School news: Snowplows and robots

Sleepy Hollow Elementary School Principal Eric Johnson performs with students at the back-to-school assembly.

An occasional series highlighting programs and activities at schools in the Annandale/Mason District area. The information and photos here are from Fairfax County Public Schools and individual schools.

Voting at Stuart – People who live within the JEB Stuart High School attendance area are encouraged to come to the school cafeteria Saturday, Sept. 16, any time between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., to vote for a new name for the school.

People can vote for any of the names proposed at a community meeting Sept. 9. A full list of the names is posted on the FCPS website.
Voting is limited to one vote per household. Voters will need to check in and provide identification to verify they are current residents of the attendance area. FCPS will accept a Virginia driver’s license, utility bill, payroll stub, official correspondence, lease, or student ID for students as proof of residence for voting.

Voters will be allowed one vote for their first, second, and third-choice name. A weighted point system will be used to determine the top three choices.

Results will not be communicated to the public on Sept. 16, but will be made public before Superintendent Scott Brabrand announces his recommendation for one or more new names to the school board.

A snowplow decorated by Falls Church Academy students.

Snowplow art – Students in the Health Sciences Academy at Falls Church High School painted designs on snowplows provided by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Students in medical assistant, health sciences, and fire and emergency medical technician programs decorated three snowplows in August with artwork related to their chosen career. VDOT representative Jenni McCord said the agency thought it would be a fun activity to promote a positive image with local high school students and encourage students to consider VDOT for employment after graduation.

Salad bar – Annandale Terrace Elementary School is one of seven Fairfax County schools with a new salad bar this quarter. Students were given “salad bar etiquette” training, covering such issues as the need to use hand sanitizer before touching the salad tongs and how to make smart choices about how much to take.

Robotics – Glasgow Middle School students in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Impressionists after-school program are learning how to use VEX Robotics, A grant from Northrop Grumman supports equipment purchases, training, and competitions.

Students got first-hand experience building robots at a summer camp and are scheduled to learn how to organize and run a VEX Robotics scrimmage Sept. 16. The scrimmage, jointly sponsored by Glasgow and Poe Middle School, will enable students to sponsor a VEX seminar at Glasgow’s 2017 Hour of Code hack-a-thon and to design and deliver a VEX seminar at George Mason University’s Focus STEM camp next summer.

Stuart is fully accredited – JEB Stuart High School Principal Penny Gros advised parents Sept. 13 that the school has been fully accredited by the state of Virginia.

Stuart ended the accountability year with a graduation completion index of 86.4 percent, which is up from 83 percent the previous year and the highest rate since 2009-10. Virginia requires 85 percent of students to graduate within four years. The school also improved in core academic outcomes, including English, mathematics, and history.

Gros credits the school’s success to students, staff, families, and support from the Region 2 leadership.

Healthy Kids grants – Annandale Terrace Elementary School and Falls Church High School are among the seven FCPS schools that were awarded Healthy Kids grants from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. The grants are designed to support programs that increase physical activity and improve nutrition among students in grades K-12 while addressing the main causes of childhood obesity.

Annandale Terrace received a $2,000 grant to establish an after-school sports program for students in grades 3-5. The funds will be used to purchase equipment, develop a curriculum, and provide healthy snacks.

Falls Church High School’s $2,000 grant will be used for the Swing Kids program. The school will purchase HOVR swings for library tables, allowing students and teachers to stay physically active while sitting down. The school hopes to stimulate the connection between movement and improved cognition.

Science night – Bailey’s Elementary School is teaming up with the Children’s Science Center to host a Family Science Night on Sept. 21 at Bailey’s lower campus.

The program combines science learning and family bonding, as students and their parents work on a variety of fun hands‐on activities. Students will rotate around the room as they participate in activities involving geometry, fossils, magnets, the human body, simple versus compound machines, aeronautics, circuits, forensic sciences, and more.

Positivity Project – Weyanoke Elementary School is participating in the Positivity Project, a program established by a nonprofit organization aimed at helping children build stronger relationships by recognizing 24 character strengths in themselves and others. The vision is to
create citizens and leaders who will enhance communities and the country as a whole by internalizing the belief that “other people matter.”

The Positivity Project is a schoolwide, holistic approach in which teachers will incorporate the 24 character strengths into their classroom instruction.