February 2026 News & Highlights
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Dear Charlottesville City Schools staff and families,
Last Thursday our School Board passed our proposed budget for next school year, and this Monday, we go to Charlottesville City Council to request funding. What we are planning to highlight to the councilors is something I know you already know–that our school division is a unique place. Our robust numbers of incredibly talented staff help students transform challenges into opportunities for excellence. Here are some of the ways:
ACADEMICS
Every student is connected with…
- Supports for where they’re falling behind in reading & math
- Opportunities to be challenged (push-in gifted model, plus a vast array of AP & Dual Enrollment classes)
- Curriculum pathways that support career exploration
Plus, we maintain small class sizes–the average K–3 class is just 14 students
PHYSICAL & MENTAL HEALTH
Every school has …
- a full-time school nurse
- a full-time school counselor
- an additional mental health professional
CMS & CHS also have additional counseling staff
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education and related services are staffed at robust levels to ensure all students with disabilities have the support they need to succeed in school.
WELCOMING IMMIGRANTS
Our staff support English Language Learners at every phase of their journey. Every year, our schools celebrate the global diversity of our student body with special events showcasing international cultures.
ARTS & ATHLETICS
However our students choose to express and challenge themselves, our in-school and extracurricular offerings build them up and help them thrive.
I encourage you to reach out to City Council this weekend to tell them how the staff of Charlottesville City Schools support your family.
Thank you for your continued partnership.
Dr. G
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Our schools honor Black History Month in the classroom and with opportunities to come together as a community. Above, students and staff at Tall Oaks Elementary dance during Unity Through Black Culture Night this past Tuesday. |
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TONIGHT AND TOMORROW: Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28: TheatreCHS presents its spring musical, "West Side Story" at the MLK PAC. Purchase tickets online; CCS students get in for free at the door!
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Friday, March 6: No School (Professional Learning Day)
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Friday, March 20: No School (Teacher Workday)
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Friday, April 3: Full Day of School (not half-day as originally planned)
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Monday, April 6-Friday, April 10: Spring Break Week (offices closed Monday, April 6)
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Thursday, April 23, 9am-3pm: Preschool and Kindergarten Registration Day at neighborhood elementaries
Art by Eva, Summit, grade 3.
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At its special session on February 19, the School Board unanimously passed the Superintendent’s 2026-27 Proposed Budget of $129 million. The budget includes a 10.5% wage increase for school support professionals and a 5.5% wage increase for licensed personnel. Next steps: City Council will hear the schools’ budget request at its Monday, March 2 meeting, and Council is scheduled to adopt its budget on Thursday, April 9. Learn more on our Budget & Finance page.
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Our new Charlottesville Early Learning Center (CELC) is opening this fall, and now is the time to apply for preschool for the 2026-27 school year! Applications to attend CELC are due by April 1 for children in the City of Charlottesville turning 3 or 4 by September 30, 2026.
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Families of future middle schoolers are invited to come tour Charlottesville Middle School this spring and fall. Tours will be lead by a school counselor and student ambassador, focusing on curriculum and student experience.
Spring 2026:
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Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 1:30pm
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Thursday, March 26, 2026, 12pm
Fall 2026:
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Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 10am
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Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 12pm
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UVA Athletics is offering all Cville Schools staff and families 2 free tickets to Men’s Basketball vs. Wake Forest on Tuesday, March 3 at 7pm.
Details: Ticket claims are first come, first serve as available inventory remains. Limit is 2 free tickets per household, with the option to purchase any additional needed tickets at a discounted rate. Offer expires Sunday, March 1 at 11:59 p.m. The tickets will be distributed digitally within 24 hours of the game. Questions? Contact Virginia Athletics ticket office at uvatickets@virginia.edu or 434-924-8821.
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Charlottesville City Schools is offering take-home meals for students observing Ramadan in order to support the diverse needs of our student community. In lieu of receiving lunch at school, students observing Ramadan can sign up to pick up a shelf-stable meal to take home at the end of the day. Learn more and sign up for meals. |
CCS is expanding our use of novel studies for Grades 3 and up, and we need your input! We're seeking fresh titles for next year to ensure our reading lists remain engaging and relevant for all students. What books have you and your children enjoyed that you would recommend? Let us know in this quick questionnaire.
