VDOE News Release - Parent Registration for K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants Now Open
The Virginia Department of Education is now accepting applications from parents for tutoring microgrants for their children through Governor Glenn Youngkin’s K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants program. Youngkin created the program to help Virginia families address the impact of the pandemic on student learning.
The $30 million program provides $1,500 grants to parents of school-age children for tutoring in English, mathematics, science and history, as well as foreign languages required to meet diploma requirements. Children from homes with family incomes at 300% or less of the federal poverty level may qualify for $3,000 grants. Grants may also be used for support services such as speech language pathology and reading interventions.
Read more at VDOE
Summer Food Services Program
Amelia County Public Schools is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals
will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of
race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability or
age, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be
provided, on a first come, first serve basis, at the sites and times as follows: (please see the attached document for more information)
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Amelia-SFSP - Media Release - Summer 2023 - Updated.pdf
ACPS Letter to the Community
Dear ACPS Community,
When a mistake has been made within an organization it is important not only to make any necessary corrections but to identify what happened and why. This means investigating the concern, conducting research on the matter, contacting a variety of sources, and contacting appropriate officials.
An annual school board retreat is a common practice among Virginia school divisions. While this practice was often a much more elaborate event than today's sessions, the events often involved training sessions conducted by the Virginia School Board Association or other entity. It was recently brought to the attention of ACPS that our annual school board retreat sessions should have been conducted in the same manner in which all other official meetings are conducted.
ACPS posts an annual calendar of school board events on our website. One of the events on this calendar is the annual school board retreat. The retreat is an event during which principals and directors share information about their school year and goals for the upcoming year. It is strictly an informational session. No decisions are made or voted upon.
The investigation of the concern brought to ACPS yielded the following:
- The school board retreat has been a regular item on the annual school board meeting agenda publicly approved and posted on the ACPS website.
- A few years ago, the board clerk recorded information from the retreat one year and then did not the following year.
- The board clerks who replaced this person followed information in Board Docs creating meeting agendas and minutes when there had been ones in the past, not realizing the annual school board retreat had not been noted.
- The absence of documentation in Board Docs and meeting minutes appears to have been unintentional.
ACPS realizes that school board retreat agendas and minutes were handled incorrectly in the past and apologizes. ACPS is taking the following action to address this unintentional oversight.
- Contacted the Virginia FOIA Council to report the situation and address steps to correct the matter.
- The upcoming school board retreat agenda will be posted in Board Docs in accordance with established requirements.
- The agendas for the school board retreat for the past three years will be shared. A common agenda has been used.
- Board clerks who are current with their FOIA training, will retrain on FOIA requirements.
Thank you for your continued support of Amelia County Public Schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lori Harper
Superintendent
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ACPS Letter to the Community
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Retreat Agenda 2020
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Retreat Agenda 2021
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Retreat Agenda 2022
Region 8 Fuel Oil Bid
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Region8FuelBidDocs.pdf
SEL Curriculum Update and Stakeholder Survey for Federal Program Grants
The Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) committee has been meeting over the last seven months to support strategy three of the school division's five year strategic plan. The committee has selected Positive Action as the SEL resource to move forward for stakeholder review. Preview kits will be available at each of the schools for the next few weeks.
Positive Action has the CASEL SELect designation which " indicates that a program demonstrates evidence of effectiveness at improving student outcomes at the highest level, supports students' social and emotional growth through all five competencies, and offers multi-year programming". If you would like to visit the CASEL website to gain more information, please use the following link:
https://pg.casel.org/positive-action/
Once you have had an opportunity to review the resources, please complete the short survey to provide your feedback:
https://forms.gle/MSYX39KHenUf58Qs7
We hope you find the attached materials describing Positive Action as informative.
Each year, Amelia County Public Schools (ACPS)completes an application for federal funds including Title I, II, III, and IV funds. To help us understand the perceived needs of the community, we are soliciting stakeholder input. Please review and answer each question providing your personal feedback based on the information provided. Answers should reflect your personal experience and include relevant information on how ACPS has used the funding received and the impact on achievement and student overall well-being.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScznvMmMptQoxtE1KJZJ-momsISLmD7JZ5dd4Y0Pjq-c2fCKw/viewform?usp=sf_link
We appreciate you taking the time to review the SEL curriculum information and complete the federal programs survey.
