Monthly Archives: January 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Program for ACPS Employees

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health professional holding COVID-19 vaccine

ACPS is currently in discussions with the Blue Ridge Health District (BRHD) and local government to plan a COVID-19 vaccination program that will be available to all school division employees. The BRHD is leading vaccination program decisions in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).

You may already know that vaccinations are taking place in phases that prioritize those most vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. Our local health department is now in Phase 1a of its vaccination operations. The next phase, Phase 1b, will include all ACPS employees. Continue reading →

Content Opportunities Course for K-5 Teachers: 5th meeting on Jan. 11

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ACPS PD

Monday, January  11, 2021 | 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. | Registration

Attention all K-5 teachers: You’re invited to the fifth meeting of our Content Opportunities Course on January 11 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The course, which we will offer monthly, aims to support implementation of inquiry-based curricula in science and social studies as outlined in the pacing guide. A great group of teachers, coaches and LTIs are collaborating to support this work, and participants are eligible for recertification points. Continue reading →

In Response to the Events of January 6, 2021

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Superintendent Matthew Haas

Dear Colleagues:

I was born on the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. While I was too young of course to realize it, 1968 was a remarkably traumatic year for our nation and families of seemingly unending division, violence and hopelessness.

While many of the wounds from that time remain unresolved, and while we have since endured 9/11, a pandemic, recessions, and escalating racial hatred and injustice, we have not witnessed an assault on our nation’s most cherished values that struck at the heart of our democracy like the events of yesterday. Continue reading →

Instructional Guidance & Resources Regarding the Events of Jan. 6

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U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021

Dear Colleagues,

We witness events like yesterday with dual responsibility as citizens and as educators. To that end, I am sharing resources to support you as you help students to process the events of January 6. I have copied below the foreword from a resource provided by Facing History and Ourselves and highlighted in bold the operative phrase that speaks to the necessity of giving our students the opportunity to process their emotions as well as understanding with facts what happened: Continue reading →

2021-22 Calendar Survey Now Open: Please Participate by Jan. 15

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Feedback?

Dear Colleagues:

The Joint Albemarle County/Charlottesville City Schools Calendar Committee has launched the calendar development process for the 2021-22 school year. Each year, this committee partners to produce a school calendar that supports our shared goals to engage students, improve opportunities and achievement, and get the most productivity out of our resources. 

As part of this process, we are reaching out to you for feedback on an initial draft of the ACPS 2021-22 School Year Calendar. Continue reading →

Update on Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA) Leave Provisions

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ACPS Logo

You may remember the leave programs we rolled out in the spring under legislation known as the FFCRA—the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act. The FFCRA mandated two kinds of leave: Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Expanded FMLA. While the mandated leave programs under the FFCRA expire on December 31, 2020, Albemarle County will voluntarily be keeping these programs in place until March 31, 2021, pursuant to the recently signed Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which includes the coronavirus stimulus and relief. Continue reading →

Save the Date: COVID-19 Recovery Focus Group Meeting on Jan. 13

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Superintendent Matthew Haas

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 | 4:30 to 6 p.m. | Zoom

Greetings, ACPS Teachers:

I am writing to invite you to a second focus group conversation from 4:30 to 6 next Wednesday evening, January 13, to talk about the future response of ACPS to COVID-19 and the virus’s impact on student learning and social-emotional well-being and development. We will gather on Zoom with up to 300 teachers to share an overview and have small group conversations about our response going into 2021-22. Continue reading →