Category: Village

Upon their return from the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., in January of 2017, local moms Kristin Clarens and Amanda Sovik-Johnston felt empowered, but also challenged. “We were just emerging from the super-foggy days of having newborns and realized that we wanted to re-engage in our community,” says Clarens, an attorney. “It felt like a gauntlet had been thrown: Now what?” They recognized that meaningful civic engagement would have to happen at the family level, and Charlottesville Families in Action was born.

The two women initially founded their organization by reaching out on Facebook to other families with small children, intending to find local activities where parents and their kids could get together to build, donate, celebrate and fundraise for meaningful causes. The enterprise was motivated not despite having kids in tow, but because of them. “We are making a conscious decision to model the sorts of behaviors that we hope our kids carry forward into the world,” says Clarens.

The kids jump in to the planned activities naturally, and with joy. Events are scheduled every other Wednesday, from 4:30 to 6:30pm, and many involve crafts, music, food or all three. From planting starter seeds for the Monticello Avenue gardens with the Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville, to learning about solar power in Virginia while roasting marshmallows in their own personal solar ovens in Washington Park, the activities deftly intertwine the fun with the educational. Some events are fundraisers, such as a sold-out brunch at Mas in support of Dreamers and their families, while others are hands-on helping, like building toolboxes for Habitat for Humanity, or collecting a vanload of supplies (including two chainsaws!) for hurricane aid.

Sovik-Johnston, a clinical child psychologist, says a big part of the group’s focus is to make the work part of their kids’ lives so they will grow up as leaders in their communities as well. But just as important is how the sessions can serve as a proactive tool to combat fear.

“My 6-year-old son said to me, ‘Wow, a lot of bad things have happened in Charlottesville this year,’” Sovik-Johnston recalls, “and I said the other side of that is that so many people have come together to help and care. Yes, stuff is scary, but if we sit in it, it becomes overwhelming, so let’s do something and then we’ll all feel better.”

Margarita Figueroa has taken her children, ages 7 and 9, to several of the FIA events and appreciates the high level of organization as well as the predictable schedule.

“After the election we felt hopeless, but we couldn’t just sit in our houses and mope,” says Figueroa. “This feels good and is good for the community.” After the events of August 11 and 12, FIA quickly put together a panel discussion for parents about how to talk with their children about what had happened. “That came up right away and helped a lot,” says Figueroa.

To help parents prepare and reassure their kids, FIA also posts Car Talk on its website, a set of talking points about each event that parents can use as conversation starters about the importance of the activity.

“We try to give parents the language to share with their kids about why we are doing this, and how good it feels when we help others,” says Sovik-Johnston. “So hopefully when they grow up, they’ll think of themselves as, ‘I’m the kind of person who helps.’”

While FIA is organized around families with younger children, the group also offers an internship program for local teens to help with the events. Sarah Webb, a senior at Renaissance School, has been part of FIA since its inception and was there at the first event at Firefly back in February, a letter-writing campaign.

“The kids were writing about saving the polar bears, green energy, love is love, all kinds of issues and policies,” says Webb. “As a kid, I know I was never very aware of much, like, inequality around me, and this is such a vital time for kids to know what’s going on in the world and be aware.” As she nears graduation, Webb is actively recruiting other interns, like Mercedes Goering, a Renaissance 10th-grader. “It’s fun just hanging out with the kids,” says Goering. “I really enjoyed cleaning up the Rivanna River, and building toolboxes for Habitat [for Humanity].”

More than ever, local kids inspired by news and events are taking action to make a difference. Shreya Mahadevan, a fourth-grader at Johnson Elementary whose mother, Priya, runs the Desi Dosa stall at the City Market, wanted to do something to help with hurricane relief during the recent spate of destructive storms. “She took it upon herself to set up a collection at our stand for the hurricane victims, and raised almost $300,” says Priya. The family channeled the donations to hands.org, a nonprofit that provides assistance to communities affected by natural disasters.

Burley Middle School eighth-grader Eden Radifera was in Jamaica with her family over the weekend of August 12, and followed the day’s disastrous events on her phone. She recalls the feeling of powerlessness, both while away and upon returning to Charlottesville. “It was really bothering me that all this stuff was going on and I couldn’t change it, so I knew I had to do something to reassure myself that I could take part in making a change.” Radifera brainstormed ideas with a few friends, focusing on her most immediate community—her school.

