Yesterday, I shared with you the latest accreditation and accountability figures from the state, with all our schools fully accredited and with all schools meeting or approaching the state’s accountability benchmark.
While we are pleased with this outcome, we are working to ensure that our schools serve all students better. Charlottesville City Schools has one simple goal, and that is to help every student gain proficiency in the skills they need to succeed in life.
We have seen some encouraging signs that we are making progress to this goal. For instance, this year, despite increased rigor in the English and math content, we saw modest gains for SOL pass rates for virtually all student groups, including Black students. But our students deserve more than modest gains, so this year, we took steps such as adding staff and training to support English learners, distributing support staff such as learning specialists at schools according to need, equipping staff to improve our use of data to guide our instruction, and more.
Let’s work together with your child(ren) to help them succeed. If you have any concerns for your child, please contact your teacher or counselor to address any concerns and make a plan for their success.
Dr. G
📌Reminder: Winter Break is Monday 12/22 through Monday 1/5📌
Students Return to School on Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Friday-Sunday, December 12-14: TheatreCHS presents Children of Eden in Blackbox Theatre. Purchase tickets.
Saturday, December 13: 10% of sales atRagged Mountain Running and Walking Shop will support the Charlottesville City-wide PTO. See details about the fundraiser.
Thursday, December 18: City Council and School Board Joint Budget Work Session, Walker Cafeteria, 5pm
Thursday, December 18: CHS Choir Winter Concert, MLK PAC, 7pm
Friday, December 19: End of Grading Period
December 22-January 5: Winter Break and Teacher Workday (January 5)
Thursday, January 8: School Board Meeting, 6pm, CHS media center *NOTE START TIME IS 6PM. This is a trial to see if a later time increases public engagement.
Wednesday, May 20: CHS Graduation date confirmed, 7pm, JPJ Arena
Have You Heard? $100 Grocery Cards Available for Cville Schools Families
As we announced via ParentSquare yesterday, a generous community donor is enabling CCS to provide $100 grocery cards to as many as 1,400 Cville Schools families in need this holiday season.
➡️ How to Secure Your Card:
1. Register Now!
You MUST register using this Google Form to secure your card. Registration will close when we reach 1400 eligible families.
2. Important Pick-Up Notes:
Limit: One card per household. Eligible households must have at least one currently enrolled Cville Schools student.
Requirement: A parent or caregiver must be present to pick up the card.
Form: You will be required to sign an acknowledgment form at pick-up.
Use: Cards must be used for food purchases only.
Snow Couldn't Stop This Show!
Musicians from Walker (above), CMS, and CHS came together last night for a spectacular evening of music at the All-City Band Concert -- even after three snow days! Find more photos here and a CHS band video here.
Student Celebrations & Achievements
Four CHS Singers Qualify for Southern Regional Honors Choir in Tennessee
Sophia Kawecki, Judah Kenner, Aydalin Swift, & Bebe Wolfe have earned places in the American Choral Directors Association Southern Regional Honors Choir. They competed against singers from 11 southern states for this honor! The March 2026 event will take place in Memphis, Tennessee. The choir has also been presenting at events such as the UVA Hospital Tree Lighting and live on the radio as part of WTJU's Classical Marathon. Listen here or attend the concert on 12/18!
Latin Students Win 23 Awards! Macte virtute!
Latin students at CHS and CMS went on a combined field trip to the Virginia Junior Classical League Convention in Richmond and returned with 23 awards! Top CHS awards included: Tahlia Long (2nd place, Intermediate Latin Vocabulary), Addie Curtis (2nd place, 9th grade Ornaments), Lily Curtis (2nd place Advanced+ Derivatives), Jane Friesen (4th place Advanced+ Latin Reading Comprehension) and Sadie Sherman (8th place Advanced+ History.)
Engineering Students Attend PVCC Manufacturing Day
CHS engineering students attended PVCC Manufacturing Day, where they explored a variety of career pathways and opportunities, heard from local manufacturing professionals about current workforce needs, and observed demonstrations of tools and technology in hands-on lab workshops.
CHS Students Earn Scholarships and Honors
A number of CHS students have recently earned scholarships or honors:
Guy Muguma, who came to Charlottesville from Burundi when he was in 8th grade, recently won a QuestBridge Scholarship, a full ride to attend UVA. Watch his story on CBS19.
Walter Pilkey was selected as The Daily Progress Athlete Spotlight and as "portrait of a CATEC student." Walter has been a top state-finisher and leader for our wrestling team; he takes EMT classes at CATEC. He is planning to study pre-med and wrestle at Vermont State University. Check out the Daily Progress Athlete Spotlight.
Natalia Salazar Fraire, a 9th-grader, won the high school category (and a cash prize) in the City’s “Day without Water” competition.
Jayla Turner earned the CHS Emily Couric Scholarship nomination, which comes with an $18,000 scholarship and a chance at winning the full $40,000 scholarship.
Lily Curtis and Mira Masri are CHS's nominations for UVA's Jefferson Scholar program.
Sarah Colbert was nominated for VA Tech's Pamplin Honors Scholarship.
Charlottesville Middle School Celebrations
Our Young Knights have been busy learning and building their community! Recent highlights include:
A student showcase of a project from the UVA Innovation Hub organized around the question, “Should We Make Mars Our Home?”
A chance to explore the GO TEC Mobile Career Exploration Bus! CMS students are also exploring careers with visits from areas partners such as Agrospheres, Carter Myers, Gaston Wyatt, and SL Williams Asphalt.
