Ettrick Elementary principal wins R.E.B. honor
Congratulations to Dr. Randi Smith, principal of Ettrick Elementary, for winning the 2024 R.E.B. Award for Distinguished Educational Leadership. She joined Chesterfield County Public Schools in 1998 and has served as Ettrick’s principal since 2015.
The R.E.B. Awards for Distinguished Educational Leadership recognize principals who go beyond day-to-day demands to create exceptional educational environments. Each year, one principal each from the school systems of Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover and Richmond is honored by the Community Foundation and the R.E.B. Foundation.
Each award winner receives a $10,000 grant for individual use and $20,000 for a school project. Dr. Smith plans to use the funds to break down barriers that keep students out of school by creating a boutique at Ettrick Elementary offering haircuts and braiding, a laundry service to clean students’ clothing and a food pantry. She will also build community partnerships via Project Appleseed.
Everyone invited to March art events
Secondary Fine Arts Showcase will take place 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 23 and noon-4 p.m. March 24 at Cosby High (14300 Fox Club Parkway). In addition to displays of visual art by middle and high school students from throughout Chesterfield County Public Schools, the Secondary Fine Arts Showcase will feature performances in dance, theater and music (technology assisted music, fiddle fest, all-county jazz band and all-county middle school band). See the flyer in English and in Spanish.
Paintings, drawings, sculptures and other visual art by elementary and prekindergarten students are on display through April 8 in every branch of the Chesterfield County Public Library and the Perkinson Center for the Arts and Education. Library hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The Perkinson Center is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. This poster (in English and in Spanish) shows which schools are exhibiting at each site. Also, art by students in the Chesterfield Virtual School and CCPSOnline is on display 24/7 in an online gallery on the school system’s website.
Class of 2037 will start kindergarten this year
This video in English and in Spanish is a quick overview of how to enroll your child in kindergarten. Children who will be 5 years old by Sept. 30 can start kindergarten in the 2024-25 school year. Online preregistration is now open, so families can start the enrollment process and get details about required documents. There is also an in-person component to registering for kindergarten, and elementary schools are planning a variety of ways to welcome new families April 15-19 during kindergarten kickoff week.
Reasons to consider Chesterfield Virtual School
Here’s why kindergarten teacher Michelle Penhollow believes the Chesterfield Virtual School is special:
“At our school, we prioritize your child’s needs, offering flexibility, personalized attention and a focus on emotional well-being from kindergarten to eighth grade. Our resources, including virtual libraries and interactive tools, enhance learning experiences.
“We keep parents informed through our ParentVUE app and provide additional support through our ALL In tutoring program. Our after-school clubs also encourage friendship and exploration.
“Enrolling here empowers students with independence, confidence and a love for lifelong learning. If you value emotional well-being and a supportive environment, Chesterfield Virtual School is the perfect choice.”
Chesterfield Virtual School is enrolling K-8 students through April 28, so act now if your child is interested in becoming a Viper. The school website offers details, including a link to the registration form. Students can attend class from anywhere, so Chesterfield Virtual School works well for many families (including those who travel frequently, families with a parent who works from home, etc.). Click here for a one-page overview of the school.
Prepare for April 8 eclipse
The next solar eclipse will occur on Monday, April 8, between 2 - 4:30 p.m., when students may still be in school, preparing to leave school, or traveling home. Although Virginia will not experience a total solar eclipse, it will experience a partial eclipse between about 80-90% totality, depending on the area of the state. If students or staff will be in school on April 8, districts should plan to educate students, parents, and staff about how to safely view the eclipse as damage to eyes is possible while viewing the eclipse.
The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) has a variety of free resources about safety considerations for the eclipse. Regular sunglasses, swimming goggles, and most camera filters are not safe for looking directly at the sun. The sun can be viewed indirectly using a pinhole projector, which can be made from readily available materials. ISO 12312-2 certified solar-viewing glasses can also be used to protect the eyes.
Find out what time the eclipse will occur at a specific location by visiting this online resource: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2024-april-8.
Spell-bound for nationals
Chesterfield County Public Schools student Walker W. won the regional spelling bee sponsored by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The Salem Church Middle eighth grader correctly spelled “egress” to outlast 22 other students from schools throughout central Virginia. Walker will represent central Virginia in the national spelling bee in May.
Principal for a Morning set for April
To grow community partnerships, Chesterfield County Public Schools offers Principal for a Morning. Business owners, community leaders and faith leaders can shadow a CCPS principal April 8 or April 9 to learn how to partner with schools to support students and teachers. Get more information here.