“At Burley we are such a diverse school, a melting pot of everybody, and we wanted to make sure everybody felt safe, and they knew we’re a unified school working to fight discrimination,” she says. Radifera helped organize a Unity Day on the first of every month, and she and her friends have arranged an order of blue and white (Burley school colors) bracelets to sell to students during their Friday Blast period. Her group came up with slogans and surveyed the student population, ultimately agreeing on the phrase “Diversity Makes Us Stronger” to be printed on the bracelets. The school plans to donate any proceeds to a local community foundation.

“I couldn’t stand the feeling of being so helpless,” says Radifera. “I had to do something.”

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Schools in action

While many schools participate in community aid programs like food drives and shoe collections, a growing number are encouraging more hands-on and project-oriented service learning for their students, with inspiring results. Village School students regularly head out of the building to help in the soup kitchen at Christ Episcopal Church, and they visit Clark Elementary and Barrett Early Learning Center to read and write with the younger kids there. Despite the recent unrest that has taken place near the school’s downtown location, Head of School Eliza O’Connell says the students remain undaunted. “I’ve been amazed by the maturity of the girls.”

A math lesson turned into much more at Charlottesville Day School as algebra teacher Tiffany Stauffer helped seventh and eighth graders organize a Friendship Feast in March for refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Congo. With assistance from Kari Miller, founder of Charlottesville International Neighbors, students designed, budgeted and fundraised a potluck dinner event to host 10 refugee families, including lots of kids. Games like Connect Four helped bridge the language barriers, and each family was given a large soup pot filled with kitchen supplies and spices, as well as a family game night bag to take home. “The students really embraced the idea of making the families feel welcome,” said Stauffer. “And it made them so happy to be doing it.”

In an initiative launched this year, Peabody School’s seventh- and eighth-graders are designing year-long projects aimed at researching and addressing a community need or problem. The project phase was jumpstarted with an in-house Leadership Academy, where local community leaders talked to students about how to be change-makers. After learning about humanitarianism, philanthropy and disaster relief from those experts, students designed innovative projects that they’ll complete independently. Goals range from partnering with area nursing homes and the Rainforest Trust, to addressing traffic issues with Albemarle County and teaching life skills to younger kids, all driven by each student’s passion. “We’re encouraging students to think beyond their own experience, and to identify their strengths and limitations,” says Victoria Young, assistant head of school. “Not every project works the first time you try it, but they learn to reflect and make it successful as they go, and that’s just as important.” LM

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Home work

It is, without question, difficult to discern where to begin and what to say to young people when speaking about the intangible cruelties within our society. Eager to shelter our children from hardship, parents can avoid difficult conversations, hopeful tides will turn and moments will pass. The impulse to shield their hearts from hurt and bodies from pain is reasonable, of course. And yet, a desire to maintain and invoke innocence and a discomfort with challenging dialogues beget the crises that plague our communities; they cannot be solved with silence or inaction.

We do a disservice to our children when we avoid our crucial obligation: to nurture. The greatest form of activism in our community today could be the swelling of conscious discourse, bold expression and action-oriented love in the form of supported children. No better result could be achieved than an outpouring of kindness, engagement and courage in the face of a daunting tomorrow. The cultivation of such is the work of parents.

Young people are watching the way we navigate the world: Violence is on the channels and the streets; bullies lurk behind lockers and the Resolute desk; disharmony and even hate abound in neighborhoods and message boards. Our chief responsibility must be to model empathy, respect and willingness to grow. Here’s how.

+ Foster and encourage open dialogue. We cannot lift the burden of fears, whether our own or our child’s, until we face the beasts head on. Allow conversations to be ongoing. Accept that there may not always be a solution. Ask questions and share emotions.

+ Authentically explore the “other.” Reading stories, attending community events and engaging in volunteerism can cultivate empathy. When we interact with people outside of our immediate understanding, our capacity for compassion is amplified and communities are strengthened.

+ Be seen promoting justice in pursuit of peace. Stand up and get vocal about inequalities, and name them. Use language that is simple and honest. Identify as a family the power you have to make our community more equitable, accepting and representative.

Let us teach the next generation that love is a verb. Let us orient them around the most oppressed in our communities, centering progress above tradition. Let us direct their fears into outspoken compassion. Adrienne Oliver

Adrienne Oliver is a mother and educator working and writing in Charlottesville. She is a middle school literacy teacher, with a focus on arts-integrated, culturally responsive education.

Cutter Huston has never had to worry about clean clothes. But it wasn’t until he became involved with The Laundry Project that he realized not everyone takes something so basic for granted.

