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 17 seats still available in our next course coming up on Wednesday, November 2. You can register online through the Professional Learning Management System (PLMS). To learn more about this training, please see our September 27 Compass post.
On Monday, November 7, we will host our annual Making Connections professional learning conference. Sessions for teachers, school counselors, safety coaches, mental health coaches, and administrators will be held at Monticello High School. Coffee will be available in the cafeteria beginning at 8 a.m. and lunch will be provided. The first session will start at 8:30 a.m., and the final session will end at 3:30 p.m. Sessions for teaching assistants, office associates, and other support staff will be held at Albemarle High School. (This is a change!) Breakfast will be provided in the cafeteria at 8 a.m., and sessions will run from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. (Note: Full-time staff should check with their supervisor regarding plans for the remainder of the day.) Continue reading
Human Resources is pleased to announce the creation of the new Employee Voice and Action Committee (EVAAC). This employee focus group is intended as a means of mutual interaction between management and staff to provide staff a resonant voice in the operation of Albemarle County Public Schools. Input and feedback from the EVAAC will be shared with the school board and superintendent to guide decision-making around policy and operational decisions affecting student needs, school and department climate, and working conditions for all employees across schools and departments. We invite you to learn more about the EVAAC process and review frequently asked questions about the work of the committee. Continue reading
Teachers: We are looking forward to Division Professional Learning Community (DPLC) meetings this Thursday, October 27. Please click here for all the details, including the meeting schedule, Zoom links, session guides, and registration information. Please direct any questions to your lead coach.
The Department of Human Resources is seeking teachers who are interested in new endorsements and staff who are interested in becoming teachers. We are preparing to launch two pilot programs, one focused on endorsement in Special Education or English as a Second Language, and another focused on teacher prep. Our programs will include access to high-quality instruction, paid coursework, and highly sought-after employment opportunities. We will also provide short- and long-term support to ensure successful transition into available positions. We invite all interested staff to complete our Teacher Preparation Cohort Interest Form by Sunday, October 30. Continue reading
As our new Career Learning Communities come online next year, we want to ensure that we have staff equipped with the professional knowledge to teach courses that support growing industries.
Starting this fall, ACPS is partnering with the IMPACT Lab at Radford University to provide teachers with support as they engage in IMPACT’s online, self-paced, competency-based education modules and courses in cybersecurity, geospatial intelligence, and data science. These courses are FREE for educators and open to ALL educators, not just those with background knowledge in the fields of cybersecurity, geospatial intelligence, and data science. Continue reading
We’re excited about our annual Making Connections professional learning event coming up on Monday, November 7. As a reminder, this year’s event will provide professional development opportunities for all ACPS educators as well as support staff! We’ll soon be sharing specifics about session offerings and conference logistics, but in the meantime, here are some preliminary details: Continue reading
ACPS is now certified by Common Sense Media as a Common Sense District! As part of this digital citizenship certification, schools are teaching students how to use technology in safe and healthy ways, addressing topics like maintaining a healthy digital footprint and staying safe in an online community. As a division, we would like to highlight the importance of this work during National Digital Citizenship Week, October 17-21.
In honor of Digital Citizenship Week, the Department of Technology’s Learning Technology team has launched a Digital Citizenship Week website featuring short, fun, and easy-to-access extensions to the existing digital citizenship curriculum. Continue reading
If you have an interest 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. There are currently 10 seats still available in our next course coming up on Tuesday, October 25. You can register online through the Professional Learning Management System (PLMS). To learn more about this training, please see our September 27 Compass post.
Dear ACPS Teachers, Specialists & Interventionists:
If you had the chance to read our recent news release and latest report to the school board on our division’s Standards of Learning (SOL) pass rates, you know that these rates, for a significant number of our students, did not meet the state standard. Math and reading scores for our Black and Hispanic students, those from economically disadvantaged homes, English Learners, and students with disabilities were significantly below passing. Continue reading