Get tickets to Hall of Fame celebration
The Chesterfield County Public Schools Hall of Fame is inducting six new members, and you can be there to recognize their outstanding accomplishments in support of students and schools:
Jim Alberston, teacher and coach
Betsy Stark Barton, teacher and history specialist
Joann Crowell-Redd, principal and director of human resources
Donna Dalton, chief academic officer
Patricia B. Lancaster, teacher and administrator
Sandra Silvestre, teacher
The new honorees will be inducted April 11 during a gala event, presented by the Chesterfield Education Foundation in partnership with TowneBank. The gala is open to the public; tickets can be purchased at bit.ly/24CCPSfame for $65. Proceeds from the Hall of Fame Gala will support MEGA Mentors. The six new honorees will join previous Hall of Fame inductees, who are featured in this digital gallery.
Need help with grocery bills?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can help families buy groceries. SNAP benefits are based on how many people are in your household, income, expenses, etc. It’s easy to apply, and details are provided in English, Spanish, Urdu, Arabic, Vietnamese and Amharic.
For rising seventh and 12th grade students: It is not too early to get state required vaccines
Virginia students are required to get certain vaccines before entering seventh grade and 12th grade. Information about these vaccines has been provided by the Virginia Department of Health
Autism is focus of April 9 events
Autism is the focus of two community gatherings April 9 at First Presbyterian Church (4602 Cary Street Road in Richmond). Both gatherings are free and will include time for questions from the audience. Register here for:
10:30 a.m. presentation by Dr. William Therrien, professor and director of the STAR initiative at the University of Virginia
6 p.m. conversation between Dr. Therrien and Dr. Belva Collins, professor emeritus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Kentucky.
Seminar focuses on helping children deal with grief
Helping children deal with grief is the topic of a seminar organized by the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Positive Parenting Coalition. The free event will take place 8 a.m.-noon March 28 at CTC@Hull (13900 Hull Street Road). Parents, guardians and professionals who work with children are encouraged to attend. Register at this link.
Upcoming dates
Here are upcoming dates on student calendars; you can view complete calendars online:
For Bellwood and Falling Creek elementary schools:
March 18-28 is intersession.
March 29 is a holiday for students and staff members.
Spring break is April 1-5.
April 10 is a holiday for students and staff members.
For all other schools:
March 22 is a three-hour early dismissal day for students.
March 29 is a holiday for students and staff members.
Spring break is April 1-5.
April 10 is a holiday for students and staff members.
Registration opens for summer camps
Summer camps offer a chance to explore new areas, and registration is open now! Chesterfield County Public Schools is offering four different camps in 2024, and they are expected to fill up fast. Get the details about Camp EPIC, Cultural Arts Camp, Team SKILLS and World Language Camp.
Camp EPIC (Exploring Pathways in Careers) offers exciting, hands-on career experiences for students who will be in grades 5-8 in 2024-25. Camp EPIC costs $150 and runs 8 a.m.-4 p.m. June 10-13 (Monday through Thursday) at two sites:
CTC@Courthouse: CyberWatch, Dental Discoveries, Energy Explorers, Farm to Table, Just Desserts, Motor Sport Legends, Next Level Chef, Pet Pals or Robot Wranglers
CTC@Hull: Animation Nation, Beauty Stars, Just Desserts, Next Level Chef, Pet Pals, Rescue 911!, Robot Wranglers, Top Model or True Detective
Cultural Arts Camp offers visual arts, music, STEAM, physical activity and world language for students who will be in grades 1-6 in 2024-25. Cultural Arts Camp runs 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and the cost is $165 for each two-week session.
June 24-July 3 at Old Hundred Elementary (Camp is closed July 4.)
July 8-18 at Beulah Elementary
Team SKILLS is a basketball camp for students who will be in grades 5-8 in 2024-25. Campers will improve basketball skills, develop teamwork and learn important life lessons. Team SKILLS runs 8 a.m.-noon Monday through Thursday in the Midlothian Middle gym, and the cost is $75 for each one-week session.
June 24-28
July 1-3 (Camp is closed July 4.)
July 8-11
July 15-18
World Language Camp features daily rotations through four languages and cultures: French, Spanish, German and Latin. Students who will be in grades 2-5 in 2024-25 will enjoy memorable and meaningful activities. Camp runs 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and the cost is $115 for each one-week session.