The son of an Army brigadier general, Huston was living in Tampa, Florida, when his mother, Michelle, saw a news story about people who were unable to find employment because they didn’t have clean clothes to wear to job interviews. “That resonated,” he says, and it occurred to him that something as simple as washing clothes “could change someone else’s life.” And that’s why Huston, now 16 and a junior at Albemarle High School, decided to volunteer with Tampa’s Laundry Project, which allows low-income families to wash clothes and linens free of charge with the help of volunteers, who assist with laundry services, provide child care and turn laundromats into community centers.

During his time with the group, Huston grew close to The Laundry Project founder, Jason Sowell, and he says leaving the organization was one of the hardest things about moving when his father was reassigned and the family relocated to Charlottesville last summer. But during a chance encounter with Sowell in Washington, D.C., in June, inspiration struck: Why not start a Laundry Project here? And before you could say “wash, dry, fold and repeat,” Huston had introduced himself to Trey Coe, owner of Express Laundry on Maury Avenue. It didn’t take much convincing to get Coe on board, Huston says, and the area’s inaugural Laundry Project day came off without a hitch at the end of October. Sponsors included Ragged Mountain Running Shop, Whole Foods and Bodo’s Bagels.

In addition to washing 242 loads of clothes at no cost (saving customers about $500), Huston served dozens of people a free breakfast, and he was able to send many home from the laundromat with extra food. “Trey and I both want to provide hope to people who have lost it, and help them regain a foothold and get their lives back where they want them to be,” Huston says.

A member of the AHS cross country team and the school’s Math, Engineering & Science Academy, Huston says a date hasn’t been set for the next free laundry day, but he’s hoping to do three or four in 2018. “I have been very lucky to be in a family where I don’t need to worry about clean clothes or having enough to eat,” he says. “And it’s my duty to give back and spread the love to everybody who deserves it.”

Holly Regan sat with her son in a lightened theater last year, watching a Four County Players production of A Charlie Brown Christmas. It was a special performance, and not just because of the time of year; it was a sensory-friendly production put on for people like Regan’s son, Jimmy Seidl, who’s autistic.

The show was in partnership with the Autism Theatre Project, an effort of the University of Virginia. While the name is very specific, Executive Administrator Jaclyn Lund emphasizes the program supports sensory-friendly theater in a nonjudgmental environment that is geared toward anyone with special needs. These productions are performed as written, but with special accommodations.

“We work with area theater groups to make the performances more accessible by doing things like shortening performance length, adjusting light and volume levels so they’re not overwhelming and providing a sensory-friendly break room for anyone who needs a quiet room during the show,” Lund says.

Regan says these types of modifications make all the difference for her family. At a traditional performance, she worries about her son’s potential outbursts disturbing others. Her choices are to leave him out of family outings, or take her chances and hope for the best.

“We usually bring two cars, in case one of us has to leave with Jimmy,” she says. “I invest a lot of money in live performances, and I worry about what’s going to happen if he starts acting out.”

For that very reason, performances in conjunction with the Autism Theatre Project are free for any family attending with someone who has special needs.

“A lot of families can’t go to the theater because of social and financial pressure. We offer a judgment-free environment, and we reduce the financial stress,” Lund says. “By offering free tickets, if someone’s having a bad day, there’s no pressure to attend. They haven’t lost anything.”

Most local groups have worked with the Autism Theatre Project to put on sensory-friendly productions, whether by adding an additional performance night, or by tweaking a matinee to accomodate special needs patrons. Regan says she hopes area theater groups might offer a sensory-friendly dress rehearsal, which she says would be a “win-win” for all involved.

“It gives the performers a chance to work in front of an appreciative audience, and it gives my family an opportunity to attend a show without worrying that my son will disturb a paying crowd.”

While it’s true that proper manners can take a lifetime to learn (or is that just us?), Etiquette Empowerment founder Patty Hughson teaches a local four-week course in the foundations of table manners and polite interaction to young adults. But because attention spans are fickle things, we asked her to distill it down even further and provide us with some basics for kids to practice this holiday season. As Hughson says, “Etiquette isn’t about rules. It’s about getting along in the world with kindness, grace, generosity and gratitude.” That’s a good reminder at any age.

Dining

At dinnertime, kids should practice these guidelines:

• Begin and end meal with the napkin.
• Chew with your mouth closed.
• Say please and thank you.
• Salt and pepper are passed together.
• Say thank you to the cook.
• Before leaving table ask to be excused.
• No slouching, no squirming, no elbows on the table.
• Clear the table.

