Recently Added – Page 20

Read the new and ongoing initiatives for 2014-15

The Department of School Leadership (DOSL) has compiled the list of new and ongoing initiatives for the school division for this school year. This document not only outlines the programs and initiatives planned for the year, but it also indicates which school level will be affected and which initiatives are mandated by the Virginia Department…

Changes to standards-based grading practices for 2014-2015

Elementary school teachers will see changes in the way student performance is assessed and communicated to parents this year due to modifications made to the standards-based grading system. Teacher focus groups, surveys and parent input have contributed to the changes which were put in place over the summer. One significant change is the way in…

Employee survey results available

Approximately 47 percent of Virginia Beach City Public schools (VBCPS) staff took part in the 2014 Employee Survey, which was opened earlier this year. And, administration is taking in the vast feedback they received from it. “Leadership will continue to review, analyze and address information shared by employees,” Chief Human Resources Officer John Mirra told…

Partners, volunteers and mentors support student success

Looking for resources to support students in your classroom? You’ve welcomed your students to a new school year, distributed books, reviewed expectations and completed initial assessments to learn exactly where to begin to meet the educational needs of each child. You’ve developed creative, interactive lesson plans that infuse technology and critical thinking to ensure that…

ReadiStep assessment to be implemented in eighth-grade

Eighth-grade teachers be advised a new assessment is being introduced to replace EXPLORE. Called ReadiStep, the assessment is a product of the College Board and is aligned with the PSAT and SAT. It is designed to measure the skills students have and the skills they still need to develop in order to be on track…

Welcome back: A message from the superintendent

And so it begins! A new school year is upon us and our students will be entering our buildings Tuesday with hopes, fears, challenges and the promise of bright futures. I know you are as excited as I am to see our hallways and classrooms filled with eager young faces and minds ready to be…

Kempsville Elementary has busloads of excitement to start the school year

Kempsville Elementary School (KES) teachers and staff members took a playful spin on the typical back to school photo by taking it in front of a VBCPS school bus while donning KES colors, blue and orange. The classrooms are bright and ready, just like the educators who have been preparing all week to start the new…

Independence staff welcomed back with food truck treats

After a week of preparing for the new school year, Independence Middle School staff members enjoyed a BBQ luncheon and frosty treat from the schools’ Administrative Team. All agree that it will be the best school year ever! Tell your friends! Follow us!

You are invited to a welcome celebration for Dr. Spence

The Virginia Beach School Board is inviting all Virginia Beach staff members and their families to come meet our new superintendent, Dr. Aaron Spence, at a special picnic event Saturday, Sept. 27 from 12 to 2 p.m. at Green Run High School. Tell your friends! Follow us!

Marable pens award-winning thesis

Dr. Steve Marable was recently recognized by The International Society for Educational Planning (ISEP) for his dissertation, “Green Schools – The Implementation and Practices of Environmental Education in LEED and USED Green Ribbon Public Schools in Virginia.” His research study earned the 2014 Outstanding Dissertation Award. Each year, ISEP recognizes outstanding dissertations related to all aspects…

Congratulations to the 2014-15 Tagged By The Superintendent recipients

Fall 2014: Joyce Halstead, Adult Learning Center Kathy Sargent, Advanced Technology Center Coleen Bonney, Alanton Elementary School Sue Carroll, Arrowhead Elementary School Darnell Wilson, Bayside Sixth-Grade Campus Patricia Waller, Bayside Elementary School Sam Hamilton, Bayside High School Andrew Wynn, Bayside Middle School Kerri Paul, Bettie F. Williams Elementary School Gail Hinson, Birdneck Elementary School Goldie…

2014-15 I Make A Difference Award Winners

June Bayside Middle – Hazel Gains, Alexis Downham, Helen Ryan Glenwood Elementary – Theresa Rywalt, Ary Muise, Betsy Harvell, Angelique Powell, Jill Green Larkspur Middle – Ricky Caffee, Virgo “George” Pillega Salem Middle – Lisa Hess May Bayside Middle – Francis Melvin , Alison Acosta, Christine Webster, Constance Keys, Wickie Riggens Brandon Middle – Michelle…

Headlines 2014-15: Virginia Beach staff in the news

Check out the following staff members who have authored or been featured in recent publications: Ocean Lakes High School principal Dr. Cheryl Askew and former Citywide Teacher of the Year Carrie Gantt were featured in the latest Regent University publication, Impact. VBCPS Sustainability Officer Tim Cole co-authored a chapter in a recently published book, “Marketing the…

Bravo to VBCPS staff earning new academic and professional achievements

Congratulations to VBCPS staff who have earned new licenses, degrees and certifications this year: Theresa Rywalt and Tara Aperauch, from Glenwood Elementary, have earned their Educational Leadership certificate. They have passed their SLLA, the state exam for administration, and are pursuing their EdS in Educational Leadership with a completion date of May 2015. Dr. Joy…

Tallwood Elementary throws down the ice bucket challenge

Tallwood Elementary threw down the ice gauntlet, as it were, when staff members took part in the popular Ice Bucket Challenge, raising money for ALS research. The school challenged staff members from Tallwood High, Three Oaks Elementary and Centerville Elementary to follow suit. See the chilly start of the challenge here! Tallwood High School took…

Battle of the Buildings competition for five new schools

This post was written by Jim Morris, assistant director of environmental and energy management for the school division. Five schools will be participating in this year’s “Battle of the Buildings,” an ENERGY STAR program that is a take off the “Biggest Loser”-type competition. The “weight” that is being measured is the energy weight of each…

Wave City Care to honor PAHS teacher

Saturday, the campus of Princess Anne High School will be taken over by more than 400 volunteers taking part in the third annual Extreme School Makeover. However, among the hundreds who will be at school that day, one will be on everyone’s mind. During the day’s lunch break, volunteers from Wave City Care, a non-profit…

Schools resume normal operating schedule Monday

Virginia Beach City Public Schools will resume its normal operating schedule Monday, Aug. 18. During the summer months, the school division operated under a four-day work week with extended hours. Monday, the school division will resume its normal school schedule with the School Administration Building open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.…

VB teachers take summer trip back to the 1700s

Three Virginia Beach teachers had the opportunity to go back in time to the colonial era for a fun-filled week of insight, education and professional development at the 2014 Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Summer Teacher Institute. Ashley Francisco, a fifth-grade teacher at Brookwood Elementary, Corinne Wolfe-Cornwell, a fifth-grade teacher at Windsor Oaks Elementary, and Tammy Quent, a fifth-grade teacher…

Stewart earns prestigious credentials

The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) has certified Diane Stewart as a Certified Supervisor of Pupil Transportation (CSPT). Stewart, a transportation area supervisor for Virginia Beach, was subject to an objective peer review of her education, career experience and achievement in the field of pupil transportation operations as well as a rigorous job-specific written examination that…