Good afternoon, 

This year, we proudly mark 100 years since the origins of Black History Month, a centennial milestone that reminds us of the lasting importance of honoring Black history, culture, and achievement.  

Black History Month is a time to recognize the extraordinary contributions African Americans have made to the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the stories, voices, and experiences that have gone untold in our classrooms. 

I am deeply grateful to our educators, schools, and districts for the many ways they bring Black history to life for students both during February and throughout the year. By lifting up the stories of Black history in our classrooms, you help students better understand our shared past and inspire them to shape a more inclusive future. 

Thank you for everything you do. Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy February. 

In gratitude, 

Jenna Conway 

Due to extreme weather conditions and resulting school closures across the Commonwealth, the deadline for 2027 Virginia Teacher of the Year portfolio applications has been extended to Wednesday, February 18, at 4 p.m.  

The Mary V. Bicouvaris 2027 Virginia Teacher of the Year Program celebrates educators who exemplify the highest standards of teaching across the Commonwealth and the nation. This prestigious program provides school divisions with an opportunity to honor exceptional teachers and shine a positive spotlight on the teaching profession. Each division superintendent is invited to nominate one outstanding teacher for consideration. 

The locally selected Teacher of the Year will complete a portfolio application using the online platform SurveyMonkey Apply (SMApply). Teachers may collaborate with their Superintendent or designee by sharing their electronic application. The portfolio will include school information, educational history and professional development activities, essays, letters of support, Recommendations from the Superintendent and Principal, signatures, and acknowledgements. Applications cannot be submitted until all required components and signatures are received. 

All applications must be submitted via SMApply by Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 4 p.m. EST.  For eligibility criteria, a preview of the application, and access to the SMApply portal, visit the Virginia Teacher of the Year Application and Qualifications website. 

Contact TeacheroftheYear@doe.virginia.gov with any questions. Let’s celebrate the educators who inspire, lead, and elevate teaching and learning every day! 

The Virginia Department of Education is conducting a secondary data collection for teachers who are pursuing initial certification or maintenance of certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and employed in Title I or Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools.  

School divisions are required to submit names of eligible classroom teachers and requested funding amount based on the below funding criteria via the new National Board Certification Incentive Award – Prep (NBCIA-P) application in the Single Sign-on for Web Services (SSWS) by Friday, March 6, 2026.  

Contingent upon availability of funding: 

• Individuals pursuing initial national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards could be eligible to receive funding to cover (a) half of the total initial national certification fee, equal to the sum of the cost of the four components and the registration fee for initial national certification to be disbursed upon initial registration for such certification and (b) the remaining half of such total initial national certification upon initial national certification fee to be disbursed upon successful achievement of initial national certification as verified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.  
• Individuals pursuing Maintenance Of Certification (MOC) from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards could be eligible to receive funding to cover the total MOC fee, equal to the sum of the cost of MOC and the registration fee for MOC, to be disbursed upon successful completion of the MOC process as verified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. 

All school divisions have an SSWS Administrator who can assign the application to the appropriate individual in order to complete the data collection.  

On January 27, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) shared with the Virginia Department of Education the 2024 U.S. Census data that will be used to calculate the FFY 2026 (school year 2026-2027) Title I, Part A, preliminary allocations to local educational agencies (LEAs). There are two reasons that USED provides these data: 

1. To allow localities to verify the accuracy of the school district boundary survey on which the data are based; and 
2. To estimate eligibility and allocations for the four Title I, Part A formulas. 

Please closely review the following attachments to this correspondence: 

• Attachment A: Memorandum from USED containing additional information related to the definition of non-statistical errors; 
• Attachment B: Virginia Census 2024 Listed by LEA; and 
• Attachment C: 2023 and 2024 U.S. Census data by state for comparison purposes.  

An LEA that determines the U.S. Census estimates are incorrect may contact the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) Branch of the Census Bureau at (301) 763-3193 or sehsd.saipe@census.gov no later than Friday, March 27, 2026. When sending an email, include your name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and organization affiliation.  

