Learning walks and educator engagement
Learning walks and educator engagement

Good morning, Everyone! I hope you are doing well this morning. Thank you for all of your efforts to support students, families and your colleagues, partnering to provide quality educational experiences for all. 

Due to the Labor Day holiday, I missed a school visit this week, and this will be a brief check in to let you know that I am thinking about you, and that I value each and every one of you and am grateful for your choice to be part of Albemarle County Public Schools. 

I want to give all of our teachers a heads up that we will be placing a stronger emphasis on learning walks this school year than we have had in the recent past. The learning walk is a component of the Educator Performance Appraisal, and more importantly, it is an opportunity for our school administrators to be present in classrooms and recognize the work that our classroom teachers and assistants do every day to create high quality teaching and learning opportunities.

A learning walk is a brief visit of four or five minutes with a checklist that the administrator may pull up on a phone. The checklist includes items regarding the instructional standard(s) being taught, engaging qualities of the students’ work, instructional strategies employed, and more. Overall, the tool is designed for feedback, reflection, and a focus on school improvement. I bring this up because this year when I visit on Mondays, my plan is to tag along with the principal or assistant principal to complete some learning walks. This gives me an opportunity not only to see excellent teachers in action, but also to learn more about the strategies our teachers are using to challenge and engage our students. I learn something new every time! 

I look forward to visiting Center 1 on Monday!

 

Media links for you: 

Summer is the busiest time of the year for our Building Services professionals and this year was particularly noteworthy given the scope of new facilities and improvements.  Here's a video snapshot of this amazing team through a video shared with our School Board this week:

ACPS Building Services Update  

Also, the Crozet Gazette profiled our newest principals in the Western feeder pattern: Staci England, who moved from Scottsville to Crozet and LaRuth Ensley, who joined us from Chesterfield County Public Schools:

Dynamic Duo to Lead Crozet Elementary School 

LaRuth Ensley Named New Principal at Henley Middle 

 

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