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School News
Fauquier County Public SchoolsMay 25: No school/holiday for staff
June 12: Half day all schools; Liberty graduation at 4 p.m.
June 17: Exams, half day all schools
June 18: Exams, half day all schools
June 19: Teacher Work Day
Fauquier County Public Schools is seeking native Arabic or Turkish speakers in the community who are interested in working with the school division to offer a 10-day summer language program to Fauquier County students. This is a paid position. Those interested are asked to contact Amy Ternois, FCPS coordinator for the office of second language acquisition, at (540) 351-1058 or aternois@fcps1.org.
Auto Skills: Kettle Run High School student Holly Hyde and Liberty High School student Brandon Stets finished second in the state in the 2009 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills state finals held April 18 in Richmond. The two are students in the school division's automotive program located at Fauquier High School.
Holly and Brandon earned the opportunity to compete at the state level by scoring in the top 10 on a written test administered by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence. As a result of their second-place state win, each received over $22,000 in scholarships and tools.
In the competition, two-person student teams were challenged to find and quickly fix the "bugs" intentionally placed in their assigned vehicles. Their hands-on scores were combined with the results of a written exam testing their motor vehicle knowledge.
Parent Resource Center
(Located in Building A, Central Complex, 430 East Shirley Ave., Warrenton; (540) 349-8560, ext. 1094, prc@fcps1.org; Marilyn McCombe, Parent Coordinator; open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays; self-serve parent center open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday).
Auburn Middle School tour, 2:45-4 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, at AMS; for parents of children with special needs who will likely attend Auburn.
The 2008-2009 parent survey for parents of students with disabilities is online (available May 11 through June 30). It offers an opportunity to provide feedback to the Virginia Department of Education about parents' perspective on special education services in Fauquier County.
Go to www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/sess and click on "Parent Involvement Survey" on the left side for directions.
For those who do not have access to the Internet at home, computer resources are available at the Parent Resource Center and the Warrenton and Bealeton branches of the Fauquier County Public Library.
To receive a paper survey, contact the Fauquier County Public Schools Office of Special Education at (540) 349-8560, ext. 1049.
Superintendents Memo 128-09 announces that the Virginia Board of Education is seeking nominees to serve a three-year term on advisory committees appointed by the Board. The terms will begin in July 2009 and end in June 2012.
The memo and nomination form are at this link: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/info_centers/administrators/superintendents_memos/2009/128-09.shtml.
Parents interested in serving a term on the State SEAC Committee may follow the link above to download the nomination form. Submit to the address provided.
Grace Miller
Upcoming field trips
May 26: Second-grade field trip to Fredericksburg
May 27: Third-grade field trip to National Zoo; and fifth grade field trip to Fredericksburg
May 29: Second-grade Pathways to Fauquier High
Field Days (all in morning): June 2, grades K-1; June 3, grades 2-3; and June 4, grades 4-5
GMES students are celebrating a year of great reading with the Big Bounce to be held on June 5. "The Bounce" is a reading initiative which rewards students for reading books and earning Accelerated Reader points on the books they have read.
The PE/Cafeteria room will be filled with moon bounces, obstacle courses, a giant slide, and a jousting ring. Each grade level has set both grade level and individual goals for students to earn entry to The Big Bounce. Students who read beyond their goal earn extra tickets to "buy" snow cones, face painting, tattoos, entry to the cup cake walk, or a visit to the treasure trove for prizes. The school is asking for volunteers and donations of cupcakes. Please contact the librarian, Vickie Estep, at (540) 439-1913.
The annual GMES Spring Choral and Recorder Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2. Two performances are scheduled: 2:30 p.m. for all students and an evening performance for family and friends beginning at 7 p.m.
M.M. Pierce
The students at M.M. Pierce Elementary School in Remington are helping out with Relay for Life. They will be working with Mr. Logan (P.E. teacher) and some parent volunteers to help raise money. During gym class, the students will run or walk a designated lap as many times as they can. Each student is provided with a sponsor sheet and are asked to get people to sponsor them at least 10 cents per lap. One parent said he would provide the top 25 fundraisers with a donut breakfast.
Any money raised will be brought to Fauquier H.S. at the end of the month and given to Carol Overman or Jennifer Scarberry as a donation from the students at M.M. Pierce Elementary.
Mary Walter
Published in the Weekly Writing Corner of the Free Lance-Star: Jacob Puckett and Bethany Mizelle.
The following students have been selected to have their poems published in the Creative Communication Spring 2009 Accepted Poet List: Hunter Anderson, Brianna Ciuffo, Caroline and Anna Cottrell, Christopher Ebbecke, Andrew Gardner, Jenica Garnett, Daniel Gray, Jordan Hadler, Genna Hebert, Clair Huffine, Savannah Kenyon, Cristina Montemorano, Hannah Perkins, Jacob Shipe, Scott Simpson, Sydney Wyant, and Luke and Leah Stribling.
