COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 96

May 6, 2005

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Virginia Career Education Foundation 2005-06 Academic Planning Calendar

The Virginia Career Education Foundation is pleased to offer your school division an excellent tool to promote career options and planning. Through foundation sponsorships, full-color customized calendars are available at no cost to your division to be distributed to the parents of ninth graders at the beginning of the 2005-06 school year. If desired, you may purchase additional copies at cost. Orders must be placed by June 10, 2005. Each division will have the opportunity to customize its calendar with important information and dates. The calendar and instructions may be viewed at www.knowhowvirginia.org/vcefcalendar.

The calendar is designed to introduce parents to education options, both during and after high school, that promote a career credential in addition to a high school diploma. It is also designed to apprise them of various career pathways. If the calendar is customized with key dates for your division, it will encourage parents to use it throughout the year to help their child start thinking about and planning for their future.

By accepting the calendar, your school division commits to customizing the calendar and distributing copies to the homes of ninth graders by mail or at the time of a parent conference. On-line customization at (http://www.knowhowvirginia.org/vcefcalendar) should take only a few hours and must be submitted no later than June 10, 2005. As indicated on the order form, your division will receive a specified number of free calendars based on your current eighth-grade enrollment rounded up to the next increment of 25. You may choose a mid-July or early August delivery date. Your final calendar will be available for one year and may be posted on your division and/or school websites. It will be possible to update the electronic version if necessary. Questions about this project should be directed to Emily Richardson (vcef@cox.net), president of the Virginia Career Education Foundation, at (804) 615-1505, or Elizabeth Russell (Elizabeth.Russell@doe.virginia.gov), director, Office of Career and Technical Education Services, at (804) 225-2847.

The calendar, part of the KnowHowVirginia campaign, is a project of the Virginia Career Education Foundation in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Community College System, the Virginia Employment Commission, and the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia. School divisions are key partners in this effort.

For more information on KnowHowVirginia or the Virginia Career Education Foundation, see www.knowhowvirginia.org and www.vacareereducationfoundation.org.

JLD/LMR