More information and guidance concerning the Census Bureau’s challenge procedures is available in the Contact Section of the U.S. Census Bureau Website. Information about the data sources and the methodology used to prepare these data is available in the Programs and Surveys Section of the U.S. Census Bureau Website. 

If you would like to designate a division contact to receive further information on this grant, please update the Direct Student Services (DSS) contact information in SSWS. 

The History and Social Science program is proud to announce a new professional development series highlighting Virginia educators who presented at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Conference in December 2025. These phenomenal educators will review K-12 history and social science content and spotlight pedagogy and best practices, including inquiry-based learning. The spotlight series will feature educators from school divisions and museums and will run through May 2026. Please use this link to register for the session.    

Title: With (Micro)-Inquiry for All: Scaffolding Historical Thinking in the Classroom
Presenters: Christopher Mathews and Kari Miller (Norfolk Public Schools)
Date: February 18, 2026 
Time and Audience: 

• Division Leads and Contacts: 10-11 a.m. 
• Classroom Teaches: 3-4 p.m.    

For instructional support and information, please contact the History and Social Science Program at vdoe.hss@doe.virginia.gov. 

The Virginia Department of Education is seeking applications for participation on the committee that will review the Health Education and Family Life Education Standards of Learning. This review ensures Virginia's standards remain current, research-based, and aligned with best practices in health education. 

Committee members will analyze existing standards, explore relevant research, and review public comments to develop recommendations for the Virginia Board of Education. The review process is expected to take place between March 2026 and September 2026. 

We encourage applications from educators and stakeholders with expertise in health education and family life education including K-12 health and physical education teachers, school division supervisors and coordinators, school administrators, higher education faculty, health professionals with school health experience, and parents or community members with interest in health education. More details about the review process can be found in the application. 

Applications are due by March 6, 2026. To apply, complete this Application.  

For questions about the review process or application requirements, contact Jennifer Vedder, Coordinator for Health, Family Life, Physical, & Driver Education, at jennifer.vedder@doe.virginia.gov. 

The History and Social Science team will host virtual office hours to assist school divisions with history and social science instruction, resources, pedagogy, or other areas of note within history and social science education. Office hours will occur bi-monthly starting in February, then once a month starting May 2026. Please use this link to attend the sessions. 

Dates and Times for Office Hours:  

• Division History and Social Science Leaders and School Leaders: Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 11 a.m.-Noon 
• Classroom Teachers: Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 3-4 p.m.  
• Division History and Social Science Leaders and School Leaders: Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 11 a.m.-Noon 
• Classroom Teachers: Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 3-4 p.m. 

The VDOE Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs is hosting a live webinar on Thursday, February 26, 2026, from 2–3:30 p.m. 

Get ready for summer 2026 rural non-congregate meal service! The webinar will cover: 

• Federal regulations 
• Application requirements 
• Best practices for program integrity 
• Strategies for maximizing rural non-congregate meal services 

School Food Authorities and community organizations planning to operate rural non-congregate meal services this summer should plan to attend 

Registration is open! After signing up, you’ll receive a confirmation email with details to join the webinar. 

The Virginia Department of Education, Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs is releasing information on the state-funded State Lunch Match used to support school lunch programs. 

Federal regulations at 7 CFR 210.7 require states to appropriate a minimum amount of state funds as reimbursement to school divisions participating in the National School Lunch Program. The required minimum annual funding for Virginia is $5,801,932. 

The reimbursement amount for each public school division is listed in SCNP (Dir.). Memo #2025-2026-25, Attachment A, State Lunch Match Payments for Fiscal Year 2026. The FY26 state lunch reimbursement will be paid on February 6, 2026, via the electronic data interchange (EDI). These funds must be credited to the school nutrition nonprofit food service account and will be identified on the EDI notice as “School Lunch Program-State Match” with project code APE70250.  

For more information, please review SCNP (Dir.) Memo #2025-2026-25.