To recognize student accomplishments in art, the school is hosting an art exhibit from 5-7 p.m. June 2. Every student has selected their favorite piece of art work to display. As a great way for students, family and friends to gather together, ice-cream Sundays will be available during the exhibit for the cost of $2 each.
Little did Mary Walter Elementary School fourth-grader Veronica Talbert know that visiting PetSmart to adopt a dog would lead her to win a regional essay award and then, even better, a national essay award that entitles her to interview a national hero.
Pat Baker, the teacher for gifted and talented students at Walter Elementary, routinely enters her students in writing contests that are part of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star's Newspaper in Education program.
"This year, the essay contest was a little different," said Mrs. Baker. "It was open to students in grades 4, 5 and 6 and had to be a live interview of someone who is a 'Hometown Hero.'"
Mary Walter celebrated a double victory in the regional contest (open to all schools within The Free Lance-Star's readership area) as Veronica won for grade 4 and Caroline Cottrell won for grade 5. (A homeschooled student won for grade 6.) Veronica selected Karl Santone, who works with animal rescue and helps with pet adoptions as her hometown hero, while Caroline selected Donald Johnson, a Virginia State Trooper, as hers. Both essays were published in newspaper.
In a ceremony on April 23 at the school, both girls received a trophy for their regional wins.
As national winner of the "Hometown Heroes: Interview a Difference Maker" writing contest, Veronica also received $100 at the April 23 ceremony. Part of her prize is the opportunity to interview a national personality who is a "difference maker." She will submit the names of 10 people she would like to interview, and the National NIE will select one of the names and set up an interview to be conducted during the summer, either in person or by video conference.
Auburn Middle
Auburn Middle School celebrated the third annual Peek at the World May 15, when over 300 people gathered in the school cafeteria to taste food from around the world and afterward "peek" at all of the country projects created by eighth-grade students.
World Geography, Art, Consumer Science, Family and Consumer Science, and Technology integrated assignments for the students to become "experts" for their individual countries which they researched all year. The culmination was a project about the country on a tri-fold presentation board displayed in the gym including all other projects such as artwork, travel brochures, country T-shirts, recipe cards, wood signs, and more for all to see. The presentation boards were set up together by continents and each student had hand drawn maps, country information, current events, and handmade flags on their individual boards.
Taylor Middle
The last NJHS meeting for the year is May 27 in the cafeteria. Students are asked to have their rides at the school by 3:30 p.m.
Congratulations to Boone Arnold for being selected Student of the Month for May. Boone was nominated for being a role model for others, as well as younger students who look up to him, always giving 110 percent, being respectful and helping others. Congratulations, Boone.
Twelve Taylor Middle School students participated in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Mythology Bee on April 21. These students qualified by taking a written exam in Language Arts classes. After eight rounds of competition, eighth-grader Logan Huggins correctly answered a question involving Queen Cassiopeia, mother to Andromeda. First runner-up was eighth-grader David Gregory and second runner-up was sixth-grader Ellie Avery. Logan is now eligible to enter the national sweepstakes from Disney/Hyperion to win a trip for four to Greece with "Percy Jackson" author Rick Riordan. The event was moderated by eighth-grade teacher Vicki Lovins.
Warrenton Middle
The cookout and end-of-the-year party will be held on June 11. Lunch will be served and students will "picnic" on the front lawn. There will be games, a D.J. and a dance scheduled for the remainder of the day. The National Junior Honor Society will sell refreshments during the activities. All students are asked to wear their newly designed T-shirts that day.
The eighth-grade dance will be 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, June 5, in the Fauquier High School cafeteria. Tickets are $5. Light refreshments will be provided.
The Eighth Grade Recognition Ceremony will be held on June 15 beginning at noon. The entertainment portion of the program will consist of music and skits performed by the eighth graders and will feature eighth-grade artwork. A luncheon will be provided for the eighth-grade students and their parents in the cafeteria.
More information forthcoming.
Fauquier High
Fauquier High School recently announced the following students who are invited to participate in the 2010 National Merit Program's College Plans Reporting Service: Lauren N. Armstrong, Samuel H. Chrisinger, Brandie L. Huffman, Anna C. McCulla and Alexander F Warzinski.
These students scored in the top 50,000 of all the 1.5 million program entrants. They took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. As such, "they are invited to be referred to two college or universities in the United States in which they are especially interested." In the fall, they will be considered for the National Merit Program Semifinalists.
Liberty High
Other important dates:
May 17: Summa Cum Laude Reception (top 10 percent)
May 22: Senior picnic
May 28: Academic Awards and Scholarship Night, 7 p.m.
June 8: Senior exams, blocks 1-2
June 9: Senior exams, blocks 3-4
June 11: Senior graduation practice
June 17: Underclassmen exams, blocks 1-2; 11:30 a.m. dismissal
June 18: Underclassmen exams, blocks 3-4; 11:30 a.m. dismissal (last day of school)
July 7-9: Senior portraits for Class of 2010
Band Boosters sale: The third annual yard/craft/antique sale sponsored by the Liberty High School Band Boosters. will be held May 30-31. Food vendors, business, retail and individuals are invited to participate. The Craft and Antique Sale will be Saturday, May 30, and the Community Yard Sale will be Sunday, May 31. Both days are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Liberty High School parking lot. For more information, visit Lhsbandboosters.com, call (540) 242-8442 or Paul, (540) 752-7098.
