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Connections

Volume 4, Issue 7 | March 2025

ConnectionsVolume 4, Issue 7 | March 2025

A Message from the Superintendent

Looking Forward to 2025-26

Dear students, staff, families and community members,


Happy spring! I hope you have been able to get outside and enjoy the somewhat-warmer weather we've been having lately.


As happens every spring, we are now in the thick of developing our 2025-26 budget. For the last several months, ACPS staff have been working to develop a budget for the next fiscal year and for the next few weeks will be sharing the draft funding request with our School Board. Once the Board approves the request, School Board members will share the it with the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors as they prepare the county budget for the upcoming year.


This year, one of our high-priority proposals is investment in our special education program. As you may have seen in our ACPS to Expand Intensive Support Center in 2025-26 Community Message, we are working to expand our Intensive Support Center at Ivy Creek to support students with significant emotional and behavioral needs and provide them with high-quality, specialized services locally, rather than relying on external placements. We will also be able to create needed instructional space for our Post High program.


To successfully expand this program, budgetarily we will need to:


  • Increase compensation for special education instructional assistants will ensure that we can recruit and retain dedicated professionals who provide essential daily support to students with disabilities.
  • Augment contingency staffing for special education, allowing schools to be more responsive to the needs of students as enrollment and service demands fluctuate.
  • Expand special education services within the Scholars Pathway program, to increase access to career and post-secondary exploration opportunities for students with disabilities.


To learn more about this year's draft funding request and to keep up to date with our budgeting process, visit our 2025-26 Budget Development web page.


Dr. Matthew Haas

Superintendent
Check out Dr. Haas' weekly check-in with staff!

In Case You Missed It

A lot has happened this month! Here's what we think is important to know:

ACPS In the News

Catch a roundup of our news coverage in the month of February!

Portrait of an ACPS Staff Member

Check out our two most recent Portraits of ACPS Staff Members! Michelle Stanislaus, Lead Bus Driver, is creating a family within her team and Megan Washburn, Equity Specialist, is bringing pickleball to the ACPS community!

Community Information Session: 2025 Summer Programming Opportunities

If you weren't able to catch our Community Information Session about programming opportunities for this summer, a recording of the stream is available on our YouTube channel.

This Month's Video Highlight

How Inclement Weather Decisions are Made Related to ACPS School Closings and Delays

Monthly Calendar

Important Dates

Monday, March 17

Monday, March 17, is now a regular school day for students.

Friday, March 28

Professional Development Day for staff. No school for students.

Monday, March 31 - Friday, April 4

Spring Break. No school for students.

Upcoming Events and Meetings

Thursday, March 6

School Board Budget Work Session, 6:30 p.m. in Lane Auditorium

Monday, March 10

Talent Development Advisory Committee Meeting, 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday, March 12

Long Range Planning Advisory Committee Meeting, 6 p.m.

Thursday, March 13

Regular School Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. in Lane Auditorium

Sunday, march 16

Swing into Spring Concert, 7 p.m. at the Paramount Theater

Thursday, March 27

School Board Budget Work Session, 6:30 p.m. in Lane Auditorium

Monthly Observances

Sunday, March 2: NEA's Read Across America Day

Monday, March 7 to Friday, March 7: National School Breakfast Week

March is VSBA Students and Schools in Challenging Environments Month, Music in Our Schools Month, Women's History Month, and Developmental Disabilities Month.

Upcoming Events of Note

Event Information

Family Partners in Special Education: Empowering Families. Transforming Futures!

Join the ACPS Special Education Department for an informative and energizing conference dedicated to building partnerships between families and educators in special education. Learn more about this conference with this informational flyer and register to attend!

When?

Saturday, Mar 1, 2025, 08:30 AM

Where?

Charlottesville Area Technical Education Center, Rio Road East, Charlottesville, VA, USA

location_on Open maps

2025 Senior Day

Ready to level up after graduation? Join us on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, to connect with local business and organizations, kickstart your career, and unlock the secrets of adulting in the greater Charlottesville Area! Don't miss out! Learn more on our 2025 Senior Day web page.

Swing into Spring

On Sunday, March 16, at 7 p.m. at the Paramount Theater, the AHS Jazz Ensemble will hold a benefit concert for Ready Kids. More information and tickets are available at albemarleband.org.

Life After High School Transition Fair

Join our Special Education Department for the annual Life After High School Transition Fair, where students and families can connect with agencies and professionals to assist students in transitioning to life after high school. Register (adults | students) to attend on Saturday, March 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the PVCC Main Building Event Space! Learn more with this informational flyer.

Studio Spotlight

Impact Studio

Impact Studio is for future leaders at all levels within our local and global community. This studio offers specific Pathways focused on Civil Discourse, Leadership, Social Justice, and Geospatial Information Systems. Students can take classes focused on leadership, sociology, debate, public speaking – and even geospatial technology.


Learn more on our Scholars Studios webpage.

Did you know...

...that in February, we broke ground on two new school facilities? Mountain View Upper Elementary School, which will host Mountain View students in grades 3-5, and the Albemarle Career Exploration Academy Lambs Lane, which will host several of our new Scholars Studios, are the first new school facilities we have built since Baker-Butler Elementary School in 2002.


Learn more about these projects: Mountain View Upper Elementary School Groundbreaking | Albemarle Career Exploration Academy Lambs Lane Groundbreaking

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