Winter break begins on December 22 and runs through January 1. ANNOUNCEMENTS_________________________________________________ West View Elementary student a winner in NC Bus Safety Poster Contest (New) (PHOTO-Max Boyd 2)Maxwell Boyd, a 5th grader at West View Elementary School, was a 2nd place winner in North Carolina's Bus Safety Poster Contest. Posters from these students are featured at www.ncbussafety.org. This year, National School Bus Safety Week was October 15-21. The poster contest theme was "Be Aware! Cross With Care." This theme was designed to remind students to be very careful when crossing the street to get on or off the school bus. Max was recognized as the 2nd place winner at the school earlier this month. For more information, please call Brian Vetrano, Principal, at 919.661.6184. Princeton student advances to Regional FFA Competition (New) Congratulations to Princeton Future Farmers of America member Chase Leslie for winning 2nd place in the Johnston FFA Federation Creed Competition held recently. Leslie advances to Regional FFA competition in April. His FFA advisors are Bryant Wellons and Julie Capps. For more information, please call Wellons or Capps at 919.936.5011. First grade authors from Cooper Elementary host tea to share published works (New) (PHOTO-Author’s Tea)As part of the Social Studies curriculum, comparing individuals and families, Cooper Elementary School’s Mrs. Kate Mundt’s first graders wrote and published autobiographies. Mrs. Mundt then hosted an “Author’s Tea” for students to read their autobiographies to invited family and friends. For more information, please call Michee Olson, receptionist, at 919.553.0256. Princeton teacher receives second nomination for Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers (New) Tammy Cooper, a kindergarten teacher at Princeton School, has been nominated again to be honored in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. Only five percent of the nation’s teachers are honored in each edition of Who’s Who and less than two percent are included in more than one edition. Teachers are selected for the Who’s Who honor for making a difference in the life of a former student. The only students invited to submit nominations are those who have distinguished themselves by being recognized for excellence in either Who’s Who Among American High School Students or one of its other editions. For more information, please call Tammy Cooper at 919.936.5011. Spartan Voices perform at the Governor’s Mansion (New) (PHOTO-Spartan Voices)The Spartan Voices of Smithfield-Selma High School were honored to perform at the Governor's Mansion during the Governor's annual Christmas Open House. The performance began at 3 p.m. on Monday, December 4, 2006, and included both patriotic and holiday music selections. The SSS Spartan Voices are under the direction of Mrs. Dolores Barrett. For more information, please call Dolores Barrett at 919.934.5191. McGee’s Middle School students to be honored at Soil & Water Awards Banquet (New) (PHOTO-Soil & Water)Congratulations to Frankie Johnson for winning the county wide annual 8th grade speech contest sponsored by the Johnston County Soil & Water Conservation Service. Congratulation also goes to Kirsten Brown for coming in 2nd at the 7th grade level and Thomas Lineberger for receiving an Honorable Mention. The contest was held on Thursday, December 7th, and the students will be honored at the annual Soil & Water Awards Banquet in January. Frankie will advance to the Area IV level to compete among 11 other counties and, if she wins at the area level, she could advance to the state level. The contest theme was Wetlands are Wonderful. For more information, please call Melody Lineberger at 919.894.6003. Princeton Middle School students place in speech contest (New) On December 7, 2006, Princeton Middle School students, Shane Hinton, Heather Chappell, Katlyn Peedin, and Nicholas Baker, participated in the Johnston County Soil and Water Speech Contest. Mrs. Elizabeth Logan, middle school Science teacher, is their sponsor. 