Live Feed | Chesapeake Public Schools

We Want Your Input: K-12 Textbook Review 📚

We are in the process of selecting new instructional materials for K-12 Math and 6-12 English Language Arts (ELA), and we want to hear from you!

Now through April 30, 2026, parents, staff, and community members can review proposed textbooks at the following libraries:
Chesapeake Central Library
South Norfolk Memorial Library
Russell Memorial Library
Major Hillard Library

For full details on the adoption process, and to submit your feedback please visit: https://www.cpschools.com/article/2803941

1 day ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Important Calendar Updates & Reminders! 📅

April 6 - 10 is Spring Break. Schools will be closed. We hope everyone has a safe and relaxing break! 🌸

April 13 is a Teacher Workday. No school for students.

April 21 is now an Asynchronous Day for all students. Meals will also be available at select school sites. More information is available here: https://www.cpschools.com/events?id=53908933

As a reminder, you can full our full calendar of events here: https://www.cpschools.com/events

2 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

STEAM Takes Center Stage at Deep Creek Elementary! 🚀

There was so much to see and so little time during today’s STEAM Day!

Students stayed busy rotating through stations guided by our curriculum supervisors and community partners. We are so grateful to our presenters who traveled from near and far to step into the role of teacher for the day. Thank you for bringing STEAM to life in our classrooms.

Highlights of the day included:

Coding with Fullsteam Inc and Tidewater Community College💻
Quilting with the Quilters Guild🧵
Gardening with Chesapeake Master Gardeners 🌿
Astronomy with Back Bay Amateur Astronomers 🌌
3D Printing with 4 Prints Sake🖨️
...and so much more!

We couldn’t capture every single moment of the whirlwind, but check out these highlights of our students in action! 📸
#CPSCelebrates #steameducation

2 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Celebrating STEAM Day with physics in the classroom

Celebrating STEAM Day with astronomy in the gym

students get excited about coding with tablets and car

student is excited to receive an original quilt made for her inspired by her drawing

Celebrating STEAM Day with quilting in the classroom

presenter demonstrates master gardening for STEAM day

presenter demonstrates coding for STEAM day

group of excited smiling kids celebrating steam day

students demonstrate physics with rubber band slingshots and they are nervous and excited

teacher proudly shows off her class goose during presentation

We're looking for community members to join our Citizen Advisory Committees!

Help Shape Our Schools! Our district brings together several advisory committees to dive into data, tackle key issues, and share recommendations with the Superintendent and School Board.

City of Chesapeake citizens interested in serving on one of our advisory committees must meet the criteria outlined in School Board regulations and submit an application by May 1, 2026.

Learn more: https://www.cpschools.com/o/cps/page/citizens-advisory-committees

Apply here: bit.ly/4sJlGSl

2 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Happy School Library Month! 📚

This April, we’re celebrating our amazing school librarians who help our students find their voices and explore the world through reading. 📖
Stop by your school library this month to discover something new! #CPSCelebrates #AASLslm

4 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Celebrating School Library Month. Find your joy in reading

Happy Occupational Therapy Month! 🌟
From the classroom to the playground, our OTs are the experts at turning "I can't" into "I can."

This April, we’re proud to join the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in honoring the professionals who help our students build the skills they need to navigate their world with confidence.

Thank you for bringing possibilities to life every single day! 🌸
#OTMonth #CPSCelebrates

4 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Celebrating Occupational therapy month: Enriching Lives through meaningful engagement

April is Autism Acceptance Month! ♾️
In our district, acceptance means more than just awareness, it’s about ensuring every student feels seen, valued, and empowered to be themselves. Join us in honoring the unique strengths of our students! ❤️ #CPSCelebrates #CelebrateDifferences

4 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

celebrating National Autism Acceptance Month

April is the Month of the Military Child! 🎖️ Today and every day, we celebrate the strength and resilience of our military-connected students. Virginia is proud to be home to families serving in the United States Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army , Navy, Space Force, National Guard, and Reserves.❤️🤍💙
Join us this month as we honor the heroes, both big and small, who make sacrifices for our country.

