Manchester High School

Prom closet seeks community donations

This video shows how Monacan High is helping trim the cost of prom by offering free dresses, suits and accessories for students. As a service learning project, students run the Chiefs Closet like a boutique — complete with attractive displays, business communications and social media promotions. Community donations to the prom closet are welcome and can be left in the front office of Monacan High (11501 Smoketree Drive). This year’s prom is May 11. If you have questions, please email teacher meredith_shuman@ccpsnet.net.

Spring Into Wellness on April 29

Families are invited to a mental health resource fair organized by Chesterfield County Public Schools. Spring Into Wellness will take place 4:30-7:30 p.m. April 29 at CTC@Hull (13900 Hull Street Road). Registration is required for this free event. In addition to more than 30 wellness vendors, speakers will cover these topics: Motivation and goal setting for tweens and teens; Understanding your child’s nature for happier parenting; and College prep and student wellness. Register at https://bit.ly/48EpdGM.

SAT for our Juniors is coming Wednesday, March 20th, 2024! EVERY tester will need a FULLY CHARGED chrome book on the day of the test! Please review the information in the email that was sent last week to families of Juniors for more information.

General Assembly field trip information - SENIORS attending Mrs. Underwood's General Assembly field trip, report to the bus loop after the announcements!

A virtual Coffee & Conversation discussion will focus on intellectual disabilities. The Family and Community Engagement Office of Chesterfield County Public Schools will host the free webinar 1-2 p.m. Feb. 28, and a representative of Chesterfield Mental Health will be the featured speaker. Click here to register and to see upcoming Coffee & Conversation topics.

CCPSOnline classes are open to students in grades 9-12. With learning available 24/7 in a no-bells, no-limits virtual environment, the flexibility of CCPSOnline classes can help high school students create the schedule they want. Act now to take advantage of this Chesterfield County Public Schools opportunity:

• CCPSOnline registration for summer 2024 and for the 2024-25 school year is open through April 28, and the website offers details including registration form.
• Students and parents are invited to a virtual info session about CCPSOnline at 6:30 p.m. March 4; click this link to join the discussion.

Parents can create list of books their student cannot check out

Chesterfield County Public Schools continues to be at the forefront of ensuring that parents and guardians have transparency about school library books.

The district recently added a feature to the online catalog for school libraries that offers another avenue for families to be involved in what their children read. Starting now, parents can create a list of books that their student will not be allowed to check out. (This new feature is in addition to existing opportunities for parents that provide online access to their student’s school library accounts and the ability to opt in to receive an email when their student checks out a book.)

Follow these steps to take advantage of this new method of overseeing what your child can check out from the school library:

• Look up your public access catalog login ID by going to ParentVUE using a web browser on a computer or mobile device (not using the mobile app). In ParentVUE, go to My Account to find Adult ID#. (Contact your school if you need help accessing your ParentVUE account.) Your public access catalog login ID is your ParentVUE adult ID number with G added to the front. For example, if your ParentVUE adult ID number is 123456, then G123456 is your public access catalog ID.
• Select your child’s campus on the school system’s library catalog page.
• Click My Account on the left side of the screen.
• You will be prompted for a library card number and PIN. Your library card number is your ParentVUE ID number with G added to the front. Your PIN is the last four digits of your ParentVUE ID number.
• Add books you do not want your student to be able to check out to a prohibited resource list. This document provides details about how to build a prohibited resource list for your student.

ADHD is topic of Feb. 7 Coffee & Conversation

A virtual Coffee & Conversation discussion will focus on ADHD. The CCPS Office of Family and Community Engagement will host the free webinar 1-2 p.m. Feb. 7, and Melissa Ackley of Chesterfield Mental Health Prevention Services will be the featured speaker. Click here to register and to see upcoming Coffee & Conversation topics.

Attention Lancer Families! Please join us tomorrow night for parent scheduling night. Students are also welcome. This is for all families of Manchester High School students from rising ninth graders to rising seniors. Join us in the auditorium at 5 PM for an overview of the scheduling process, graduation requirements, etc. At 6 PM, you will be able to meet with teachers of different electives, representatives from Brightpoint Community College, as well as representatives from the Chesterfield Technical Center.

Holiday happiness - Led by math teacher Lauren Murray, Manchester High collected and provided gifts and meals for 20 families and 51 children plus 100 spirit stockings for Manchester High students. Gifts included 15 bikes, four Nintendo Switches, two basketball hoops, a battery-operated Jeep, a kayak, too many earbuds to count, 17 restocked pantries, $2,500+ in grocery gift cards and $4,000+ in other gift cards.

Marching toward winter break - Superintendent Merv Daugherty’s winter break video may be the best thing you see today. Huge shoutout to Clover Hill High’s Marching Cavaliers and band director Brianna Gatch!

• Winter break for students and teachers will begin Dec. 22 and continue through Jan. 5.
• School offices and school system buildings will remain open to the public Dec. 22, Dec. 27-29 and Jan. 2-5.

