ACPS Educators: Please join us in celebrating Digital Learning Day on March 15, 2023. The Department of Technology’s Learning Technology Team has developed a series of short videos that are both helpful and applicable to your role as teachers. These Tech Tidbits focus on common tools that are available throughout ACPS. We hope that you spend a few minutes watching whatever is most relevant to you. Follow along on Twitter: @acpslearntech! Continue reading
Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, the Virginia Literacy Act requires school divisions to employ endorsed reading specialists in elementary schools. ACPS has expanded our staffing standard to include middle and high schools as well, such that each of our schools will be staffed with at least one reading specialist. These positions will require a reading specialist endorsement. To support individuals who are interested in pursuing endorsement, ACPS has partnered with Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education to design a reading specialist pathway. Please click the links below to explore VCU’s program offerings:
Through our informational meetings, we learned that employees preferred a program that was lower in cost, virtual in format, and provided the option for a master’s degree in reading or a reading certificate. We decided to partner with VCU because their program best fits this criteria.
We anticipate launching the Reading Specialist Cohort this fall. Participants will take two courses per term and complete the program requirements by fall of 2024. If you are willing to commit to this program, please complete our Reading Cohort Google Form by Friday, March 17. Continue reading
Again this year, the Edgar and Eleanor Shannon Foundation for Excellence in Public Education wants to help Albemarle County and Charlottesville City teachers and schools implement their best ideas! Last year, the Shannon Foundation awarded nearly $22,000 to fund 12 grants! For the 2023-24 school year, the Foundation is offering two levels of financial support: Continue reading
The ACPS Office of Professional Development would like share the following summer 2023 professional development opportunities, including Responsive Classroom (core and advanced) and Developmental Designs (for middle school and high school), as well as a reminder about the Embracing Our Narratives Summer Teacher Institute being offered by the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. (Please note: The deadline to apply for the Institute is today!) Click on the embedded links for session details and registration information: Continue reading
Interested in supporting students who are experiencing mental health challenges? Consider signing up for Albemarle County Public Schools’ Mental Health First Aid training, open to all staff. Right now, there are 18 seats still available in our next course coming up on Monday, March 6. You can register online through the Professional Learning Management System (PLMS). To learn more about this training, please see our September 27 Compass post.
Teachers: We are looking forward to meeting with everyone on Monday, February 20, for our Division Professional Learning Community (DPLC) meetings. Please click here to access the schedule for the day. As a reminder, all teachers in grades 3-5 should attend the “Making Meaning” session from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If you have any questions regarding the schedule, please reach out to the lead coach for the content area.
Teacher Transfer Requests are now open to tenured teachers who wish to be considered for a new school assignment for the 2023-24 school year.
Requests for transfers can be submitted using the Teacher Transfer Request Form. You may select up to three schools. Human Resources will send your transfer request information to your current principal as well as to your requested schools. In addition to completing this form, you must apply online for job vacancies at your requested school(s) in order to be eligible for consideration. Unless otherwise noted, you must apply for a position within the first three (3) days of its posting for priority consideration. You are welcome to apply online for as many positions as you wish; however, guaranteed screenings are limited to the three schools you select on the request form. Other principals may screen at their discretion.
The deadline to submit the form for priority consideration is March 3, 2023. Continue reading
After several years of administering the Speak Up Survey, the Department of Technology has taken your feedback and developed a custom ACPS Technology Survey. The purpose of this survey is to gather information from our stakeholders to make better decisions about the use of technology in our schools. By implementing a custom survey, we will be able to gather data more focused on our division and school priorities, as well as provide you with data that can be cross-referenced with academic and demographic data sets. We have created separate surveys for elementary students (grades 3-5), secondary students, all ACPS school families, faculty, and school administrators.
At this time, we invite faculty to visit bit.ly/acpstechstaff23 to take our ACPS Technology Survey. The survey will remain open until February 28, 2023, and will take approximately 25 minutes to complete. Continue reading
February 19 or 21, 2023 | 7 p.m. | Zoom
On Sunday, February 19, and again on Tuesday, February 21, faculty from Old Dominion University’s Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program will be hosting an informational webinar about their MLIS program, the only one of its kind in the state. You can join either info session at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Continue reading
Attention K-2 Teachers: The Department of Technology will push the latest iOS update to all K-2 iPads this Friday afternoon, February 3. Please leave these devices on and plugged in at the end of the day.
Updating our K-2 iPads helps ensure that the devices are safe and secure to use and that they work properly for students. If you experience any issues after the update has occurred, please contact the Service Desk at 434-975-9444.