7th Grade Winners were: Katlyn Peedin - 1st Place - Continues to Area Contest in March 2007; Nicholas Baker - 3rd Place 8th Grade Winners were: Shane Hinton - 2nd Place; and Heather Chappell - 3rd Place. For more information, please call Elizabeth Logan at 919.936.5011. Smithfield-Selma High School senior organizes walk for autism (New) (PHOTO-SSS Walkers)Cara Jordan, a senior at Smithfield-Selma High School, has recently completed a large component of her senior project. Cara organized and was the chair person for an event held Oct. 7, 2006, at the school as a part of the Mother March in Charlotte. Specifically, the event was titled, A Walk for Autism. $607was raised and there were approximately 71 walkers, which included HOSA members, parents, and volunteers from the band and other schools. For more information, please call Michael Taylor, Assistant Principal, at 919.934.5191. Princeton’s Middle School Science Olympiad Team wins big in competition (New) On December 9, 2006, 28 Princeton Middle School Science Olympiad team members, traveled to Washington High School in Beaufort County to compete in Student Challenge. The Princeton team members captured the following honors: First Place: Solar System - Justin Davis & Raeven Braswell Storm the Castle - Lance Pablo & Caleb Hinton Oceanography - Bethany Martin & Ryne Woodard Don't Bug Me - Lillian Beard & Patrick Overbee Tower Building - Heather Chappell & Brittany Smith Second Place: Meteorology - Shane Hinton & Blake Wagner Anatomy - Alex Eckenrod & Tambrietta Williams Tower Building - Nicole Allen & Casey Croom Third Place: Heredity - Lillian Beard & Reandy Hearn Meteorology - Joel Edgerton & Taylor Edwards Disease Detectives - Joel Edgerton & Zachary Hinton Write It / Do It - Julia Coats & Nicole Allen Oceanography - Caleb Hinton & Dalton Langdon Ecology - Dalton Langdon & Reandy Hearn Rocks and Minerals - Justin Davis & Quinn Dougherty For more information, please call Kirk Denning, Principal, at 919.936.5011. Johnston County Education Foundation makes classroom dreams come true at Meadow Elementary (New) (PHOTO-Grant)The Meadow community is known across the state of North Carolina for its beautiful display of Christmas lights. However, this small rural area is gaining popularity in the profession of writing. Young authors are penning fiction and non-fiction stories, winning awards, and learning in a fun and exciting environment. Step into the classrooms of Meadow School on the 3-5 hall and the smiles are almost as bright as the Christmas lights the area is known for. Two years ago Meadow School’s Parent Involvement Contact, Darene Honeycutt, researched a book publishing opportunity for students. After careful consideration, Mrs. Honeycutt approached fourth grade writing teacher, Mrs. MaLinda Turnage, about doing the project as a pilot program. As usual, Mrs. Turnage accepted the challenge as a great learning opportunity for her students. Mrs. Honeycutt then ordered book kits for each student in the fourth grade. Nationwide Learning, Inc. offers the publishing project free of charge provided that each student gets parental consent. The company gives each student a free book and the opportunity to purchase additional books at approximately $17 each. The fourth grade worked diligently on its books: handwriting each story, illustrating stories with hand drawn pictures, coloring, etc. The students’ work was celebrated with an Author’s Celebration and an ice cream social. Family members were invited to the unveiling of the books. One student was also recognized as a national finalist in the Nationwide Publishing Young Authors’ contest. The second year of the project, Mrs. Honeycutt had written a technology grant for a wireless mobile laptop computer grant to be used by students in grades 3-5 in the book publishing process. Students improved the quality of their books by typing their stories. As a former 4-H volunteer, Mrs. Honeycutt still recites the 4-H slogan “To Make the Best Better.” Reflections are an important component of the teaching process and this team of teachers continually made reflections during the publishing process; we always want to improve and strive for excellence. Mrs. Honeycutt wanted to encourage the students to do their best, make learning fun, and to also help the teachers with the publishing process. Mrs. Honeycutt approached Mrs. Turnage once again and asked her to make a wish list for the book publishing project. Hopefully, with the assistance of the Johnston County Education Foundation, the young authors of Meadow School would have a publishing station for their 2006-2007 books. Mrs. Honeycutt started writing the grant titled: Hot Off the Press: Reading and Writing Adventures with Technology. Adhering to the new county motto: Empowering all students to become successful in a global society, technology needed to be incorporated into the students’ project. Technology skills are a necessity to compete successfully in today’s society. Most of the students are outstanding writers, but many students feel inadequate about their artistic abilities. Through the use of technology, such as digital cameras, photo printers, scanners, and new software, students can create professional quality publications not only to include their books, but classroom newsletters. The goal of the grant