Reminder: 2023 Employee Engagement Survey Closes on Friday!

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Only a few days remain before our 2023 Employee Engagement Survey closes. We are asking all non-temporary employees to participate in the survey by this Friday, March 17. Completing the survey only takes about 5 minutes or less, and your feedback will help ACPS create a more supportive working environment for all employees. Please help us reach our goal of 100% participation in this survey!

How do I find the survey? Check your ACPS email for a survey invitation from Gallup (support@mail.gallup.com). The email message will contain a unique link to participate in Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement Survey. Continue reading →

DPLC Schedule for March 17

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PLC

Teachers: We are looking forward to our next round of Division Professional Learning Community (DPLC) meetings on Friday, March 17. Click here to open the schedule for the day.

Elementary teachers: For this meeting, it would be helpful if you could have your most recent math data handy, either formal or informal. The central focus of the time spent together will be fostering mathematical discourse with our students.

Celebrate Digital Learning Day on March 15!

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Digital Learning Day 2023

ACPS Educators: Please join us in celebrating Digital Learning Day on March 15, 2023. The Department of Technology’s Learning Technology Team has developed a series of short videos that are both helpful and applicable to your role as teachers. These Tech Tidbits focus on common tools that are available throughout ACPS. We hope that you spend a few minutes watching whatever is most relevant to you. Follow along on Twitter: @acpslearntech! Continue reading →

Search & Hiring Process for New Assistant Superintendent for Instruction: Now Seeking Focus Group Participants

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Volunteers needed

As we shared in a March 2 news release, Deputy Superintendent Debora Collins has announced her retirement, effective June 30, 2023. We hope you will join us in thanking Ms. Collins for her four decades of outstanding service as a teacher and leader for Albemarle students, staff and families!

To fill the vacancy left by Ms. Collins’ retirement, the school division is looking to hire a new Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. We will conduct a nationwide search led by leading national search firm McPherson & Jacobson. The hiring process will include seeking stakeholder input from a variety of sources, and there are two ways in which you can participate:

First, on Wednesday, March 15, we will engage in a series of 45-minute stakeholder input sessions, during which we hope to hear from students, teachers, Department of Instruction staff, school leaders, parents/guardians, and community partners related to the qualities they prioritize for the next Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. If you would like to participate in one of these focus groups, please complete this form by 5 p.m. on March 13. Continue reading →

VCU Reading Specialist Cohort Beginning This Fall: Complete Our Interest Form by March 17

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Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, the Virginia Literacy Act requires school divisions to employ endorsed reading specialists in elementary schools. ACPS has expanded our staffing standard to include middle and high schools as well, such that each of our schools will be staffed with at least one reading specialist. These positions will require a reading specialist endorsement. To support individuals who are interested in pursuing endorsement, ACPS has partnered with Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education to design a reading specialist pathway. Please click the links below to explore VCU’s program offerings:

M.Ed. in Reading
Post-master’s Certificate for Reading Specialist

Through our informational meetings, we learned that employees preferred a program that was lower in cost, virtual in format, and provided the option for a master’s degree in reading or a reading certificate. We decided to partner with VCU because their program best fits this criteria.

We anticipate launching the Reading Specialist Cohort this fall. Participants will take two courses per term and complete the program requirements by fall of 2024. If you are willing to commit to this program, please complete our Reading Cohort Google Form by Friday, March 17. Continue reading →

Employee Engagement Survey Opens Today!

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As we shared last week, our 2023 Employee Engagement Survey opens today! Again this year, Albemarle County Public Schools has partnered with Gallup, a global analytics and advice firm, to help us better understand and measure our employee engagement. Today, all non-temporary employees will receive an email directly from Gallup (support@mail.gallup.com) containing a link to participate in their Q12 Employee Engagement Survey. The subject line of the survey invitation will read, “Albemarle County Public Schools Employee Engagement Survey,” and the email will contain a unique survey link that will take you to the secure Gallup website where you can take the survey confidentially. This brief survey should take less than five minutes of your time, and we ask that you participate by Friday, March 17. Continue reading →

Employee Engagement Survey Will Open on Monday!

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For the second year, Albemarle County Public Schools has partnered with Gallup, a global analytics and advice firm, to help us better understand and measure our employee engagement. On Monday, March 6, all non-temporary employees will receive an email directly from Gallup containing a unique link to participate in Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement Survey. We are asking all employees to complete the survey by Friday, March 17. Continue reading →

Shannon Foundation Now Accepting Grant Applications: Apply by April 15

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Again this year, the Edgar and Eleanor Shannon Foundation for Excellence in Public Education wants to help Albemarle County and Charlottesville City teachers and schools implement their best ideas! Last year, the Shannon Foundation awarded nearly $22,000 to fund 12 grants! For the 2023-24 school year, the Foundation is offering two levels of financial support: Continue reading →

Nationwide 457b Deferred Compensation Plan: Virtual Consultations Available March 6-10

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Our Nationwide Retirement Specialist, Lynn Robinette, is available for individual virtual consultations on an ongoing basis, but each month, she reserves a week of appointment openings for Albemarle County employees. Appointments are available this March 6-10!

The Nationwide 457b Deferred Compensation Plan is available to ACPS employees who wish to save additional money toward retirement through pre-tax payroll deductions. Continue reading →

Upcoming Summer Professional Development Opportunities

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ACPS PD

The ACPS Office of Professional Development would like share the following summer 2023 professional development opportunities, including Responsive Classroom (core and advanced) and Developmental Designs (for middle school and high school), as well as a reminder about the Embracing Our Narratives Summer Teacher Institute being offered by the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. (Please note: The deadline to apply for the Institute is today!) Click on the embedded links for session details and registration information: Continue reading →