Wednesday, November 15, 2023
A Word From Dr. Gurley
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Dear families, staff, and students:
With Thanksgiving ahead, let me share a few things for which I am grateful as I reflect on this fall in Cville Schools. I am ALWAYS thankful for our students, staff, families, and community, but
for this list, I’m focusing on developments and events that have happened so far this school year.
- ParentSquare! We have heard universally positive feedback about this new communications tool. We appreciate the work of our IT department,
our communications team, and all the school leaders, teachers, coaches, and PTO leaders who have jumped in to build connections with families.
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Our cross country stars! Our runners have captured many victories this fall (see below, including 8th-grader Juliana Pierce’s state championship).
But aside from their accomplishments, running cross country demonstrates our students’ perseverance, strength, and commitment to excellence.
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Progress on our modernized middle school! See below for an update. From the demolition of the gym to the envisioning of the “look and feel” of
the school’s interior, we see progress toward the facilities that our students deserve.
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Cell phones off and away! We still have listening and learning to come, but we appreciate our staff and students prioritizing learning, mental health, and
relationships.
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Support for our schools from our current, outgoing and incoming School Board members. I am thankful that all our School Board members are unequivocal in their
desire to see all students succeed.
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Historic steps in collective bargaining. Recently, our licensed staff members completed the final step towards bargaining by certifying Charlottesville Education
Association (CEA) as their exclusive representative. In every survey and throughout our strategic planning work, we heard that one of our highest values and goals is to support, value, and listen to our staff.
Have I missed something that has been meaningful to you this fall? Let me know in the comments! Best wishes to you and yours for a restful and memorable holiday!
Dr. G
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REMINDERS: Thanksgiving and Winter Break
Plus, Let the Student-Chefs at CATEC Help Prepare Your Thanksgiving Dinner!
UPCOMING DATES FOR SCHOOL BREAKS
ORDER THANKSGIVING TREATS FROM CATEC BY FRIDAY
Let CATEC Culinary Arts take the load off your holiday cooking and support our students. Order sides, dessert, or even a meal! Items are going fast and quantities are limited. Order by Friday, November 17, at Eventbrite. |
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Leaf print art by Safa, Grade 3, Johnson Elementary
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NEED TUTORING OR OTHER SUPPORTS? $3K GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE
Qualifying families can now apply for Virginia Learning Acceleration Grants up to $3,000. Virginia established these grants to provide families with funds to support their child’s learning as we work to address pandemic
learning loss. The funds can be used for qualifying educational services such as tutoring and assistive technology. See the state’s website for information about who qualifies for grants and what they can be used for. |
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HAVE EXTRA BAGS? GIVE THEM TO OUR FAMILY ENGAGEMENT TEAM!
Do you have extra paper or reuseable grocery bags (with handles)? Drop them off at any elementary school or at the Division Annex Office (doors are at back of CHS).
These bags help our Family And Community Engagement team supply our students and families with the items they need.
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DOES YOUR STUDENT OR FAMILY NEED MENTAL HEALTH OR OTHER SUPPORT?
Our division partners with Care Solace, a free service that helps people find and make appointments with mental health and substance use providers. This confidential service is free to CCS staff, students, and
their families.
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TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
Kim Powell, Chief Operations Officer, gave a Transportation Update at the November School Board meeting, saying, “Things only have been moving in a positive direction.” 214 students remain on the
bus waitlist, all of whose families reported a low need for the bus. After winter break, the City will do a full re-routing to create more efficient routes and eliminate the remaining waitlists. If your child
is eligible for the bus with a self-described need level higher than “low,” please contact your school.
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WINTER WEATHER NOTIFICATIONS
As we head into the season of winter weather, please tune in for updates. We will announce any schedule changes via ParentSquare. You can also check our website, social media channels, and local media. (If you’re
not getting text or email updates via ParentSquare, contact your school.)
Know someone outside our division who would like to receive weather notifications or other updates from CCS? Tell them to sign up here.
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| STAFF AND STUDENT CELEBRATIONS |
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CONGRATS TO OUR STUDENTS & STAFF!
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Our cross country athletes had an amazing fall! Buford 8th-grader Juliana Pierce is the new Virginia Middle School X-Country
State Champion! The CHS boys’ team swept the Jefferson District (sweeping 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th, led by Reece McKee). They went on to win the regional (behind Nathaniel McKee)
and place 2nd in the state with 5 runners in the top 25, led by Nathaniel Orban. On the girls’ side, Elaina Pierce won the Jeff District, placed 2nd in regionals,
and 3rd in the state. Congrats to all!
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Theatre CHS has qualified for regional competition with its one-act play, 33 Variations. At the Virginia High School Theatre Festival,
its other one-act, Property Rites, earned honorable mention as well as the technical merit award. Moss Ottinger placed 1st (best 10 minute play); Esme Ogden-Amt placed 2nd (costume design); Jack Wielar placed 3rd (monologue, grades 8-10), among many other successes!
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Jayla Turner, one of our student School Board representatives, attended the Virginia School Board Assocations's
student training at their annual meeting in Williamsburg.