Conversation

Have your child come up with 10 open-ended questions for dinner or social events on topics such as school, movies, sports, TV, etc. Teach her how an inside voice sounds versus the outside one, and which is appropriate. Show by example how to engage your child in conversation to make sure no one is ignored. Don’t forget eye contact; it is extremely important.

Giving and receiving

Ask your child what gift he would like to give from the heart and to whom, so that it would make someone’s life better or easier. It’s all about kindness and helping out others in need. This is the special time of year to give back.

Ship-shape shakes

• The art of handshaking, says Patty Hughson, can be practiced daily. Here are a few tips to give to your kids (or to brush up on).
• Right hand to right hand.
• Firm grip: “Not a bone-crusher, not a limp fish,” Hughson says.
• Two to three pumps is all it takes.

Five years ago, Cale Elementary School principal Lisa Jones instituted a Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools program for her incoming class of kindergarteners and rising first- and second-graders. For three years, offerings featured typical FLES programming—that is, 120 minutes a week of instruction in Spanish. However, as Jones saw it, that wasn’t enough.

“By the time they reach fifth grade, on average, children who’ve participated in a FLES program will have a good working proficiency of the second language,” she says. “And we were proud that our students had gained access to that resource. But research shows, it’s immersion that produces true fluency.”

Thus, two years ago, with the backing of the Albemarle County School Board, Jones introduced a voluntary Two-Way Immersion Dual Language program. Families of children in grades K through three were given the option of having their children
be involved. Meanwhile, participating students spent half the day studying in Spanish, the other half in English. “The dual language program uses two languages for literacy and content instruction,” explains Jones. “It provides the same academic content and addresses the same standards as other educational curriculum, only, instruction is in the partner language 50 percent of the time.” In other words, for half the day, students spend their classroom hours reading, writing, learning and conversing in Spanish.

While students can opt out of the program, the idea is for them to stick with it through at least fifth grade, and preferably beyond. “This approach produces students that are fluent in two languages,” says Jones. “When they graduate from fifth grade and enter middle school, they’ll be equipped with a skill-set—they will be able to read, write, listen and speak in two languages.”

Approaching its third year, Cale’s dual immersion program is growing. Expanded to include fourth- and fifth-graders, enrollment has increased to 60 students. In third to fourth grade, four classrooms are devoted to the program, while in fourth to fifth grade, there are two. Each classroom features two teachers—one managing Spanish instruction, the other English. Of the participating students, about half speak Spanish as their native language. According to Jones, everyone benefits. “Research shows that, for non-native English speakers, partial instruction in the native language helps them learn the new one faster and more efficiently,” she says. “Meanwhile, for English-speaking students, learning the second language early on increases their ability to master it.” Furthermore, having access to peers who are native speakers of the desired second language means students can practice their skills beyond the classroom.

Citing bilingualism as the global norm, and monolingualism as the new illiteracy for the 21st century, Jones says Cale’s program falls on the right side of progress. “On the one hand, research shows studying a second language aids children’s cognitive development,” she says. “On the other, if students can speak fluent Spanish and English, they can communicate with around 80 percent of the world’s population, or 5.7 billion people. In both cases, we believe that’s a win.”

Budding trend

Immersive, two-way dual language education in the U.S. was developed nearly 40 years ago. Since then, its popularity has grown immensely. During the first two decades of implementation, the number of programs remained relatively low—in the mid-’80s, just 30 were known to be in existence. However, in the last 15 years, that number has risen dramatically. In a recent study conducted by the Center for Applied Linguistics, 315 programs were documented, most of them Spanish/English programs in public elementary schools. EW

As winter sets in caves offer surprisingly balmy family adventures. With temperatures hovering around 53 degrees, a subterranean visit provides hours of active outdoor fun sans the cold. From paved walking tours to rigorous guided explorations through wild caverns, the following resources will help you take advantage of the region’s many spelunking opportunities.

