The Suicide Prevention Awareness & Resource Council (SPARC) invites students to participate in their logo competition. The new logo will be featured in all official SPARC correspondence and other SPARC initiatives. The prize for the final candidate’s selected logo will be a $50.00 pre-paid VISA card. The entries must be submitted via mail or email by March 1, 2015.
February Is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
Join the Charlottesville/Albemarle Coalition for Healthy Youth (CACHY) this month for a series of events designed to spark discussion, bring awareness to, and honor those whose lives have been affected by teen dating violence. See the February flyer »
Where Are the Girls?
Interested in learning more about research-based best practices in engaging girls in STEM-related work? Sign up for the “Where Are the Girls?” Opportunities workshop that will be held at Baker-Butler Elementary School beginning March 3. Teachers who participate in the class will earn at least 8 recertification points.
Budget Update
Dear Colleagues:
Many of you know the school division budget proposal for 2015-16 includes a 2.3 percent pay for performance salary increase for classified staff and an average 2 percent increase for teachers, effective half-way into the new year.
In remarks to the media this week, School Board Chair Ned Gallaway spoke for all of us when he said compensation was the top priority in next year’s budget. Continue reading
Future Ready
Are we preparing learners to be future ready? A video by Community Consolidated School District 59 lays out their community vision for educating the “whole child.”
6 Small Grants for Teachers That Could Make a Big Difference
Each month, eSchool News compiles a list of new education grant opportunities. This month’s grants focus on mostly smaller sums ideal for individual classroom teachers or projects. Check out these funding opportunities for teachers, students, parents and administrators: Continue reading
2015 DC Metro & VA Regional Rubik’s Cube Competition
The 2015 Rubik’s Cube Competition is coming soon! The Virginia Regional Competition will be held on Wednesday, April 1, at Holman Middle School in Glen Alen, and the DC Metro Competition will be held Tuesday, April 14 (Divisions 1 and 2), and Wednesday, April 15 (Division 3), at the National Electronics Museum in Maryland. Students in grades K-12 may enter one or both competitions (as a solo competitor or as a team). Register today; it’s free! Continue reading
ACPS Strategic Improvement Plan Update
Is our school division accomplishing its defined objectives: Are we engaging every student, balancing assessments, improving opportunity and achievement, creating and expanding partnerships, and optimizing resources? Take a look at our progress so far this year in the Mid-Year Summary Report.
It’s School Counseling Week! Have You Thanked Your Counselor Today?
National School Counseling Week 2015, “Celebrate School Counseling,” will be celebrated from Feb. 2-6, 2015, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week in February. It’s a golden opportunity to show your community’s appreciation for your school counselor(s)!
See ideas for how to celebrate Albemarle County School Counselors »
Recent Court Decision That Impacts Student Information
Greetings Albemarle County Educators:
I want to make you aware of a recent Circuit Court decision that impacts student information in school divisions across the Commonwealth, including our own. The following is a message from the Virginia Superintendent of Instruction, Steve Staples, regarding the court decision described in this article: Judge Rules Against VDOE, In Favor Of Loudoun Parent Seeking Student Progress Data.
Before you read on, I want to assure you that Albemarle County Public Schools has no plan to use Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) student growth data for teacher evaluation. Keep reading »