Digital Citizenship Week (October 14-18) is an opportunity to reflect on the role of technology in our schools. To help strengthen the role of technology in your classroom, consider taking some time next week for discussions and activities with your students. To support this, the Department of Technology has created resources for ACPS educators including videos, discussion prompts, and more: Continue reading
Category Archives: Teachers – Elementary
Flex Days in 2019-20: November 4, January 21, March 3 & April 3
The following 2019-20 teacher workdays will be flex days: November 4, January 21, March 3, and April 3 (half-day). These days are designated for teachers to work on report cards, plan for instruction, and complete other tasks related to their work. On flex days, teachers may perform their work at school or another location, as their responsibilities permit. Continue reading
NEA Foundation Grant Opportunities – Next Deadline: Oct. 15
The National Education Association (NEA) Foundation offers multiple grant opportunities for educators, including Student Success Grants and Learning & Leadership Grants. Three grant deadlines are established annually: February 1, June 1, and October 15. Two levels of funding are available: $2,000 and $5,000. Continue reading
Making Connections Will Be Held Nov. 1; Call for Proposals Open Until Oct. 11
Making Connections: Building Relationships, Relevance & Rigor for ALL
Our annual Making Connections professional learning event will be held Friday, November 1. Given the wide range of innovative practices and effective strategies developed by educators here in Albemarle County, our programming this year will be a combination of workshops facilitated by visiting educators and by ACPS teachers and administrators. Continue reading
Reminder: JMU Master’s of Education in Literacy Education – Interest Meeting Tonight!
Wednesday, September 25, 2019 | 5 p.m. | Stone-Robinson Elementary School Library
ACPS is excited to announce the creation of a cohort program through James Madison University (JMU) for those teachers interested in pursuing a Master’s of Education in Literacy Education. To learn more about the program, please join us in the library at Stone-Robinson Elementary School for a Q&A with JMU faculty on September 25 at 5 p.m. View the Course Schedule »
Interested? Continue reading
Student Password Change—Thank You!
The Department of Technology appreciates your support and patience yesterday with the required student password change. This change in practice for our students and staff is important and necessary for digital security. Also, practicing and understanding the importance of password security helps build our students’ digital citizenship skills—skills that will serve them for a lifetime.
We also appreciate the feedback we have received and would like to share a few lessons learned: Continue reading
Reminder: Sept. 18 Deadline to Change Student Passwords
The Department of Technology previously announced that all students in grades 3-12 will be required to change their password this year. This is a reminder that students who have not yet done this will be required through a prompt to change their default password on September 18, 2019. The new password must be 8 characters in length.
If you have questions, please talk with your school’s Learning Technology Integrator.
Adobe Creative Cloud Licensing
Adobe has changed their licensing structure and considerably increased the cost. Also, our data reveals a decline in usage by staff and students in the lower grades.
As such, the Department of Technology has purchased licenses for every secondary teacher and student to have the Creative Cloud Suite provisioned to their ACPS account. Each account owner can go to the Software Center in the Start Menu to download the application and install the Adobe products. View step-by-step install directions »
Educator Night @ the Museum – Sept. 17
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Amazement Square
Amazement Square is excited to offer educators a FREE night at the museum! Join us from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17, for Educator Night @ the Museum, including hands-on demonstrations of our school and outreach programs, a tour of the museum and our new education center, and a raffle to win a free field trip! Space is limited. Register by Friday, September 13! Continue reading
Blackboard Sunsetting
By now, you likely know that ACPS has partnered with Schoology for our new Learning Management System (LMS). Our contract with Blackboard, which has been our LMS for many years, ends October 1, 2019.
Over the summer, we worked with Schoology to transfer as much content as possible from Blackboard. If you are missing items or still need content moved, please be sure to take care of that by October 1. Continue reading