Luray Caverns (Luray)

Discovered in 1878, Luray has the largest series of caverns on the East Coast and is the granddaddy of American grottos. Featuring massive cave formations like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, mudflows, flowstone and mirrored pools, a 1.5-mile hike through the caves offers eye candy galore. Don’t miss the Great Stalactite Organ—a lithophone that taps stalactites of various sizes to produce tones similar to those of xylophones, tuning forks and bells. Adults $27, children $14. luraycaverns.com

Outdoor Adventure Experiences (Dayton)

In addition to rafting, fishing, hiking, canoeing and climbing, OAE offers guided tours of various wild caves throughout the Shenandoah Valley. Options vary in intensity and tend to include some degree of crawling, squeezing through narrow passages, rappelling and climbing into and/or out of pits. Tours are scheduled both day and night, with the most intense experiences featuring wading or even swimming through underground streams and lakes. Adventures are open to everyone over 4 feet tall. Starts at $160 for groups of two to four. outdooradventureexperiences.com

Skyline Caverns (Front Royal)

Opened to the public in 1939, Skyline Caverns is one of the only caves in the world where you can view anthodites. Made of calcite, the rare clusters of perfect, six-sided crystals blossom like sea urchins from the cave’s ceiling. Tours are offered daily, and feature about 1.8 miles of subterranean walking. Adults $22, children $11. skylinecaverns.com

Lost World Caverns (Lewisburg, West Virginia)

Offering both standard walking tours and wild caving experiences, LWC is great for families with wide age gaps. The walking tour is just more than a half-mile long, with the highlight being the 30-ton Snowy Chandelier, one of the nation’s largest compound stalactites. Meanwhile, wild tours take four to five hours to complete, feature a picnic lunch and carry visitors through more than a mile of fantastic chambers and passageways. Gear is provided and participants should be prepared to get muddy. Walking tours are $6 for kids under 6 years old, $12 for anyone over 13. Wild excursions run $79 a person. lostworldcaverns.com

Most teenagers have pretty predictable birthday wish lists … video games, iTunes cards, maybe money to use toward buying a car. Charlottesville’s Ashton Ryan is different. He wants coats. Lots and lots of coats. It all started six years ago, just before his 12th birthday.

“I saw a kid in school without a coat and I wanted to give him mine,” Ashton says. “When my mom picked me up from school that day, I told her I wanted to have a huge birthday party and invite the whole town, but everyone had to donate a coat as my present.”

Each year since, Ashton and his mom, Kim, have organized Ashton’s Wish. He celebrates his November 11 birthday by collecting and then distributing donated jackets.

“We sort them all by size, and then we make sure they’re clean and the zippers work, and then we give them away” to those in need. Recipients have come from schools, churches, Region Ten, Jefferson Area Children’s Health Improvement Program and other local organizations. To date, he’s distributed more than 7,000 coats to those who need one.

He’s a kid with a big heart—one that has been through a lot. When Ashton was a baby, he was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease—an illness that can cause long-term damage to the heart. Fortunately, doctors caught it early.

Ashton’s donations extend beyond Charlottesville; he’s given coats to those in need in Harrisonburg, Lexington and Richmond, too. He wants to expand his program across Virginia and then nationwide, ultimately to start a nonprofit organization to continue the mission. But first, there’s college and studying computers—right after his next coat drive.

“I guess I just hope that other kids will hear about it and maybe they’ll want to do it too,” Ashton says.

Summer may be over, but the fun doesn’t have to stop there. After the beach trips and visits to train museums, the start of the school year brings its own kind of magic, between new supplies and unfamiliar faces and environments. In this issue, we’re checking in with public schools—what changed over the summer and what to expect this year.

 

What I did this summer

Just before school starts (bummer, dude), we asked you to tell us how your kids spent their vacations. Here’s what your neighbors were up to over break.

“My son Ashton is 16 and for the last five years he has done a coat drive for his birthday. In those years he has gathered almost 7,000 coats, with the help of everyone who donated. Every summer he spends hours helping me plan the details and enjoys meeting with those who make this event possible. Already this summer, he has set the date for this fall’s Ashton’s Birthday Wish coat drive and spoke to many who will be involved.”—Kim Ryan

 

 

 

 

“We are a family of five from North Garden. Our kids are ages 7, 3 and 8 months. We are spending our summer traveling in an Airstream travel trailer and are on our way to Montana (hopefully!). We will be checking out the national parks, including Glacier, Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore. My oldest will be doing the junior ranger program and has already received one badge from New River Gorge. We’ve already made plenty of stops, including the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and lots of small parks so the kids can play and run.”—Lani Pokrana

 

 

“We went camping for the first time as a family of four at Small Country in Louisa. My oldest son, Levi, practically lived on this sand mountain the entire trip!”—Crystal Jones

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I am the new volunteer program manager intern for the summer at Open for Service. Throughout the summer I will be running the volunteer program by helping to encourage new volunteers and promote the organization through social media. Through the years, in our small but diverse town, I have made friends who were not always the same as me. …Some who even felt uncomfortable in their own bodies or were not always accepted by other people. My parents really opened my mind by opening our home to everyone. My mother has been helping a refugee family over the past year. Having parents who view everyone as equals taught me to accept people regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or anything else that sets them apart.”—Asha Gupta, 14

 

“We’ve done a few things this summer. Perhaps the most exciting so far has been the tank museum in Danville. Highly recommend for young boys. So. Many. Tanks.”—Sam Preston with son David, age 8

 

 

New and improved

Here’s what the city and county have been working on over the summer.

