November 15, 2019 from 8:00 AM until 9:30 AM at Luck Companies 515 Stone Mill Dr, Manakin-Sabot, VA 23103
With special guest, Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. James F. Lane!
Please RSVP below.
News
Goochland High Student Named Finalist for the VRLTA State Culinary Student of the Year
Goochland High senior Jalyn Burns has been named one of three finalists for the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association (VRLTA) state culinary student of the year. Jalyn is recognized as a finalist for the “Rising Pineapple Award” for Outstanding Hospitality and Tourism Student of the Year, part of the Ordinary Awards program administered by the VRLTA. The Ordinary Awards celebrate and honor all of Virginia’s restaurants, lodging establishments and hotels, DMOs, attractions, and more. The Awards are open to both members and non-members of the Association.
Jalyn was nominated for this honor because of her performance at the Virginia State SKILLS USA competition in April, her leadership as president of the Goochland SKILLS chapter, her participation in the NASA HUNCH competition to design meals for the international space station, her work at both Salisbury Country Club and Drive Shack, and her GHS senior project: a “pop-up” dinner at Goochland Tech to benefit Sickle Cell Anemia research.
Goochland High culinary teacher Mr. David Booth has witnessed Jalyn’s performance in and out of class and her recognition does not surprise him. “Jalyn exemplifies what hard work and determination can do. Her efforts over the last four years have produced amazing results, and have propelled both her and the culinary program to new levels. I am proud of the drive she has shown, and it has inspired me to be a better teacher.”
Jalyn was honored at the VRLTA Awards dinner on October 10 at the Short Pump Hilton and was the only high school culinary student recognized among the nominees.
Experiential Learning in Goochland
Just a few days ago, a new podcast episode went live from MERC’s Abstract podcast! MERC is an organization we partner with, alongside other school divisions in the metro-Richmond area. Their podcast aims at bringing out compelling practices in local school divisions and for their 11 October episode, they talked to a number of folks around the educational experience for our high school students.
Our thanks to go out to Raye Rector, Bulldog graduate Courtney Grady, Bruce Watson, Brandon Avram (junior), Demond Morris (senior), and Dr. Beth Fowler. The episode is hosted by the assistant director of MERC, David Naff.
2019 Annual Report
Each year we produce a report for the community that we call Explorations in Learning. It will be mailed out throughout the community within the coming week.
The support that you provide our students and our staff allows us to maintain our position as one of the premier school divisions in the Commonwealth. We are a division that is rated by Niche.com as the 11th highest rated school division in the Commonwealth, the 8th safest division, and THE school division of choice in the Richmond region as we were rated #1 among all local divisions in our area for two years in a row! We have exceeded national performance standards in growth in both reading and math and are one of only a handful of school divisions in the Commonwealth that has had ALL of its schools fully accredited for the past thirteen years.
We invite you to take an advanced look at our 2019 edition of Explorations in Learning (PDF).
Highlights include:
- Superintendent’s Welcome
- Capital Improvements
- A Team That Loves their Work
- In Distinguished Company
- Sunshine Food Bus
- Safety is On Our Minds
- Staff Recognitions
- By the Numbers
- Your Dollars at Work
Thanks for reading about the past year in review and learning more about the learning taking place here in Goochland County!
Draft Instructional Calendars 2020-2023
Now that our new school year is in full swing, it is time for us to make preparations for the approval of our division’s future instructional calendars. Since August, Dr. Raley has been working in collaboration with members of his administrative team to discuss potential drafts. Yesterday, he shared these drafts with his Superintendent’s Leadership Team, consisting of parents and teachers from each of our five schools. Like past and current calendars, the focus of these future draft calendars is on our instructional goal to maximize each student’s academic potential through engaging experiences and deeper learning.
Although there are some very minor differences in each version, each calendar follows a similar structure to that of our current calendar. Highlights of each of the three calendars include:
- First day of school two weeks prior to Labor Day
- Periodic breaks throughout the year for teacher professional days aligned with interim reports and the end of the nine weeks grading period
- One designated fall parent conference day
- No school on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving
- Full two weeks of winter break
- Spring break during the first full week of April to align with neighboring school divisions
- Early dismissal on the last day before winter break and the last day of school
- 180 instructional days for students
- Designated make up days if needed
Please take a moment to review the drafts for the next three school years.
