RSSSchool notes
U.S. News: TJ is
nation's top high school
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was named the top school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for the third consecutive year. In all, seven Fairfax County high schools were cited by the magazine.
"I give all the credit to the teachers and students," said Principal Evan Glazer, who is in his fourth year as the head of the high school. "We're creating a culture that encourages students to pursue their passion and encourages teachers to be creative," while working with the community to offer students new opportunities, he said.
U.S. News & World Report looked at 21,786 schools while conducting this year's rankings.
The magazine considered how schools educate students; achievement among minority and disadvantaged students; and scores on statewide tests, Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate exams.
Langley High School is ranked 47th overall. Also winning distinction as silver medal recipients were Madison and Marshall high schools. Honorable mention recipients include Lake Braddock Secondary School, McLean High School and Woodson High School.
For complete information on the magazine's top high schools report, visit www.usnews.com/sections/education/high-schools/index.html.
Woodley Hills teacher gets top marks
Judi Elmore, reading teacher at Woodley Hills Elementary School, has been named Reading Teacher of the Year by the Greater Washington Reading Council.
"Children should be taught that reading is more than just saying the words on the page," Elmore said. "They need to think about and react to what they read. I want reading to be a lifelong habit, not a reaction to an assignment."
Elmore, who worked for Fairfax County Public Schools for nearly 30 years, has taught at Woodley Hills since 2005.
"She has affected student achievement through her skills as a teacher, a coach, a staff developer and a leader," Woodley Hills Principal Sharon Aldredge said.
A graduate of the College of William & Mary, Elmore earned her master's in education from Virginia Tech. Before coming to Woodley Hills, she worked as a classroom teacher and reading resource teacher at Stratford Landing Elementary School.
Decision on elementary school calendar postponed
During a Dec. 3 meeting, School Board members voted to postpone a decision on whether to continue offering the modified calendar for elementary schools during the 2010-2011 school year. The topic will likely be discussed at the board's Feb. 4 meeting.
Board members cited continued budget challenges as the reason to postpone any decision.
Franconia Elementary School will no longer follow the modified calendar beginning with the 2010-11 school year to accommodate its renovation schedule and because Individuals with Disabilities Education Act stimulus funding is unavailable for Franconia. The postponement of the modified calendar decision affects Annandale Terrace, Dogwood, Franconia, Glen Forest, Graham Road, Parklawn and Timber Lane elementary schools.
For more information, contact the Fairfax County Public Schools Department of Communications and Community Outreach at 571-423-1200.
Students participate
in climate summit
Clermont Elementary School fifth-graders are teaming up with Danish students to develop a plan that would protect the diamondback terrapin from environmental challenges caused by climate challenges.
Students visited the U.S. Forest Service headquarters in Washington last Thursday to discuss projects and action plans they have developed.
The students have been working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Forest Service, under the sponsorship of the Environmental Protection Agency, on a research project to better understand how climate change is affecting the diamondback terrapin, an East Coast turtle that lives in brackish waterways.
Students were tasked with designing a climate change solution project to protect the terrapins from the loss of their habitats due to rising waters caused by the effects of climate change.
Three of the completed projects and action plans will be presented live during the videoconference; the Danish students will represent the Will Steger Foundation: Expedition Copenhagen. A question-and-answer session between the two student groups will be featured.
Ten area schools receive EPA Energy Star label
Ten Fairfax County public schools have received the Energy Star label from the Environmental Protection Agency. The Energy Star label is earned by a school system benchmarking a school's energy performance and physical characteristics against other K-12 schools in the EPA's National Energy Performance Rating System and demonstrating superior energy performance for at least 12 months.
Receiving the Energy Star label are Bonnie Brae, Crossfield, Cub Run, Dranesville, Forestville, Oak View, Sangster, Terra Centre and Virginia Run elementary schools and Centreville High School.
Schools earning the Energy Star label typically have energy saving features such as double pane windows; good roof insulation; efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems; efficient lighting systems; and a computerized energy management control system.
The school system said additional schools are working toward earning the Energy Star label. These schools will be announced later in the 2009-10 school year.
Mount Vernon Woods gets donation from church
Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School was selected by Christ Church of Alexandria to be the recipient of the offering taken at the church's annual concert and musical celebration, "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols," on Dec. 6.
Donations will be used to support a growing music program and to provide the students at this Title I school with uniforms for the entire band, chorus and orchestra. The school and church are also working together to fund a summer band camp at Mount Vernon Woods.