Help is on the way

Got a bad cough or a scraped knee? If you’re a middle or high school student in Albemarle County, you could have found a nurse right away, but in an elementary school, you might have found yourself out of luck. Prior to the 2015-2016 school year, nurses in county elementary schools were only staffed for six hours per day. That’s less than a full day of school for a student, and it doesn’t cover accident-prone bus loading and unloading times. To solve this problem, Albemarle County Public Schools has been slowly growing its contingent of full-time elementary school nurses; in 2016-17, 11 out of the 16 elementary schools were staffed with all-day nurses. For the 2017-18 session, all 16 schools will have full-time nurses.

Staying focused

ACPS student enrollment has increased by about 8 percent over the past decade. In those same 10 years, the county’s percentage of economically disadvantaged students (those on free or reduced lunch) has increased by 67.4 percent. To address the growing population, the county has created a Social Emotional Academic Development (SEAD) program for the 2017-2018 school year.

Strategic Communications Officer Phil Giaramita says that the program will be focused on helping students who need extra attention “in such areas as bilingual support, home and school counseling and assistance with technology learning resources.”

The SEAD program will be piloted at the four schools with the highest proportion of economically disadvantaged students (Agnor-Hurt, Cale, Greer and Woodbrook) and will involve incentives for teachers to gain better credentials, creating a more inclusive school environment and monitoring the academic development of at-risk students.

Equal opportunity

The 2017-2018 school year will be a big year for the city schools: It marks the first year of their new, five-year strategic plan. Described as “transformational,” the plan will shape the goals and growth of Charlottesville City Schools over the next half decade. The plan focuses on creating equity in school programs, improving both student access (by increasing the percentage of underrepresented students in advanced programs) and student achievement (by increasing the percentage of underrepresented students with high AP scores). These changes are part of the city’s goal to keep up with “Profile of a Virginia Graduate,” which is a set of state requirements ensuring that a diploma means students are ready for life after high school.

What’s next

It’s a time of growth for the Charlottesville City Schools. The city is wrapping up a facilities capacity study, which is indicating that the city school system—in which a new school has not been built since Charlottesville High School in 1974—is over-enrolled and over capacity. The next move once the capacity study wraps up, says city schools spokeswoman Beth Cheuk, is “fostering community conversations about the next steps we want to take to make sure that our facilities are equipped to match the anticipated growth in our enrollment.”

Room to grow

Woodbrook Elementary School is getting a makeover this year. When students step into the school in August 2018, they might not recognize it: The renovations involve the sprucing up of seven old classrooms as well as the addition of 16 brand new ones. And the makeover is more than surface-level. The changes involve the introduction of multi-age classrooms, where kids from different grades will learn together. The school expansion, which will increase Woodbrook’s capacity to 600 and includes everything from a maker space to a new gym, will be ready for the 2018-2019 school year.

Safe space

Breathe easy, parents: Baker-Butler Elementary is about to get even safer. As part of a county-wide security initiative, Baker-Butler is opening for the 2017-2018 school year with a newly secured entrance. The new entryway will funnel all visitors through a central point, requiring them to walk through the main office before entering the building while school is in session. Small renovations are underway to shape the school for the new security measures, which county officials intend to use to control access to the school and ensure that there will be no unregistered visitors.

On the right track

Planned renovations for the Charlottesville High School track hit a slight road bump this summer when no contractors immediately jumped at the opportunity to take the job. But never fear, runners: The city is re-opening contractor bidding this fall, in hope that the renovations—like a new eight-lane track and rehabbed bleachers—could be completed within the 2018-2019 school year. City schools spokeswoman Beth Cheuk said that with the new bidding session fast approaching, “Now is time to identify and begin planning so that the first of these improvements will be on the to-do list for next summer.”