"Engage Virginia" : FREE Academic Recovery and Coaching Program for K-12 Students
The Virginia Department of Education has partnered with Graduation Alliance to provide an extra layer of support for K-12 students (and their families) to help them be their best in and out of today’s classroom.
Families who choose to participate in the program will be assigned an Academic Success Coach who will help them navigate academic and life challenges.
Engage Virginia is state-funded and completely free to students.
Participating students and families are assigned an Academic Success Coach to help them navigate the program and access online and in-person services, including:
* Academic Resources
* Referrals for community services
* 24/7 Academic Tutoring
* Homework Assistance
* Motivational Coaching
* Study and Time Management Skills Coaching
* Test Preparation
* Feedback on Resumes and Cover Letters
* Encouragement and Motivation
*Educational Resources and Exercises to help Strengthen Reading and Math Skills
* And so much more!
To register your student and receive additional information, Please visit:
https://registerva.graduationalliance.com/
Amelia County Public Schools Governance Team Earns VSBA Master Board Designation
Amelia, VA - The Amelia County Public Schools Board and Superintendent recently earned the designation of a VSBA Master Board. The Team attended four sessions totaling over twenty hours of professional development beginning in September and ending on Dec 9, 2022. The Discussions, facilitated by staff of the Virginia School Boards Association, focused on team building, improving communication, listening, and board building behaviors. Read the full press release below:
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VSBA Master Board Designation Press Release
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VSBA Master Board Designation Photo
Amelia County Public Schools is recognized by Niche.com as one of the top 10 school divisions in the Richmond area through their list of the 2023 Best School Districts in America.
Amelia Teachers and Staff Make a Difference
The Virginia Department of Education is releasing two sets of data. The first data to be released includes raw test score data from the spring of this year (2022). This data is listed on School Quality Profiles. The second set of data to be released in mid-September is accreditation data. Accreditation data includes student growth, recovery, and English learner data. The past two years have been challenging for students, teachers, and staff. It is widely known that student achievement suffered as a result of schools closing in March 2020, students attending school only 2-4 days per week during the 2020-2021 school year, and quarantine restrictions on students (up to as many as 24 days) over the past two years. Over 1,000 students (more than 60% of our students) missed 10 days or more of school last year due to isolation or quarantine.
Amelia County Public Schools is proud of the growth made by students last year, even with quarantine restrictions in place. Our teachers and staff have worked diligently to support student growth and achievement. The pandemic has taken years of learning from students and recovery isn’t going to happen overnight. It will take years. We are on a growth trajectory, accelerating learning to the greatest extent possible. Our students are thriving being back in school fulltime, and we are excited about continuing to support the growth of each student as they overcome any learning loss that may have occurred. Please join with us in thanking our teachers and staff for the work they’ve done, and continue to do, for our Amelia students.
Public Comment - Use of Pandemic Relief Funding for Amelia County Public Schools - ARP Act
Amelia County Public Schools (ACPS) is seeking public comment on the use of grant funds under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund. ACPS requests input from the public on how funds retained at the local level should be used to assist in mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on teaching and learning. Commenters may wish to provide input on how students' academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs should be addressed, particularly for student groups that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
The current plan (
Amelia ARP ESSER LEA Plan) is located on the division's webpage under the tab labeled "COVID Response". Public comment will be accepted via Google Survey at
https://forms.gle/Ur9jNhfjci9yoQ3h6 or by emailing Dr. Jan Medley, Director of Student Services, at
[email protected] with the words "Public Comment" on the subject line. Input provided will inform potential amendments to the local ARP ESSER grant application
ACPS Named Among Top Schools & Universities by Virginia Living
RICHMOND, VA. March 14, 2022—The editorial staff of Virginia Living magazine is pleased to name Amelia County Public Schools to its 2022 list of Top Schools & Universities.
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Press Release Document