Correction
<bt>In the article regarding the release of the Fairfax County Public Schools proposed budget, a quote incorrectly stated the average SAT scores for the county. The correct average percentile is 65.
<sh>Gibson Named New Chair
<bt>Stuart Gibson (Hunter Mill) was elevated to chairman of the Fairfax County School Board, Thursday, Jan. 11, while Isis Castro (Mount Vernon) was voted vice chair, both by unanimous vote. With the power change came a change in committee chairmanships. Castro, as vice chair, automatically becomes chairman of the Audit Committee. Previous Board vice chair Ernestine Heastie takes over chairmanship of the Instruction Committee, and former Board chair Jane Strauss (Dranesville) will serve as the chair of the Finance and Budget Committee.
Gibson has already expressed interest in scheduling work sessions during the day and revisiting the high-school start time issue.
<sh>FEA to Issue Report Cards
<bt>Fairfax Education Association (FEA) will be issuing public reports cards grading all Northern Virginia elected officials on how they respond to the issue of school funding. Throughout the upcoming state and county budget debates, FEA will publicly "grade" elected officials in a series of interim actions, leading to a final grade of pass or fail when the final budgets are complete.
<sh>Schools System Receives Leadership Grant
<bt>Fairfax County Public Schools has been awarded a one-year, $862,000 grant by the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds to implement a project that will include leadership development for principals, assistant principals, administrative interns, teacher leaders and leaders of support personnel while increasing student achievement, particularly of economically disadvantaged students. The schools system is eligible to renew the grant annually for an additional four years for a total of $4,138,000.
Working with the Department of Education, which was awarded a $250,000 State Action for Education Leadership grant, the schools system plans to develop assessments and high-performance teams that will ultimately improve student learning, targeting economically disadvantaged students.
The county's project, LEAD Fairfax, focuses on site-based leadership development, and its emphasis will be on recruiting, developing and sustaining leaders who cannot only manage a school but who can also influence the educational community to produce greater achievement by students.
<sh>TJ Students Make Semifinals
<bt>Margaret Camilla Barusch, Mee-Jung Jang, Jina Kim and Jee-Hyun Lyu, all students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, have been selected as semifinalists in the 2001-02 Intel Science Talent Search.
Each of the students will receive a $1,000 prize, and the school will receive $1,000 for each semifinalist, to support science and math programs.
Three hundred semifinalists were chosen from 1,562 applicants. Next, 40 finalists will be selected and invited to attend the Science Talent Institute in Washington, D.C., March 6-11. The research projects can be submitted in any of the science disciplines, including chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, social science and biology.
<sh>Aftermath Workshop
<bt>Fairfax County Public Schools is co-sponsoring a free workshop, Teaching in the Aftermath of Sept. 11, Friday, Feb. 1, and Saturday, Feb. 2. at Marshall High School. The University of Virginia Northern Virginia Center, in collaboration with the Curry School of Education, is co-sponsoring the event, which is designed to help educators address the challenges of teaching in these uncertain times.
The workshop will provide developmentally appropriate strategies and resources for coping with traumatic events in the school setting. The event will be from 5-8 p.m., Feb. 1, and 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Feb. 2, at Marshall, 7731 Leesburg Pike in Falls Church. Teachers from all local school districts are welcome to attend. There is no fee, but space is limited. To register, visit http://uvace.virginia.edu/registration/northern/aftermath.htm.
<sh>Schools Events Calendar
<bt>Thursday, Jan. 24, 8 a.m.
Professional Technical Studies Advisory Committee meeting. Walnut Hill Center, 7423 Camp Alger Ave., Falls Church.
Thursday, Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m.
School Board regular meeting. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Monday, Jan. 28
Student holiday for standard school and modified middle-and high schools.
Tuesday, Jan. 29
Student holiday for all students.
Monday, Jan. 28, 7:30 p.m.
School Board work session, instructional committee. Burkholder Building, 10700 Page Ave., Fairfax.
Tuesday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m.
School Board public hearing, 2002-03 proposed budget. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Thursday, Jan. 31, 7-9 p.m.
Curriculum Night at Madison High School. An orientation of course registration for 2002-03 for Madison students and parents of grades eight-11. For more information, call 703-319-2322. Madison High School, 2500 James Madison Drive, Vienna.
Thursday, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m.
School Board work session, Finance and Budget Committee. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.