Embedded Files
2024-25 School Year
May 2025
May 2025
The last meeting of the school year was beheld on Weds, May 21. Our focus was School-Level Family Engagement, and guests included school principals & PTO leaders. See our May 2025 Minutes.
Information that Reps Reviewed in Advance:
Family-School Partnerships:
Power of Partnerships Family Survey by National PTA
Panorama data on measures of family engagement at each school and results on questions.
Student Academic Partnership – Learning Heroes VDOE PPT (slides 6-14) “Equipping Parents to Be Informed Advocates for Their Child”.
School Goals & Improvement (Principal Role) –
Find your school’s 2024-25 Strategic Plan.
Look at 90-day planning process (slides 26-31) and/or video clip: cuts to 9 min segment (but watch in 2x speed) of March 13, 2025 school board meeting.
Family Council is seeking new volunteer Representatives for the 2025-26 school year!
We've just shared our 2nd Annual Family Survey!
We care what you think about ACPS & use your input to decide what we'll do next year.
It takes just two minutes, no kidding.
April 2025
April 2025
The 7th meeting of the year was held on Weds, April 16. At the request of ACPS leadership, Family Council provided advisory feedback on School Resource Officers. We featured two main topics, covered in-depth in our Minutes:
Advisory on School Resource Officers – ACPS leaders requested our input on SROs in advance of potential edits to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Listening Homework – Our Reps shared feedback we received from families on the most important issues they’re facing, which we will use to craft our survey to be sent to all families in ACPS in mid-May.
Check out the many answers we’ve received for family-submitted questions: March QnA and April QnA. Submit your own using this form: May Call for Qs & Comments.
Here is the material our Reps reviewed in advance:
Substack – lays out history & budget proposals. (Note that the mental health & restorative justice-focused Safety Coaches are now included in the budget.)
FAQs from ACPS – posted about an hour before the school board meeting (or at least that’s when we found it).
ACPD Report on SRO Activity – also posted just before school board meeting & linked in above FAQ.
Memorandum of Understanding – according to school board member Rebecca Berlin, this current MOU between ACPS and the AC Police Department will be revised before the start of next school year.
Family Council Advocacy – Feb 2024 publication summarizes the input from the group following multiple conversations during the 2022-23 school year and significant collaboration in fall 2023.
SEAC Resolution – created following Tues Mar 11 meeting. Also on the April 8 agenda following a smaller group meeting before spring break.
Our Family Council has been working on electing Officers for next school year. We’ll also be seeking School Representatives & At-Large Reps with specific areas of expertise… stay tuned for the official Interest Form. In the meantime, chat with your school principal or a current Rep, or get in touch directly. We’d love to have you join us 🙂
March 2025
March 2025
Our March 2025 Family Council meeting featured two ACPS speakers and topics:
Advisory – We viewed drafts of how ACPS will communicate the middle and high school math options & provided feedback.
Discussion – Our team heard about English Learners in ACPS, including how they are supported and achieving academically. And, we discussed family concerns about the local Immigrant community and schools, as well as the loss of Foreign Language in Elementary Schools programs.
To learn about English Learners in ACPS, we encourage you to check out our new-this-year Substack… pretty pictures, easy-to-understand explanations, plus links to lots more information if you’d like to go deeper. Sign up to receive monthly via email to keep up with what Family Council is doing on behalf of our whole community! Less juicy, but you can also see our March Minutes.
Here’s the February QnA from ACPS. Please submit YOUR comments and questions using this April 2025 Call for Questions (Google Form), on any topic including the planned expansion of SROs (see Substack), no later than Sun Apr 13.
Feb 2025
Feb 2025
Snow cancelled our official 5th meeting of the year on Feb 19, but we still gathered on Zoom with two school board members to discuss investment in school facilities. Check out our Notes, which include discussion of potential future bond referendum and new northern high school.
Our business update includes info on upcoming budget calendar dates, plus long-range planning dates re: high school capacity.
