Articles of Interest
Schools in Central Virginia are prepping for vaccine distribution for kids 5-11
Montgomery County school system eases up on student quarantine practices
Schools highlight recent strides in career technical education, work-related offerings
Richmond and Henrico Health Districts partnering with schools to offer COVID-19 vaccination clinics
School system collaboration will help improve technology in Southwest Virginia schools
VDOE Updates
Did You Know?
VDOE joins the Virginia Academy of School Psychologists and the National Association of School Psychologists in celebrating National School Psychology Week next week, November 8-12, 2021. The acronym GEAR: Grow, Engage, Advocate, and Rise is this year’s theme, “Let’s Get in GEAR,” challenges us to grow both personally and professionally. It encourages us to engage in best practices, and advocate for children’s access to mental health and learning supports. Find out more information about how you can recognize and celebrate National School Psychology Week from VDOE.
National Science Foundation PAEMST Interest Webinar Series
These webinars are for teachers of mathematics and science who are interested in applying for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Beginning November 9, webinars will be hosted throughout the cycle to provide information about the application, tips from alumni, and answer questions. Find out more today!
NSTA Webinars
These free webinars are live professional learning experiences that allow participants to interact with nationally acclaimed experts. On November 17 at 7:00 p.m., the seminar title is Engaging Students in Three Dimensional Learning with Science Notebooks.
Ed. Department Updates
5–11-Year-Old Vaccinations
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially recommended that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNtech pediatric vaccine. This recommendation comes after months and months of rigorous review and the FDA’s decision to authorize emergency use of the vaccine for children. This is an exciting moment in our fight against the virus. After 18 months of a pandemic, parents have long awaited this day.
The COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to keep your child safe and protect them against COVID-19, including the Delta variant. Kids are being infected with COVID-19, occasionally leading to serious illness and even death in certain cases. Even if your child doesn’t get severely ill, they could be diagnosed with what is known as “long COVID” and face long-term health consequences or pass the virus on to others.
Beginning the week of November 8th, the pediatric vaccination program will be fully up and running, and parents will have approximately 20,000 trusted and convenient locations to get their children vaccinated with more sites coming online in the weeks ahead.
The Department of Education, alongside the Department of Health and Human Services are supporting schools and communities with setting up vaccine solutions that work best for families including hosting thousands of school located vaccine clinics, matching school districts to local pharmacy providers, and supporting strong collaboration between schools, families and local pediatricians and children’s hospitals. To learn more about getting vaccinated or standing up a vaccine clinic at your school or community, visit www.vaccines.gov.
