Groundbreaking marks the start of west area elementary school
School and county leaders broke ground Nov. 18 on a new elementary school on Westerleigh Parkway. The new school will be the 41st elementary school in Chesterfield County Public Schools. (The school is temporarily being called the west area elementary school, but the Chesterfield County School Board will work with the community on a permanent name.)
Scheduled to open for students in August 2026, the new school in the Matoaca District is part of a community facilities bond plan approved by Chesterfield County voters in 2022. Virginia Public School Authority bonds will cover the building’s $52 million budget.
Reminder about holidays
Chesterfield schools and school offices will be closed Nov. 27-29 for Thanksgiving.
Winter break for students and teachers will run Dec. 23 through Jan. 3. During winter break, school offices and school system buildings will remain open to the public Dec. 23, Dec. 26-27, Dec. 30 and Jan. 2-3. Please note: It is best to access calendars from the school division website. If you search for a calendar via Google, then an older version of the calendar may appear in the results.
Complete student calendars for 2024-25 are available on this webpage, including English and Spanish versions of the regular school year calendar and the year-round calendar followed by Bellwood Elementary.
School Board considers policy covering student cellphones
The School Board is considering changes to policy 4010-R regarding student cellphones during the school day. To see video of the Nov. 12 meeting where the changes were introduced, click this link, then click the Swagit Video icon at the bottom of the page, then click item G to skip to the discussion agenda segment of the video.
High school seniors explore local government
Chesterfield County Public Schools students experienced local government firsthand Nov. 12-13 during Model County Government. About 60 students representing every high school shadowed school and county leaders. Connecting classroom knowledge with real-life experiences, the program kicked off at the Nov. 12 School Board meeting, where students watched the board conduct business. The next day, students shadowed local leaders in the morning then attended a Board of Supervisors meeting in the afternoon. More info and images provided on oneccps.org.
The Big Event: Matoaca High students participate in a day of service
Matoaca High organized a day of service called The Big Event this fall. The initiative included weeding and cleaning out courtyards and gardens at Matoaca High and at Matoaca Elementary. “It makes me feel like I’m contributing,” said one student participant. Watch this video to see the difference that The Big Event made.
Art teachers win recognition
Art teachers from Chesterfield County Public Schools won top regional honors from the Virginia Art Education Association. The association’s central region covers 44 school districts, stretching from the Chesapeake Bay to the North Carolina line to close to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Bridget Hendricks of Old Hundred Elementary was named 2024 Central Region of Virginia Elementary Art Educator. Each year using a unifying theme, she organizes a schoolwide exhibition featuring art from 950+ students. This not only requires intense preparation and installation of all of the art but also includes decorations and hands-on activities throughout the school. This event undoubtedly becomes a cherished memory for many.
Lydia Walters of Elizabeth Davis Middle was named 2024 Central Region of Virginia Middle School Art Educator. In addition to orchestrating multiple murals around the school, she organizes annual community art nights where at least one work from every Elizabeth Davis Middle student is displayed. Art nights include hands-on activities, concessions and fundraisers to support the art program and uplift students and parents.
Vicki Kirtley of Clover Hill High was named 2024 Central Region of Virginia Elementary Art Educator. Throughout her exemplary career in art education, she has built a culture of creativity and success. She is a valued member of the Clover Hill High community as she facilitates countless student opportunities such as serving as the senior class sponsor since 2021, co-sponsoring the school’s chapter of the National Art Honor Society since 2007 and sponsoring the Clover Hill Art Guild from 1999 to 2006.
Schools and teachers earn financial literacy awards
Three Chesterfield County high schools were recently honored as W!se Blue Star Schools: Cosby High, Midlothian High and Monacan High. Schools earn this national recognition by achieving an 80% passing rate on the W!se financial literacy certification test and having either a majority of students on a given grade level receive personal finance instruction or at least 10% of all students take the test.
In addition, almost 30 Chesterfield County Public Schools teachers were named W!se Gold Star Teachers. For a teacher to earn this national recognition, at least one of the teacher’s classes must have achieved a 93% passing rate on the W!se financial literacy certification test in the 2023-24 school year. Congratulations to the economics and personal finance teachers who were named W!se Gold Star Teachers:
Bird High: Toby Campbell and Brent Deaner
CCPSOnline: Latizzia Bragg-Bullock and Samantha Uzzle
Clover Hill High: Michael Bell, Kyle Miller and Rebecca Necessary
Cosby High: Gillian Detrick, Otis Jarvis and Nichola Woznyj
Thomas Dale High: Felicia Campbell, Patrick Sweet and Bill Wright
James River High: Juliana Beatty and Jeffrey Bourassa
Manchester High: Brian Graham and Paul Kline
Matoaca High: William De Salvatore and Kendra Pahl
Midlothian High: Thayne Bruce, Trish Reese, Brett Ridens and Gabriel Taylor
Monacan High: Carolyn Manheim, Meredith Shuman and Daniel Zizzamia
Next Coffee & Conversations are Dec. 4 and Dec. 11
Coffee & Conversation is an easy way to connect with experts offering advice on topics helpful to parents. The free online gatherings take place 1-2 p.m. Register here for these opportunities:
Dec. 4 topic is “Managing Screen Time.”
Dec. 11 topic is “Recognizing the Signs of Human Trafficking.”
Serving up a CCPS app!
Chesterfield County Public Schools has a 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 much more.