It's budget season for ACPS! Check out the latest info from ACPS on the proposed FY26 budget. It moves quickly... last chance for public comment will be Thurs, March 13... which is the same night the school board will vote. Will ACPS cut Foreign Language in Elementary Schools? Will SROs be expanded and Safety Coaches cut? Will more money be invested into Scholar Studios? What else might be cut to address $$millions$$ in a current funding gap? See the draft Funding Request from Superintendent Haas. Budget feedback and questions can be directed to the whole school board and this budget email.
The BIGGEST opportunity to advocate to the County Supervisors is on Weds, March 5 at 6pm. Remember that they approve the whole budget for ACPS, so need to hear how much public schools matter to this community. Here's how to sign up. Focus on the need for new & improved school buildings or the operating budget for ACPS. Email us if you want help preparing.
We received January QnA from leaders of ACPS, and submitted Qs from families and Officers in our Feb Qs to ACPS.
Materials shared with Reps on the postponed discussion of English Learners:
Enrollment by School -- ELs plus more based on Fall 2024 data
Ahead of the late-Jan school board meeting, we submitted advisory Feedback on Center 2 Naming based on a flurry of social media posts & private emails expressing concerns. The new names were approved without further discussion on the consent agenda & we received no response from the school board.
Invitation! We've partnered with a UVA team to create a Survey on Getting Disability Evaluations. It's open til Mon Mar 10. Thanks for answering and sharing with friends.
Jan 2025
Jan 2025
Our Jan 2025 meeting was inspired by students’ calls for every child to feel “Valued, Safe and Supported” in schools. We collaborated in small groups to continue on Behavioral Disruptions to Instruction, weaving in student mental health & school climate.
The four groups discussed family experiences and ACPS handling of:
Chronic Behavior Issues – focus on teachers & impact on all students, based on QnA from ACPS Kevin Kirst.
Elementary – K-5 disruptions and issues re: school climate & safety.
Secondary – secondary-specific disruptions and issues re: climate & safety.
Identity-Related Harassment – deeper dive into behavior offenses related to identity (racial, ethnic, gender, etc), such as verbal slurs and safety incidents.
See our Substack post for details from all group discussions, with acts of discrimination and hate as our focus.
These are complex issues, and we’ll keep you updated on our progress. Here’s the November QnA from ACPS. We work hard to be driven by family concerns & experiences, so submit YOUR comments and questions using this Feb 2024 Google Form.
Dec 2024
Dec 2024
Family Council does not hold a meeting in December. Happy Holidays!
Based on our November meeting, we submitted Advisory Feedback on Scholar Studios, representing a range of opinions from families.
In alignment with our prior year advocacy effort on improving middle school, Officers submitted advisory feedback on the Middle School Program Guide and MS Courses.
In response to the ACPS Annual Report, we published "Thriving Students?" on our Facebook page, pointing out the many inequitable academic outcomes that were not discussed at the school board meeting.
We voted by consensus to approve a new advocacy effort in support of the ACPS Capital Improvement Plan Request. See our Advocacy page for background.
In mid-Dec, the high school Representatives from Family Council plus PTO leaders of high schools were invited to join the ACPS Office of Safety and Security to provide advisory feedback on Weapons Screening Systems... see notes on how they work & our questions.
Nov 2024
Nov 2024
Our 3rd meeting of the year was held on Weds, Nov 20.
Our Nov 2024 meeting focused on Classroom Behavior and specifically disruptions to instruction. For the full scoop, check out our Substack post. The quick version:
Teachers, students and families report major concerns about disruptions to instruction… and data backs up these worries, both locally and nationally.
ACPS relies on teachers’ training in Responsive Classroom and has invested in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Coaches to support positive student behavior.
There are consequences for “behavior offenses,” with responses that include engaging families plus some restorative practices… but specific processes and timelines are unclear.
Families came away concerned for our teachers! When so many students are disruptive or have chronic behavior issues, it’s unclear whether administrators are consistently providing supports?
So… we’ll be working on turning our dissatisfaction into ACTION. Stay tuned. In the meantime… here’s the Oct QnA from ACPS.
At our next meeting, we hope to partner directly with high school students on their calls for all students to feel “valued, safe and supported” in schools. Submit YOUR comments and questions using this Jan 2024 Google Form.
