The Arlington Forest Citizens Association has the distinction of having published an outstanding news bulletin for longer than any other civic association in Arlington County. The distinctive Arlington Forester masthead, showing the stores and trees in the shopping center, at Arlington Boulevard and North Park Drive, was designed in 1948 by Forester Tom Cullen (Southside). This design with only minor changes is still being used nearly 60 years later.
This month, Arlington residents are being asked to fill out the 2008 triennial census which is being mailed to all households this week. Under Virginia law, all public school systems in the state are required to conduct a school census every three years to verify the number of school-age children who reside in their jurisdiction. The school census benefits all Arlington County taxpayers by reducing local taxes required to keep school divisions operating. Based on the last school census conducted in 2005, Arlington received approximately $2,300 for each child reported. APS must count and report to the Virginia Department of Education all children ages five (5) through 19, including:
The Arlington Public Schools web site has been updated to enhance its navigation and usability through a new mini-site and updates to content and design. A new "Registration & School Options" mini-site is now available from the APS homepage (available under the "About APS" heading) which allows parents to walk unassisted through all of the steps in registering a child for school and reviewing the options that are available to Arlington families. The School Options mini-site features four navigation elements, three of which are new to the APS Web Site, These include:
Other new features include; Links to the appropriate School Board policies as needed throughout the site as reference for admissions, transfers, and special programs. Now, when parents click on any individual school name on the list (either from within the School Options section or from the list of schools available from the home page) they will come to that school's page with a photo of the school and overview and contact information in addition to the link to the school's homepage. Additionally, a "Searchable Boundary" site was added to the APS web site just over a year ago to help citizens determine their neighborhood schools. Parents can type their home address into the database and will instantly learn which is their neighborhood elementary, middle or high school. The Arlington Public Schools Emergency Hotline number has been changed to a new, toll-free telephone hotline for emergency messages, with information available in two languages (English and Spanish). The new number allows more people to use the hot line at the same time, reducing delays and busy signals during peak use times. The new number, 1-866-322-4APS (4277) is effective immediately and is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In case of snow, ice or other unusual conditions such as power outages and excessive heat, or in the event of a local or national emergency, school officials may decide to close school, delay school opening or send students home early. News about these decisions is distributed through a variety of outlets. Parents and students are urged not to call schools, administrative offices or the Transportation Office for this information. In addition to the new toll-free hotline, parents can continue to receive emergency messages by subscribing to APS School Talk, the school system's emergency messaging service, checking the APS website Arlington Public Schools, or by watching cable Channel 71. Arlington Public Schools has launched a Web site to provide parents and staff members with information related to health and wellness. The new website that is accessible by clicking on the APS Web site at Arlington Public Schools and then clicking on Comprehensive School Health under Other APS Links. The website provides a variety of information, including: a page on healthy eating, healthy activity lists, healthy snacks and ideas for exercise; a resources page lists reports, organizations and policies related to health and wellness, including the recently adopted APS Wellness Policy; and a news and events page lists recent news stories and other current events.Schools Update Emergency Rules. "Parents cam always pick up their children during the school day, but the best place for children during a crisis might well be the school itself, where they will remain under supervision and be protected from outside hazzards," school officials said in the policy statement. Parents who decide to come to school to pick up their children during a crisis must report to the main office, and have photo identification ready. Emergency information is available in English and Spanish at 703-228-8638 and at the Arlington County School Board website. Copies of each school's Emergency Management Reference Book are available for public review during school hours. It has been an exciting month at Barrett! Students are busy learning about so many things-the Earth, the return to the Moon, how to grow seeds, simple machines, light and sound, and I am sure I left out a topic or two! Nevertheless, students are participating in engaging lessons which spark their interest in scientific topics and current happenings in the science world. This past month, we had a few highlights:Project Discovery Teachers, Allyson Greene and Laurie Sullivan, attended NSTA's national convention in Boston, MA. (NSTA stands for National Science Teachers Association). Laurie participated in a session where she presented her winning Toyota Tapestry Grant she received in 2005. Laurie was honored at this year's conference as she recently received another Toyota Tapestry Grant for $2500 for our Kindergarten and the study of Whooping Crane migration. Both teachers attended many sessions to learn about current topics in science education. A highlight of this conference is when Allyson Greene was able to