day before. Certainly, this not an event we want to happen on our campus, but it did and throughout, there was no danger to students or staff.
I hope we can all take a moment, given this event to thank the support, expertise, thoughtfulness and care of the Auburn Police Department. They and their colleagues from Worcester and the Massachusetts State Police, resolved the issue quickly, respectfully and thoroughly. I am so thankful and proud of the relationship between the Auburn Public Schools and the both the Auburn Police Department and the Auburn Fire Department. It is a true partnership and while you might think it is like that in all towns, I promise you it is not. The fact that I can reach key people at APD or AFD at a moments notice and they likewise can reach me, adds a level of security to our school system that must be recognized. Collaboration, communication, and support are the hallmarks of our relationship and it truly does translate to safer schools for students and staff.
Although my children are now adults themselves, I remember and appreciate the concern I had when my own children were in school. We all want our kids to be safe all of the time....no question. I just hope you all know, that in Auburn, we take a team approach to safety allowing the expertise of all to provide an umbrella of safety for our students and staff. We may not always be perfect, but I promise you we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of all.
Thank you to Chief Lemon and Chief Coleman, the entire Auburn Police Department and the Auburn Fire Department for their ongoing support and teamwork. I am proud to be Superintendent in Auburn where we recognize the importance and power of working together.
PLEASE take a moment to to complete the Bus Registration process for your child(ren) if they will ride the bus next school year. At this point we only have about 500 students enrolled with a long way to go. THE FEE FOR BUS TRANSPORTATION WILL INCREASE AFTER MAY 1ST. It doesn't take long to do! I promise!
I hope you all have a restful and sun filled April vacation week and I thank you for your continued support of the Auburn Public Schools.
Best,
Beth
STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE
Continue to Monitor and Enhance Safety Procedures across the District
This month, the Strategic Plan Update will focus on Monitoring and Enhancing Safety Procedures Across the District which seems particularly timely given recent events. For a number of years, the District Safety Team has led the way in ensuring the Auburn Public Schools is doing all it can to keep our students and staff safe. The District Safety Team, serving as an advisory team to the Superintendent, is led by Joe Fahey, Director of Facilities, and includes the Superintendent, along with representation from the APD, the AFD, the Town Building Inspector. This team meets regularly to discuss safety through the expert lens of the team members and includes:
- discussion and updates to building entry and exit plans
- review of multi hazard safety plans for each school and the district
- review of plans for students and staff with unique or complex medical needs in the event of an emergency
- unannounced school visits to monitor safety protocols
- share information with School Based Safety Teams including:
- ALICE review and training each year in all buildings
- modified ALICE review and training for students at AMS and AHS
- serving as a resource for School Based Safety teams questions and concerns
Our Technology Department, led by Eric Bouvier, continues the work of his department to ensure that our network and systems are secure from cyber threats, he has implemented training for district staff to better recognize phishing attempts, he has worked to ensure that our programs meet data privacy standards and ensuring all district networking equipment, computers, software, and operating systems are updated for latest security and performance enhancements.
Each of the items addressed above are ongoing as the world of technology continues to change. As I began this message with, safety is paramount in our schools and we will continue to look for opportunities to improve.
RETURNING STUDENT REGISTRATION
The Auburn Public Schools will open our online Returning Student Registration for the 2024-2025 school year on Monday, April 22nd. All current families will be required to complete the form through our Powerschool parent portal for each child attending the Auburn Public Schools. This will update our contact information, emergency contacts, medical records and allow you to complete necessary forms. This is critical so that the district has the most current information on each student. This information is used to update many critical systems such as our OneCall Now calling system, health system and classroom curriculum based programs.
If your child is entering grade 3, grade 6 or grade 9, you will also have to complete the Residency Check Point section by uploading current residency documentation as noted below. If you do not have a document from Category A in your name, you will be required to complete the Residency Affidavit(please see the attachment) and the documentation required for that.
Please see the attachments for more information and watch for an email on April 22nd when the portal opens.
IMPORTANT DATES
PATRIOTS' DAY-NO SCHOOL
Monday, Apr 15, 2024, 07:00 AM
APRIL VACATION WEEK APRIL 15-APRIL 19-NO SCHOOL
Saturday, Mar 9, 2024, 07:00 AM
2024-2025 BUS APPLICATIONS DUE
Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 04:00 PM
HALF DAY FOR STUDENTS-PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR STAFF
Friday, May 10, 2024, 07:00 AM
MEMORIAL DAY-NO SCHOOL
Monday, May 27, 2024, 07:00 AM
AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
Friday, May 31, 2024, 06:30 PM
APS RESOURCES
APS QUICK LINKS
AUBURN COMMUNITY EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Auburn High School Class of 2027 Fundraiser
Be sure to tell them you are there for the AHS Class of 2027!
THE AUBURN ACCOUNT-APRIL 2024
AUBURN TOWN WIDE CLEAN UP
Please see the attached flyer to get involved with the Auburn Town Wide Clean UP Day being held on May 4, 2024.
AUBURN BOY SCOUT TROOP 121-RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS
Auburn Boy Scout Troop 121 is recruiting new members. All boys in grades 5 through 11 are welcome. Join us at our next Community Service Event to learn more!
Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. ~Helen Keller