Oct 2024
Oct 2024
This year’s second Family Council meeting focused on Elementary Math. For the full scoop, check out our NEW Substack, with pretty pictures and our “take” with links for Minutes and slides and background info, plus your comments too. Just the key points:
Major opportunity gaps exist in elementary math… students who are Black, Hispanic, English Learners, from lower-income families or with disabilities are building a much weaker math foundation than peers in schools across Virginia.
Why? The curriculum program ACPS has been using for 20+ years isn’t working for everyone. Instructional time for math has been cut way back. Teachers are using a patchwork of materials to meet Virginia standards, and are stretched massively thin.
The “good” news – a new math program will be selected later this year from a state-approved list that should work better for all kids. And, ACPS leaders are paying much closer attention to the needs of schools serving kids from less-privileged backgrounds. But… implementing another brand-new program on top of reading is going to be rough on our teachers.
So… stay tuned for more on elementary math coming from Family Council. We’re worried & know you are too. In the meantime, each month we submit your questions… here’s what we received as September QnA from ACPS.
Sept 2024
Sept 2024
At the first Family Council meeting of this school year, we welcomed 46 family members… our biggest team possibly ever! Check out our NEW Substack for links to meeting minutes, FAQs received, meeting slides, and lots more… direct to your email monthly if you’d like.
Here are our Sept meeting minutes, including:
Update from Dr. Eric Irizarry, Office of Community Engagement — see his slides.
Learned “How-To” for being on Family Council — see our slides.
Heard about DonorsChoose – follow your school’s teachers’ projects here.
Shared results of our Spring Survey… and what we’ll do as a result — check it out.
We received Summer QnA and 2023-24 QnA Wrap-Up from ACPS. Yup, we also broke some ice & got to know each other… SO inspiring!
Our October meeting will focus on Elementary Math, which will be a huge deal for ACPS later this year. Submit YOUR comments and questions using this Google Form.
Summer 2024
Summer 2024
We received the April 2024 QnA and May 2024 QnA from ACPS, and have resubmitted the 12 Open Questions from 2023-24 school year. Check out the consolidated 2023-24 QnA which combines the monthly QnA into a single document organized by department.
In mid-June, we shared this advisory feedback on the draft ACPS Literacy Plan, a state-required effort.
In August, we received these additional Summer 2024 QnA, mostly via individual parents from verified ACPS sources.
2023-24 School Year
May 2024
May 2024
For the May 2024 meeting of Family Council, we hosted not only the school and at-large representatives of our organization, but have also PTO leaders and school principals. See our May Meeting Minutes, including excerpts of the Bellwether Audit on the experiences of students of color and families in ACPS.
We heard from a panel of participants in Race Matters in School Communities, the community-organized yearlong discussion group. The goal of this group was to seed positive changes for racial awareness, sensitivity & responsibility in every school and all areas of the educational system. We heard from ACPS parents/family members and staff plus the group facilitator, Gene Cash, LCSW, LISW-S and CEO of Counseling Alliance of Virginia about:
the topics & themes that emerged
the impact the group had
how racial awareness, sensitivity and responsibility fit into the division's goals, and
how your school community can get involved.
Panelists have generously allowed Family Council to share their observations: Margot Diaz, and others coming soon. To express interest in participating in Race Matters next school year, get in touch here.
Also see update from Albemarle Foundation for Education on the School Champions Initiative.
April 2024
April 2024
For the April 2024 meeting of Family Council (see Minutes), we heard from a leader of the Albemarle Education Association to understand "Collective Bargaining 101". We'll share updates on our Facebook page as the process to improve educator & staff working conditions moves ahead. Any PTO or school-based group wanting a presentation / QnA can request it!
Speaking of teachers, have you checked out ACPS DonorsChoose projects? So creative and fun! Use this link to find your school, then "See All Projects". Click the red "Follow" under the search bar for notifications when new projects are posted by teachers at your school. Generous matches coming from national donors during Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10)... please share with non-parent community members! Fun way to see what's happening in ACPS classrooms.
Here's the March QnA we received from ACPS leaders based on questions you've asked. (And follow us on Facebook for commentary from your fellow parents and family members.)
Our last meeting of this school year will focus on "Race Matters", with invitations going out to PTO leaders and principals to join in. Here's the May Call for Questions... tell us what's on your mind!
