Schools

Budding relationships

By Danielle Ozbat on June 4, 2020 Schools

At the end of Mark Erickson’s second year of teaching PE at Falling Creek Elementary, he was awarded Teacher of the Year for the 2019-20 school year. Erickson was surprised because he hadn’t taught at the school for very long, but said he was grateful and humbled by the honor. “It was an affirmation that I’m doing the right thing. I’m in the right school, with the right people, around the right families,” Erickson said. Erickson, originally from Michigan, received his bachelor’s degree in elementary education (with a focus on physical education) at Spring Arbor University. He spent two years…

Southbend holds Senior Parade for grads

By Press release on June 4, 2020 Schools

The Southbend community held a Senior Parade to celebrate the students and their accomplishments. Seventeen seniors attended in their decorated vehicles and drove through the communities. They represented Thomas Dale, Clover Hill, Monacan, and Benedictine high schools, with one or more home-schooled.

Sarah Jurewicz, who teaches Culinary Arts I and II at the Career and Technical Center @ Courthouse.

CCPS surprises teachers of the year

By VN Staff on May 28, 2020 Schools, Teachers

In an unconventional year, Chesterfield County Public Schools took an unconventional approach to announce their teachers of the year for each division by surprising them at home. Superintendent Merv Dougherty presented the honors with an Ed McMahon approach, complete with flowers, balloons, and yard signs – less the sweepstakes check. This year’s honorees were Sarah Jurewicz (CCPS and overall high school), Katie Moore (middle school), and Heather Russell (elementary school). Sarah Jurewicz, who teaches Culinary Arts I and II at the Career and Technical Center @ Courthouse.Katie Moore (second from left) a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Falling Creek Middle.

Chesterfield School Board will review budget reduction proposals

By Press release on May 19, 2020 School Board, Schools

The Chesterfield County School Board will review staff proposals to close a $23.3 million funding gap that now exists in the Board’s approved Fiscal Year 2021 operating budget based on reductions in funding recently announced by state and local governments. The school board was scheduled to host a virtual work session on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss potential reductions to the budget that will support school division operations during the 2021-22 school year. The work session takes place electronically in accordance with the Continuity of County Government Ordinance adopted by the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors on March 25,…

Sonji Williams

Chesterfield’s school nurses honored with prestigious awards

By Press release on May 19, 2020 Schools

Two school nurses were recognized this week for what the school system calls their efforts to serve, educate and create safe, supportive and nurturing learning environments for Chesterfield County Public Schools’ students and staff members. Cosby High’s Lindsey Poore was named Virginia Association of School Nurses’ School Nurse of the Year on Wednesday, as school divisions across the Commonwealth celebrated National School Nurses Day. Matoaca High’s Sonji Williams was named Chesterfield County Public Schools’ School Nurse of the Year. “Our school nurses are a critical part of the health and well-being of our students and staff in every school,” Superintendent…

School board seeks input on potentially starting before Labor Day in 2021

By Press release on May 19, 2020 Schools

Chesterfield County Public Schools would shift to a pre-Labor Day start beginning with the 2021-22 school year, according to a draft calendar scheduled to be presented to the School Board during its May 12 work session. As allowed by changes to state law within the past year, Chesterfield County schools would open two weeks prior to Labor Day, be closed for a four-day weekend to recognize Labor Day and close for the year two weeks earlier than usual, according to the proposal. Traditional schools would start Aug. 23, 2021 and stop June 3, 2022 (Pending School Board approval, Bellwood and…

A pleasant surprise

By Public Comment on May 6, 2020 Schools

Emmalyn Jessup, a first grader at C.C. Wells Elementary, received a surprise visit from her teacher, Maureen Capel. Over the weekend, she delivered the sign pictured above to her students. Jessup says it was the most amazing surprise!

Chesterfield systems expands Chromebook take-home program

By Press release on May 6, 2020 Schools

Approximately 2,500 additional Chromebooks are being distributed to students in Grades 2-4, this week, allowing the school division to further expand an “Anytime Anywhere Learning,” laptop take-home program that already is believed to be one of the largest in the country. By next week, nearly 40,000 Chromebooks will be available to be used at home by students while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19. In addition, thanks to financial donations from local philanthropic organizations to the Chesterfield Education Foundation, Chesterfield County Public Schools soon will provide hundreds of hotspot devices to support families currently without access to the Internet…

Young student watching lesson online and studying from home. Young woman taking notes while looking at computer screen following professor doing math on video call. Latin girl student studying from home and watching teacher explaining math formula on video chat.

Teachers adapting to new classroom norms

By Danielle Ozbat on April 23, 2020 Schools

The 2019-20 school year has been brought to an abrupt halt due to COVID-19. Gov. Northam initially ordered schools closed for a minimum of two weeks, then eventually announced they would be closed for the rest of the academic year. Teachers have had to switch their traditional lesson plans to different methods, such as online lessons, take home packets and virtual meetings. Rachel Watson, an algebra teacher at Elizabeth Davis Middle, said the professional learning community in algebra created a calendar to help students keep math in their minds over the next few weeks. Watson had already been using Canvas…

CCPS to convert lockers to classrooms

By Caleb M Soptelean on April 21, 2020 Schools

Since high school students don’t necessarily use lockers anymore, the Chesterfield County Public Schools board has decided to convert the space to classrooms. During the April 14 meeting, which was held virtually with each board member in a different location, the board approved a $1.29 million contract for ARM Contracting to convert lockers to 28 spaces at four high schools, including Clover Hill, Cosby, Matoaca and Meadowbrook. Matoaca High will get eight additional spaces, and Meadowbrook High will have four more. “Lockers have become an outdated use of space at the high school level,” said deputy superintendent Thomas Taylor. He…

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