Whether you’re hosting virtual meetings on Zoom, using your personal cell phone to call families, or engaging with families through BrightChat, our instant messaging app, please keep reading for helpful hints and guidance on connecting with students and families. And, as always, if ever you’re in need of technical support, please contact the Service Desk at 434-975-9444 or ServiceDesk@k12albemarle.org.
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 24 seats still available in our next course coming up on Monday, February 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.
Are you interested in expanding your knowledge and fueling your inspiration so that you can face the future with more confidence when teaching STEM? Consider attending the National Science Teaching Association’s National Conference in Atlanta this March 22-25: Where Professional Learning for Educators of Science Comes to Life. This conference is perfect for educators who want to explore best practices, innovative instructional strategies and techniques, and next-level engagement approaches for inspiring students in science and STEM.
ACPS will be selecting 10 educators to attend this conference. (Registration and travel costs will be covered by ACPS.) If you are a K-12 teacher who is interested in participating, please complete this interest form by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24. Continue reading
Teachers: We are looking forward to Division Professional Learning Community (DPLC) meetings on Tuesday, January 24. Click here to open the schedule for the day.
Elementary Teachers: During our January DPLC meetings, we will be looking at an investigation lesson together that we will all try to do before the February 20 DPLC meetings. If you are ahead and have already done the lesson, don’t worry; you will still be able to participate in our work! If you are behind and aren’t sure you will get to that lesson in time, the same applies: You will still be able to participate and use the work for that and future lessons. If you want to look ahead at the lesson we will be discussing, the units are listed below by grade level: 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 14 seats still available in our next course coming up on Tuesday, January 10. You can register online through the Professional Learning Management System (PLMS). To learn more about this training, please see our September 27 Compass post.
ACPS Educators: The Department of Instruction and Content Advisory Teams have identified projects that the division will develop in order to advance our curriculum, assessment and instruction in alignment with the Strategic Plan. The range of projects is diverse, from drafting curriculum frameworks to developing assessments to vetting potential curricular resources.
We are now looking for teachers across every discipline to work with a product team to develop these projects. Interested? Continue reading
ACPS is seeking teachers to provide temporary academic instruction to students who are confined at home or in a health care facility for periods that prevent normal school attendance. Hours are flexible. If you are interested in serving our homebound instruction program, or know someone who would be, please contact Ashby Kindler for more information. Instructors earn the standard ACPS tutoring rate of $30/hour and must hold or be eligible for a Virginia teaching certificate with endorsement in the applicable subject area.
The Office of Professional Development is interested in supporting staff who are in the process of renewing their National Board Certification. If you are currently seeking certification renewal and would like to collaborate with others who are engaging in the renewal process this year, please complete this brief National Board Recertification form.
We will coordinate with those who are interested to create opportunities to support one another in this endeavor. If you have questions, please email Megan Wood.
Thursday, December 8, 2022 | 4:30 p.m. | Zoom | RSVP
Albemarle County Public Schools is exploring the possibility of creating a Reading Specialist Cohort to support current employees in obtaining a Reading Specialist License. We will be hosting a virtual information session on Thursday, December 8, at 4:30 p.m. for anyone who is interested in learning more about this opportunity. Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link to the session. If you have any questions, please email Megan Wood, Director of Professional Development.
Celebrate Computer Science Week this December 5-11 by participating in Hour of Code! Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code” to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with one-hour coding activities, but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. The Learning Technology Team encourages all ACPS students to participate in Hour of Code! Continue reading