School news: Parklawn PTA gets Google grant to host workshop on Internet safety

Glen Forest Elementary School students get to know a Fairfax County Police officer during a lunchtime visit.

School News is an occasional series highlighting local school programs, activities, and issues. The information and photos are from Fairfax County Public Schools. 

Internet safety – The Parklawn PTA invites parents to a Be Internet Awesome Family Workshop March 6 to explore digital safety and address concerns about raising children in a connected world.

The workshop is 6-8 p.m. at Parklawn Elementary School, 4116 Braddock Road, Lincolnia.

Woodson students show off their portraits of Myanmar children.

The Parklawn PTA is one of 200 parent-teacher associations nationwide that received a $1,000 grant from Google to present the workshop.

The event – open to the community, not just Parklawn parents – will cover such topics as password security, safe websites, and digital citizenship. Parents will receive information to facilitate discussions at home.

Global connections – Woodson High School students participated in a Memory Project, in which young artists around the world were invited to create portraits as special gifts for children facing challenges. The project is aimed at giving young children positive memories and promoting kindness and peace.

Woodson art teacher Jayne Matricardi-Burke received photos of 17 children in Rakhine state in Myanmar living in deep poverty. Her students created artistic portraits based on the photos as gifts for the children. The portraits send a message of caring and will serve as meaningful pieces of personal history for the children in the future.

Peace awards – Kora Corker of Annandale High School and Xuan Huynh of Woodson High School are among the 22 Fairfax County students selected for 2019 Student Peace Awards. The recipients will be recognized at a reception on March 10 at the Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax.

Corker wrote and published a children’s book that explores the concepts of immigration and discrimination through the eyes of elementary school students. She has read the book to young children at a school and a library and led discussions asking the children to relate the book to their own views and experiences.

Huynh participated in the Youth Art Re-Imagining Community initiative that uses art (such as poetry, photography, and posters) to address social and racial inequities. The art served as a catalyst for community discussions at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, James Lee Community Center, and Bailey’s Elementary School. Huynh also served as a U.S. student ambassador in the cross-cultural Tech Girls summer program, which exposed girls from the Middle East and North Africa to science, technology, computers, and math.

Student art show – A select group of students at Ravensworth Elementary School is having their artworks displayed in the Historic House at Green Spring Gardens Feb. 27-April 28.

The art show was organized by Ravensworth art teacher Erin Fortenberry. The Historic House is open Wednesday-Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

Students from Annandale High School learn about healthcare education and careers during a field trip to Northern Virginia Community College.

Magnet school – Applications for elementary magnet schools can be submitted March 5-April 4. Bailey’s Primary School for the Arts and Sciences will accept lottery applications for students who will be in grades K-2 during the 2019-20 school year. Bailey’s Upper School for the Arts and Sciences will accept applications for students in grades 3 and 4.

Get more information about the magnet program and apply here.

Culinary challenge – Teams from Glasgow Middle School are participating in the Breakfast Showcase and Snack Showcase at the 2019 School Food Culinary Challenge March 2 at Hayfield Secondary School.

The event, hosted by Real Food for Kids, is aimed at creating healthy, delicious, and appealing menu items that conform to USDA school meal guidelines. Menu items created by student winners in the lunch category will be featured in school cafeterias. The winners are judged by professional chefs.