meet Teacher Astronaut, Barbara Morgan and chat a little about how our students are doing with NASA's lunar plant chamber challenge! She is eager for us to share what the students develop and was very inspiring. Other school news: In Susan Golden's Kindergarten Class the students worked with Ms. Shaw on a special art project to make a readers' theater video titled, "Curly Locks and the Three Bears." Ms. Shaw took our video to the National Art Education Association Film Festival in New Orleans. Our video was competing with 20 other films, including international ones. We took first place...in the country! Teresa Bratt Principal Cookies to Troops Barrett Elementary School Brownie Troop 5837 sold almost 23 cases of Girl Scout cookies that will be donated to recuperating troops at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Of the 1,600 total boxes that the girls sold, 271 will go to the troops as part of the Girl Scouts' "Gift of Caring" program in which extra boxes are donated to a charity the Brownie Troop chooses. The girls also asked people to buy boxes specifically for donation. Hazel Thurston sold the most donated boxes while Alison Vernon sold the most boxes total. Donna Felsenheld, Patricia Hickey and Sylvia Merlosis are the troop leaders. Cathy Constantine coordinated the cookie sales. Brownies are younger Girl Scouts, from 6 to 8 years old. Barrett Elementary is also home to a Junior Girl Scouts Troop (8 to 11 years old) and a Daisy Girl Scouts Troop (5 to 6 years old).Science Night — From Outer Space to Inner Tract What a night it was! The entire event started early in the morning at Barrett as two museum curators came from the Science Museum of Virginia, located in Richmond, to work with students in their classrooms, along with providing hands-on exhibits for the entire school. (The visit from the museum was paid by a corporate sponsor of the Museum. Mrs. Laurie Sullivan, Project Discovery Teacher, applied for a grant given for this opportunity and was able to get it for Barrett!!) The gymnasium buzzed throughout the day and evening as students and their parents learned about plants, cells, and the human body by working with different displays provided by the museum. Adaptations, animal tracks, traveling plants, and ocean environment were topics students explored in their classes with the museum curators. Students' science fair projects were displayed in the library and hallways. They showed how our students have learned about the scientific thinking process and the importance of experimentation. At our evening presentation, students participated in exploring the museum exhibits, looking at science fair projects, interacting with Arlington 's planetarium teacher, hearing a presentation from our teachers who went on a Zero-Gravity flight, and the highlight of the evening … The Scoop on Poop!!! Yuk! The entire event was a huge success! We are so fortunate to have such great parental support, and it is a joy to see our students excited about science!! Allyson GreeneProject Discovery Teacher Videoconference Teaching Last month, Barrett School fourth graders were taught long distance via videoconference by their science teacher, Mr. Todd Easley, based in Yellowstone National Park while attending a class on climate and climate change. Mr. Easley shared his adventures during his week in the nation's largest national park. He told his students that he spent two days in a classroom learning new techniques on how best to teach climate related science topics. He went on to say that the remainder of the class was spent doing field studies in the park measuring the temperature of snow in snow pits, analyzing ice cores and observing animal adaptations to a temperate climate. Mr. Easley's students were thrilled to participate in the videoconference. He thanks the NASA Explorer School Program for funding this wonderful learning opportunity. Understanding by Design and Differentiation Barrett teachers participated in a series of workshops on Understanding by Design and Differentiation. The workshops were facilitated by Principal Terry Bratt, instructional lead teacher Laurie Sullivan, resource teacher for the gifted Wendy Cohen, and ITC Fred Delventhal. On Jan. 15, Barcroft math and science teachers, Theresa Chapman-Miller, Caitlyn Miller, and Betty Reid held their annual math and science night for parents. They had stations set up with different math and science activities for grades K- 5 so the families could take part in math and science games that their children participate in. Learn About Barrett Kindergarten If your child will be five years old on or before September 30, 2008, you will want to learn more about the exciting programs offered at Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School. The staff and PTA at Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School are hosting a series of orientations for the parents of prospective kindergarten students. The orientations are scheduled for the following dates:
Each orientation will include an informational presentation, a school tour, and exhibits of students' products. Principal Terry Bratt and Barrett PTA members will elaborate on Barrett's focus in math, science, and the arts and answer any questions that parents might have about Barrett's instructional program. If you have any questions about the orientations or want to schedule a follow up visit to the school, please call Principal Terry Bratt at 228-6288 for more information.Face-Lift For Barrett Field Barrett Elementary School's field is slated for repair and renovation this spring if the budget process plays out as expected. Arlington Public Schools staff plan to use two new funding lines in the schools' budget to give Barrett and Key Elementary School new playing fields. "I have no bad feelings that [the project] won't proceed forward," said C.R. Lyons, director of maintenance for the schools. The budget lines, within the Minor Construction Major Maintenance committee's purview, total $150,000 and the staff expects to split the money between the two schools. "We agreed this year to look at playground needs district-wide," Mr. Lyons said, and to repair items that were broken. Barrett and Key school fields moved to first on the list. Stone removal and planting will begin this spring, and the field will not be usable through the summer to allow establishment of a grass turf. Barrett physical education teacher Robert McLaughlin said he was happy to hear that the field was scheduled for renovation as it would allow him to plan more events outside. A group of older men began playing soccer on the field, at all times of day. Principal Terry Bratt said she did not recognize anyone in the group of adults. "No parent I recognized, no teenager I recognized," she said, adding that many arrived in cars. "I don't know where they were coming from," she said. They began arriving last spring and kept coming through this fall, she said. She spoke with them many times and was in contact with Arlington County Police Department's "Community Policing" program. She said the players would leave when she told them to, but they would be back, sometimes during school or extended day (after school) hours. "It's not meant for soccer, it's meant for children to play with sneakers," Mrs. Bratt said. She said that protecting the new field will be difficult. The fence cannot be locked or groups allowed to use the field will not get in after hours or on the weekends. The public schools budget moves through a lengthy process starting next month. It is finalized by April at which time reconstruction can begin, if the lines for this are approved. Students Try Space Gardening Students at Barrett will be working with cinnamon basil seeds that flew in space during Space Shuttle Mission 118. They will use the Engineering Design Process to create lunar plant chambers for these seeds to grow in. Scientists at NASA are working on designing structures that would be able to sustain human life. NASA has challenged young students to use the same design principles to create something that would be able to grow plants. Principal Theresa Bratt says "We are up for that challenge!" Space Shuttle Mission 118 was historical in the sense that astronauts made significant progress in the construction of the International Space Station, along with sending the first U.S. Educator Astronaut, Barbara Morgan, into space. Ten million basil seeds flew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour and were used in various tests designed to help scientists learn more about growing food in space. This is very important in planning to return to the moon and go to Mars. Check the Barrett Web site (see link below) to see what the students come up with!For more information about K.W. Barrett Elementary School call 703-228-6288 or:
Saturday, May 3rd Barcroft will hold its annual Spring Fair and Silent Auction. Please join in the fun! The Fair will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There will be moon bounces, games, and great food. Come and browse the Silent Auction where you can bid on gift certificates to local restaurants and businesses, hotels, B& B’s, great gift baskets and more! You won’t want to miss it! The silent auction bidding will end at 2:00 p.m. and checkout will begin shortly thereafter. Money raised by this PTA-sponsored event will help pay for additional field trips and other educational opportunities for our students. This fair/auction has become a community event, so come on out and enjoy the day with your fellow Arlington neighbors!Scarlett Williams, Barcroft Elementary School Principal Miriam Hughey-Guy was recently nominated for Arlington Extension Office's Friend of the Quarter award for bringing health and nutrition programs to every student at Barcroft. Students participated in many hands-on learning experiences, including learning how to read food labels, how to build a healthy meal, making good choices from the new food pyramid, as well as the importance of exercise. Thanks to Mrs. Hughey-Guy, Barcroft is the first school in Arlington in which every class participated in Cooperative Extension activities!
Kenmore Gardeners Dig Spring Spring is here and Kenmore's Junior Master Gardening Club is making plans to plant their garden! Last spring, the Club, with the help of a master gardener, 4-H, teachers and parents, prepare soil for the Schoolyard Habitat located along Rte. 50 by the art room. After 10 months, the soil is ready. A master gardener has finalized a landscape plan using the ideas she heard from our club members. Our Schoolyard Habitat will be filled with native plants from Virginia. We are hoping that some of you will think of us this spring as you thin your plants and rearrange your garden. We are looking for the following: Alternate Leaf Pagoda Dogwood, Blackberries, Black-Eyed Susan, Coneflower, Boneset, Cardinal Flower, Ciethra Ainfokia (summersweet), Crape Myrtle, Downy Serviceberry, Flowering Dogwood, Fringe Tree, Native Blueberries, Red Bud, Scrub Oak, Sedum, Virginia Sweetspire, Winterberry Holly. We also have an area for perennials and annuals. If you can help us, please visit Kenmore website for more information. Kenmore will host a spring planting day on Saturday, April 19. Volunteers are welcome to help plant. In addition to our school garden, students are working on a gardening service project. Students have met with two Master Gardeners and a representative from the Arlington Food Assistance Center. The students will be planting lettuce seeds in containers. The seeds germinate in 15 days and are ready to pick in eight weeks. The students will have one pot to take home and grow at a window, and they will give the second pot to a family in need through AFAC.Board Certification Twenty Arlington teachers received National Board Certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). To date, a total of 89 APS teachers have earned national board certification from the NBPTS. The NBPTS, a nonprofit