Keep in mind that these calendars truly are drafts. Please feel free to send Dr. Raley a message (jraley@glnd.k12.va.us), give him a call (804-556-5601), or stop him when you see him opening cars in the morning or at our many different school events. Your thoughts and comments are welcome. Dr. Raley plans on sharing his recommended calendars with the School Board for their consideration at their meeting on November 12, 2019. No action will be taken until the Board’s regularly scheduled meeting on December 10, 2019.
Track Your Child’s Bus with the Viafy App
Are you tired of worrying about when your child’s bus will arrive or whether or not your child has missed the bus? Last year, we used Ubicabus. Their name has now changed to Viafy. With the Viafy Parent App, you can now see exactly where your child’s bus is and receive alerts about when it will arrive.
What is it?
- A mobile app that tracks your student’s bus in real-time using active GPS
- A way to receive route information and expected times of your child’s bus arrival
- An app that can provide optional push notifications to alert you when the bus is nearby
Can someone have access to my child’s route information?
- You will only have access to route information within 3 miles of your home
- You will only be able to see your child’s bus route
How to Use:
- Call our transportation office at 804-556-5361 to request your login information
- Check your email for login credentials and details from Viafy
- Download the Viafy -Parent app on your mobile device
- Log in & Enjoy!
Please note that you cannot sign up on your own. To ensure the security of student data, you can only access Viafy by invitation only.
For questions, contact Mrs. Rosa Holman, Supervisor of Transportation at rvillegas@glnd.k12.va.us or 804-556-5361.
Building our Next Strategic Plan – Public Input Sessions
Our school division is planning for our future! Over the course of the past few months, our staff has been taking preliminary steps to create a roadmap for the work that will take place over the course of the next six years. Our current strategic plan is due to expire in June 2020. We need your guidance and input as we shape the future of the Goochland County Public Schools! Help us plan what the next six years looks like for inspiring our next generation to make a positive impact.
We want to hear from our community about what you value in our school division. We also want to hear from you about what we might change, add, or take away from our programs to help us maximize the potential of every learner. Please join us at one or more of the following planned events to help us forge the next six years of our school division’s history!
Please join us at these public input sessions. Everyone is welcome!
- Thursday October 17 – GHS/GMS Secondary Complex – 3250 River Road W.
- Tuesday October 22 – Hadensville Fire House – Company 6 – 4810 Three Chopt Road
- Tuesday October 29 – Goochland Rec Center – 2415 Sandy Hook Road
- Wednesday November 6 – Randolph Elementary School – 1552 Sheppard Town Road
- Thursday November 14 – Byrd Elementary School – 2704 Hadensville-Fife Road
Planning for a New Goochland Elementary School
As our division begins the planning process to build a new Goochland Elementary School in the coming years, we want to extend an invitation to you to attend a community meeting regarding our school division’s request for a conditional use permit, as required by Goochland County, for the construction of a the new Goochland Elementary School to be situated on the property located at the corner of Bulldog Way and Steeplechase Parkway near the intersection of Bulldog Way and Sandy Hook Road.
Plans are to begin construction in the summer of 2022 and to open the new school for the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year. Road improvements are proposed to accompany the construction of the school to facilitate additional traffic. The community meeting to discuss our school division’s request to build the new Goochland Elementary School on this site will be held on Tuesday September 24 at 6:30 p.m in the cafeteria at Goochland Elementary School. This meeting is open to the public. School division and other county staff will be available to answer any questions attendees may have. At this meeting, we will have copies of the plan and visuals for all to review.
Proposed site concept for New GES
Potential Parking Lot GMS and GHS
The focus of the meeting on September 24 will be on our request for a Condition Use Permit. This is the first of many steps that we will take as we prepare to open our new school in five years. As a part of the ongoing planning process, our future work will involve us partnering with our community to engage in a transparent process to conduct school boundary adjustments in order to reduce overcrowding at other elementary schools. No timeline for this process has been established at this time. When this process is formalized, we will be sure to provide notice to our community using multiple methods as we will be eager to engage as many parents, citizens, and interested parties in the process as possible.
We hope that you are able to join us as we begin this exciting journey!