SPIRIT week next week!! Monday: Tacky Sweater; Tuesday: Spotify Wrapped (dress as your favorite artist); Wednesday: Standing on Business (business attire with Maniacs); Thursday: PJ day!!!

Shoe Drive Underway - Wanted to say “THANK YOU!” to all the folks who have already donated to the FCCLA Shoe Drive. We are well into the SHOE DRIVE but are still in need of your gently used, worn and new shoes. Clean out your closet and save those unwanted shoes from the landfill. This is the season of giving and your donation really makes a difference. Drop off locations are the main office, F135 and F139. Every bit helps!

Learn about earning college credits while in high school - Parents and students are invited to learn about the advanced academic programming available in Chesterfield County high schools. The Dec. 6 virtual session is for rising 11th and 12th grade families; the Dec. 14 virtual session is for rising 9th and 10th grade families:

• Families of rising 11th and 12th graders: Are you interested in learning about college readiness, advanced academics and opportunities your student has to earn college credit in high school? Rising juniors, seniors and their families are invited to a virtual information session at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 6 to learn about advanced academic course offerings, talk about expectations for participation in rigorous courses and discuss how these can benefit students in their college experience. Also, Brightpoint Community College will discuss dual enrollment courses. Register here for the Dec. 6 session. The meeting link will be emailed to you before the event.
• Families of rising 9th and 10th graders: Are you interested in learning about college course readiness and advanced academics? Rising 9th and 10th graders and their families are invited to a virtual information session at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 14 to learn about pathways of rigorous, college-level courses that will count for high school graduation while simultaneously earning college credit. Also, Brightpoint Community College will discuss dual enrollment courses. Register here for the Dec. 14 session. The meeting link will be emailed to you before the event.

Special education information for parents

• Survey due Dec. 15: Parents of school-age children and youth with disabilities who receive special education services are asked to complete the Virginia Department of Education annual parent involvement survey. The survey is open through Dec. 15. Please complete one survey for each of your children who received special education services in the 2022-23 school year. If you have questions, please email Chiquita Seaborne or call 804-225-3898.
• Updated guide to special education: Available now 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.
• Website: Lots of helpful information is available on the special education for families webpage of the Virginia Department of Education.

Families invited to free showing of “Screenagers Under the Influence” - Chesterfield County Public Schools invites parents and teens to a free showing of "Screenagers Under the Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs and Alcohol in the Digital Age" at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at CTC@Hull (13900 Hull Street Road). A panel discussion with health specialists will follow the screening. Get more information and reserve your free tickets here. "Screenagers Under the Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs and Alcohol in the Digital Age" examines the impact of technology on teens' decision-making about vaping, drugs and alcohol. Exploring the latest research and learning more about the personal experiences of teens and families, the film highlights the changing landscape of the substances, offering solutions for how to best empower teens as they face decisions about what they will and will not be influenced by. The film debunks myths and depicts strategies parents and schools can use to encourage healthy decision-making, support teen mental health, set limits and create healthy home environments. The film also includes many ways young people are using their wisdom and strength to help each other and themselves through this complicated terrain around substance use. https://tinyurl.com/ysgpmwv7

Register for upcoming Coffee & Conversations, scheduled through January. The next of these virtual gatherings is titled “Helping Your Child With Self-Regulation” and will take place 1-2 p.m. Dec. 6. Coffee & Conversation is hosted by the Chesterfield County Public Schools Office of Family and Community Engagement.

Much more than soda tabs At Manchester High, Trish Angle's vocation classes are collecting soda tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond. So far, they have collected 39.4 pounds of aluminum tabs. In addition to benefiting families who stay at the Ronald McDonald House while their children are receiving medical treatment, this project allows Manchester High students to practice measurement, explore science (they use magnets to find and discard tabs that are not aluminum) and develop packaging skills. Anyone who would like to support this ongoing project can drop soda tabs at Manchester High and ask that they be delivered to Trish Angle.

Preventing injuries - Manchester High sophomores attended VCU’s injury and violence prevention program in November. Project Impact re-creates a drunk driving vehicle crash and what happens when victims arrive at the hospital. It includes police officers, firefighters, EMTS and guest speakers who have been affected by crashes.

Keep your eyes on the prize, class of 2024! Here is your graduation schedule: May 20: Matoaca High at 9 a.m. at Virginia State University and Thomas Dale High at 3 p.m. at Virginia Commonwealth University May 21 at Virginia Commonwealth University: Cosby High at 9:30 a.m. and Manchester High at 2 p.m. May 22 at Virginia Commonwealth University: James River High at 9:30 a.m. and Midlothian High at 2 p.m. May 23 at Virginia Commonwealth University: Clover Hill High at 9:30 a.m. and Monacan High at 2 p.m. May 24 at Virginia Commonwealth University: Meadowbrook High at 9:30 a.m. and Bird High at 2 p.m. May 28 at Career and Technical Center @ Hull: Carver College and Career Academy at 3 p.m. Graduating seniors will receive tickets to share with family and friends. The ceremonies are not open to the public but will be livestreamed.