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Trojan Theatre received a GOLD for their one-act play (I Hate Shakespeare) at the Virginia Theatre Association Festival! 8th-grader
Kate Davis received Best Actor!
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Walker teacher Jon Trossi is the C3 Educator of the Year! Read about him and other climate advocates in the Daily Progress.
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Middle School Cross Country State Champ Juliana Pierce
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State Runners-up CHS Boys Cross Country Team
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TheatreCHS Brings Home the Bling
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Walker Teacher John Trossi Recognized as a Climate Advocate!
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| SEE (AND HEAR) OUR STUDENTS IN CONCERT
Mark your calendars to see our All-City and CHS musicians this December. All concerts are at the Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center unless otherwise noted:
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CHS Choir performs at the Charlottesville Grand Illumination, Friday, December
1 (Downtown Mall)
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All City Band Concert, Wednesday, December 6, 7-9pm
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CHS Orchestra Fall Concert, Thursday, December 7, 7:30-8:30pm
- All City Winter Choral Festival, Thursday, December 14, 7-8pm
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| SCHOOL BOARD BIZ |
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CONGRATS TO OUR NEWLY ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS Congratulations to Amanda Burns, Shymora Cooper, Chris Meyer, and Nicole Richardson, who were elected to the School Board earlier this
month. They will begin their terms in January.
MINI-MINUTES & UPCOMING BOARD/BUDGET MEETINGS
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ADDITIONAL 2% SALARY INCREASE FOR ALL STAFF EFFECTIVE JAN. 1 (pending School Board approval)
A budget amendment adopted by the Virginia legislature in September included a 2% compensation supplement for all staff effective January 1. (This is in addition to the 5% increase implemented on July 1). For those
curious about how this impacts our budget: The compensation supplement from the state covers approximately one-third of the cost of this increase; the division will use ESSER III funding to cover the remaining two-thirds.
SCHOOL NAMING UPDATES
As we continue our work to make sure that our school names align with our division's values, the School Board is considering updates to the naming policy. The policy revisions -- discussed at the November School Board meeting
-- initially proposed that no current schools would be named after individuals. After receiving stakeholder feedback, the consensus appears to be that the draft policy will be further revised to allow keeping namesakes that remain
aligned with our values. For instance, the Board discussed the value of preserving the names of revered African-American educators such as Nannie Cox Jackson (Jackson-Via) as as well as Alicia Lugo and Rebecca McGinness (Lugo-McGinness).
If you have feedback for the School Board to consider before they take this issue up at their next meeting on December 7, please write to schoolboard@charlottesvilleschools.org Learn more details about the school naming process
on our website. |
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Designing a Beautiful Middle School
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More than 1,100 people took our recent survey about the look and feel of our future renovated middle school. The feedback overwhelmingly indicated that people preferred both the “nature-inspired” and “street
art-influenced” design examples and that we want the school to feel safe and welcoming for all. On the question of the school mascot, respondents were polarized, but the idea that the middle school should have its own
mascot won out. Now, an advisory committee of staff, parents, and students (above) is working with professional designers to take that input and make decisions about art and design. Walker and Buford: Stay tuned for opportunities
to respond to some ideas-in-progress next week!
| TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STUDENT'S LEARNING -- PERSONALIZED REPORTS HEADING YOUR WAY! |
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PERSONALIZED STUDENT DATA COMING TOMORROW
Tomorrow, we’ll be using ParentSquare to share two reports to help you understand your child’s progress.
Contact your school:
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if you don’t receive the reports
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if you have questions about how to interpret the information
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if you want to find additional support for your child
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| CVILLE SCHOOLS PRIDE: TWO GLIMPSES AT OUR MUSIC PROGRAMS |
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OUR BLACK KNIGHTS HAVE HEARTS OF GOLD
Our CHS Marching Knights form a tunnel for 7-year-old Phoenix Gold at the Jefferson School City Center during a parade in the girl’s honor. The band and color guard joined other community organizations at the
beginning of November to raise awareness and support for Phoenix’s rare genetic disease, metachromatic leukodystrophy.
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WHERE THE MUSIC STARTS
Watch beginner orchestra students at Walker show off all the skills they’ve picked up since school began. In the words of proud Principal Summer Thompson: “Three months ago, they didn’t even know
how to hold their instruments - and now look at them!! Keep on twinkling, you orcheSTARS!!!!”
Link to video.
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"Cville" Meets "HueHue"
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| The mayor of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and one of their city’s council members visited Buford! Some of our Spanish 2 students met with them, shared their experiences, and learned about education. All in all, it was a
nice learning exchange between "Cville" and “Huehue”! |
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Clark Bees at the Paramount and on the Mall!
| Our littlest Clark Bees spent some time on the Downtown Mall morning after seeing a show of traditional Japanese and Okinawan fables and folktales at the Paramount Theater. |
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DO YOU KNOW A COMMUNITY MEMBER WHO WOULD ENJOY THIS NEWSLETTER? Forward this email and encourage them to subscribe !
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