Welcome To Alpena Public Schools
Alpena Public Schools, located in the cultural, economic, and educational hub of northeast Michigan, is a Class A district. We serve a population of approximately 3,900 students in 6 elementary schools for grades K-5, a junior high for grades 6-8, and a high school for grades 9-12 as well as an alternative high school program.
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APS Board Meeting November 2024
Streaming Link for our YouTube channel @AlpenaPublicSchoolsMichigan
https://youtube.com/live/-eaBY4nnBRk?feature=share
Bid Request: Agriscience Tractor
Alpena Public Schools will accept sealed bids for CTE 61S Agriscience Tractor until 1:00:00PM local time on Friday, December 6, 2024.
APS Superintendent Update November 2024
November 1, 2024
Snow Days
I’m sure this will be a popular message 🤪, but our first snow days over the past two years were on November 16th and 17th! So, how do we decide to close school due to weather? Last year brought a big change: my dog, Mabel, decided she’s no longer interested in checking the roads with me at 3 or 4 a.m., leaving me to handle my portion of our 604-square-mile district solo. Thankfully, the transportation team pitches in too, since one part of the district may be passable while another isn’t. We understand there are strong feelings around these decisions, but rest assured, we always err on the side of caution.
Parent Surveys (Family and Community Partnerships)
Parent-Teacher conferences were this week. I hope you had the chance to attend in person, or if not, connect with your student’s teachers another way. Teacher-family connections are critical to student success.
Please take a moment to complete the Parent Survey provided at conferences, or check your building’s weekly update for the survey link. Your feedback is important to us. After the survey closes, our full administrative review team will review feedback across the district, and each principal will go over their building’s data. We use this feedback to identify ways to improve our schools. The Board of Education and the community will also receive a summary of the results.
Chronic Absence (Whole-Child Development)
A few weeks ago, news outlets reported a dramatic increase in the number of APS students who were chronically absent last year. Unfortunately, the district had mistakenly reported this data to the state, so while the news report was accurate, our actual chronic absenteeism rate did not rise dramatically. We are now working to correct our report to the state. If the state recalculates last year’s data, we’ll be sure to update you.
Our School Success team is working hard to support students and families facing challenges with school attendance. We see new successes daily as we work to remove obstacles so students can get to school on time, ready to learn.
Personnel Update
A few weeks ago, the District, as a gesture of good faith, offered to make the $1.50 per hour wage increase from the 2023-24 school year permanent, even though it expired at the end of that school year. ESP II (Instructional Assistants) leadership agreed, and both parties signed a Letter of Agreement to confirm this understanding formally.
ASK APS (Family and Community Partnership)
We recently invited questions from the community about how public schools operate. We’ve started sharing answers to some of these questions on Facebook, and I’ll address one here:
“Why aren’t staff given the opportunity to evaluate the superintendent?”
In Michigan, the school board—not staff—is legally responsible for evaluating a public school superintendent. The board hires, supervises, and assesses the superintendent's performance based on district goals, educational standards, and priorities. If staff were to evaluate the superintendent, it could compromise the governance structure, introduce bias, and blur lines of accountability. The board’s evaluation approach allows for a strategic, district-wide perspective that best supports effective leadership.
Daylight Saving Time
Who remembers calling “Time” on the phone? “At the tone, the time will be…” As a kid, I dreamed of calling just as Daylight Saving ended: “At the tone, the time will be One Fifty-Nine A.M. and Fifty seconds... Beep! At the tone, the time will be One A.M. and Zero seconds…” But every year, I’d forget and sleep through it!
Fun fact: I just Googled it, and you can still call for the time! The U.S. Navy sponsors a time check at 1-202-762-1401. Maybe this weekend, a childhood dream will come true!
In case you missed the point… don’t forget that we “Fall Back” an hour this weekend!
APS board Meeting 10 28 24 5:30 PM
Streaming Link APS board Meeting 10 28 24 5:30 PM @AlpenaPublicSchoolsMichigan
Friday October 25th is a half-day for students
APS families, this is a reminder that Friday October 25th is a half-day for students due to state mandated staff training in the afternoon.
Thunder Bay Junior High 10:26 Half-day dismissal
Alpena High/ACES 10:36 Half-day dismissal
Lincoln, Ella White, Besser 11:45 Half-day dismissal
Hinks, Sanborn, Wilson 12:06 Half-day dismissal
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Parents: 833-731-2600
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9 Dec
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BOE Monthly Workshop 5:30 PM to 7:30 PMBOE Monthly WorkshopDate: Dec 9Time: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PMLocation: Gerry Ludwig Board Room, 2373 Gordon Rd., Alpena, MI 49707Calendar: APS Board Calendar
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16 Dec
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BOE Regular Meeting 5:30 PM to 7:30 PMBOE Regular MeetingDate: Dec 16Time: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PMLocation: Gerry Ludwig Board Room, 2373 Gordon Rd., Alpena, MI 49707Calendar: APS Board Calendar
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23 Decthru Jan 3
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APS Winter BreakDate: Dec 23 - Jan 3Calendar: District Calendar
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6 Jan
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Students Return from Winter BreakDate: Jan 6Calendar: District Calendar
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13 Jan
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BOE Workshop Meeting 5:30 PM to 7:30 PMBOE Workshop MeetingDate: Jan 13Time: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PMLocation: Gerry Ludwig Board RoomCalendar: APS Board Calendar
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16 Jan
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Students Attend AM - Records Day PMDate: Jan 16Calendar: District Calendar
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Our Mission
Our District's mission statement reflects our close connection with the people we serve: "Alpena Public Schools, in partnership with our community, teaches and challenges all students to become lifelong learners and productive citizens."