Wear purple on April 15, 2026, for "Purple Up! For Military Kids" to show support and appreciation for our military community! 💜#CPSCelebrates #PurpleUp
----------------------------------------------------------------------

OPERATION MILITARY FAMILIES
Save the date for our annual Operation Military Families event!

-> Saturday, April 25, 2026
-> 11 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
-> Grassfield High School

We can’t wait to see you there! More details can be found here: https://www.cpschools.com/events?id=53428625

4 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

celebrating month of the military child. Brave Hearts, Bright Futures

Music for the Win!🎶

Round of applause for our talented musicians! TEN of our schools earned the prestigious Virginia Music Educators Association Blue Ribbon Award, the highest honor for a school’s music department. To win, every top ensemble (Band, Orchestra, and Chorus) must earn a "Superior" rating in the same year! 🎼

Congratulations to our Blue Ribbon Schools:

High Schools: Grassfield High, Great Bridge High, Hickory High, Indian River High, Oscar Smith High, Western Branch High

Middle Schools: Great Bridge Middle, Hickory Middle, Jolliff Middle, Western Branch Middle

Don’t stop the applause yet!

At the recent District Assessments, our music programs delivered 82 incredible performances, bringing home 69 Superior ratings (30 Chorus, 20 Band, and 19 Orchestra)! 🎺🎻🎤

Bravo to our dedicated students and directors for representing Chesapeake Public Schools with such poise and passion! 👏 #CPSCelebrates

5 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Celebrating our talented blue ribbon musicians

Cedar Road Elementary is celebrating Fine and Performing Arts Month in so many ways! 🎭🎨🎶

Last week, students in Ms. Lader’s music class were busy mastering the recorder and Ms. Nixon’s art students explored new techniques with pencil drawings.The Dolphins also enjoyed a special performance of an original play, The Weight of Wings, by the Grassfield High School Theater Company. 🪽

We love to see our talented students expressing themselves and our schools working together to bring the arts alive!
#CPSCelebrates

9 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

students cheer as the performers pose for the final moment of the show

celebrating art by sharing picture with teacher

Practicing the recorder is a fun way to celebrate perfroming arts

Students are excited about the performance . High Fives all around!

performers from grassfield are shocked by the sight they see in the distance

focus and practicing the recorder in class makes celebrating arts month fun

students practice sign language with gfh performers they are intently practicing

students in awe of one of the high school performers

Congratulations to Hugo Owens Middle School! For the first time ever, they are sending TWO robotics teams, Mustang Monarchy and The HOMies, to the VEX IQ World Championships in St. Louis! 🤖

Out of 6,500+ teams globally, only the top 420 qualify. Our Mustangs proved they are among the best of the best!

Both teams dominated the Virginia State Championships, bringing home Hugo Owens' first-ever state-level performance and judges awards. 🏆

Let’s hear it for these incredible engineers! GO HUGO! 🐎 #CPSCelebrates

11 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

teams celebrating their wins at the VEX Robotics competition

To celebrate National Reading Month, Superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton visited several schools to serve as a special guest reader! 📚

At Greenbrier Primary School, Ms. Satchell's 2nd grade class read an interactive book ironically titled “I Don’t Want To Read This Book," sharing plenty of laughs with the superintendent! 💭

Thank you to all of our schools who have welcomed guest readers during their National reading Month celebrations! 🍎

11 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Dr. Cotton laughs as student empathically raise their hands to answer a question

Dr. Cotton shows an illustration from his book to the students.

Ms. Stachell's class, Dr. Cotton and the GRP Principal take a group picture

Dr. Cotton listens as a student answers a question.

Dr. Cotton shows an illustration at the end of his book to the students.

Dr. Cotton watches two students complete an assignment together

Last week, Great Bridge Middle School had a very special visitor! Former Wildcat turned gold medal Olympian, Quincy Wilson, returned to surprise his former teachers and share some powerful words of wisdom with students.

