Reminder: Division employees wishing to retire under the Virginia Retirement System at the end of this school year should submit their VRS retirement materials to Human Resources by March 15 in order to avoid delays to your first VRS benefit payment. If you are thinking about retiring this year and have not yet contacted Human Resources for guidance, please email Claudine Cloutier at ccloutier@albemarle.org to learn more about the process, timelines, projected benefits, etc., or to set up an appointment.
Monthly Archives: February 2014
Dental Plan Rate Holiday
As you may recall, in the spring and summer of 2013, we were able to offer a premium holiday to all covered participants in our dental plan. We continue to have exceptional plan claims experience, resulting in a continued surplus of our dental plan reserves. As such, we are very happy to announce another dental plan rate holiday beginning March 2014 and continuing through the end of the current plan year. This means that you will not see a premium deduction beginning this month (February) through August. Continue reading
Now Hiring Instructional Coaches!
The Department of Instruction is accepting applications for instructional coaches for the 2014-15 school year. View the job listing. Use the HR search engine to view the Instructional Coach job description. Learn more about instructional coaching in Albemarle County. For consideration, please apply by March 3.
Virginia Festival of the Book: March 19-23
The Virginia Festival of the Book is a five-day festival of mostly free literary events that are open to the public to honor book culture and promote reading and literacy. The festival takes place in book stores, libraries, theaters, schools and other venues in and around Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Learn more >>>
Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance
Get your students fired up about economics and personal finance through a live, online statewide competition!
How does the online challenge work? Teachers and high school students throughout Virginia may participate for free and without leaving school. Teams of up to four students may compete in one or two divisions: Personal Finance, and one of two Economics divisions. Each team member will have 35 minutes to complete a 30-question online exam with questions that align with Virginia’s economics and personal finance standards of learning. Registration is now open, and students can log in to compete anytime between March 3 and March 25 by 5 p.m. Learn more >>>
Introduce Your Class to the Creative Process with the Google Doodlers
Join Google for an exclusive classroom event, From Sketches to the Google Homepage, a LIVE virtual field trip with the Google Doodlers on Wednesday, March 5, at 1 p.m. Join us for a sneak peek into the creative process behind your favorite Google homepage creations where we’ll introduce students to brainstorming ideas, digital design tools, and more! Spark creativity in your classroom today and inspire a new generation of Doodlers. Register now!
Bedford Schools Successfully Implementing Responsive Classroom
It’s great to see our colleagues in Bedford using the Responsive Classroom model with great success. Read the February 10, 2014 article, Bedford schools see fewer disciplinary problems under new system, featured in The News & Advance. Albemarle elementary schools began to implement “RC” in 2006.
Community Health Outreach Worker Training
Beginning March 1, the Thomas Jefferson Health District is offering a Community Health Outreach Worker Training for people of influence who are committed to their own health and the health of others. Participants will graduate with expanded knowledge and interactions with local community resources; skills for linking neighbors to primary care providers and agencies; greater personal capacity for outreach; increased understanding and ownership of one’s own health and body; basic skills in measuring blood pressure, height and weight, and temperature; and a certificate of course completion. Only 12 students will be accepted! For an application, contact Samantha Wood, Lead Community Health Outreach Worker, at (434) 972-6207 or samantha.wood@vdh.virginia.gov.
Mental Health First Aid Training
Register for the April 11 training. Register for the May 23 training.
Virginia Holocaust Museum: Visual Arts Contest & Upcoming Events
Founded in 1997, the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Virginia, strives to educate the public and promote tolerance towards all, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or creed.
Check out the Museum’s 2014 Visual Arts Contest for middle and high school students (entry deadline: March 14), and don’t miss out on these upcoming special events: Lecture on Righteous in Ukraine and Belarus on March 12, and the 2014 Yom Hashoah commemoration on April 27. Continue reading