Thinking about Crozet Schools

As is often the case, I started a conversation on the RealCrozetVA facebook page and the conversation turned out so well I thought I’d share it here. As always, a huge thanks to the commenters there.

Curious: what is WAHS doing to compete with the high-level academies at CHS, AHS & MHS?

Thoughts welcomed.

*I’m tagging this post as a “real estate” post as well as “schools” because (perceived at least) school quality matters with respect to property values.

And, click through to read about the Albemarle County Strategic Plan Review.

Envisioning Our Students’ Future: Key Dates for Upcoming Strategic Plan Review in February

In February, Albemarle County Public Schools will launch a series of important community conversations and town hall meetings to inform our strategic direction. It has been eight years since our School Board adopted our mission statement and the five strategic goals for ensuring that the core purpose of Albemarle County Public Schools is to establish a community of learners and learning, through relationships, relevance, and rigor, one student at a time. At their annual retreat, the Board determined that a review of our vision, mission, goals and values statement was necessary to ensure that our capabilities, focus and performance are aligned with our highest aspirations today for what we hope to achieve for our students and in our communities.

To kick-off the review process, a special Community Conversation of ~300 invited guests from community organizations, businesses, PTO presidents, advisory groups, and the Division’s Leadership Team will be held on February 4th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Monticello High School (this is a change in venue).

Five Town Hall Meetings are scheduled in the month of February (one at each middle school) and will be publicized through a radio promotional campaign, Blackboard Connect, online, the COMPASS, and through the media. The Town Hall Meetings will feature interactive small group discussions to envision our students’ future. An online survey will also be available for two weeks in February to accommodate those who are unable to attend discussions at the middle schools. Key dates include:

* Scheduled Town Hall Meetings at Each Division Middle School – Open to all Stakeholders
*  February 12th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm –Jouett
*  February 13th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm –Henley
*  February 19th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm –Walton
*  February 20th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm –Burley
*  February 26th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm – Sutherland
* Community Electronic Survey – Open to all Stakeholders (~February 11 – 24, 2013)

A meeting will be scheduled in March to summarize the findings from the community meetings. These findings will be reported out to the School Board in the spring, leading up to their June retreat meeting where they will consider updates to our current strategic plan based on stakeholder input. All employees are encouraged to attend one of the Town Hall Meetings in February and to participate in the online survey to help us envision the possibilities for our students.