Congratulations to all 27 ACPS teachers who received Golden Apple Awards at the 15th annual celebration yesterday evening. Each year, the Golden Apple program celebrates performance excellence and curriculum innovations by teachers who are nominated for the award by principals, colleagues, parents and students. Read our news release »
Monthly Archives: May 2016
Today, May 11, Is National School Nurse Day!
The Compass salutes our school nurses, who last school year handled nearly 170,000 clinic visits. That’s an average of 966 visits per day!
School nurses not only identify and treat accidents and injuries, but they also counsel students about physical and emotional stress, provide health services that increase school attendance, prevent and control the spread of communicable diseases, administer specialized services and medications, verify immunizations, conduct screenings and make referrals, provide input and direction for school and community policies and programs, educate students and staff on managing their own health and wellness, and so much more.
Today and every day, we are grateful to our school nurses for helping our students (and employees!) stay healthy, in school, and ready to learn.
Policy Updates: March & April 2016
Albemarle County Public Schools maintains over 600 policies. Our policies are locally developed through our work with the Virginia School Boards Association and they are tied to Virginia Code. Several are locally developed. Our policies translate our core values of excellence, young people, community and respect into the backbone of our daily operations and aspirations for students. You can stay up-to-date on policy revisions, additions and deletions through the ACPS website! View the March & April 2016 policy updates (ACPS user name and password required).
Morning Meetings: Creating a Safe Space for Learning
How do morning meetings make a difference in sustaining a positive community? Edutopia features Symonds Elementary, where “teachers use morning meetings to develop valuable social-emotional skills, create a culture of respect and trust, and prepare students to learn.”
Graduating Seniors & Google
As we near the end of the school year, graduating seniors, as well as other students and staff exiting the school division, who wish to archive or move items from their @k12albemarle.org Google account should follow these directions. Accounts will be available until the end of the school year. Staff needing assistance can reach out to their school’s Learning Technology Integrator or submit a service desk ticket. Students needing assistance can contact their school’s student helpdesk or work with one of their teachers.
Questions? Please contact Nita Collier at ncollier@k12albemarle.org.
Spring Updates: From Homework to Henley’s New Fitness Center
Stay Tuned: Homework Policy Under Consideration
Because of concerns about the time some students spend on homework, the School Board’s Health Advisory Board (parents and health professionals from our community) requested that the School Board consider changes in policy to more clearly regulate the amount of time students spend on homework on a weekly basis. Read more »
Henley Middle School Fitness Center Opens
On April 25, Henley Middle School celebrated the grand opening of its new “fit for life” fitness center which includes indoor and outdoor areas for gym activities, strengthening and conditioning, and aerobic workouts. Read more »
Resolution of Appreciation: Celebrating the Importance of Teachers
Dear Colleagues:
Board resolutions are not unusual at School Board meetings, but the resolution our Board unanimously approved at our April 28 work session was anything but ordinary.
It gave us a public opportunity to celebrate the importance of our teachers. This is a topic that frequently comes up at our meetings because we cannot discuss the quality of our programs or services or the achievements of our students without recognizing the catalytic role of our teachers. Continue reading
Tuesday Evening Concert Series Offering One Free Children’s Concert in 2016-17
Tuesday Evening Concert Series is offering one free children’s concert (Tempest Trio) for the 2016-17 school year (grades 1-8):
Schools are invited to request seats to this one-hour special concert at the Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center on Wednesday morning, October 5, 2016. Reservations will be filled on a first come, first served basis, so don’t delay. Reservation form »