Friday Family Update - June 14, 2024
Chesterfield County Public Schools
June 14, 2024
Update on superintendent search
Update on superintendent searchAfter seeking input from students, teachers, parents, staff and community members via focus groups, interviews and an online stakeholder survey, Chesterfield County Public Schools is seeking a strong, exceptional educational leader who is engaging, collaborative, transparent and who possesses the characteristics set out in this report.
The School Board met June 11 with the firm that is helping with the process to find the next superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools. Superintendent Mervin B. Daugherty announced in April that he is retiring, and the School Board plans to appoint a new superintendent during the last week of August so they are on the job by Nov. 1.
In addition to the desired characteristics report, the School Board received the results of the online survey and a leadership profile detailing strengths and challenges of Chesterfield County Public Schools. All of the reports and more are posted on the superintendent search page. Applicants interested in applying for the job as superintendent have until July 20 to apply at this website.Summer tech support available for Chromebooks
Summer tech support is easily available for Chromebooks that aren’t working right. Chesterfield County Public Schools students keep their Chromebooks over the summer so they can continue learning via My Backpack apps for grades K-5 and ALEKs for grades 6-11.
Families who need tech support are welcome to go to any of these locations Monday-Thursday from June 24 through July 18 (closed July 4):
Chalkley Elementary library: 8-9:30 a.m.
Marguerite Christian Elementary library: 8-9:30 a.m.
Crenshaw Elementary library: 9:30-11 a.m.
Crestwood Elementary library: 9:30-11 a.m.
Ettrick Elementary library: 8-9:30 a.m.
Evergreen Elementary library: 8-9:30 a.m.
Hening Elementary library: 8-9:30 a.m.
Old Hundred Elementary library: 9:30-11 a.m.
Elizabeth Scott Elementary library: 8-9:30 a.m.
Spring Run Elementary library: 8-9:30 a.m.
Wells Elementary library: 8-9:30 a.m.
Winterpock Elementary library: 8-9:30 a.m.
Manchester Middle library: 9:30-11 a.m.
Midlothian Middle Room 412: 9:30-11 a.m.
Providence Middle library: 9:30-11 a.m.
Bird High TSA office/library: 9:30-11 a.m.
Cosby High TSA office: 9:30-11 a.m.
James River High TSA office: 9:30-11 a.m.
Matoaca High TSA office: 9:30-11 a.m.
If you are not able to visit during those tech support times, then you can set up an appointment 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday June 10-Aug. 15 (closed July 4). To set up an appointment, email this information to chromebook@ccps.incidentiq.com: student name, student number, Chromebook asset tag number, brief description of issue, time and date you would like to schedule appointment and your preferred location (choose from sites listed above).
Students in grades 1-12 who are new to Chesterfield County Public Schools can pick up Chromebooks before school starts or can wait until the start of school to get Chromebooks. Incoming kindergartners will receive their Chromebooks when school starts. If you have questions, then email helpdesk@ccpsnet.net.
VHSL Film Festival dominance
Manchester High and Clover Hill High won awards at the Virginia High School League Film Festival on June 1. High schools throughout Virginia submitted films, and only 48 films were chosen for the Film Festival: Nine of those were created by Manchester High students, and four were created by Clover Hill High students. That means almost 20% of accepted films were created in Chesterfield County Public Schools!
Manchester High had the highest number of accepted films and won the most awards:
“Have a Blast With Pressure Works” won first place in the commercial category and also won the audience choice award in that category.
“More Than Just You” won first place in the public service announcement category.
“Last Time for Everything” won the audience choice award in the narrative category.
The Clover Hill High film “Evasion” won the audience choice award in the experimental category.
Music in the Parks event at Six Flags America, where Falling Creek Middle won first place in mixed choir, first place in women’s choir and first place in men’s choir and also won the Esprit de Corps Award Music in the Parks event at Busch Gardens, where Falling Creek Middle won first place in women’s choir, first place in men’s choir, first place in jazz choir and second place in mixed choir Festival of Music at Kings Dominion, where Falling Creek Middle earned an excellent ratingHonors for Falling Creek Middle chorus
Congratulations to the Falling Creek Middle chorus! Led by chorus teacher Willie Griffin, the chorus won top recognition in several competitions, including:Swift Creek Middle students complete research on WWII suitcase
Pam Plahs and her social studies students at Swift Creek Middle have been at work since 2019 solving the secrets of a mysterious suitcase full of World War II artifacts. They started with an anonymous suitcase that included a U.S. Navy uniform and a notebook. Get the inside scoop on what happened across years of research and tracking down leads.Chesterfield County Public Schools serves summer meals
Free lunches plus fun at Wednesday farmers market: For the second summer, families will find more than fresh produce at the Chesterfield Farmers Market (6701 Mimms Loop). In partnership with local growers, Chesterfield County Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services will be at the market 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. each Wednesday through Aug. 14 serving up free lunches and fun activities for all children 18 and younger. This video shows how Wednesday meals work.