A CMS “Day Party” at Mejicali this past Saturday for food, crafts, a raffle, and an ugly sweater contest!
The CMS spelling bee, with 7th-grader Justine Puri winning! They will face off against the Walker winner to see who will rep Cville Schools in the area competition.
An exciting CMS-vs-CMS basketball scrimmage in the beautiful new gym with a DJ to add to the fun!
Want to see more pix and updates? Follow @CMSYoungKnights on Facebook and Insta!
Staff & School Updates
Two Ways to Nominate Your Favorite Staff for Honors
Want to shine some light on one of our staff members who sparkle? We have two suggestions:
Royal Recognitions: Dr. Gurley honors 1-2 staff each month with a school visit and $250 for the honoree to support their work at school. Find the nomination form here! As you can see in the above video, the first two honorees were Chavonne Wilson of Jackson-Via and Kelly Walters of Tall Oaks!
Golden Apple Awards: This award honors one teacher per school, sponsored by Better Living Building Supply and Cabinetry and the Nunley family. Nominations open through January 26. Learn more and nominate a teacher here!
Facilities Updates, from Preschool Learning Spaces to Solar Upgrades
At the December Board meeting, the Board received an update about recent, current, and upcoming improvements to school facilities. You know about the beautiful phase 1 of Charlottesville Middle School, but there’s much more, from prepping for preschool to creating small-group learning spaces at Trailblazer to “boring but important” updates like roofs and windows. A new solar array added to the CATEC roof is currently the largest solar installation in the City (but it may not be for long, with possible projects at CMS and CHS.) Find the complete slide deck here or watch the presentation here.
Oak Lawn Updates: We and the City are finalizing our decision about whether the permanent home for our preschool – the Charlottesville Early Learning Center – will be on the Walker site or on the new Oak Lawn site next to CMS. UVA is exploring plans to transfer the Oak Lawn property to the City sooner than previously planned.
Expanding Course Offerings, Career Pathways, and College Credit Offerings for Students
At the December School Board meeting, staff outlined the draft Program of Studies for next year. These class offerings were developed using student feedback, and they are organized around subject-area course pathways. One new development will allow CHS students to pursue the Universal Certificate of General Studies through PVCC, allowing students to earn 32 college credits at no cost to the student – this represents a combination of taking dual enrollment classes at CHS and online courses from PVCC. The refinement of course pathways at CMS and CHS will lead to many additional student course options in areas ranging from health to fine arts to agriculture to engineering without significant budget or staffing impact.
Information about 6th-Grade Electives The presentation also showed how 6th-grade electives will work, which is in alignment with 7th- and 8th-grade electives: Students will select electives for 3 slots (plus PE) in areas ranging from fine arts to agriculture. To build foundational skills, 6th-grade band and orchestra classes will be taught every day (filling 2 slots).
LEAP Program to Expand to Second Elementary School in August
You may know that Jackson-Via hosts a LEAP program that specializes in serving students with diverse learning needs. (LEAP refers to Life skills Education and Adaptive curriculum Program.) We will open a second location of the LEAP program at Sunrise (formerly Burnley-Moran) in August 2026. This will allow us to meet the rising demand for the program while keeping the scale of both programs small in order to meet students’ individual needs.
More News You Can Use
Winter Weather Notifications
With our early start to winter weather this season, please continue to tune in for updates. We will announce any schedule changes via ParentSquare. You can also check our website, Facebook, 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.
To Support Building Transitions, Preschool Program and Walker Will End School Year Early
To support a smooth transition of the preschool program moving to the Walker campus and to assist the current Walker staff members who are moving to other Cville Schools, we are making the following changes to the schedule for the end of the year:
The last day of school for our 3-year-old and 4-year-old preschool classes will now be Friday, May 22.
The last day of school for 5th and 6th-graders at Walker School will now be Wednesday, May 27.
For all other grades, the last day of school will remain Friday, May 29.
This change will not impact the attendance records for preschoolers or Walker students.
Find the School Calendar for 2026-27
Last year the School Board approved both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic calendars.
At the 12/4 Board meeting, topics ranged from calendars to updates to the Program of Studies (see blurb, above) to budget priorities to next steps in the process of returning an SRO to CHS and CMS, plus a lot of exciting updates on school facilities improvements projects. Find slides, links, and more in the December 4 Mini-Minutes. NOTE: Beginning in January, the meetings will start at 6pm as an experiment to see if the later start time increases community participation.
Thanks to our outgoing Board Members! The Board expressed appreciation to Student Board representative Solly Schwartzman (recognizing his dedication to offering nuanced reporting of student feedback) and School Board member Dom Morse (recognized for, among other things, his commitment to the students who are not yet well served by our schools and for his reminders to elevate student voice in division decision-making).
The winter season can take an emotional toll. Cville Schools partners with Care Solace, a free, confidential service to help students, staff, and their families connect with mental health resources. If you’d like to start a conversation about mental health, reach out to Care Solaceor your school counselor.
Volunteering in Our Schools!
If you plan to volunteer this year (and we hope you will), complete your brief registration and online annual training. Visitors and volunteers are welcome. Please bring a photo ID and check in at the main office.
📷 Final Look at Cville Schools
Giving Tree at Sunrise
In honor of former principal Dr. Elizabeth Korab, left, the Sunrise community planted a Swamp White Oak as part of the school's reading nature trail.
Parents/guardians of current students automatically receive this monthly newsletter from the division. Other community members are welcome to subscribe here!
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