The Office of Communications contributes to increased student achievement by providing information that promotes parental and community support and involvement. Information is provided through a variety of media and languages, as appropriate for the community and parent populations of Alexandria.

The Office of Communications is the goal owner for ACPS 2020 Strategic Plan Goal 2: Family and Community Engagement.

The work of the Office of Communications is based on a two-year Strategic Communications Plan 2018-2020 (PDF), sent to the School Board in June 2018.

ACPS Express

Sign up for ACPS Express, the family and community eNewsletter. ACPS Express goes out as an email on a Monday morning at 5 a.m. or at other times when there is important information to disseminate to our families and community.

Read the latest articles from ACPS Express.

Social Media

Follow ACPS and our schools via our official social media accounts.

ACPS-TV

Watch School Board meetings and work sessions on ACPS-TV online.

Emergency communications

For emergency information check out the ACPS emergency communication protocols.

School newsletters

You will automatically be signed up to receive eNewsletters from the school where your child is registered. If you are not an ACPS family and would like to receive a school newsletter, you can sign up to receive them.

Community Engagement

The Office of Communications is responsible for community engagement and outreach. If you would like to talk to someone regarding community engagement please email news@acps.k12.va.us or call the Community Outreach Specialist at 703-619-8003.

Fliers

If you wish to distribute fliers to one or more schools or post your flier on ACPS Express please follow the protocols set out by the Superintendent. All flyers need to be submitted electronically before they can be considered for distribution as a paper flyer in schools.

K Policies

The Office of Communications oversees K policies regarding the media, the distribution of information and visitors to schools. View a full list of K policies.

ACPS Staff Communication Needs

Empower, Coach, Train: The Office of Communications provides ACPS staff with support and training to make school and division communications more efficient and timely.

Empower: Giving district staff the permission and access to communicate directly to their audiences

Train: Providing staff with training on communications tools, an overview of district policies to follow, and guidelines and standards for communicating effectively and consistently

Coach: Offering continuing support for improving communications, including technical tips and content ideas

Staff resources:

• ACPS Insider - Weekly newsletter for teachers and staff. All staff automatically receive this each Monday at 5 a.m. unless they unsubscribe
• Communications resources on Blackboard (requires login)
  Includes the ACPS logo, style guide, PowerPoint template, letterhead and other resources

School PR Liaison Program

The Office of Communications oversees School PR Liaisons. All schools (except MacArthur) have at least one School PR Liaison, who is responsible for communicating good news via social media. This is an annual stipend position selected by the principal.

Media services

The Office of Communications oversees the implementation of AV services for events, drama productions, concerts, sporting events and presentations. Please email avservices@acps.k12.va.us with AV services requests.

Text Alerts in Spanish, Amharic and Arabic

Alerts are provided to parents based on their "Preferred Language of Communication" provided to schools at the beginning of the school year. Parents may contact their school registrar to indicate their preferred language of communication.