What a great opening week of school! Welcoming signs. Welcoming staff. Caring community partners. Engaged parents and families. And, did we mention the Blue Angels? Take a look at some photos captured by school media liaisons and school division staff. We hope next week is just as amazing!
Many schools took staff photos to mark the beginning of a new school year, including Salem Middle School’s staff members who were ready to kick off a “FINtastic” new school year.
School marquees throughout the city conveyed excitement about students returning to school Tuesday, Sept. 6.
Driving students on the roads to success are the division’s bus drivers. The division’s fleet of nearly 600 buses was back on the road, Tuesday, Sept. 6. Drivers travel tens of thousands of miles daily to get students to and from school.
Welcoming students the first day of school at Shelton Park Elementary School were bubbles…and helping hands.
Shelton Park also had welcoming sidewalk messages to point students in the direction of a great new year!
Eleven staff members at Kempsville Elementary School have children at the school this year. Some of them gathered for a KES family photo on the first day.
Army National Guard SSG Jeffrey Smithwick greeted Green Run Elementary School third grader Alexa Yerro as she arrived to school.
This is the 14th year that the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office has greeted Kempsville Meadows Elementary School students on the first day of school.
Parkway Elementary School kindergarten assistant Anissa Craig welcomed Kiyah Smith to her first day of elementary school.
Carter Assmus was equally excited to start kindergarten at Princess Anne Elementary School.
Arrowhead Elementary School kindergartners and families were all smiles as well.
Red Mill Elementary School teachers were dressed in their best for the first day!
This Brickell Academy at Old Donation School student was ready for day No. 1 of the 2016-17 school year.
A younger sibling was disappointed to say good-bye to his sister at Kempsville Elementary School.
Landstown High School’s custodians greeted visitors with smiles on the first day of school.
Alanton Elementary School principal Charlene Garran joined morning announcement anchors Madeleine Keogh and Eliana Perkins to welcome students back to school.
Students in the pre-kindergarten class at White Oaks Elementary School explored the kitchen in their new classroom.
Princess Anne Middle School Panthers on the Tropics core enjoyed their first day.
Students at Independence Middle School shared their thoughts on respect in a first-day activity.
Hermitage Elementary School is “Shining a Light on Learning” this year, and staff members’ handwritten notes on a lighthouse in the school foyer shared hopeful messages for the new school year.
Denise Adams and Lisa Ziegler were ready for students to take advantage of the makerspace in the library media center at Providence Elementary School. A new challenge will be posted every month for each grade level. The September challenge is to create an object that floats. Students in upper grades have to construct an object that will hold at least 100 grams of weight without sinking.
Missing the first day of school was Rosemont Forest Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Brad Ward. But he had a good excuse – taking flight with the Blue Angels. Ward snapped this selfie from high above the Virginia Beach oceanfront in the back of a F-18/A Hornet.
Bevin Reinen also took flight with the Blue Angels Sept. 6. The professional learning specialist in the Office of Professional Growth and Innovation had a spectacular view!
Soldiers from Ft. Story volunteered their time at Alanton Elementary School the first week of school. They greeted students and families on the first day and assisted with instructional activities throughout the week.
On Friday, Sept. 9, Luxford Elementary School got a front lawn makeover thanks to a team of Day of Caring volunteers from Lombart Instruments sent by the United Way. Home Depot donated the flowers and plants and Taylor’s Do It Center donated the soil.
The school week also closed with all VBCPS fifth-graders visiting NAS Oceana for a STEM lab day as part of the military installation’s annual air show. Students visited various stations to participate in hands-on STEM activities, talked with military personnel about their jobs and watched several flight demonstrations. View more photos and videos on the VBSchools Facebook page.
The We Are VBSchools blog was updated this week with more photos and stories from VBCPS students and staff. View new entries daily at vbcpsblogs.com/WeAreVBSchools/.
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