Articles of Interest
Virginia senate passes bill requiring AEDs in public schools
Lynchburg school board discusses superintendent’s plan to boost pay
Prince Edward students are constantly absent. What’s the solution? | Farmville
Mental health courses could be required in all Va. public schools – WTOP News
How Central Va. districts are responding to weapons being brought inside schools
Powhatan School Board fine tunes policy
Lynchburg City School Board votes to keep opt-out policy for sexually explicit content | WSET
Education savings account bills fail in both House and Senate – Virginia Mercury
Roanoke County school system scraps equity position
CCS board endorses collective bargaining –
DOE Updates
Black History Month
The VDOE Office of Humanities History Program encourages instructional programming that highlights Black history that extends beyond the twenty-eight days, to create a year-round interdisciplinary approach. For deeper connections, instruction should aim to engage students, teachers, parents, and the community at large and provide opportunities for all to enhance their understanding of the role of African Americans in helping to build America. National and Virginia organizations have provided resources to support instruction including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Library of Congress, Library of Virginia, and the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia among many others.
English Learner Instructional Trainers
VDOE is looking for Virginia educators and leaders to develop and provide professional learning opportunities that will support effective English Learner instruction within the five Language Instruction Education Program (LIEP) models. For more information see Superintendent’s Memo 008-23 or contact Jo-el Cox, Coordinator of English Learner Instruction.
Canvas’s Training Services Portal Weekly Sessions
Educators can participate in training sessions each week via Canvas’s Training Services Portal. To find any of the sessions listed below, first make sure you are logged into your Canvas account. The upcoming hour-long sessions are appropriate for Division and School Leaders, Statewide LMS Admin, Instructors, and Support. Sessions include:
2/9 at 5:30 p.m.: Managing Assessments with New Quizzes
2/10 at 10:00 a.m.: Canvas for Performance-Based Assessment
2/13 at 4:00 p.m.: Gradebook and SpeedGrader
2/14 at 4:00 p.m.: Leveraging Modules
2/15 at 11:30 a.m.: Training Your Faculty and Staff
Virginia Humanities K-12 Fellowship
The Virginia Humanities is currently seeking six educators to join a new K-12 Fellowship scheduled to begin in April 2023. The cohort will consist of educators from across the state and will bring a wide range of humanities curriculum focus, from the elementary level to the high school level, allowing them to design new learning experiences that are easily accessible for both a physical classroom and remote use. Apply by March 3!
Blue Skies Free Blended Learning Workshop Series
The series features 16 online workshops designed specifically for K–12 instructors, leaders, and support personnel in Virginia public school divisions. Participants will learn how to incorporate blended learning methods into their professional practice and leverage the Virtual Virginia’s Statewide LMS (Canvas LMS) in face-to-face instruction. Sessions are led by blended learning expert and Instructure Principal Learning Consultant, Evette Davis. Register for the first workshop, Growth Mindset with Blended Learning Registration, held on February 9 at 3 pm. Contact Steven Sproles, Professional Learning Coordinator with questions.
VDOE New Resource Hubs
Three new resource hubs are available the VDOE. Each hub contains content and resources to help Virginia educators support their learners. Each is set up as a separate Canvas professional learning “course,” but there are no required learning activities to complete. Join one or more of the following today: VDOE English Learner Central 2022-2023, VDOE High-Quality Work-Based Learning 2022-2023, VDOE World Languages Hub 2022-2023. Because these are resource hubs, rather than a professional learning courses, no certificate of completion is awarded. Contact Virtual Virginia’s professional learning coordinator, Steven Sproles with any questions.