organization established to promote professional teaching excellence, recognized the teachers for meeting and exceeding national standards for outstanding classroom instruction. The voluntary certification process requires a rigorous performance-based assessment that candidates have up to three years to complete. Recently certified teachers from schools serving Arlington Forest include:Sarah Lynn, Kenmore Middle School Jazz Band Kenmore Middle School's Big Kickin' Jazz Band was invited to perform on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in honor of Music in Our Schools Month. The half-hour performance was on March 4. Among the band's members are Arlington Foresters Patrick McDermott (trumpet), Sam Bosch (trombone), and Sammy Patecell (tenor sax)."Great Seal" Under the guidance of Kenmore Middle School art teacher Jeff Wilson, students submitted entries for a State Department contest marking its 225th anniversary. They were asked to create a new "great seal" representing America's past, present and future. A Kenmore sixth grader was one of four Metro area students whose art work was chosen to be part of the "Celebrating the 225th Anniversary of the Great Seal of the United States: Past, Present, and Future" and attended a recognition ceremony at the State Department with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.Kenmore Principal Recognized In October, Kenmore Middle School Principal Dr. John Word was appointed to a three-year term to represent Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church public and private schools in Northern Virginia on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals. My trip to Japan was wonderful. I visited Kagoshima, the southern prefecture, which was tropical and delightful. I found Japan to be extremely clean and the people everywhere were friendly and efficient in their approach to daily living. The food was remarkable, and yes, there were many heated toilets with built-in bidets. I wish to highlight a few points that I found particularly interesting, intriguing and/or different. Students cleaned the elementary and junior highs schools that I visited in Kagoshima. There was time built into the day for this purpose. Elementary and junior high school students also served lunch to their peers and everyone brushed their teeth after eating. There were not a lot of computers in the classrooms. I did see a computer lab in the junior high school, but I did not see computers for teacher or student use in the classrooms. Classes were generally large, high 30's and into the 40's in the junior high and solid 30's in the elementary school. As I reflect on my visit, here are some questions and contrasts I found significant: National Standards/National Curriculum? Japan has national standards and a national curriculum. We in the U.S. have No Child Left Behind (NCLB), a federal law that requires states to meet standards which they establish. NCLB has created quite a bit of controversy and inequity. Some states that have been ranked as low on many measures are doing just "dandy" on some of their state tests. Other states that have been highly regarded for their achievement and have set high standards for themselves have more schools that are not able to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and state accreditation under NCLB. Compulsory Attendance? While compulsory attendance is determined at the state level, in general the expectation in this country is that all students will remain in school through high school. The compulsory attendance requirement in Japan ends with the completion of what would be comparable to ninth grade in the U.S. The interesting point is that 98 percent of all Japanese students continue their education into high school which has very competitive entrance requirements. Academic Work Outside of School? Many students in Japan attend Juku or "crammie schools" where parents expect their children to gain a competitive academic advantage over their peers. Consequently, many of the parents of children who can afford to send their children to these privately operated remediation schools are asking the schools for less work outside of school. The parents of those children who do not attend crammies are spilt between wanting time for their children to enjoy recreational and extracurricular activities and to be children with those who want the schools to increase homework so their children do not lose their competitive edge. Student Drug Use? It seemed to me that there was not much of a problem with young people and drugs. I was left with the impression that good information about the harmful effects of drugs was the major deterrent. I was surprised that the message was obviously being well received and regarded by Japan's youth. Periodic Reassignment of Teachers? In Kagoshima, but not necessarily all over Japan, teachers are reassigned every 3 - 6 years and administrators every 2 - 3 years. My nearly ten-year tenure at Kenmore would never have happened. Soon I will post a complete report about my trip to Japan along with a PowerPoint with audio presentation on the our web site Kenmore. Dr. John A. Word
Sarah S. Harrick, Washington-Lee High School Claire Moir, Washington-Lee High School Robert Summers, Washington-Lee High School Students Move into New State-of-Art Building Students returned to class at the new Washington-Lee High School academic building January 3rd. Construction on the 250,000 square foot, four-story, state-of-the-art academic building began April 2006. The opening of the academic wing marks the completion of Phase I. The new building includes: 16 science labs; three business labs; three large rooms for musical instruction; eight computer labs; transportation design management plan to cut down on the use of single occupancy vehicles; a cyber café; wireless internet access; and a "green roof" to further reduce storm water run-off. Next construction steps include:
Check Wakefield website for the latest school news.
|
