Deadline for School Audit Committee Changes
Citizens Association wants community members added to School Board committee.
McLean Citizens Association (MCA) wants the county School Board to add community members to the audit committee. MCA voted on a resolution Jan. 7- stemming on a resolution made by Fairfax County Public School board members recently - to make changes to the audit committee by July 1.
The $2.4 Billion Question
FCPS Superintendent presents next year’s budget.
Fairfax County Public Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza is proposing a $2.4 billion budget for the 2015-16 school year. The proposed Fairfax County Public Schools’ budget includes funds for full-day Mondays, teacher compensation and later high school start times while still finding room for $55.4 million in cuts.
Nysmith Students Meet Cyber Defense Challenge
Two teams of middle school students from The Nysmith School of Herndon recently finished second and 12th out of 200 U.S. and Canadian teams participating in the seventh Annual CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition.
Alexandria Civil Rights Pioneer Ferdinand Day Dies
The force behind the philosophy of “Every Student Counts.”
When Ferdinand Day was born in 1918, Virginia had just passed its first compulsory school attendance law for children ages 8-12. But with legalized segregation, funding for the education of African American students was sorely limited, with only four black public high schools in the entire state. It would take decades before one existed in Alexandria.
New Schools, Boundary Changes Possible
Proposed Capital Improvement Plan focuses on rising enrollment.
Several new schools may be added to the Fairfax County Public Schools system in the next decade. The School Board listened to an annual Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) presentation by Assistant Superintendent Jeffrey Platenberg on Dec. 18, 2014, describing the need for four more elementary schools and one high school to meet the demands of rapidly rising enrollment.
Route 1 Transit Study, Jeff Todd Way, Wegmans among top events and developments in Mount Vernon 2014-2015.
It may take the better part of 35 years, but the Route 1 corridor is in the process of receiving transit updates that include bus rapid transit and light rail. Fall 2014 saw the completion of a study by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) which was passed on to the Board of Supervisors by the Executive Steering Committee: “All the leaders agreed on a vision that affects everything, schools, housing, quality of life, environment, everything.”
Springfield Town Center, Jeff Todd Way, Wegmans among top events and developments.
A crowd of eager shoppers gathered Oct. 17, 2014, for the grand opening of the Springfield Town Center, a completely revitalized version of the long dilapidated Springfield Mall.
Glancing Back to 2014, Looking Forward to 2015: Springfield Town Center, World Police and Fire Games, Occoquan
A crowd of eager shoppers gathered Oct. 17, 2014, for the grand opening of the Springfield Town Center, a completely revitalized version of the long dilapidated Springfield Mall.
Burke Centre Festival, World Police and Fire Games, and Neighborhood Enhancements among top events and developments.
The ever-larger two-day festival returned for its 37th year at the beginning of September 2014. Drumming, Japanese dancers, local dance groups, bands and Irish dancers comprised a live performance slate, while free and minimal cost activities including face-painting and a photo booth offered attendees plenty of ways to enjoy the pleasant fall weather.
South County High School Swim and Dive Team Donates Toys at South Run
Before filling the pool for warm-ups, members of the South County High School Swim and Dive team filled the Toys for Tots collection box at South Run RECenter. The team decided to give collectively at their final dual meet before Christmas break, a Dec. 19 face off with the team from Robert E Lee High School.
Gift Bags, Handmade
Churchill Road kindergartners in Erin Thurston’s class are proud of the gift bags they made for kindergartners at their buddy school, Dogwood Elementary in Reston.
A Perfect Score
Ellen Kim, 16, from McLean achieves perfect score on the PSAT.
Every year in October, roughly 3.5 million high school students across the country take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The test is used for entry into the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) Competition, which can provide college scholarships to eligible students who achieve high scores.
Letter to the Editor: Hateful Tweets Call for Action
To the Editor: I would like to applaud the Reston Connection for its coverage of FCPS Superintendent Garza's meeting with concerned parents on Dec. 3 (“County Superintendent Listens to Reston,” Connection, December 10-16, 2014).
Addressing Growing Student Population in Arlington
New schools and boundary changes in the works in Arlington Public Schools.
While the rest of county moves into the new year, Arlington County Schools are finding themselves in the middle of a challenging one. Arlington schools have faced a 21 percent increase in student population over the last five years and anticipate a 19 percent increase over the next five. This has put a strain on school resources, and consequently has forced the schools to ask for budget increases. Meanwhile, the schools have begun plans to shift school boundaries to spread the student population as evenly as possible.
Alexandria Budget Looms Over 2015 Plans
Alexandria city officials discuss goals and funding for 2015.
For Alexandria City Council, 2015 kicks off with a continuing discussion of the budget and the city’s priorities. With an anticipated decrease in federal spending, city officials are preparing for a difficult budget process.