Kicking off the holiday season in style!
This afternoon, Great Bridge Intermediate hosted its annual Thanksgiving parade in advance of the upcoming holiday!
From Monopoly to Guess Who, students and teachers brought their "board game" theme to life, dressing up as their favorite tabletop games. Big thanks to the Great Bridge High marching band and Santa for joining the fun!
As a reminder, schools and offices are closed from November 26th to November 28th for the Thanksgiving Holiday!
We're planning the 2026-27 school budget and need YOUR input. Whether you're a parent, student, staff member, or community member, your voice matters. Our quick 5-minute survey is open until Nov 30: https://www.cpschools.com/surveys

Huge thanks to Orchestra teacher, Mrs. Kate Malaby, for arranging this special masterclass through the Virginia Arts Festival Education Program.
Students were first treated to a stunning performance by the professional quartet. Then, they received personalized, expert coaching from the musicians! The focus? Their upcoming December concert piece: Themes from the Nutcracker, arranged by Gruselle.
Happy Education Support Professionals Day! 🎉
Today we celebrate the incredible ESPs who make our schools run smoothly every single day. Thank you for your dedication, your compassion, and the countless ways you support our students and staff. We see you, we appreciate you, and we couldn't do this without you! #CPSCelebrates #WeLoveOurESPs

✨ Happy GIS Day! ✨🌍
🌍 Today we celebrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the powerful technology that helps us map, analyze, and understand our world! From weather forecasting to urban planning, GIS shapes the world around us every day.
Here's to curiosity, exploration, and the incredible young minds who are mapping a brighter future for all of us!🚀#CPSCelebrates











Yesterday, several 9th graders from across our district embarked on a journey exploring their future possibilities! This inaugural Future Focus event was a full day of career exploration, touring facilities, asking questions, and learning what different careers entail.
🔧 Morning: Students toured the Chesapeake Career Center, discovering diverse technical training pathways.
📚 Mid-morning: At the Central Library, city representatives- including police officers, firefighters, public works professionals, Human Services staff, City Planning experts, and many more- shared insights into public service careers.
🏥 Afternoon: Students visited Chesapeake Regional Healthcare and toured different hospital departments (surgical units, labor & delivery, labs, and more), speaking directly with healthcare professionals.
This hands-on exploration gave our freshmen an invaluable glimpse into the many career paths available right here in our community. We're incredibly grateful to all the professionals who shared their time and expertise!
Here's to the first of many Future Focus events! ✨ #InspireCPS










📢 Project SEARCH Open House - Discover Our Transition-to-Work Program! 📢
Interested in learning about an innovative work experience program for students with disabilities? Join us for an Open House!
Project SEARCH is a unique school-to-work program that takes place entirely at the workplace. Come see what our interns are learning and how this program is making a real difference in their transition to employment.
📅 When: Thursday, November 20, 2025 🕥 Time: 5:30 p.m.
📍 Where: The Lifestyle Center at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare 800 N. Battlefield Blvd. Chesapeake, VA 23320
Whether you're a parent, educator, student, or community member, we'd love to have you learn more about this transformative program!
For more information,visit https://www.cpschools.com/o/cps/page/project-search
📽️ Take a look at this video highlighting just one of the many Project Search success stories: https://youtu.be/97V0u88Brmg

On Friday, Hickory Elementary School school hosted their annual Veterans Day parade to honor their military families! Students dressed in their red, white and blue to cheer on their military-connected classmates and the service members they were escorting. We thank all of our veterans for their service and we wish everyone a wonderful Veterans Day!
As a reminder, schools are closed on Tuesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day.
#CPSCelebrates #InspireCPS #VeteransDay
📊☁️ WEATHER SCIENTISTS AT WORK! ☁️📊
Brrr! Tomorrow is shaping up to be the coldest day of the year so far in Chesapeake, with highs only in the 40s and lows dipping into the low 30s! 🥶 Perfect timing for Crestwood Elementary’s weather labs activities!
Fourth grade students are recording daily weather data and tracking patterns such as air pressure and cloud cover to see how they correlate. Some classes use spreadsheets that auto-graph their findings, others create their own graphs by hand, and some do both! 📈
Thanks to the CWE’s outdoor weather station right on campus, students have access to accurate, real-time weather data that updates every 2.5 seconds. Now THAT'S cutting-edge science! 🌡️
👉 Check out Crestwood’s live weather data and STAY WARM! #EmpowerCPS









