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This Week’s To-Do's
This Week’s Articles
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News from Across the Commonwealth
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Growing Your Own
David Molzahn, who prefers to be called Nhan Lee Molzahn, is a 2023 Regent University graduate. He was awarded a VDOE Paid Internship Scholarship that helped him complete his program successfully. For his student teaching, he had to relinquish his job as a Virginia Beach City Public Schools bus driver temporarily, and so the scholarship assistance enabled him to mitigate against the loss of income and fulfill his student teaching requirements. He is now employed at Landstown Middle School as an English teacher.
Twelve Virginia High School Seniors Recognized as 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars
This week, the Society for Science announced the top 300 scholars in the nationwide Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024 (STS), the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Twelve of the 300 scholars are students in Virginia’s schools: seven from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, one from BASIS Independent McLean and two from The Potomac School in Fairfax County, one from Mills E. Godwin High in Henrico County and one from James Madison High in Fairfax County. The scholars will be awarded $2,000 each and their schools will be awarded $2,000 for each enrolled scholar.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars were selected from 2,162 applications from 712 high schools across 46 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 10 other countries. Scholars were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and exceptional promise as STEM leaders demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays, and recommendations.
On January 24, 2024, forty of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists. The finalists will then compete for more than $1.8 million in awards during a week-long competition in Washington, D.C., taking place March 6-13.
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Dr. Lisa Coons, Superintendent of Public Instruction
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It was great to have so many of our Superintendents and School Business Leaders in Richmond this week for the VASS and VASBO conference. I enjoyed hearing about your successes and focuses for the second half of the school year. Yesterday the Governor recognized Gloucester's ALL In program and thanked Nicole McPherson, a Gloucester County mother and her daughter, for her story of how ALL In has changed her daughter's success in math. The ALL In story of Nicole’s daughter’s math success is a powerful testimony to the power of the work that you all are doing in your schools to help our kids catch up and step ahead. I was also glad that many of our Superintendent leaders from across the state could join the Governor at the speech as well.
In his State of the Commonwealth, the Governor followed up on his invitation to school superintendents and school business officials to work together with the Department of Education to provide a plan for the K-12 funding formula that focuses on students and prioritizes resources by student needs. There is a growing alignment amongst policymakers at all levels that this is a change Virginia needs to make to help our school leaders with the budget transparency and ability to plan ahead that will give you the flexibility to focus more of your resources on student’s individual needs.
This conversation is going to be moving ahead in the weeks ahead and we look forward to working with all of you as we develop a new student-based funding formula designed to help you give every Virginia student the quality education they deserve.
- Lisa
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News from our Content Specialists and Special Education
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Deadline Approaching: Nominations for the 2025 Mary V. Bicouvaris Teacher of the Year Program- Due February 8
Audience: Superintendents
Contact: Todd Reid, Assistant Superintendent of Strategic Communications, Todd.Reid@doe.virginia.gov
To honor Virginia teachers who represent the best in teaching in the Commonwealth and across the nation, all public and accredited nonpublic schools are invited to participate in the 2025 Mary V. Bicouvaris Virginia Teacher of the Year Program. The program is open to all exceptionally skilled and dedicated teachers in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, including school librarians, school counselors, technology specialists, math specialists and reading specialists, who hold a current renewable Virginia teaching license in the assigned teaching area. Additional criteria also apply.
Virginia Literary Awards Adds a New Children’s Literature Award
In partnership with William & Mary Libraries, the Library of Virginia is accepting nominations for a new award honoring excellence in the field of children’s literature with a focus on Virginia. The Children’s Virginia Literary Award will recognize picture books and middle-grade works for reading levels up to age 12, and will be presented at the Library's annual Virginia Literary Awards.
Fiction or nonfiction books by authors with a connection to Virginia and books set in Virginia are eligible for the award, which includes a $2,500 monetary prize. Nominations are due by March 31, 2024.
Nominations for the Virginia Literary Awards for fiction, nonfiction and poetry are due by March 1, 2024.
Virginia School Principals Appreciation Week January 14-20
WHEREAS, school principals work cooperatively to direct, develop, and inspire all members of the school staff and student body, and to communicate effectively with parents to engage them in the learning process; and
WHEREAS, principals serve as educational leaders, managing the policies, regulations, and procedures necessary to ensure a safe and effective learning environment for all students in Virginia’s public and private schools; and
WHEREAS, principals and teachers are entrusted with the opportunity and responsibility of guiding, directing, nurturing, mentoring, and imparting knowledge to our children while they are at school; and
WHEREAS, principals work collaboratively with teachers, staff, students, parents, and the community at-large to proactively prepare students to be self-reliant and productive citizens; and
WHEREAS, Virginia School Principals Appreciation Week is an opportunity to recognize the hard work of Virginia school principals and to recognize the importance of school leaders in ensuring that every child has access to a quality education;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize January 14-20, 2024, as VIRGINIA SCHOOL PRINCIPALS APPRECIATION WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.
