MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Hello Apollo Families,

We’ve got a lot to celebrate and look forward at Apollo in the next several weeks!

I shared at the PTA General Meeting on Wednesday night February 2nd, our Apollo Playground construction will start during Mid-Winter Break February 21-25 and the full playground will be closed during that week as equipment is brought in and removal begins. When we return to school on February 28th, the areas of the playground that are not in construction, will be open for students during the school day and for Rocket Club. The construction area will be fenced off and secured, giving students ample play areas for school recess and possible long- range viewing of the construction in action!

Also, shared at the PTA General Meeting….we are celebrating Apollo students’ growth in Reading and Math! Grades 1-5 have demonstrated overall growth gains on their i-Ready reading January diagnostic #2 from the September diagnostic #1. For example, our students meeting grade level standards in Reading went from 58% to 73%! And in Math, our students meeting grade level standards went from 41% to 61%! The diagnostic #3 is scheduled for spring and I look forward to seeing how much further the students can grow! Great work Apollo students and staff!

Learning Opportunities and Celebrations in the month of February! This month students will have an opportunity to learn and celebrate Black scientists, activists, trailblazers, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and athletes. The month’s theme is “On this day in February…” to not only learn about history, but also celebrating contributions to improving society around the world! Apollo’s Equity Leaders, Mrs. Stanfill and Ms. Kazemi, are supporting staff with read-a-louds, activities, and more to grow Apollo’s knowledge of so many that have left a positive legacy to our word. Also, earlier this week we learned and explored Chinese New Year Traditions with book shares from the following titles: Lunar New Year: Celebrations around the World and Ruby’s Chinese New Year.

And to wrap up… since we had a snow closure day on January 3rd, March 18th becomes the make-up day. Please remember to adjust your calendars!

Stay happy and healthy,

Jane