Thanks to all the people (more than 1200!) who filled out the recent calendar survey. We received divided feedback about the various elements of the draft calendar, including the idea of starting a week earlier, having a week off at Thanksgiving, and how important it is to mirror Albemarle County Public Schools’ calendar. As a result, we are going to hit “pause” on the bigger changes and put forward a more traditional calendar that is similar but not identical to one that ACPS is considering. Learn more and give your feedback on the more traditional calendar! One theme of the community feedback was “If you’re going to make these larger changes to the calendar, we’d need more advanced notice.” Therefore, our calendar committee will resume work this spring to gather feedback about options for the 2024-25 school year.

We know that shootings in our community and hoax calls in our schools have made this fall a challenging season for many of our students, families, and staff. Join us on Thursday, December 8, 5:30-7pm, to learn more about the safety efforts in place in our schools, as well as action steps for families. 

Shown at left are the combined choirs of CHS, directed by Will Cooke, singing at the Charlottesville Grand Illumination downtown on Friday night. Come out to see the choir at their winter concert this Thursday, December 8, 7 pm. Other upcoming winter concerts include CHS Orchestra, Tuesday, December 6, 7:30 pm, and the All-City Band Concert (Walker, Buford and CHS), Wednesday, December 7, 7 pm. All concerts are at the Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center. (Photo by Gina Proulx).

At the School Board meeting, the division’s Naming of Facilities Committee recommended new names for Venable (Trailblazers Elementary, selected by a wide margin) and Friendship Elementary (selected by just 5 votes over the second-place choice, Summit Elementary). The Board questioned the small margin of student voting between Clark’s two names. They requested the community’s feedback on the selection of “Friendship” or “Summit” for Clark. To express your opinion, email schoolboard@charlottesvilleschools.org prior to the January 5 meeting. Learn more here.

Buford students will perform “The Candy Cane Catastrophe,” a play written by director Paula Chanda and eighth grader Jaxon Scott for many of our CCS elementary schools this week. Congrats, Jaxon and Ms. Chanda!

Four winners have been selected for the Greg and Elizabeth Allen Opportunity Scholarship, a prize of $10,000 a year for 4 years of college: Diavian Thompson, Aniyah Moore, Je’Saun Johnson, and Robel Gabramedhin. CHS also nominates students for consideration for several additional major scholarships: UVA Jefferson Scholar Nominee: William Keenan; UVA Walentes Scholar Nominee: My’Nique Jones (Information about these UVA scholarships here); Emily Couric Scholarship Nominee: Ella Farina (Information here). Congratulations to these students and all those who support them! 

It’s time to submit nominations for the 2023 Golden Apple Awards for Teaching Excellence in Charlottesville and Albemarle! The deadline to honor one of your child’s amazing educators is Monday, January 23. Winners receive a $500 grant for classroom materials or professional development. Click here for the online nomination form. Teachers who have won in the last 3 years are not eligible to win again. Thanks to Mr. Richard Nunley and Better Living Building Supply and Cabinetry for their generous support of these awards!

As we head into the season of winter weather, please keep tuned in for updates. If we need to change our schedule, we will contact you via SchoolMessenger. You can also check our website, social media channels, and local media. (If you’re not getting SchoolMessenger phone or email updates, contact your school.) Missing some messages? We’ve been having some issues this fall, and are considering a change to a new provider that combines the functions of School Messenger and Remind. And speaking of closings, remember Winter Break starts Monday, December 19, and kids return to school on Tuesday, January 3.

Find December’s “Mini-Minutes” here with updates on several areas reported in this newsletter. Next meeting is January 5. Find the full calendar of budget meetings and input opportunities here. Interested in future meetings? Sign up to receive notices of School Board meetings.