Suffolk Public Schools

The monthly Suffolk School Board Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 10, 2024 at City Hall - 442 W. Washington Street in Suffolk, VA. For information on addressing the Board, please visit our Suffolk Public Schools website.

The public meeting of the school board work session will begin at 5 p.m. to discuss the following information item: SPS Facilities Update by RRMM. Following the discussion, the board will take a recess and reopen the public meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full agenda for this meeting can be found on the Electronic School Board (ESB) website: https://suffolk.ic-board.com/ . In the event you are unable to attend in person, all school board meetings are streamed live on our Suffolk Public Schools YouTube Channel: Suffolk Schools.

The Suffolk City School Board will hear public comments during the School Board Meeting on October 10, 2024, 7:00 p.m. at Suffolk City Council Chamber, 442 W. Washington Street, Suffolk, VA 23434. Notice is hereby given pursuant to Virginia Code Section 22.1-79 (A)(8). Any person desiring to be heard, in favor of, in opposition to, or to express their views with respect to the aforesaid may be heard by said School Board on October 10, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

As instructional leaders, our principals are the driving forces of the quality instruction our students receive daily. The number of hours, dedication, love, and care for their faculty and staff and the school community of parents and students reflects the great individuals that you are. Our principals serve as models of excellence that lead, support, and inspire the next generation of leaders and motivate others to #believetoachieve! During this month, please take a moment to celebrate your building principal and thank them for their hard work and all they do to lead our school division to success!

Suffolk Public Schools recognizes several national awareness days during October. We ask that our school community join in our division-wide initiative to acknowledge the following:

October 10: Breast Cancer Awareness Day/Pink Out

Division students and staff are encouraged to wear pink to honor those we've lost, support those fighting the good fight, and celebrate all breast cancer survivors.

October 16: Unity Day/Orange

During this signature National Bullying Prevention Month event, we encourage our school community to wear orange to symbolize unity in kindness, inclusion, and courage to prevent bullying, particularly in schools and online.

October 17: Domestic Violence Awareness/Go Purple

We encourage our staff and student body to wear purple to symbolize peace, courage, survival, honor, and a commitment to domestic violence awareness.

Suffolk Public Schools does not condone bullying on any level and asks students to report these incidents to school administrators or teachers when they do occur. If you suspect your child has been bullied, you should immediately report it to the school administration. Reporting can be done anonymously through the Bullying Hotline at 757-538-5483 or by completing the SPS Complaint of Bullying Form: https://bit.ly/3RJvWKx. School administrators are required to contact parents of any alleged “bullying” that may involve their child within 24 hours of being reported.

Bullying Prevention 101: A Quick Guide for Adults - How To Approach Bullying Situations

When a child is being bullied: Be supportive; Listen to them without judgement; Let them know that you are there for them and want to help; Discuss their ideas on how they want to handle the situation; Make a plan for next steps; Identify others who may be able to help, such as a teacher

or counselor

When a child witnesses bullying: Reassure them that telling an adult is a positive first step; Share that they can make a positive impact on others; Work together to make a plan that they are comfortable with using to respond to bullying incidents in the future; Reinforce that they should never participate in or support bullying; Encourage them to be supportive and kind to the student

being bullied; Explain why telling an adult about bullying is a good idea and is

not tattling.

When a child is doing the bullying: Know that bullying is a behavior and behavior can be changed; Recognize that children bully for many different reasons; Have a calm conversation to explore the reasons for their behavior; Help them understand how their behavior affects others; Make your expectations of appropriate behavior clear and consistent; Let them know bullying is not okay under any circumstances; Provide appropriate and meaningful consequences that fit

the situation; Help them think through how they can handle situations more positively; Give positive feedback for good choices.

This information comes from the Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center. Click the link for a downloadable PDF resource on Bullying Prevention 101: A Quick Guide for Adults.

Suffolk Public Schools will be taking an eSchool update overnight from Monday, October 7th to Tuesday, October 8th. The process will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Monday through 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. During this time eSchool, the Teacher Access Center, and the Home Access Center will be offline.

Virginia farm to school programs connect students with locally grown food in cafeterias, preschools, and summer feeding programs while enhancing educational opportunities in school gardens, student farms and land labs, classrooms, and cafeterias. On Thursday, October 10, Virginians will recognize local farm to school programs by celebrating the eighth annual “Crunch Heard ‘Round the Commonwealth.” During this statewide campaign, Virginians across the Commonwealth are encouraged to take a bite out of a fresh, Virginia-grown apple and share their celebrations on social media using the hashtags #VACrunch and #VAFarmtoSchool.

Oct 7th to Oct 11th is Family Physical Education Week! Suffolk Public Schools is excited for families to come together, have fun, and get active while building healthy habits. Doing physical activities as a family is a great way to strengthen bonds, create memories, and work together as a team. When kids see their family enjoying fitness, it helps them understand that staying active is important. When families get active together, it can help ease stress, lift spirits, and improve how everyone feels. It’s all about making exercise fun for the kids! PE Week is a perfect opportunity to learn new skills, games, and activities you and your student can enjoy! For suggested family physical education activities, visit our website, www.spsk12.net.

Suffolk Public Schools is excited to kick off another year of All District Reads, featuring the delightful book The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney. This district-wide initiative ensures that every elementary student receives their own copy of the book, creating a shared reading experience that connects classrooms and families throughout Suffolk. Thanks to the generous support of local partners like the Rotary, the Birdsongs, and TowneBank, we are thrilled to bring this program to life once again. ADR kicks off on Friday, November 1st. Stay tuned for more information!

This Friday, October 11, 2024, Suffolk Public Schools will take center stage at the 2024 Peanut Festival at the Suffolk Executive Airport, beginning at 10 AM. We'll be showcasing over 500 incredible student performers. This year, we’re especially excited to feature an elementary group for the first time, and are thrilled that the Booker T. Washington Elementary School Step Team will be representing SPS! In addition to the performances, we have over 500 pieces of artwork on display in our K-12 art tents, located near the main entrance, with all of our SPS schools represented. Visit our school division website, for the SPS Fine & Performing Arts Music Performance Schedule.

The Suffolk Public Schools Advanced Instruction Information Night will take place on Wednesday, October 16 at King's Fork High School - 351 King's Fork Road - from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Join us for breakout session rotations, conversation, Q&A and "Brain Power" Hour! Please complete the SPS Advanced Instruction Form before October 11th to enhance the experience!

Explore content areas and services such as:

• Advanced Placement classes
• The College & Career Academy at Pruden
• Dual Enrollment at Paul D. Camp Community College (PDCCC)
• Gifted Services/Q.U.E.S.T.
• World Languages
  
  

Discover Specialty Programs such as:

• The Governor's School for the Arts
• International Baccalaureate (IB)
• Project Lead The Way Biomedical Sciences
• Project Lead The Way Engineering
• The Center For Performing and Production Arts
• Talented Enrichment for Art & Music in Suffolk (TEAMS)

This is the last week to submit your nominations for Suffolk Public Schools employees to be recognized for the school division's "STAR Achiever" honor. Recipients will be selected from YOUR nominees, who, through actions big or small, have made a positive impact on you or your school community. Nominations for the first quarter will be accepted through October 14, 2024. To submit a nominee, please use the link provided: https://forms.gle/1TTtvF8hJWwGiukZ

Nominations are welcomed by students, staff, parents and community members. Selected employees will be highlighted on our SPS social media platforms and on our division's website. Each individual will also receive a special gift for being selected as a 2024-2025 STAR Achiever!