Girls’ Geek Day – Next Event This Saturday, Feb. 7

Girls in STEMDo you know a girl who is interested in STEM? Girls’ Geek Day provides regular opportunities (several Saturdays a school year) for girls to engage in STEM-related activities. The event moves throughout ACPS schools, and the next one is this Saturday, February 7, from 9 a.m. to noon at Yancey Elementary. This event is open to all ages, but students in third grade or younger must be accompanied by a parent or other adult. Registration is required.

Governor’s Report from SOL Innovation Committee

VA SealThe Standards of Learning (SOL) Innovation Committee was created in the 2014 legislative session. The purpose of the Committee is to provide the Board of Education and General Assembly with suggestions on changes to the SOL assessments, authentic individual student growth measures, alignment between the Standards of Learning and assessment, and ideas on innovative teaching in the classroom.

On November 6, 2014, the Committee voted unanimously to approve a set of 12 interim recommendations. For more information, you can read the Committee’s Executive Summary and full report.

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2015 Super Teacher Nominations Open Through Feb. 13

Va Lottery Super Teacher LogoThe Virginia Lottery wants to honor outstanding Virginia public school teachers who go the extra mile. Nominate your favorite Virginia K-12 Super Teacher by February 13, 2015! (Nominators must be age 18 or older.) Eight teachers from across the state will receive a $2,000 cash price AND a $2,000 classroom supply credit from The Supply Room Companies. Get started »

16th Annual WELV Conference: Mar.19-20

WELV LogoThe 2015 Women Education Leaders in Virginia (WELV) Conference will bring education leaders to Charlottesville for two days (March 19-20, 2015) of dynamic presentations and in-depth dialogue. Combining formal speeches with panel discussions, small-group break-out sessions, and social and professional networking opportunities, this year’s conference will focus on how women can lead change in Virginia education—and why they must boldly take on the challenge of leading change. In order to facilitate effective networking, registrations will be limited to the first 150 participants. Learn more and get registered »

Online Teaching Certificate Program

VCU LogoVirginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is convening another cohort for their online teaching certificate program through the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE), possibly starting this spring. VCU only needs 5 or 6 more participants to join, and the cohort rate is a great deal.

Interested? Please contact Becky Fisher at bfisher@k12albemarle.org as soon as possible.

CenturyLink Offering $30,000 in Grants to Connect Virginia Teachers With Technology – Apply by Jan. 2

CenturyLink LogoCenturyLink, Inc. is connecting teachers with technology for the classroom. The CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation’s Teachers and Technology grant program will consider requests of up to $5,000 submitted by full-time PK-12 teachers who want to innovatively implement technology in their classrooms to increase student achievement. Visit the CenturyLink Teachers and Technology Grant Site to apply. The deadline for applications is January 2, 2015.

Children’s Engineering Convention, Feb. 19-20

VCECThe annual Children’s Engineering Convention will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Williamsburg, Virginia, February 19-20, 2015.

The Children’s Engineering Convention has three major components: (1) staff development for K-5 teachers focusing on ways to help children create, use and control technology; (2) teacher demonstrations of ways to infuse technology activities into the Standards of Learning; and (3) a showcase of technology-based educational resources. In addition to the special interest sessions/workshops, other opportunities will include education vendor exhibits and an international keynote speaker during each general session. Get the details »

29th Annual Technology in Education Conference, Dec. 7-9

VSTE LogoVirginia’s world famous Technology in Education Conference will be held December 7-9 at the Virginia Beach Conference Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Whether you are a first-time attendee or a seasoned veteran, you will find the conference full of information ready to take back to your school or workplace. Each year, VSTE strives to bring cutting edge technology and subject area integration sessions to its over 800 attendees. The conference features three days of presentations, hands-on sessions, and networking opportunities. Get registered by December 1 »

Public Hearings on Proposed Revised Standards of Learning – Dec. 2

VDOE LogoThe Virginia Board of Education will hold four public hearings to solicit comments on the proposed revised History and Social Science, Health Education, Physical Education, and Driver Education Standards of Learning. The Standards of Learning identify the essential content, processes and skills for grade levels and subject courses. The proposed revised History and Social Science, Health Education, Physical Education, and Driver Education Standards of Learning can be accessed on the Virginia Department of Education’s Web site. Public comment regarding the proposed revised Standards of Learning may be offered through public hearings on Dec. 2 or on the Virginia Department of Education website through Nov. 24. Continue reading

Webinar TODAY at 3:30 – The Student’s Voice: Empowering Transformation

Project 24Are we really listening to the voices of those who go through our educational system or are we excluding them from the debate? You are invited to join the Alliance for Excellent Education TODAY, November 17, from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m., for another webinar in its Project 24 leadership series, The Student’s Voice: Empowering Transformation. Classroom teacher and author, Pernille Ripp, will discuss how to empower students, give them a voice, and make changes that will directly affect them every day. The time for student empowerment is now, and the myriad of tech tools available are making it easier than ever.

Project 24 is a systemic planning framework around the effective use of technology and digital learning to achieve the goal of college and career readiness for all students.