The upcoming holiday season is filled with excitement, but it can also be a time when some of our families need a little extra support. 💛 🎙 In our newest episode of Amplified, we sit down with Lisa Kerry, one of our Family & Community Engagement (FACE) specialists and Nischelle Buffalow from Buffalow Family and Friends to talk about partnership, compassion, and how our community works together to make sure no one feels alone this season. 🎧 Hear the stories, learn how to access support, and discover ways to get involved at cpschools.com/amplified or wherever you get your podcasts. #EmpowerCPS #CPSCelebrates

We celebrate the rich cultures, traditions, and countless contributions of Native American and Indigenous peoples to our community and our nation's history.
Let's join together in deepening our understanding and respect for Indigenous cultures, today and every day. #CPSCelebrates

We're grateful for our school psychologists who support our students' mental health, learning, and overall well-being every single day. Their dedication helps create safe, supportive environments where every student can thrive.
Thank you for all you do! 💙#CPSCelebrates #SchoolPsychologyWeek

Strong schools are built on strong partnerships. When families and educators work together, students thrive!
Thank you to all our families for being active partners in your child's education. Every conversation, every school event, every moment of support makes a real difference.
Together, we're helping our students succeed! #FamilyEngagementMonth #CPSCelebrates

🌟 Meet our October Power of the Peake winners! Each month, we shine a spotlight on three employees who go above and beyond - inspiring colleagues, supporting students, and leading with purpose:
SUPPORT: Rolanda Murry-Hall - ISS Coordinator - Oscar Smith Middle
TEACH: Ernie Stokes - Butts Road Intermediate
LEAD: Deana Otwell-Clinton - Supervisor of English Language Learners
👏 Congratulations to these outstanding individuals! We appreciate your hard work and dedication!
💻 Learn more about this month’s winners or submit a nomination:
https://www.cpschools.com/page/employee-recognition
#PowerOfThePeake #CPSCelebrates






First graders had an amazing time visiting and rotating between two engaging stations:
In Ms. Snipp's room, students tackled Fear Factor math challenges - you should have seen their faces! So much excitement (and maybe a little fear 😂) as they worked through tricky problems.
Over in Ms. Lemm's haunted house, creativity took center stage! Students created their own bubbling lava lamp monsters through hands-on STEM exploration, then brought their creations to life by writing imaginative stories about them.
The enthusiasm and creativity from our teachers and students today was outstanding. So much learning, collaboration, and fun! 🧡🖤










Join us for a FREE evening of fun as we celebrate Family Engagement Month with The LEGO Movie!
📅 When: Monday, November 3rd
🕕 Doors Open: 5:30 PM
🎥 Movie Starts: 6:30 PM
📍 Where: Oscar Smith Middle School
What to Expect:
🍽️ Dinner - FREE!
🧱 LEGO Demonstrations - Interactive fun for the kids
📚 Community Resources - Learn about helpful local services
🎭 The LEGO Movie - A family favorite!
This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other families in our community while enjoying quality time together. All ages welcome!
Registration Required:
https://www.cpschools.com/events?id=47815823

🎓 Unlock Your Potential! Apply for the 2026 Summer Residential Governor’s School! ☀️
Calling all CPS high school sophomores and juniors, the interest form and application for the Summer Residential Governor’s School are now available! 🌟
Spend up to four weeks on a Virginia college campus diving deep into your passion! Explore specialized programs like:
🎭 Visual & Performing Arts
📚 Humanities
🩺 Medicine & Health Sciences
🧪 Math, Science & Technology
🌊 Marine Science
⚙️ Engineering
🌱 Agriculture
✅ Tuition-free
✅ Hands-on research, field studies & projects
✅ Expert mentorship and college-style learning
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and shine! ✨
📌 More info: https://www.cpschools.com/article/2506527
➡️ All students must submit the appropriate interest form by Friday, November 7, 2025.

Great Bridge High School was honored this morning at the VHSL Fall Membership Meeting with the Stay in the Game Award for the 2024-2025 school year! 🏆
This award recognizes schools with zero player or coach ejections throughout each sports season, a true testament to the exceptional sportsmanship and character of Great Bridge’s student-athletes and coaching staff.
🎉 Congratulations to our Wildcats for representing Great Bridge with class and integrity!
#CPSCelebrates

🎉 What an incredible turnout for our FIRST Envision Night!
Last night, we welcomed middle and high school students and their families as they explored the Academies and Special Programs available to help shape their high school journey and future careers!
Thank you to everyone who joined us in taking this exciting step toward the future! 💙
🚨 IMPORTANT: Applications open NOW through November 5! Don't miss out!
💻 Learn more & apply: https://www.cpschools.com/article/2440877










