Alberta Smith Elementary

Cultural Arts Camp Cultural Arts Camp offers visual arts, music, STEAM, physical activity and world language for students who will be in grades 1-6 in 2024-25. Cultural Arts Camp runs 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and the cost is $165 for each two-week session. Sign up now using this form. This camp and other Chesterfield County Public Schools camps are part of the summer programs webpage.

• June 24-July 3 at Old Hundred Elementary (Camp is closed July 4.)
• July 8-18 at Beulah Elementary

Camps for grades 5-8

Chesterfield County Public Schools offers two summer camps for students who will be in grades 5-8 in 2024-25:

Camp EPIC (Exploring Pathways in Careers) is packed with exciting, hands-on career experiences 8 a.m.-4 p.m. June 10-13 (Monday through Thursday) at two sites. The cost is $150. Sign up using this form for one of these sessions:

• CTC@Courthouse: CyberWatch, Dental Discoveries, Energy Explorers, Farm to Table, Just Desserts, Motor Sport Legends, Next Level Chef, Pet Pals or Robot Wranglers
• CTC@Hull: Animation Nation, Beauty Stars, Just Desserts, Next Level Chef, Pet Pals, Rescue 911!, Robot Wranglers, Top Model or True Detective

Team SKILLS is a basketball camp where students improve basketball skills, develop teamwork and learn important life lessons 8 a.m.-noon Monday through Thursday in the Midlothian Middle gym. The cost is $75 for each one-week session. Sign up now using this form.

• June 24-28
• July 1-3 (Camp is closed July 4.)
• July 8-11
• July 15-18

Summer is for camps!

Summer camps offer a chance to explore new areas, and registration is open now! Chesterfield County Public Schools is offering four different camps in 2024, and they are expected to fill up fast. Get the details and register here for Camp EPIC, Cultural Arts Camp, Team SKILLS and World Language Camp.

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.

Chesterfield Virtual School is open for Chesterfield County students in grades K-8. As Virginia’s first virtual school, the Chesterfield Virtual School provides the opportunity to learn with teachers from across the country and students from all over Chesterfield County. The Chesterfield Virtual School works for students who are self-sufficient and self-driven. School days begin at 7:45 a.m. with morning meetings. Before students are dismissed for the day at 2:15 p.m., teachers cover all core academic subjects. After-school clubs offer additional connections for students. The Chesterfield Virtual School also offers gifted instruction, honors classes, special education and ESL.

• Enrollment for new students is open through April 28, and the school website offers details including registration form.
• Students and parents are invited to a virtual info session about Chesterfield Virtual School on Feb. 21 at 8:30 a.m. or at 1:30 p.m. To join one of the informal sessions, go to meet.google.com and enter cvsinterestmeeting as the code.

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.

Chesterfield County Public Schools families with students in grades K-6 are invited to a free performance of “Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World.” The Virginia Opera will present two performances that tell the real-life story of a young girl living in Mexico City and her friendship with famed artist Frida Kahlo, who paints her portrait. Families invited to free “Frida Kahlo” opera

Families can use this form to reserve free seats for

• 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5 performance at Meadowbrook High
• 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7 performance at Elizabeth Davis Middle

Questions? Call 804-639-8632.

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.

STEAM Night - Alberta Smith Elementary students and families gathered for the school’s first-ever STEAM Night on Jan. 18.

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.

Oh my gourdness! - At Alberta Smith Elementary, pumpkins ruled second grade classrooms one fall day. Here are a few of the pumpkin-flavored lessons:

• Math: fact families and skip counting with seeds
• Science: sink/float observations, life cycle of pumpkin and taste test/graphing
• Literacy: pumpkin stories and vocabulary from the vine

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.

Coffee & Conversation set for Dec. 6 - Copy and past the link below to 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. https://tinyurl.com/yk8lorch

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.

Reflections Winners - Congratulations to our Reflections Winners are now moving to the county level: Eloise Garrison - 4th grade - 2 submissions in Dance Choreography & Literature (poem) Hudson Gallahan - 4th grade - Musical Composition (piano) Sheona Sheru - 3rd grade - Visual Art (oil pastel painting)

Survey Coming - Last year, parents, staff, and students (grades 3-12) took the NASSP Building Ranks Survey about our school’s culture. From November 27 through December 8, 2023, CCPS will once again be giving the Building Ranks survey to parents, staff, students (grades 3-12), and community partners. We look forward to continuing to partner with you in improving our school culture. Be on the lookout for the school-specific link that I will send out the week of November 27. We greatly value your thoughts. If you don’t wish for your child to participate in the student survey, please let us know by November 21.

College and Career Readiness - is recognized in CCPS the month of November. Our shark staff is celebrating by wearing college gear the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving Break, Nov. 20 and 21 and we are including our sharks! Our 5th graders will be displaying what careers they are interested in at our Career Wax Museum Thursday and Friday this week. We’re excited to have our 5th grade parents attend!

Turkey Trot - From Mrs. Latura We will be having our Turkey Trot again this year on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. Students will be participating during their resource time. Please send your child(ren) to school dressed appropriately to run outside. They will need running shoes and most likely a jacket. They should also bring a water bottle with them. All volunteer positions have been filled. Thank you for your support!