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School Performance & Support
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Technical Assistance Webinar: Division Needs Assessment and Support Plan
Audience: Superintendents and Division leaders
Contact: Dr. Lisa Drzymala, School Quality Specialist, Lisa.Drzymala@doe.virginia.gov
The Office of School Quality is excited to invite division leaders from divisions with any schools having a Level 2 in Academic Achievement in English, Math and/or Science, and/or a Level 3 in any area to attend an overview of the new Division Needs Assessment and Support Plan. This 75-minute webinar will be offered on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, and Thursday, January 18, 2024. The registration links are provided below.
This technical assistance will give division leaders an overview of the division continuous improvement process with a specific focus on conducting a division needs assessment and developing a division support plan. An explanation and example will be presented during the webinar to support division leaders in completing these documents to submit to the Office of School Quality. The new Division Needs Assessment and Support Plan may meet both federal and state requirements.
VVAAS: New PD Opportunities
Audience: Superintendents, Directors and Directors of Testing/Assessment
Contact: Morri Pace, VVAAS Coordinator, Morri.Pace@doe.virginia.gov
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is sponsoring professional development events that will allow Virginia educators to build a data literacy community using Virginia Visualization and Analytics Solution (VVAAS). All registration information can be found on the VVAAS Website under PD Highlights and in the VVAAS Canvas course.
Register for the Looking at Y2 in-person statewide sessions will be held in Fairfax County (Jan. 30) and Greene County (March 5).
Get inspired during the VVAAS Implementation discussions (Jan – May). A spotlight division will provide an overview of how they have used VVAAS within their division, and participants will engage in topical breakout rooms. Thank you to Virginia Beach, Lynchburg, Nottoway, Louisa, and Henry for being spotlight divisions.
Stay current by attending VVAAS Office Hours with Morri 2024 virtual series. This series starts January 25th, 2024
Engage with Dr. John White on February 23 at 1 pm. Dr. John White is VP of SAS’ Education Visual & Analytics Solution (EVAAS) division. He brings a wealth of technical knowledge to our state and local education partners. He will provide an in-depth Q&A session on the VVAAS Growth model.
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January 11th – March 14th: Divisions register for VVAAS University (3 max per division)
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March TBD: Jumpstart webinar session (hosted by EVAAS team with Morri Pace)
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April 16th-18th: On Campus sessions - SAS Campus 100 SAS Campus Dr, Cary, NC 27513
National School Breakfast Week Events and Award
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers
Contact: Kelly Shomo, SNP Training, Program Improvement, and Grants Supervisor, Kelly.Shomo@doe.virginia.gov
VDOE encourages all schools to celebrate National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) on March 4-8, 2024. An annual event highlighting the importance of a nutritious school breakfast in fueling students for success, this special observance during the first week of March celebrates the National School Breakfast Program and the many ways it gives students a great start every day.
Leading up to NSBW, the VDOE Office of School Nutrition Programs will recognize schools for excellence in prioritizing the School Breakfast Program and making the connection to the #AttendanceMattersVA campaign. Virginia School Breakfast Awards will be given to schools implementing initiatives promoting and encouraging a nutritious start to the school day and amplifying the connection to improving school attendance. To apply, complete the Virginia School Breakfast Award application by Friday, February 2, 2024.
In addition to the Virginia School Breakfast Award, the VDOE-SNP will host the #AttendanceMattersVA: Addressing Chronic Absenteeism with School Breakfast webinar at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 22, 2024. Please register in advance for this webinar. Upon registering you will receive information for joining the webinar.
More information about NSBW, the Virginia School Breakfast Award, and the #AttendanceMattersVA webinar can be found in SNP Memo No. 2023-2024-41.
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News from the Virginia Board of Education
Public Comment on Lab School Application from James Madison University
Audience: Superintendents, Directors, School Principals, Teachers, Non-teaching staff, Parents and Students
Contact: Jim Chapman, Director of Board Relations, Jim.Chapman@doe.virginia.gov
Public comments for these applications will be accepted through 9:00 a.m. on January 25, 2024.
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