Chesterfield County Public Schools -

Safety in Chesterfield County Public Schools

School safety is a top priority, and Chesterfield County Public Schools remains on alert year-round. The latest video in our CCPS in the Know series focuses on how we work to keep students and staff safe. You can get more information about school safety on this webpage.

This fall, Chesterfield County Public Schools launched the CCPS in the Know video series to give quick-but-helpful insights into central Virginia’s largest school system. If you have a question that you’d like answered, then ask it here. We’ll cover as many topics as we can. You can see all of the videos via this playlist, with captions available in English and in Spanish.

Calendar dates

• Chesterfield schools and school offices will be closed Nov. 27-29 for Thanksgiving.

• Winter break for students and teachers will run Dec. 23 through Jan. 3. During winter break, school offices and school system buildings will remain open to the public Dec. 23, Dec. 26-27, Dec. 30 and Jan. 2-3. Please note: It is best to access calendars from the school division website. If you search for a calendar via Google, an older version of the calendar may appear in the results.

• Complete student calendars for 2024-25 are available on the school division website,

  including English and Spanish versions of the regular school year calendar and the year-round calendar followed by Bellwood Elementary.

Deep Creek Middle is name of new school

During its November meeting, the Chesterfield County School Board selected Deep Creek Middle School as the name for the new middle school under construction on Westerleigh Parkway in the Matoaca District. The memo about the school name is available here. The school is on track to open in August 2025.

School Board considers policy covering student cellphones

The School Board is considering changes to policy 4010-R regarding student cellphones during the school day. To see video of the Nov. 12 meeting where the changes were introduced, click this link, then click the Swagit Video icon at the bottom of the page, then click item G to skip to the discussion agenda segment of the video. 

Nov. 17-23 is International Fraud Awareness Week

Organizations worldwide lose an estimated 5% of their annual revenues to fraud, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. For International Fraud Awareness Week (Nov. 17-23), Chesterfield County is bringing awareness to its fraud, waste and abuse hotline (804-318-8000) and is encouraging county residents and employees to report wrongdoing involving fraud, waste and abuse of Chesterfield government and school assets or resources. Visit the reporting fraud, waste and abuse website for more information.

How Hopkins Elementary celebrates success

Throughout the year, Hopkins Elementary celebrates students who achieve goals and who make good choices. The Bobcats love pawsitive office referrals and ringing the royal bell.

CCPS is hiring substitute teachers at Dec. 4 job fair

Chesterfield County Public School is hiring substitute teachers at a substitute teacher hiring fair 4:30-6 p.m. Dec. 4 at Matoaca High School, 17700 Longhouse Lane. While substitute teachers may work at any CCPS school, this job fair is focused on these southern-area schools:

• Matoaca High

• Matoaca Middle

• Matoaca Elementary

• Ettrick Elementary

• Harrowgate Elementary

• Carver Middle

• Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy 

Substitute teachers are paid a daily rate of $136. On Fridays and predetermined high-demand days, the daily rate is $203. If you or someone you know would like to become a substitute, then please let them know about this hiring event. Those who are interested are encouraged to apply in advance.

It’s so easy to nominate school employees!

Have you heard about this easy  and important way to honor outstanding teachers and staff members of Chesterfield County Public Schools? You can nominate them for the Superintendent’s Game Changer Award! Everyone is encouraged to use this simple online form to recognize employees who go above and beyond to connect with students, build relationships, provide engaging learning opportunities and help families. 

Nominations are accepted throughout the school year. Then each month, 21 remarkable employees will be chosen and will receive their awards when the superintendent and a School Board representative stop by to surprise them.

But before any teacher or school employee can receive the Superintendent’s Game Changer Award, they first have to be nominated by a parent, student, colleague or community member.

So how about it? How many game changers do you know? Please nominate them by answering the five easy questions on the nomination form. By spending five minutes of your day to fill out the form, you can spark great joy throughout Chesterfield County Public Schools.

High school students can apply to join congresswoman’s Youth Advisory Council

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan has launched a Youth Advisory Council. This offers high school students in Virginia’s 4th Congressional District opportunities to actively engage with their representative, federal staff members and current events.

Monthly gatherings will entail discussions led by the council members concerning legislative proposals, current events and working through hypothetical scenarios. Members will enjoy exclusive opportunities to connect with DC legislative and district staff, gaining valuable insights into the legislative process and deepening their understanding of governance. Meetings will be held online 5:30-7:30 p.m. once a month on Mondays from January to May 2025.

To apply, students must provide a completed application form, consent form, resume and application essays by Dec. 30. Links to these forms and additional details are available at Mcclellan.house.gov/YAC. Questions? Call 804-486-1840.

Virginia releases model that shows how schools may fare on new performance standards

Last week, the Virginia Department of Education publicly released its modeling work that shows how schools across the state may fare on the state's new performance standards based on last year’s data.

The new performance standards take effect this school year, meaning that performance ratings released next fall will use data from the 2024-25 school year. This data will include achievement and growth in core content areas as well as student readiness for the next level — middle school, high school or life.

To support school success, Gov. Youngkin and the VDOE shared a new website that  includes support resources for parents and educators in the areas including mathematics, reading, science and attendance. See the site and learn more here.

Chesterfield County Public Schools will ceremoniously break ground for a new elementary school at 10 a.m. Nov. 18. The west area elementary school groundbreaking will take place at 17151 Westerleigh Parkway. If you cannot attend this public event, then be sure to look for an article, photos and video afterward.

Important note if you plan to attend: A pipe repair may affect traffic patterns on Nov. 18, according to this information from the Virginia Department of Transportation: Weather permitting, the Virginia Department of Transportation will close a section of Route 667 (Otterdale Road) between Route 7495 (Westerleigh Parkway) and Route 668 (Duval Road) in Chesterfield from 7 p.m. Nov. 15 until 3 p.m. Nov. 18 for emergency pipe repair. Motorists should use the following detours:

• Eastbound traffic: Travel east on Route 667 (Otterdale Road), to Route 604 (Genito Road), south to Route 668 (Woolridge Road).

• Westbound traffic: Travel west on Route 667 (Otterdale Road), to Route 668 (Duval Road), south to Route 668 (Woolridge Road).

Scheduled to open for students in August 2026, the new school is part of a community facilities bond plan approved by Chesterfield County voters in 2022. Virginia Public School Authority bonds will cover the building’s $42 million budget. The west area elementary school will accommodate up to 1,000 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Community members selected the exterior colors of the new two-story building, which was designed using the elementary school prototype for Chesterfield County Public Schools.

Students are taking advantage of free tutoring sessions

As of Oct. 28, Chesterfield County Public Schools students in grades 3-12 have attended more than 3,000 free, online tutoring sessions via Stride Tutoring since the beginning of October. 

“We have seen firsthand that offering support in this format is effective in meeting students where they are and helping them succeed in areas where they need help,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. John Murray. “We are glad to see so many students taking advantage of this opportunity while it is available to them.” 

• Read more about this successful initiative here.

• Visit www.oneccps.org/tutors to get your student started with Stride Tutoring