Around we go

In the dense city landscape, Venable Elementary School feels like a breath of fresh air; a splash of green among urban gray. Despite its downtown location, the school manages to fit in outdoor elements from a playground to a multi-use trail to soccer fields. This coming school year, Venable will add another outdoor feature with a newly installed track for kids. For students who aren’t fans of the dreaded indoor Pacer running test, a few laps on the track might seem like a welcome proposition.

 

Meet your teach

Students aren’t the only fresh faces on the scene at the start of a school year. This year, both the city and county are getting new teachers, so we asked them a few questions by way of introduction. Welcome!

Jess Dollar

New third or fourth grade teacher at Brownsville Elementary School

Are you new to Charlottesville? My husband and I have been living in Charlottesville for a year now. I love being so close to the mountains and being able to go hiking at places like Humpback and Spy Rock. I’m excited to work at Albemarle County Public Schools so I can truly engage with the community here in Charlottesville.

Favorite part of your job: What I love about teaching is that I get to see a group of young learners change from the beginning of the year to the end. It’s amazing to watch them blossom and grow and to help them develop the potential they have.

When you were in school, what was your favorite grade/class? I’ve always loved writing—from a second grade “writing workshop” to fourth grade writing prompts, and on to more complex assignments in middle and high school. I remember my 10th grade English teacher asking us to look at classic artwork and write stories or poems based on the images, and one of my college professors, who incorporated personal journal writing into our coursework. Writing is an important part of my life, and I’m excited to inspire kids to write, too.

Tal Thompson

New fifth grade teacher at Stone Robinson Elementary

Are you new to Charlottesville? My brother, his wife and brand new baby live in Charlottesville. My family is excited to live close to them and begin starting new traditions as well as begin playing in the mountains.

Favorite part of your job: Igniting the love of learning in children, inspiring the belief in higher potential with my students and collaborating with my peers to develop amazing experiences for children.

Proudest moment on the job: In 2015, I was a runner-up for America’s Top Teacher on ABC’s “Live! with Kelly and Michael.” Being recognized by my community was a fulfilling and proud moment for sure.

When you were in school, what was your favorite grade/class? Any class that used music and movement was my favorite.

Mousumi Franks

New Spanish teacher at Walker Upper Elementary

Are you new to Charlottesville? I’m not totally new in that I went to college and grad school here, but I haven’t lived here in a very long time. I’m looking forward to four seasons and living in a smaller town.

Favorite part of your job: The kids! Getting to laugh with them is the best.

Proudest moment on the job: The proudest moment at my job is any time a child tells me that I’ve helped them make learning easier or made them want to do more with what I teach them. The feedback from the kids is what makes me proud to be a teacher.

When you were in school, what was your favorite grade/class? In college I learned what I love to do. I can’t say there was just one, because the whole thing a process. I’ve just always liked school.

Jamir Kai

New Spanish teacher at Monticello High School

Are you new to Charlottesville? I’ve been here for five years with my husband and we’ve fallen in love with all the adventures to be had: on mountains, kayaks or even the Downtown Mall. It’s also lovely being in such a diverse community.

Favorite part of your job: Using music, movies and language to connect students to new cultures.

Proudest moment on the job: I’m going into my first year. But, so far, my proudest moment was getting my two degrees. Many awesome moments on the way.

When you were in school, what was your favorite grade/class? Spanish is the best! But in college I took a course called “Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe,” which just rocked my world.

 

In P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins series, the beloved nanny is blown by the East wind to Number 17 Cherry Tree Ln., home of the Banks family, which just happens to need a nanny at that very moment. Mary agrees to stay “till the wind changes.” Under her stern but loving care, Jane and Michael Banks have all sorts of magical experiences, like an upside-down tea party and a Christmas shopping trip with a star from the Pleiades cluster of the Taurus constellation.

If only finding childcare in Charlottesville were so easy. There’s a lot to consider when choosing the right care for your children—should one parent stay at home? What about daycare? A nanny? Extended school day programs? Cost—what’s realistically affordable?

The answer is different for every family, but for many families here in town, a nanny (or regular babysitter) is the answer.

“It’s been a learning experience for us to understand the market here,” says Elizabeth, a new mother who is currently looking for a nanny to take care of her baby girl when her husband returns to his teaching job in the fall and both parents will be at work. The inflexibility of full-time 9-to-5 daycare doesn’t suit their needs. A nanny or regular babysitter seems to be their best bet.