March 2024
March 2024
The March meeting of Family Council (see Minutes) focused on Student Mental Health "Tier One" supports, which are those designed to promote positive social, emotional, and behavioral skills and well-being for all students. Specifically, we heard about Teen Mental Health First Aid, which teaches 10th-12th graders how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among their friends and peers. We heard from Region Ten partners and ACPS Center 1 leaders about this program.
Background Material:
School-Based Mental Health Model – pyramid image
Teen Mental Health First Aid – one-page overview
Here's the Feb QnA Part 2 we received from ACPS leaders based on the questions we submitted from families. Following our Feb meeting focusing on access to Algebra I, we shared this Middle School Math Pathways advocacy letter with Dr. Hayes, and received this response.
Our April meeting topic is TBD, but will include feedback from our listening sessions with parents. Here's the April Call for Questions.
February 2024
February 2024
The February meeting of Family Council focused on Algebra I, featuring expert Melissa Mitchem, ACPS lead coach in Mathematics. See Feb 2024 Minutes. Our discussion included:
- Why does Algebra I matter to students' post-high school opportunities?
- Overview of ACPS math "tracks".
- Current rates of Algebra I enrollment and achievement in ACPS.
- What is ACPS considering doing to improve equity and success?
- How can families be engaged in these improvement processes?
Background Material:
Background (PDF version) – summary article with national view
Math Tracks & Slides – info from our Nov meeting, plus added slides pulled from Bellwether report & status tracker, info from last week’s school board meeting, plus SOL data for all schools
Speaker Slides – ACPS rates of Algebra I enrollment & outcomes
On our Facebook page, we are sharing background information on math & challenges along with updates on current ACPS initiatives, so please follow or like. You'll find heads-up on school board agenda items and opportunities to get involved at a division-level... check out the proposed ACPS budget, redistricting proposal, and LRPAC openings, for example.
Family Council submits monthly questions to ACPS leaders on behalf of families. See the Jan QnA and Feb QnA. We also advocate for changes that impact multiple schools... see our Middle School Recess Sign-On Letter and feel free to send your principal a note of support.
Our March meeting will focus on student mental health. Here's our monthly call for questions that we'll send to ACPS, and watch for upcoming ways to share your priorities.
January 2024
January 2024
The Jan 2024 meeting was cancelled due to weather.
See Jan Committee Updates and Nov QnA Received.
November 2023
November 2023
The November meeting of Family Council (see Minutes with loads of summarized info) featured:
- High School Schedule -- Qs & feedback on potential change to Jay Thomas. (See our summary from Nov 20, and feel free to add comments before Dec 14.)
- Middle School -- Discussion of both Community Lab School plus challenges facing traditional ACPS programs. Follow-up advocacy is being planned.
Following our Oct meeting, our members started an advocacy process (see letter) calling for improvements in reading intervention. In addition, we received the following Oct QnA from ACPS and continue to follow up for more. On our new Facebook page (please like & follow), Family Council is sharing valuable info on division-wide updates and opportunities to get involved, such as resources for reviewing the two options for a new ACPS elementary reading program.
October 2023
October 2023
Given the overwhelming number of kids struggling with reading, the October meeting of Family Council focused on reading intervention in ACPS. See Meeting Minutes for a detailed summary of our powerful conversation with educators, plus an update on high-impact tutoring status. We received these Sept QnA from ACPS, and plan to follow up with continued advocacy on behalf of families.
Additional Resources:
- Advocacy Approach --Lays out our rationale, background, how-to, and proposed process. Each statement will require a vote by the full membership.
- Chair Power Autobiography -- Members were invited to share their own brief version at meeting.
September 2023
September 2023
Our first Family Council meeting of this school year (see minutes) included:
Focus on “The State of Family Engagement”, including a presentation by Dr. Irizarry, ACPS Office of Community Engagement, describing all of the division-wide activities planned for this school year.
The volunteer Chair shared an overview of the “rebooted” organization, plus new committees focusing on a) launching DonorsChoose to crowdfund teacher projects, and b) a series of workshops supporting parent & family members to lead our increasingly racially-diverse communities.