Quincy is a reminder that with hard work and heart, there are no limits to where you can go. 💚💛🥇

#CPSCelebrates #InspireCPS

12 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Proud to show off a signature on a track shirt for GBM

happy to give advice to the next generation

the track team and quincy show off their silly sides

after winning a backpack a student excitedly poses with Quincy

reconnecting with a former teacher brings the smiles

Catching the feels hearing chrous sing songs from Quincys time at GBM

insiring the next generation by sharing words of wisdom with current studens

selfies with chorus class makes everyone smile

Competition meets innovation at Hickory High School! 🤖 Last weekend, Hickory hosted a FIRST Chesapeake Robotics Competition, welcoming 30 teams from across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Not only did they serve as outstanding hosts, but Team 2890, The Hawk Collective, delivered an exceptional performance, finishing 3rd overall, and earning the prestigious Autonomous Award! This award, sponsored by Google.org, recognizes excellence in coding, sensor integration, and robot design during the autonomous portion of the competition. With their strong performance this season, The Hawk Collective has also qualified for the FIRST Chesapeake Championship Event this April at Virginia State University! Special thanks to Christopher Slater, Richard Douglas, and all the staff and volunteers who made this event possible.

12 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

The HHS Robotics team celebrating with their awards!

The HHS Robotics team happy from their latest match.

The HHS Robotics team working together during the competition.

Three HHS Robotics team members controlling the robot during the competition.

Supporters of the team in the crowd celebrating.

Teacher Chris Slater looking at the robot.

Teacher Richard Douglas and district leaders smiling together at the competition.

A HHS Robotics team member holding the computer and controller.

A HHS Robotics team member working on the robot.

The HHS Robotics team smiling together with their robot!

All month long, our students have been celebrating Fine and Performing Arts Month. 🎨🎶🎭

Take a look at a few examples of the talent and creativity happening across our schools.

#CPSCelebrates

13 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

student focusing on practicing her recorder

choral director in action while a student practices and follows her direction

happy excited students on stage celebrating their performance with puppets

student concentrating on comleting her ceramics piece

students celbrating with a stage performance

young student drawing colorful picture intently

We are proud to celebrate three students who have been elected as state-level officers for the Virginia Student Councils Association (VSCA). 👏 Congratulations to these new state SCA leaders:

Hayleigh Lathrum (Hickory High) – President
Lauren Dolbeck (Grassfield High) – Vice President
Mikayla Bowks (Western Branch High) – Secretary

We can't wait to see the impact they’ll make in their new roles. 🎉
#CPSCelebrates

18 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

The new SCA leaders are excited for their new roles

🎶 Celebrating Fine & Performing Arts Month!

Shoutout to Sarah Hamilton and her talented students at Indian River Middle School!

Together, they created a new bulletin board to celebrate the power of music in our schools It’s a wonderful reminder of how the arts brighten our hallways and inspire our students every day.🎹

#CPSCelebrates

20 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Group of students holding paper clovers and standing in front of thier bulletin oard design of music notes an text that says musicians are a treasure

⛈️ Due to forecasted inclement weather, all after-school and evening activities for today, March 16, 2026, are canceled. YMCA child care and Boys and Girls Club will also be canceled.

For the latest updates and additional information, visit https://www.cpschools.com/emergency

20 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

🎶 Congratulations to Oscar Smith High School Band Director Ms. Emily Wolcott for winning the 2026 Barry Manilow Music Teacher Award!

This honor recognizes her leadership and dedication to music education. Along with the award, the OSH band program will receive $10,000 for new instruments and supplies to support our student musicians. 🎷

Way to go, Ms. Wolcott! #CPSCelebrates

20 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools

Emily Wolcott in OSHS auditorium smiling for camera

📚 Join us in celebrating Western Branch High School English teacher, Mrs. Katrina Smith! The Virginia State Literacy Association (VSLA) has named her the Ofie T. Rubin Virginia Literacy Teacher of the Year.

This award recognizes her leadership in literacy and her ability to inspire a love of reading and writing in her students. Congratulations, Mrs. Smith, on this achievement! 📖

#CPSCelebrates

23 days ago, Chesapeake Public Schools