Do you want to know a secret

Do you want to know a secret?

Goochland County’s school division’s relentless pursuit of excellence continues.  So many good things are happening, that it’s hard to keep track of them. By now, everyone in the county should have received Explorations in Learning in the mail.

This was in your mailbox, read it

According to Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jeremy Raley, GCPS “spent a total of $6,600.58 for the printing and shipping of this report.  Printing cost $4,322.30, mailing $2,268.28, and shipping of copies to our central office $10.00.  The content was populated by our administrative team and Dr. John Hendron did the layout and graphics.”

The high quality of  Explorations illustrates the talented people who work each day to help every student in county schools reach their potential. Raley explained that the report was sent to each mailbox in Goochland to ensure that everyone, especially those who do not electronically access local information, knows what is happening in our schools. As local education consumes a significant portion of county tax dollars, citizens should be aware of how their money is spent.

Please take  a few minutes to find out what our schools are doing to help our kids obtain the tools they will need to grab their part of the American dream. Pay particular attention to “The profile of a Goochland Graduate” on page 10. Life skills, in addition to scholastic achievement, are important attributes for material success and personal satisfaction.

It is clear that our school division understands that students have differing gifts, each of which has value in our complex society.

Word has been getting out, around the region and nation, about the good work our schools are doing. On Monday, October 15 GCPS  hosted 39 representatives of eight school divisions from Ohio to Louisiana. The day’s program included a glimpse of many  aspects of education Goochland style. According to Raley, everyone was at their best and our visitors were impressed by the overall commitment to excellence and talented people who take pride in their work and make it all possible.

On Tuesday, October 16, the Goochland Education Foundation, hosted a friend raising event. It was held at the exquisite new Richmond Audi dealership, whose owner Larry Page, is a longtime county resident and generous supporter of the community.

Dr. Megan Healy, Chief Workforce Development Advisor in Governor Northam’s administration, spoke briefly to the gathering. Fixing the mismatch between skill sets and job openings is a serious challenge for the Commonwealth, she contended. Figuring out how to ensure that students have skills to hold jobs that do not yet exist is one of the most pressing challenges facing educators. Healy collaborates with educators at all levels and business leaders to find solutions for current problems and craft strategies for the future.

 

Dr. Meghan Healy

Equipping our children with technical and “soft” skills, not just the ability to collect data, but to make that information useful and collaborate with a wide range of individuals to reach shared goals is also vital, she said.

Healy explained that Raley is part of her taskforce and that Goochland is already doing things that other school divisions are just talking about.

The GEF is a local non-profit that provides resources to enrich education outside of the school budget For more information about GEF, visit its website, Gooclandedu.org. If you have an extra bean or two that you would like to plant locally and watch grow, GEF is a 501 (c) (3) organization. In addition to scholarships, GEF awards strategic innovation grants to allow teachers to explore concepts outside the curriculum.

The excellence of Goochland schools is too well kept a secret, tell all of your friends how great they are! (Visit http://goochlandschools.org/ to learn more.)