Dr. Haas shared updates on: transportation, hiring, funding, literacy curriculum & more.
QnA – Summary from prior school year, plus additional QnA catch-up, summer QnA.
Community orgs offering workshops to PTOs on gun violence prevention.
Feel free to contact the Family Council representative for your school to give input!
Additional Resources:
- Topic Survey Vote -- Results
- Name Change Vote – Results
- Gifts by PTOs to ACPS – 2022-23 Totals and By School
- Standing Rules – created summer 2023
2022-23 School Year
May 2023
May 2023
Meeting was held on Wednesday, May 17th at the Community Lab School. A virtual option was offered.
Full Meeting Minutes with attendance found here.
Dr. Haas gave an update on plans for redistricting and answered parent questions around recent engagement surveys of teachers and other parent topics.
The new 2-year school calendar proposal was discussed and parents were given the opportunity to provide feedback (calendar resource). Your voice is needed - Please use the link that you were sent in your email to provide your feedback on the proposals.
Tessa Ashoff, Rebecca Berlin, and Heidi Gilman Bennett discussed with us the AFE purpose and we delved into PTO fundraising/donation as well as neighborhood differences. For schools looking for funding - AFE has school grants available and we discussed how parent council could help support teachers with a crowd-source idea called Donor's choose.
We also reviewed some slides about putting together the mission of ACPS. Finally we elected a new board for next year!
All the presentations are linked here:
PTO Money - Google Slides - Heidi
ACPS Neighborhood Equity Data - Google Slides Heidi
AFE Parent Council slide.pptx - Google Slides - Tessa Ashoff
First Meeting Calendar Development 24-25 and beyond - Google Slides - Jamie Gellner
Copy of Parent Council 05 17 23 - Google Slides - Matt Haas
April 2023
April 2023
Meeting was held April 19, 2023.
Full meeting minutes found here: Parent Council Minutes - April 19, 2023 - Google Docs
PC Reps Roles & Responsibilities FAQ: Parent Council Rep - Google Docs
PC Elections: We must elect at least 2 officers at the next meeting (one of which needs to the president).
Descriptions: PC Officer Roles - Google Docs
March 2023
March 2023
Meeting held March 15, 2023 at 6:30pm virtually. Full Meeting minutes with links to documents and presentations found here.
Meeting Summary:
Dr. Haas updates for Parent Council includes topics on Budget, Freshman Seminar course, Middle School scheduling and workload, Sensitive materials and more.
Audit of schools and programs, executed by 3rd party, Bellwether. Adminstration in the schools March 22-23.
Family Helping Families: 20 families requested support in the last month, including urgent need for a vehicle.
SEAC update Here
Mid-Year Growth Assessments Results
Parent Council discussion on mission and goals
ByLaws discussion: Homework for members to review summary slides and share feedback before next meeting so a vote can be held.
Next Meeting: April 19th at Burley which is located in the city of Charlottesville at 901 Rose Hill Drive.
Tour at 6pm, meeting to begin at 6:30pm
The school has a really interesting history, which you can read about here: https://bms.k12albemarle.org/about
Burley is a wonderfully diverse middle school, with nearly 60% of the 588 students non-white. 45% of students are considered "economically disadvantaged". 19% are English learners.
Burley is unusual in that it's both in northern and southern feeder patterns. Students previously attended Agnor-Hurt, Cale, Stone-Robinson, or Stony Point Elementary School, and will graduate from either Albemarle or Monticello High School.
February 2023
February 2023
February Meeting Minutes with links to the Jamboard; Dr. Haas presentation; CLC presentation and CLC FAQ
Summary of the Jamboard and Small Group Discussion
Resources that were shared prior to the meeting to stimulate the small group discussion
Families Helping Familes (FHF) Update
Copy of the Parent Council Bylaws - # if you are interested in being involved with review of these please let me know! We will meet once or twice via Zoom, and also reach out to everyone separately to solicit input on key questions. We need to propose changes at one meeting (March or April) and then vote a month later (April or May).
