High Schools to Start Later Next Year
School Board approves later start times.
Phyllis Payne has been fighting for more sleep for a decade. On Oct. 23, it all paid off. The co-founder of Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal - or SLEEP - saw the Fairfax County Public School Board approve to move high school start times ahead by 30 minutes, 11-1.
Fairfax County Calendar
Your guide to entertainment in Fairfax County.
For those looking to fill their calendar with some home-brewed, Fairfax County fun stuff (read: entertainment and diversion), The Connection's Fairfax County Entertainment Calendar has many options: weekend jaunts and larks; date night inspiration; winter-to-spring fun; day-long festivals and events; art-outings; family fun-and-learning fusions; plays and shows; beyond-Small Business Saturday local shopping and bazaars; markets of handcrafted wares; music; 1Ks to marathons... the list goes on. If you know of an event not listed in our entertainment calendar, email it to south@connectionnewspapers.com for happenings in south Fairfax County or north@connectionnewspapers.com for entertainment in the northern parts of the county.
Stage Presence
Cappies recognized among arts leaders at Arts Council awards.
After Bill Strauss first approached Judy Bowns about creating a student-driven arts awards and journalism organization 16 years ago, the ensuing creative partnership resembled a pair of cartoon characters.
Thirty-Six FCPS Students Named to Virginia Honors Choir
Vocal musicians from 14 Fairfax County public schools have been named to the Virginia Honors Choir for 2014. This select choir is open only to the top 125 singers from around the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is the highest honor a choir student can attain during his or her high school career.
Fairfax Education Summit to Be Held on Oct. 25
The Fairfax County School Board will host Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) fifth annual Education Summit, Mapping Your Student’s Unique Journey: Explore the Many Choices in Fairfax County Public Schools, on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 8 a.m. at Edison High School.
Gone Girls Next Door
PSA roll-out marks one-year anniversary of “Just Ask” project.
On a sunny afternoon, a police officer pulls over a young male driver. There’s an innocent-looking, girl-next-door type in the back seat of the car. The driver responds to the officer’s basic questions with cold indifference. When questioned, the girl in the back says she’s fine. Maybe she betrays a hint of unease.
Car Show Honors Former Principal
Hayfield Days Car Show benefits Auto Tech and David S. Tremaine Charity.
For the seventh straight year, more than 70 restored and modified icons of American motoring history rumbled into the parking lot at Hayfield Plaza Shopping Center. But for the first year, the funds raised by the Hayfield Days Car Show aren’t just supporting Hayfield Secondary’s Auto Tech Program.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Announce Scholarship Competition
Commander Bud Bishop of the Springfield Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post #7327 announces this year’s VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary “Voice of Democracy” Scholarship Competition. Local high school students have the opportunity to compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships and a trip to Washington, D.C.
State Accreditation Status a ‘Snapshot’
Schools in Mount Vernon and Lee districts receive warnings from VDOE.
“Test scores do not define our schools. They never have and never will,” said Mount Vernon school board member Dan Storck. Earlier this month the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) released accreditation results based on student performance in the 2013-2014 school year. The ratio of Fairfax County Public schools receiving full accreditation to those not making the grade dropped from 94 percent a year ago to 89 percent.
Students, Parents and Teachers Plea for Later Start Times
Students, parents and advocacy groups flooded the School Board’s public comment period with pleas to approve later start times for students next year during Sept. 19 meeting.
Portrait of a Graduate Approved
The Portrait of a Graduate has been drawn. This “portrait” - a part of the plans for the proposed strategic plan - was passed unanimously at Thursday’s Fairfax County School Board meeting after the board discussed it for more than an hour.
A Different Path to a 4-year Degree
NOVA’s Guaranteed Admissions Program gives students opportunities to attend their dream schools.
Noor Naveed immigrated to the United States from Pakistan with her family shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The family settled in Northern Virginia and, years later, Naveed graduated from Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria. She dreams of becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college.
Later High School Start Times for 2015?
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza will propose later high school start times at the Fairfax County School Board’s business meeting on Thursday, Sept. 18, for the Board’s formal consideration at its business meeting on Thursday, Oct. 23.
Area Schools Celebrate New Beginning
What’s new at Irving Middle, Lake Braddock Secondary and Sangster Elementary?
Rising seventh grade students at Washington Irving Middle School are not the only ones preparing for changes this upcoming school year. “This is the first year that we’re going to teach the Civics and Economic class to all eighth grade students at the honors level,” said Assistant Principal Rick Mondloch in an interview on Aug. 18.
Full Day Monday Challenges Discussed
The implementation of “full day Mondays” has been anything but easy for area elementary schools. The challenges that Fairfax County Public Schools faced to bring more hours to elementary students’ school year was addressed by Superintendent Karen Garza and several board members during a school board meeting on Sept. 4 at Jackson Middle School.
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