Nannies aren’t cheap—Elizabeth has seen rates anywhere from $15 to $23 an hour, and with good reason, as nannies need to make a living, she says—nor are they easy to find. Many families find their nannies through word of mouth, and some even participate in a nanny share, where a single nanny will take care of kids from multiple families at a time. So far, Elizabeth has relied on friends with kids and other new moms for sitter recommendations and references, and has perused local parenting groups on Facebook and UVA student job boards for nanny postings. She and her husband have interviewed a few candidates but none have worked out so far for a variety of reasons—cost, schedules, personality, lack of solid references. A couple of the candidates seemed like a great fit, but they found other gigs before Elizabeth and her husband could make an official offer.

A good nanny is hard to find, Elizabeth says, and in Charlottesville, it seems like there aren’t enough nannies for the families who want them, but it’s hard to tell for sure, since it’s not exactly a regulated workforce.

And on top of all that, there’s no exact science to picking the right nanny for your family—in addition to tangible things like cost and compatible schedules, there are the intangibles, like personality, enthusiasm and ability to connect with the kids and parents alike. Some families might want a nanny to do laundry or dishes in addition to childcare; not every nanny will be okay with that. Some families want to lay a schedule out a month ahead, others are more spontaneous; some families will guarantee hours while others won’t. But when the expectations of both the nanny and the family are crystal clear, the relationship can sparkle.

Ruby, a 20something nanny and artist, has been with her current family for three years, and she’s stuck around for a reason: The family makes her feel like part of the unit. “It’s been so great to develop a deep connection with these children,” Ruby says of her two charges, ages 1 and 3. She often encourages them to play in the backyard or with toys at home, and takes them on frequent Rivanna Trail walks and visits to the Discovery Museum and McGuffey Park.

“I think I work for them because I know how to get the kids laughing, but also am responsible about naptimes and bedtimes and doing the dishes. There’s a nice back and forth,” she says. “I follow the guidelines they give me, but I feel that my input is also valued.” It’s hard work that leaves her exhausted by the end of the day, but ultimately, she says, it’s a rewarding job.

“Getting to play with kids and see them grow and gain understanding of the world is so wonderful,” Ruby says. “I see things differently when I’m with them.”

If you’re looking for a spicy night of dancing, not much beats Beleza. With a sound rooted in Latin- American and Spanish flamenco traditions—including lyrics sung in Portuguese, Spanish and English—the group performs either as a duo or a full band, and serves as the vehicle for the creative musings of husband and wife, Humberto and Madeline Sales. Described as “funkalicious samba soul,” while the couple’s repertoire is very much Latin-influenced, it’s also extremely diverse.

Indeed, a Beleza show features a blend of stylistic inflections ranging from samba, funk, soul, blues, bossa nova, jazz and flamenco, with a dusting of electronic sampling thrown in for good measure. While the genre influences are clear, the compositions are invariably run through the blender of Humberto’s Brazilian influence (he was raised in Salvador, Bahia). And now, the duo has added one more element to the mix: children’s music.

“Last year, we released a family-friendly album called Just for Fun,” says Madeline. “While it might seem like something of a diversion for us, it brought together so much of what brings us joy in our daily lives—a focus on family, friends, our students and good old-fashioned fun.”

With young nieces and nephews, and a studio dedicated to educating young Charlottesville area guitarists and vocalists, the two spend most of their days and many evenings surrounded by children. When a close friend suggested they do an album dedicated to the age group, they were struck by the idea. “We’d never considered it and immediately felt an excitement at the possibility of putting together a compilation focused on the whimsical and lighthearted nature of childhood and those that are young at heart,” says Humberto. “We felt inspired to create music that would celebrate the spirit of both.”

While it features arrangements of kiddie faves like The Jungle Book’s “I Wanna Be Like You,” “Little Liza Jane” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” Just for Fun is sophisticated and swinging, and appeals to more than just children. “The criteria for our song selection was to find songs that would be musically interesting and allow us to put in a tinge of humor and mischief,” says Madeline. “Essentially, we wanted this to be something that everyone could listen to together and love.”

Featuring Madeline’s old-school, Ella Fitzgerald-esque jazz-meets-soul vocals, and Humberto’s seamless ability to blend the rhythmic, harmonic and melodic complexity of Brazilian folk and samba music, and classical/flamenco guitar techniques with funky American jazz, Just for Fun more than achieves its goal. “We had such a blast making this album,” says Humberto. “We feel it is a success, and that’s left us with a desire to want to record more within the genre.”

In fact, looking to the future, Madeline hopes to record a lullabies project combining songs from America and Latin America alike.