June 24-27 at Old Hundred Elementary
July 8-11 at Beulah Elementary
Scholarship opportunities
The Chesterfield Education Foundation supports multiple scholarships for graduating seniors. Applications may be submitted through March 26. Learn more about scholarships here.
Board of Supervisors schedules community meetings about budget
Approved Feb. 22 by the Chesterfield County School Board, the FY 2025 budget for Chesterfield County Public Schools now moves on to the county government. County Administrator Joe Casey presented his proposed budget (including school funding) on March 13 to the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors.
Members of the Board of Supervisors will host community meetings focused on the budget:
Spanish-speaking town hall: 6:30-8 p.m. March 25 at Beulah Recreation Center (6901 Hopkins Road)
Facebook Live: 6:30-8 p.m. March 25
Matoaca District: 6:30-8 p.m. March 26 at Matoaca Elementary School (20300 Halloway Ave.)
April 28 is deadline to register for CCPSOnline for this summer and next school year
Get ahead. Catch up. Create a schedule that works for you. That’s what CCPSOnline offers students in grades 9-12. With learning available 24/7 in a no-bells, no-limits virtual environment, CCPSOnline offers flexibility. This video covers CCPSOnline basics, and students can talk to their school counselors about how CCPSOnline may fit into their schedule. Students must register by April 28 to be part of CCPSOnline this summer or during the 2024-25:
Details and registration for summer classes are available here.
Details and registration for classes for the 2024-25 school year are available here.
“Deej” is final film in series
“Deej” is the final film in the documentary series organized by Chesterfield County Public Schools for families and educators. Reserve your free tickets for “Deej,” which will be shown at 6:30 p.m. March 26 in the CTC@Hull auditorium. The film tells the story of D.J. Savarese. Abandoned by his birth parents, he finds a loving family that helps him learn to communicate. As he makes his way through high school and dreams of college, he advocates on behalf of non-speaking autistic people, embraces filmmaking and poetry and discovers what having a voice can truly mean.
Serving up a CCPS app!
Chesterfield County Public Schools has a new mobile app to help you easily know what’s happening. The app connects with school websites, so there will always be something new to view. Get started by downloading the free Chesterfield Schools app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play store, then dive in to discover all of the information at your fingertips. Choose which schools to follow — be sure to follow the school district too — then you can find out what’s for lunch, see a calendar of events, find out when teams are playing and more.
CCPS is accepting prekindergarten applications
Prekindergarten applications are being accepted now for the 2024-25 school year. This webpage has details and links to the application form in English and in Spanish. A free, full-day program, prekindergarten helps 4-year-olds with the greatest need prepare for kindergarten. A limited number of prekindergarten spots are available at these sites:
Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy serving Bellwood, Bensley, Beulah, Marguerite Christian, Curtis, Ecoff, Enon, Gates, Harrowgate, Salem Church, Elizabeth Scott and Wells elementary schools
Bon Air, Davis, Chalkley, Crenshaw, Crestwood, Ettrick, Evergreen, Falling Creek, Greenfield, Hening, Hopkins, Jacobs Road, Matoaca, Providence and Reams Road elementary schools
Registration opens for free prep sessions for students
Chesterfield County Public Schools is offering free sessions to help high school students:
SOL Academies are open to any student who passed a class but did not pass the corresponding SOL end-of-course test.
The W!se Academy is open to any student who passed the economics and personal finance class but did not pass the W!se financial literacy test and who needs a career and technical education credential to graduate.
April 10 is the deadline to register for April 15-25 sessions. The academy webpage has more information, including registration links for every session:
Video guide and other resources for families of students in special education
Guide to special education: Available from the Virginia Department of Education is the Virginia Family's Guide to Special Education. The department developed this new guide to help those involved in special education, whether as families, teachers, school administrators, advocates or students. Meeting the needs of children with disabilities requires an understanding of rights and responsibilities, which include the child’s rights and the school’s responsibilities to meet their needs. This guide includes a description of the special education process and what is required during each step of that process. The guide is currently available in English; translations will soon be available in Spanish, Arabic, Amharic, Urdu and Vietnamese.
New video guide: The Virginia Department of Education has released a video guide to the special education evaluation process. These video modules provide parents, families and other stakeholders a brief but comprehensive overview of the special education process on these topics: introduction to video series, identification, evaluation, eligibility, individualized education program, reevaluation, early intervention and what’s next. Each module is designed to be viewed as a stand-alone resource or viewed in succession.
Website:
Lots of helpful information is available on the special education for families webpage of the Virginia Department of Education.