{"id":9309,"date":"2020-09-30T10:47:10","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T14:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/staff\/?p=9309"},"modified":"2020-09-30T10:51:43","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T14:51:43","slug":"staff-survey-your-thoughts-on-virtual-plus-and-school-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/staff\/staff-survey-your-thoughts-on-virtual-plus-and-school-reopening\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Survey: Your thoughts on Virtual PLUS+ and school reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, we are sharing a very important survey to assess your views on the reopening of our school buildings and how you think we can improve the Virtual PLUS+ model. Education is truly a community partnership and it is most effective when all of us pitch in with ideas and feedback. Now, more than ever, we need your views as we grapple with the difficult decision of whether it is feasible to begin in-person instruction for students and staff in our classrooms.<\/span><\/p>\n

These surveys are critical for us to continue to check your views, better understand your needs and provide options that work for staff, students and families to the best of our ability. <\/span>Please take a few minutes to complete this survey by Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.<\/b> Results will be discussed with a recommendation to the School Board at their meeting on Oct. 15.<\/span><\/p>\n

TAKE THE STAFF SURVEY<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

As part of the community engagement process to consider a name change for both T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School, the first of three community \u201cRead-Ins\u201d about Thomas Chambliss Williams was held last Thursday evening. It was a fascinating and enlightening event. As we consider the process to change the name of Alexandria\u2019s only public high school and that of Matthew Maury Elementary School, it is important to know the raw truth of the man who was the superintendent of ACPS for almost thirty years and whose influence we still see in our schools and city today. Thank you to our amazing hosts, professor Douglas Reed and Kennetra Wood, ACPS Executive Director of Equity & Alternative Programs, who has spearheaded our program to teach <\/span>racial justice to our students<\/span><\/a>. Join us tomorrow at 7 p.m. for the second read-in of the series.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming professional development day on Oct. 12. The division-wide theme for the day is Instructional Best Practices. Find more details below.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally today, I want to congratulate our three National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists Aiden Crowe, Nikolai Kosinski and Caroline Winakur and wish them all the best as they progress through the competition. It is always so exciting to announce our semi finalists and I\u2019m honored to recognize each of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay informed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Superintendent of Schools<\/span><\/p>\n

Oct. 12 Professional Development Day: Instructional Best Practices<\/b><\/h2>\n

The division-wide theme for the Oct. 12 professional development day is Instructional Best Practices. We expect that school-based staff will benefit from the targeted professional learning workshops. All content will be aligned with the division\u2019s goal areas of the 2025 Strategic Plan: Equity for All. Specifically, this day will focus on the goals of systemic alignment and instructional excellence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Staff should reflect on their progress this year, and identify strategies that will benefit the individual needs of students in their classes. Administrators and staff can collaborate to ensure that every teacher and paraprofessional has registered for workshops using the <\/span>Professional Learning Management System (PLMS)<\/span><\/a>. Sessions with less than 20% enrollment can be canceled after Oct. 7.<\/span><\/p>\n

All staff should register for their sessions in PLMS by Oct. 6. Sessions can be scheduled during three blocks of time. There will be a morning session from 9 to 11 a.m., an afternoon session from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., and a larger full-day time block from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sessions will model both synchronous and asynchronous learning, similar to the student experience in Virtual PLUS+.<\/span><\/p>\n

Full information can be found in the <\/span>Professional Development Day Memo to School Leadership (PDF)<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please email Cory Kapelski at <\/span>cory.kapelski@acps.k12.va.us<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Identity Project: Our First Community Read-In on Thomas Chambliss Williams<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Last Thursday night, hundreds joined a fascinating discussion led by Georgetown University professor Douglas Reed and ACPS Executive Director of Equity & Alternative Programs Kennetra Wood, about the man our only high school is currently named after.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the first in a series of three of these events, professor Reed discussed seminal moments in the career of T.C. Williams.<\/span><\/p>\n

We learned that Williams was a man who, in his own words, had \u201cno aspiration\u201d for schools in Alexandria \u201cto be spectacular,\u201d who fought desegregation, and who fired a staff member for joining the lawsuit for the right for her daughters to attend a previously all-white school. The ties to systemic racism is still visible in our schools today.<\/span><\/p>\n

These \u201cRead-Ins\u201d are intended to lay the historical groundwork as the School Board considers changing the names of T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read a full summary of the read-in session<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you missed the event, you can watch it in <\/span>full on ACPS-TV, cable channel 71 in Alexandria on Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. or Oct. 2-4, daily at 7 p.m. <\/span>Watch the full event<\/span><\/a> or see the <\/span>highlights video<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Read-In #2: Alexandria\u2019s Role in Massive Resistance and School Segregation<\/b><\/h2>\n

NOTE TIME CHANGE:<\/b><\/span> Oct. 1, <\/b>7-8 p.m.<\/b><\/span> on Zoom.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the second Read-In of the series, Dr. Reed will present from his book, <\/span>\u201cBuilding the Federal School House\u201d<\/span><\/a> and discuss how Alexandria City took part in Virginia\u2019s Massive Resistance, and what role our city leadership played in fighting the integration of our schools. This discussion will offer a glimpse into what it was like for Alexandria students during this difficult time in our history. ACPS Executive Director of Equity & Alternative Programs Kennetra Wood will co-host and identify ties to systemic racism rooted in our system. There will be a short Question and Answer period following the discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Join us on Zoom<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the three Identity Project read-ins, we have a series of community engagement events planned throughout October leading up to the School Board vote on Nov. 23. These include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n