Fresta Valley
Fresta Valley Christian School's drama department recently announced its spring musical, Rodger's and Hammerstein's "Cinderella." The show will run at the school, 6428 Wilson Road, Marshall, May 21-23 with 7 p.m. evening show times and a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee.
Ticket prices are $7 for students, $10 for adults, with a $30 family pass for the Saturday matinee. Children under five are free. Tickets will be available at the door, online at www.frestavalley.org, or by calling the school office at (540) 364-1929, ext. 0.
Highland
Barbara Wilkes Field Day will be held 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 20. Rain date is May 21. Students in grades 3-8 will compete in various events to earn blue/gold points. Events include 1K run, 80 yard dash, softball throw, soccer throw, obstacle course and more. The Parents Association will provide students in PK-8 a bag lunch from Five Guys on Field Day. Please pack a lunch if your child has allergies or does not like the food provided. Hospital lunches will be served as well.
Jahna Kimm Knight was accepted by Performing and Visual Arts, Northwest (PAVAN) into their prestigious summer regional governor's school program in Winchester, Va. The program offers an intense two-week study in the choice of theater, dance, guitar, instrumental jazz band, vocal music or visual arts. This year brought the largest number of applicants ever, and only 20 percent were invited to attend.
The Admission Office is seeking parent mentors for fall 2009. The program ensures new families have a friendly, safe resource to help guide them through the transition. Being a mentor involves attendance at the New Parent Orientation in late August; willingness to check in with new parents for the first four months of school (September-December) and occasionally in the spring; willingness to introduce new parents to existing parents at Highland events such as Back to School Night, coffees, assemblies, etc.; and willingness to offer advice and insight into how Highland works and encourage parent involvement. Those interested in participating in the program are asked to contact Chris Pryor at cpryor@highlandschool.org or (540) 878-2740.
Wakefield
Here are some upcoming happenings for Wakefield School in The Plains.
Friday, May 22: Volunteer Appreciation Picnic, 4-6:30 p.m., Breezeway; "Romeo and Juliet," 7 p.m., Lower Gym, community invited.
Summer camp catalog and application are online at www.wakefieldschool.org. Camps run June 15 to July 31.
Friday, May 29: Kindergarten Closing Ceremony, 9 a.m., Lower Gym; Wakefield Performing Arts Dinner, 6:30 p.m., Lower Gym.
Monday, June 1: Spring Sports Banquet, 6-9 p.m., dining hall
Four juniors were accepted to the Governor's School for the following summer programs: Jack Byers, Latin Academy; Laura Steensma, Spanish Academy; Katie Huang, French Academy; and David Moore, Performing Arts Academy.
Eric Wilson, a junior, will attend the U.S. Naval Academy Summer Seminar Program.
Gracie Morrison, a junior, will attend Economics for Leaders Program at the University of Delaware, also the International Studies Program for High School Students at Georgetown University, as well as intern with the American Business Development Group.
Wakefield Country Day
Wakefield Country Day School students surpassed their fundraising goal for the recent Relay for Life, raising $1,600 for the event through bake sales and individual pledges. Many students from the school participated in the May 9 event along with their families and faculty members. The Relay, an annual event sponsored by the American Cancer Society, was held at the Rappahannock Elementary School, where participants walked the track for 15 hours to raise awareness about cancer, cancer research, and prevention.
For the second summer in a row, Wakefield CDS's social studies teacher, Charles Cowherd, will take a group of prep-school students to New Orleans to help rebuild homes that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Twenty-six students have signed up to make the week-long trip that will involve manual labor and long hours. Hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, the students will be chaperoned by two teachers and four parents, making the journey riding in Wakefield CDS vans. The students depart Rappahannock County June 4 and return June 13.
The eighth-grade recital will be on Friday, May 22, after Field Day. The eighth-grade class will perform both a comedy and a tragedy in the style of the Ancient Greeks. Enjoy music and Greek food, catered by It's About Thyme, during the intermission. The cost of a full authentic Greek dinner is $10. For those not wanting an entire meal, smaller appetizer plates will be available for $5. The performance is outdoors and will begin at 5 p.m. The community is invited to attend.
Wakefield will host three separate graduation ceremonies. The preschool, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes will graduate in a morning ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, May 20. Wakefield's lower school graduation will be May 29 at 7 p.m. and will include the presentation of various academic and achievement awards. May 31 is the date for the prep school and senior graduation and will take place in the Senior Garden, weather permitting. Valedictorians will present speeches and various academic and achievement awards will be presented. The event will be highlighted by an address by James Gannon, a Rappahannock resident, author, former Wall Street Journal reporter, and former Editor of the Des Moines Register.
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