CCPS is hiring substitute teachers at Dec. 4 job fair
Chesterfield County Public School is hiring substitute teachers at a substitute teacher hiring fair 4:30-6 p.m. Dec. 4 at Matoaca High School, 17700 Longhouse Lane. While substitute teachers may work at any CCPS school, this job fair is focused on these southern-area schools:
Matoaca High
Matoaca Middle
Matoaca Elementary
Ettrick Elementary
Harrowgate Elementary
Carver Middle
Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy
Substitute teachers are paid a daily rate of $136. On Fridays and predetermined high-demand days, the daily rate is $203. If you or someone you know would like to become a substitute, then please let them know about this hiring event. Those who are interested are encouraged to apply in advance.
It’s so easy to nominate school employees for recognition!
Have you heard about this easy and important way to honor outstanding teachers and staff members of Chesterfield County Public Schools? You can nominate them for the Superintendent’s Game Changer Award! Everyone is encouraged to use this simple online form to recognize employees who go above and beyond to connect with students, build relationships, provide engaging learning opportunities and help families.
Nominations are accepted throughout the school year. Then each month, 21 remarkable employees will be chosen and will receive their awards when the superintendent and a School Board representative stop by to surprise them.
But before any teacher or school employee can receive the Superintendent’s Game Changer Award, they first have to be nominated by a parent, student, colleague or community member.
Chesterfield County Public Schools opens online store
Now open to everyone is an online store full of never-before-available Chesterfield County Public Schools gear. The store is open 24/7 for shopping by employees, families, community partners, graduates, gift buyers and everyone else who appreciates CCPS-branded swag.
There’s never been an online CCPS store with so much to offer, so it’s time to show your #oneCCPS pride!
Go to ccpsstore.com to browse high-quality shirts, jackets, hats and more. Here are just a few of the eye-catching items you’ll find:
beanie with pompom or without
Here are answers to questions about the new store:
How much money is the school system making from this store? There is no markup by Chesterfield County Public Schools, so the price of each item is exactly the price that the online vendor charges. That applies to shipping costs too.
If the school system is not using the store to raise money, then why does the store exist? Connections run deep in Chesterfield County Public Schools. Many employees are also CCPS graduates. Generations of families have sent their children through the public schools of Chesterfield County. People have pride in Chesterfield County Public Schools, and now they can easily show that pride via CCPS-branded clothing and accessories.
How quickly will my order arrive? There is not a warehouse full of CCPS items awaiting shipment. Each item is created after it is ordered, so it will take a few days to arrive.
Does the CCPS store replace sites where Chesterfield schools offer their gear? No. School-specific gear and school-specific stores are not affected by the CCPS store.
Why does the store not offer what I’m looking for? Creating the store and deciding which items to offer has been a big project. Items will be updated seasonally, and we will let everyone know when new items are added. If there's something you would like to see in the CCPS store, email communications@ccpsnet.net and it can be considered when new items are added (if the item is available through the vendor).
So head to ccpsstore.com to see all of the Chesterfield County Public Schools gear that is available.
High school students can apply to join congresswoman’s Youth Advisory Council
Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan has launched a Youth Advisory Council. This offers high school students in Virginia’s 4th Congressional District opportunities to actively engage with their representative, federal staff members and current events.
Monthly gatherings will entail discussions led by the council members concerning legislative proposals, current events and working through hypothetical scenarios. Members will enjoy exclusive opportunities to connect with DC legislative and district staff, gaining valuable insights into the legislative process and deepening their understanding of governance. Meetings will be held online 5:30-7:30 p.m. once a month on Mondays from January to May 2025.
To apply, students must provide a completed application form, consent form, resume and application essays by Dec. 30. Links to these forms and additional details are available at
Mcclellan.house.gov/YAC. Questions? Call 804-486-1840.
Dec. 6 is application deadline for specialty centers and governor’s schools
Each fall, Chesterfield County Public Schools eighth graders explore their options for high school and decide whether or not to apply to a specialty center, governor’s school or regional technology school. This video gives an overview of how those schools provide unique opportunities to explore special interests.
Open houses offer on-site visits for eighth grade families. Here are upcoming dates:
6 p.m. Dec. 10 open house for CodeRVA Regional High School (2601 Durham St. in Richmond)
Complete information about the application process is provided at bit.ly/CCPSoptions. That includes the online application form, links to specialty center websites and everything eighth graders need to know about the process. Here are important dates to keep in mind:
Online application opened Oct. 1 and closes Dec. 6 for specialty centers and governor’s schools.
Online application opens Jan. 6 and closes Feb. 14 for CodeRVA.
Acceptance offers will be made Feb. 28 for CodeRVA and March 5 for specialty centers and governor’s schools.
March 17 is the deadline for students to accept offers from specialty centers, governor’s schools and CodeRVA.
Nov. 17-23 is International Fraud Awareness Week
Organizations worldwide lose an estimated 5% of their annual revenues to fraud, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. For International Fraud Awareness Week (Nov. 17-23), Chesterfield County is bringing awareness to its fraud, waste and abuse hotline (804-318-8000) and is encouraging county residents and employees to report wrongdoing involving fraud, waste and abuse of Chesterfield government and school assets or resources. Visit the reporting fraud, waste and abuse website for more information.
Tips are consistently the most common way to detect fraud. The Chesterfield County fraud, waste and abuse hotline (804-318-8000) can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and callers can remain anonymous as caller ID and call back features have been disabled to maintain confidentiality. Examples of violations may include but are not limited to:
Falsification of records
Serious abuse or excessive use of time
Theft of funds