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Four students at Charlottesville Middle School are among the winners of the Fralin Museum of Art at UVA’s annual Writer’s Eye contest. Congratulations to the following Young Knights, who will each win $100 and be honored at a celebration in March for their writing inspired by an artwork at the Fralin:
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Fiona Bedford, Grade 8: “While the War Eats” (poetry)
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Stephen Brissett, Grade 8: “The Empty Casket” (prose)
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Zahra Safi, Grade 8: “The Woman Who Raises Her Arms” (poetry)
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Virginia Wells, Grade 7: “In Understanding” (poetry)
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👑Susan Allen, Band Director, Walker Upper Elementary School
👑Catherine Perrin, Kindergarten Teacher, Sunrise Elementary
👑Stacey Davenport, Nutrition Staff & Night Custodian, Summit Elementary School
👑Aloise Phelps, School Counselor, Lugo-McGinness Academy
Each winner earns $250 to spend on their school. Want to see your favorite staff member get the royal treatment? Fill out a nomination form.
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FACULTY INNOVATIONS
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
ATHLETIC PROWESS
YOU'RE ON BLACK KNIGHT TURF
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CVILLE RIGHT NOW
UVA TODAY
This Presidents Day, fourth graders went by foot from Trailblazer to the UVA Rotunda to get a rare glimpse at an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. Read the story.
NBC29
The restaurant Milk & Honey hosted a group of Charlottesville Middle School 7th and 8th graders for a behind-the-scenes look at careers in hospitality, business, and culinary arts. Watch the story.
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WRESTLING took 12th place at states, the best the Black Knights have ever done in the sport! Roman Calvani finished 2nd (190lb), the highest a CHS grappler has ever placed, while Theo Reinhart finished 3rd (157lb), Adriel Pena placed 3rd (113lb), and Walter Pilkey finished 6th (150lb).
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GIRLS BASKETBALL clinched the Jefferson District title for the 3rd straight year. They play in the Region 4D Finals at Salem tonight at 7!
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BOYS BASKETBALL finished with a record of 15-9 and were the #2 seed in the region. The JV team won the district championship.
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INDOOR TRACK & FIELD: Individual Region 4D Track champs include Juliana Pierce (500M), Elaina Pierce (1000M and 1600M), and Sam Palmer (1600M). First-place relay teams were Eloise Henderson, Liliana Jones, Carrie Orban, and Phoebe Fischman (4x800) and Eden Hays, Juliana Pierce, Eva Wylie, and Elaina Pierce (4x400).
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SWIMMING & DIVING: Boys and girls teams competed at states, breaking several school records along the way.
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THEATER: Olivia Ramirez-Weaver took 1st place in the Virginia English-Speaking Union Shakespeare competition at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton.
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CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA: Five CHS students (above) earned places in this year's All State Choir. Sixteen CMS students were accepted into the Junior Regional Orchestra, the highest number of students from any single school participating!
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PUBLIC SPEAKING: Solly Schwartzman and Lily Curtis will represent Virginia at the National Speech and Debate Tournament in June. CHS students from Tina Vasquez’s Global Citizens and Jenn Horne’s Public Speaking II classes participated in Fund Our Schools Advocacy Day at the Virginia State Capitol.
This is just a taste of recent student accomplishments. For ALL the Black Knight athletics and activities news, subscribe to Updates about CHS Athletics and Activities, Athletics Director Andy Jones' weekly roundup.
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In just its first few months, the Charlottesville City-wide PTO Fund has raised more than $20,000. The initial funding was distributed using an equity-based formula earlier this month. Schools will determine how to spend the money with a focus on student and school community events, teacher grants for classroom projects, and academic enrichment opportunities (field trips, speakers, clubs, activities). For individuals, businesses and philanthropists, a single donation supports every single public school in Charlottesville. Join the mailing list if you want to stay up to date on what’s happening. Learn more or donate.
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Cultivate Charlottesville is looking for community members and parents to help in the effort to get kids tasting new, delicious foods! Harvest of the Month focuses on exposing students K-12 to new, healthy, and local foods in their cafeterias once a month during the school year. The March Harvest of the Month is Thursday, March 5 during school lunches. Learn more. |
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We love seeing our student-athletes shine in the new Charlottesville Middle School gymnasium. View the full album of photos by Carter Riley, CMS, grade 7. |
Parents/guardians of current students automatically receive this monthly newsletter from the division. Other community members are welcome to subscribe here!
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