Charlottesville City Schools and its work to support the whole student is featured as an exemplary approach to supporting students’ social, emotional, and academic development in a report released this week by a prestigious national commission.

The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development  published “From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope”  which argues that our nation is at a turning point, understanding that social, emotional, and cognitive development underpins children’s academic learning. This breakthrough understanding about how people learn is fueling a growing movement to educate children as whole people, with social and emotional as well as academic needs, the report says.

Charlottesville City Schools’ community-driven strategic plan with a focus on social and emotional wellness was specifically cited in the report. In addition, they note that Charlottesville Schools have begun explicitly teaching social-emotional skills and implementing related evidenced-based practices. Also highlighted was the school division’s partnership with area agencies, such as our Community Services Board, Region 10, to provide school staff training in the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training program (ASIST).

“I am pleased that our school system — and our community — recognize that learning is not just about academics, but about the whole child,” noted Patrick Farrell, Intervention and Support Coordinator. “And just as we have learned from other school divisions, I’m glad that our work in this area is a resource for others.”

Charlottesville’s tiered systems of support for academic, behavior, and mental wellness have previously received state attention and recognition in a separate report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. These school-wide supports complement the division’s efforts to teach social and emotional skills, to implement trauma-responsive practices in our schools, and to promote both wellness and positive school culture.

More information about the Aspen Commissions’s report is available at NationatHope.org.

It’s time to develop the 2019-20 budget for Charlottesville City Schools! We’d like to hear from you.

FY2019-20 Budget Development Calendar

Upcoming opportunities for the community to learn more and share your thoughts are:

• Thursday, January 10 at 5 pm, CHS, School Board Meeting
• Tuesday, January 15 at 6 pm, Jackson-Via PTO (open to entire community)
• Thursday, January 17 at  6 pm, CHS PTO (open to entire community)
• Thursday, February 7 at 5 pm, CHS, School Board Meeting

School Board meetings are the first Thursday of the month at 5 pm in the CHS media center. The next meeting is Thursday, January 10 (the second Thursday of the month due to Winter Break).

You can also check out the resources and information at charlottesvilleschools.org/budget.

Charlottesville City Schools hosted a second community forum to discuss equity on Tuesday, November 27, at Charlottesville High School at 7:30pm.

• A live stream of the evening’s presentations can be found here. 
• Want to share your voice? Visit www.publicinput.com/3575 to give your feedback. It also provides a summary of all of the ideas presented.

Agenda for the Second Forum

Our objective for the second forum was to reflect back what we’ve been hearing from the community so far. Our staff and School Board have been seeking community input through events, online tools, emails, and face-to-face conversations. We asked forum participants to respond to a list of 32 main ideas and vote on their “top 10.”

After community members had a chance to review and respond, our moderator, City of Charlottesville Office of Human Rights Manager Charlene Green, presented the results and facilitated a time of questions and comments. The evening continued with remarks about next steps moving forward from Charlottesville City Schools Coordinator of Community Affairs and Development Beth Cheuk, Superintendent Dr. Rosa Atkins, and School Board Chair Juandiego Wade. Finally, the forum concluded with commentary from each member of the school board.

Results from Equity Forum Statement Stations

Participants were asked to visit 4 statement stations and vote on their top 10 main ideas using stickers. A fifth station was available to add missing or new ideas.

Results from Second Forum – “Top 10” picks from Statement Stations

1. Hire and support teachers of color
2. Re-examine the Quest (gifted) program
3. Focus on systemic barriers
4. Continue or expand preschool
5. Equip teachers to meet the needs of all students
6. Promote student diversity within classrooms
7. Support/retain effective teachers and principals
8. Keep diversifying libraries/curriculum/activities
9. Ensure budget prioritizes equity
10. Explore outside factors that impact schools

Next Steps

From our School Board and Superintendent (see longer message here):

In addition to listening, we are also acting. We are seeking volunteers and nominations for a committee on equity representing a broad coalition of school and community stakeholders. We are doing internal reviews of our data, programs, and efforts. We are mapping resources of sister school divisions and model equity programs so that we can learn from others. The School Board is drafting an equity policy that will guide our practices and lay a foundation for parity.

In short, we continue to listen. We are taking first steps to review and revise our past efforts and plan future action. We are guided by our confidence that your values are our values and that together, we want to seize this moment to make a difference for our community.

Updates from the First Forum

• Find basic data from the pre-survey (about your and your students’ experiences at Charlottesville City Schools)
• Review comments from the first Community Forum or contribute new ones. You can also find information concerning the main topics discussed.

Other Resources

• Overview of equity initiatives at Charlottesville City Schools
• Resources relating to the New York Times/ProPublica reporting

Related media coverage

• Mandell, Josh. “City Schools Home in on Equity Goals at Second Forum • Charlottesville Tomorrow.” Charlottesville Tomorrow, 28 Nov. 2018, www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/city-schools-home-in-on-equity-goals-at-second-forum/.
• Montilla, Desiree. “City School Leaders Host Second Equity Forum.” Charlottesville, Virginia News, Weather, Sports | Newsplex, www.cbs19news.com/content/news/City-school-leaders-host-second-equity-forum-501408701.html.
• Knott, Katherine. “Residents Weigh in on Equity Issues in City Schools.” The Daily Progress, The Daily Progress, 28 Nov. 2018, www.dailyprogress.com/news/education/residents-weigh-in-on-equity-issues-in-city-schools/article_c2f56c9e-f2b9-11e8-8adf-df3b784e1f91.html.
• Mandell, Josh. “Charlottesville City Schools Hosts Community Forum on Equity • Charlottesville Tomorrow.” Charlottesville Tomorrow, 24 Oct. 2018, www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/charlottesville-city-schools-hosts-community-forum/.
• Schroeder, Annie. “Charlottesville City Schools Holds Forum to Discuss Racial Achievement Gap.” Home – WVIR NBC29 Charlottesville News, Sports, and Weather, 23 Oct. 2018, www.nbc29.com/story/39346637/charlottesville-city-schools-holds-forum-to-discuss-racial-achievement-gap.

Contact:

Beth Cheuk
Coordinator of Community Affairs and Development
cheukb1@charlottesvilleschools.org or 434-245-2962.

The Charlottesville-Albemarle School Calendar Committee has created a draft calendar for the 2019-20 school year.  Thank you for your feedback on our survey. Since 83 percent of participants selected “approve as is,” only two slight modifications have been made to reflect submitted suggestions. A revised draft (along with an explanation of changes) is posted below.

• Draft 2019-20 calendar revised November 28 (pdf)
• The two revisions to this draft were (1) moving the 9/20 Professional Learning Day to Monday, 9/30 and (2) moving the end of the 1st quarter from 10/25 to 10/31.

The draft calendar will be presented to the School Board for review in December with an expected vote in January. [Update: the calendar was approved January 10, 2019.]

Comments about the calendar:

• Spring break: Our practice is to designate the first full week of April as our spring break. We are sometimes asked, Can’t you align spring break with U.Va.’s?   U.Va.’s spring break is typically near the beginning of March, which for K-12 students would make for a very long stretch without a break later in the spring. So while we recognize that this would be a good solution for U.Va. families, we feel that it doesn’t represent the interests of all our students and staff. A 2016 survey indicated that a majority of respondents favored keeping spring break during the first week of April.
• History about the calendar development: For over a decade, the Charlottesville and Albemarle County school divisions have worked together for a common calendar. A joint committee creates a draft calendar, and then we ask for input from students, teachers, administration, and parents. If necessary, the committee makes revisions to the draft before submitting a recommended calendar to the two school boards for approval.