Schools support mental health
Chesterfield schools understand the importance of mental health and work to create nurturing and safe environments where teaching and learning thrive. This video shows how schools support student mental health. More information is available at bit.ly/CCPShelp.
This fall, Chesterfield County Public Schools launched the CCPS in the Know video series to give quick-but-helpful insights into central Virginia’s largest school system. You can see all of the videos via this playlist, with captions available in English and in Spanish. If you have a question that you’d like answered, then ask it here. We’ll cover as many topics as we can.
Reminder about dates
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.
Literacy Night with a football theme
Literacy Night at Matoaca Elementary featured a football theme complete with athletes and cheerleaders from Matoaca High. The event brought together students, parents and faculty to engage and motivate young readers. Cheerleaders read stories, and varsity football players shared their favorite books, answered questions and even signed autographs. In addition to promoting reading, the event strengthened community bonds.
Ecoff rallies around reading
Ecoff Elementary wildly welcomed Super Bowl champion and children’s book author Malcolm Mitchell during a reading rally Nov. 20. Every student received a copy of his book, “The Magician’s Hat,” thanks to partners including the Chesterfield Education Foundation. After tossing a football with Principal Brian Campos, Mitchell encouraged students to work through obstacles and promoted the transformative power of reading. Exciting events like this reading rally are one way Chesterfield County Public Schools moves toward its mission of igniting passion in all through authentic and captivating experiences.
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.
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!
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.
So how about it? How many game changers do you know? Please nominate them by answering the five easy questions on the nomination form. By spending five minutes of your day to fill out the form, you can spark great joy throughout Chesterfield County Public Schools.
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.
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.