Free meals at multiple sites: At multiple summer school sites, free breakfasts and lunches will be available Monday through Thursday from June 24 through July 18, unless otherwise specified. Sites will be closed July 4. These sites are open to all children who are 1-18 years old. Meals are first come, first served and are the same for all children. Children must remain on-site while eating their meals. Children who are not attending summer school can check in at the school’s front office. Details are available online. Families can also find summer meals by texting “food” or “comida” to 304-304.
Summer hours and dates
Summer hours and datesDuring the summer, Chesterfield County Public Schools is open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and is closed on Fridays. Summer hours start June 10 and continue through Aug. 9.
Also, Chesterfield County Public Schools will be closed on June 19 and July 4.
Register your incoming kindergartner now
Kindergarten registration continues for children who will be 5 years old by Sept. 30. Online preregistration for the 2024-25 school year is available here, along with information and links to help families with the enrollment process.
Celebrating our 2024 graduates
The class of 2024 is on its way to the future, after 4,700 Chesterfield County Public Schools students graduated from 11 high schools May 20-28. This happy video shows scenes from every graduation. Full-length videos and photos from every graduation are available online:
Help students succeed and stay safe
Chesterfield County Public Schools is hiring school bus drivers during a job fair 4-6 p.m. June 26 at Manchester Middle School, 7401 Hull Street Road. Registration is encouraged but not required at this link.
Over $23 per hour starting pay
Full-time benefits and bonuses
Get paid during free training for your commercial driver’s license
School Board sets 2025-26 calendar
On June 4, the School Board adopted the 2025-26 student calendar, which includes:
178 instructional days
Two-week winter break and one-week spring break aligned with largest Region 1 school divisions
Aug. 18-19 start of school
March 30-April 3 spring break
May 29 end of school
Student calendars for the coming 2024-25 school year are available in English and Spanish on the school system’s website. Students return from summer break Aug. 19-20 for the 2024-25 school year, except for year-round school Bellwood Elementary, where students return July 22-23.
Chesterfield Mental Health Support Services offers help
Upcoming classes will cover understanding young children (six virtual sessions), ADHD (four in-person sessions), adult mental health first aid (one virtual session) and parenting teens and tweens (five virtual sessions). This flyer offers class details. The department also provides individualized consultations for parents and families on topics such as parenting stress, effective discipline, managing strong feelings and more. Details about consultations are available here.
Resources for mental health and counseling services
This video offers helpful information for families about mental health and counseling resources. The providers in this video participated in a Spring Into Wellness event earlier, then helped create this virtual fair. Watch for information (in this order) from:
Richmond Center for Eating and Anxiety Disorders
Comfort Zone Camp
Soaring for Change
Circle of Wellness
A Peace of Mind Counseling Services
Chesterfield County Mental Health Department
Healing Sounds
Family Services
Brothers’ Keeper
Positive Paths Wellness Coaching
T.R.I.N.I.T.Y.
Rush Community Group
Healing Circle Counseling
Sources of Strength
The Light Beyond Supportive Services
HCA Tucker Pavilion Behavioral Health Services
Be SMART
Commonwealth Autism
My Spectrum Counseling and Coaching
Every Age Every Stage
Fig Tree Therapy
Chesterfield County Mental Health Support Services
Hidden Roots Mental Health
Be sure to complete special education survey about parent involvement
Parents of school-age children and youth with disabilities who receive special education services are asked to complete the Virginia Department of Education parent involvement survey. The annual survey is open through Dec. 13. Please complete one survey for each of your children who received special education services in the 2023-24 school year. You can access the 13-question survey at these links:
Parents have online access to frequently asked questions (scroll to “indicator 8” for information about the parent involvement survey). Parents also have online access to printable versions of the survey in English and the survey in Spanish. If you have questions, then email Chiquita Seaborne or call 804-418-4672.
