January 6, 2023 Vol. 6, Issue 11
THIS ISSUE: IMPORTANT DATES • CALENDAR MODIFICATIONS • 2023 GOALS • UPCOMING EVENTS AND DEADLINES • HCPS VIDEOS • PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION • REQUEST COURSES • LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
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Happy new year, and welcome to the first Binder of 2023! Look for the Binder in your inbox around every two weeks, for news and reminders from Henrico County Public Schools.
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Jan. 12: School Board work session
Jan. 16: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday (schools and offices closed)
Jan. 26: School Board work session and monthly meeting
Jan. 27: Student half day and teacher clerical day
Feb. 9: School Board work session
Feb. 20: Schools and offices closed using banked inclement weather time
Feb. 21: Special election (student holiday and staff professional learning day)
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'Banked' time will add student and staff holidays in February and May
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HCPS is adjusting its 2022-23 school calendar to add two days off and accommodate the Tuesday, Feb. 21 special election for the 4th Congressional District. Each year, the school division “banks” instructional time that can be used to offset unplanned closures during inclement weather or other emergencies. When that time is not needed for weather, it can be used to create additional days off in the calendar while still meeting Virginia’s required 990-instructional hour minimum.
Banked time will be used to create student and staff holidays on Monday, Feb. 20 (previously a holiday only for students) and Friday, May 26.
Friday, Feb. 17 had been eyed as a tentative holiday using banked time, but that will now be shifted to Feb. 20. The move will give students consecutive days off, with a four-day weekend, instead of bringing students back for one instructional day between holidays.
The Feb. 21 special election for the 4th Congressional District will now be a holiday for students and an in-person professional learning day for employees. Many HCPS schools serve as polling places and host campus visitors who don’t go through the school division’s normal process for welcoming visitors.
Modified HCPS calendar:
- Monday, Feb. 20: Schools and offices closed using banked inclement weather time
- Tuesday, Feb. 21: Special election (student holiday and staff professional learning day)
- Friday, May 26: Schools and offices closed using banked inclement weather time
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What are your hopes for the new year?
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Upcoming events and deadlines
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Candidates for your calendar:
- Job fair (Jan. 10): Talk with HCPS human resources representatives Jan. 10 from 12:30-4:30 p.m. at Fairfield Area Library.
- Learn how to become a teacher (register by Jan. 11): If you have a bachelor's degree and want to teach, come to our Jan. 17 licensure information session and learn how you could be teaching sooner than you may think. Register by Jan. 11.
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Grand opening of "The Oak" (Jan. 17): The old Highland Springs High School has been repurposed as the Oak Avenue Complex, a model for HCPS' new full-service community school strategy. Tour new dedicated program areas, An Achievable Dream Certified Academy Secondary and the ACE Center. (5-6:30 p.m. at 15 S. Oak Ave. in Highland Springs)
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Divisionwide town hall meeting: The Henrico School Board will hold the second of two town hall meetings, with a chance for citizens to engage in small-group activities and offer input.
- Elizabeth Holladay E.S. (Feb. 2): (hosted by Kristi Kinsella, Brookland District representative, and Roscoe Cooper III, Fairfield District representative)
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Missing the holidays? Watch Shady Grove's Jingle Bell Jam!
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A heartwarming sendoff for retirees at Laburnum Elementary School
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Registration for preschool begins Jan. 17
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Jan. 16-27: Request courses for 2023-24
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If your student will be in middle or high school next year, the window to request courses is Jan. 16-27. Use PowerSchool to request your student's courses. HCPS has some easy-to-use resources to make the planning process easier:
- Planning Guide: The 2023-24 HCPS Planning Guide for students and families is now available. The online guide will help you begin planning and making decisions about the next steps toward your student's life-ready destination.
- MajorClarity can open up worlds of possibility for students' academic and career options. The online academic and career planning platform is designed to help K-12 students explore and discover possible careers and courses that closely relate to their interests, personality, skills and strengths. To get started, check out this overview video for parents and guardians, and user guides for both secondary and elementary students.
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Each year, the Henrico School Board establishes legislative priorities for the upcoming session of the Virginia General Assembly, and communicates these to legislators.
Find out more about this year's priorities, which are guided by the division’s strategic plan and other important areas of focus.
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