If you have any questions about the board positions (listed in the ByLaws) please let me know. parentcouncilacps@gmail.com
County Book Club -- If you're interested in joining to discuss the book "Districts That Succeed", please email Heidi. We will meet in-person on Sunday, March 12 at noon at Heidi's home. You're welcome to come even if you haven't read or finished it ;) Heidi has one extra copy from ACPS if anyone is interested in a loaner.
Substance Misuse Prevention by Susie Bruce with the Gordie Center at UVA. Her presentation focuses primarily on preventing underage drinking but also incorporates some information about marijuana/cannabis. - Any PTO interested in this can contact Laura Handler - lphandler@gmail.com
Next Parent Council Meeting scheduled for March 15, 2023 over zoom. Agenda will be published 1 week prior.
January 2023
January 2023
Family Helping Families update
Meeting Minutes with links to presentations
High School Career Learning Centers - Presentation by Katina Dudley.
PC Board requests review of bylaws for February's meeting
School Spotlight: Woodbrook Elementary
Reading Intervention data highlights, presented by Debbie Collins
SEAC update: suggestion for survey to community to advocate
Dr. Haas update
November 2022
November 2022
November Meeting held November 16, 2022 at 5:30pm at Albemarle High School.
Tour at 5:30pm, with meeting beginning at 6:30pm.
Full meeting minutes found here, with summary and agenda with links to presentations below.
Families Helping Families: November Update for Parent Council - Google Docs
Outstanding Questions From October - Copy of Outstanding questions from Parent Council October Meeting - Google Docs
High School Redesign slides - High School Redesign--Board Presentation Oct. 13 - Google Slides
Corresponding School Board Meeting Link - School Board Meeting - October 13, 2022 - YouTube
School Safety updates
2021 Study from Journal of School Violence: Teacher Perceptions of School Resource Officers and Associations with School Safety
Budget Slides - Parent Council - Budget Overview - Google Slides
District Book Club reading: Districts That Succeed: Breaking the Correlation Between Race, Poverty, and Achievement by Karin Chenoweth, if you want to join the reading! Copies are available on load, via Patrick McLaughlin. Please email Heidi (heidigilmanbennett@gmail.com) if you'd like one. FYI: ACPS Leadership is reading this book and citing examples at many of their meetings. Author is a journalist, so it's very readable in case study format, not just academic.
No meeting in December 2022. Thanks for a great first half of the year!
October 2022
October 2022
Meeting held October 19, 2022 at 6:30pm over Zoom.
Full meeting minutes with attendance and links to presentations, found here.
Agenda and Summary:
Family Helping Families - October Update for Parent Council - Google Docs
Parent Council dues - 1 abstain and the rest voted in favor of not collecting dues for this calendar year
Lightning Round: How are communities engaging with parents and plans for fund raising this year.
Department of Community Engagement - Eric Irizarry presented on the purpose and goals for this department moving forward. Community Engagement - Home - Albemarle County School District (k12albemarle.org) Powerpoint that was presented: Office Of Community Engagement FHF & Parent Council - Google Slides Twitter: @engageACPS
BUDGET BRAINSTORMING - Dr. McLaughlin presented a framework for budget brainstorming. (These were shared previously). We did an exercises where we broke into 4 groups and were able to add ideas to these four documents so this could be discussed at the budget level and whether there were any community ideas that could help county-wide. Community Budget Input Fall 2022--Parent Council.pptx - Google Slides
Dr. Haas Update
Next meeting: November 16, 2022 @ 6:30 Stony Point ES with zoom for streaming.
September 2022
September 2022
The first parent council meeting of the 2022-2023 Albemarle County School year was held on Wednesday September 21st at 6:30PM. This will be an IN-PERSON meeting and will be at Crozet Elementary School.
Meeting Minutes with links to presentations, found here.
Meeting agenda summary:
Tour of Crozet Elementary School
Family Helping Families Updates -Guest Speakers Amanda Alger & Latarra Ragland
Composting at Our Schools - Guest Speaker Christine
Break-Out Groups - Who, Why, How
Housekeeping - Board Positions, parent involvement, agenda setting, dues, facebook/social media
Q&A with Dr. Haas and Dr. McLaughlin and Dr. Eric Irizarry - presubmit questions
2021-2022 School Year
2020-2021 School Year
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