Superintendent’s Blog

Focusing on Essential Skills as the Foundation for an Inspiring Year!

Focusing on Essential Skills as the Foundation for an Inspiring Year!

We have begun this year with a clear and pressing urgency to ensure student engagement and building transformative relationships are prominent features of our work with students every day. When students are engaged and known, they achieve at much higher levels – and so do we!

I had the opportunity to visit a classroom where these two areas of focus were on display. FCHS teachers Melody Morgan and Courtney Harrow-Burner are being intentional about co-planning this year, and strategic about ensuring the first week was about engagement and relationships. Students were presented with challenges each day – Lost in the Amazon, for example – and then worked in small groups to make decisions related to their situations. Ultimately they were awarded points depending on the decisions they coalesced, so there was gentle competition involved as well.

Students were fascinated by the scenarios, and interacted with content material while moving through the various modules – but maybe most importantly strengthened skills they will need to call upon throughout the course during the year, and in future career endeavors. They learned how to communicate and problem solve in groups, sometimes with people they had only just met. They collaborated with colleagues and learned to compromise, assert themselves, and listen to each other. (in other words – communicate!)

And in the process they began to construct relationships with each other and their teachers that will enable them to maximize their potential as learners.

This kind of thoughtful, research-based instruction is happening all over our schools during these first weeks. And the impact it will have on student learning will be exponential. Sure, we can take the first couple of days and force students to sit silent and still while we exhaustively go over the “do nots” of the handbook – or right out of the gate we can engage kids ‘ interest and talent and encourage them to get to know each other and form pathways for future success and learning.

My experience is that students in the first scenario wish they were elsewhere. Students in the second classroom wish they could stay a little longer and look forward to coming back. Wonder which one will inspire more learning?

Let’s keep moving toward what works, FLUCOS!

Peter M. Gretz, Division Superintendent

Community Partnerships Supporting our Schools!

Community Partnerships Supporting our Schools!

We are so thankful for our partnership with the Fluvanna Rotary Club and The Rose Deborah Altschull Endowment For Youth!

Recently the “Shoes for Success” event was held at the Zion’s Crossroads Walmart. Rotarians, guests, and FCPS staff members joined hands to select and purchase 86 pairs of shoes to be distributed to families of elementary students.

Additionally, this partnership has supported the establishment of two critical classrooms at Central Elementary representing almost $5,000 in donations and many hours of volunteer work! The first was completed last May and the second last week, just before the start of school.

Our Sensory BEST Labs are essential components of our support for student success and wellbeing. Sensory tools promote regulation, improve focus and increase participation through creating a safe sensory filled space. The “Best Lab” allows students access to several sensory tools (i.e. fidgets, sensory boxes, tap lights and touch pads)  A sensory item is one that is specially designed to stimulate one or more of the senses. As we know a child’s sensory needs may change from day to day. The Best Lab accommodates this perfectly with the large array of sensory items that are now available since the completion of these two rooms filled with all the items necessary to complete this environment.

The donation of resources and time is further evidence of the FLUCO family at work!

Peter M. Gretz, Division Superintendent

FLUCOS Fly into the New Year with Strength and Hope!

FLUCOS Fly into the New Year with Strength and Hope!

Our first week has been extraordinary, thanks to the wonderful FLUCO family we have supporting and leading our schools. During last night’s school board meeting we had an opportunity to honor the exceptional scholar athletes who represented our great community in the Special Olympics last spring. Coaches Nick Ward and Von Hill introduced the students, who shared their experiences performing, competing, building lifetime friendships during this unforgettable trip!

They were even featured in a Coke commercial, which you can see here: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/bzuR/special-olympics-coca-cola-2022-usa-games-orlando

Special thanks to Jennifer Valentine, Nick Ward, Scott Morris, Von Hill, Jr., Amy Hill, for ensuring the success of both the unified sports program and this trip where Fluvanna shined so brightly through these exceptional FLUCOS!

Don’t miss the opportunity to come out to the PTO’s Back to School Bash, tonight at the high school beginning at 6PM! Food trucks, live music and so much more! Mrs. Gequetta Murray-Key, Rivanna District School Board member will head up the band, SALT, as lead singer! This is a wonderful event that will help us kick off the new school year as a unified community – and you can support the PTO’s of all of our schools.

I hope to see you there!

Keep up the great work, everyone! The energy in our schools is positive and I’m confident this is going to be our most inspiring year yet!

YOU CAN’T STOP THE FLUCOS!

Peter M. Gretz, Division Superintendent