is to help students flourish with enthusiasm in their creative writing. The project will have a positive impact on all students regardless of learning styles and will promote student ownership as a published author. This project will also assist in preparing students for the North Carolina State 4th grade writing test. Meadow will host their 2nd annual Green Eggs and Ham dinner and Family Reading Night on March 1, 2007. The 4th grade students plan to share their books with family and friends at this event. Students will have the opportunity to practice public speaking skills. Copies of the publications will be presented to the school media center and hopefully to some public libraries. Mrs. Honeycutt and Mrs. Turnage plan to host a 4th Grade Family Night in January 2007, to recognize the Johnston County Education Foundation for its contribution to the Meadow students. They will also unveil the publishing station and demonstrate its use. Mrs. Honeycutt adds, “Thank you JCEF for making our classroom dreams come true! It is especially touching that we received the grant so close to the holiday season at a special time of giving and receiving. The children’s lives will never be the same for you have enriched the lives of these young authors and illustrators.” For more information, please call Darene Honeycutt at 919.894.7064. UPCOMING EVENTS________________________________________________ Meadow Elementary students give to those in need The Beta Club hosts an annual food drive and donates it to the Share Program. Each homeroom at Meadow School competes to bring in the most non-perishable foods. The class with the most items wins a pizza party. The Beta Club then organizes the food for families before giving it to the Share Program. The goal of the Share Program is to provide at least one toy, one outfit of clothing and a Christmas dinner for children in need. The drive will last from Monday, December 4-Friday, December 15. The Meadow Community is known for its beautiful display of Christmas Lights, but more than the night sky is lit during the holiday season; the hearts and lives of children are brightened with hope of a beautiful Christmas morning. For more information, please call Cherry Johnson, Beta Club sponsor, at 919.894.7064. The Grinch takes Cooper Elementary 1st graders to The Clayton Center Cooper Elementary School 1st graders will perform a Christmas program called, “The Grinch” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 14, at The Clayton Center. For more information, please call Carla Jones, Music Teacher, at 919.553.0256. Career Day to help North Johnston Middle Schoolers prepare for future On Friday, December 15, 2006, approximately 210 eighth grade students at North Johnston Middle School will attend “Career Day 2006” from 8 a.m.-12 noon. The purpose of the Career Day is: • to develop student awareness of a wide variety of career opportunities • connect for students the role of education and the world of work • further develop the partnership between the NJMS community and the school • Give relevancy to the school curriculum and careers of interest • Further students knowledge as they consider their course selections for ninth grade Participants include at least 18 businesses/individuals representing careers in the areas of Education (representatives from North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, and North Carolina Teaching Forum), Business/Trades (Heating & Air Conditioning, Surveying, Real Estate & English Second Language Dept. at Johnston County Schools’ Central Office), Service Industries (Micro, Pine Level and Kenly Fire Department, Clayton and North Johnston Emergency Medical Services , Law Enforcement (Johnston County Sheriff’s Dept, and Women’s Prison-Dept of Corrections), Sports (Mudcats), Media (Kenly News), and Military. The Career Day is co-sponsored by GEAR UP, which is providing lunch for presenters and staff participating in Career Day. For more information, please contact Mona Finch, Computer Skills Teacher, North Johnston Middle School, at 919.284.3374. McGee’s Middle School Beta Club conducting food drive (New) The Beta Club at McGee’s Middle will be collecting food items for the Salvation Army through December 17th. Last year over 4,000 food items were collected and the club is hoping to reach 5,000 items this year. All the food will go to local Johnston County families. For more information, please call Bethany Meyers at 919.894.6003. Join the festivities at Riverwood Middle School this month Riverwood Middle School will be hosting their annual Winter Band Concert on Tuesday, December 19, at 7 p.m. in the gymnasium of Riverwood Middle School. The 6th grade band, 7th grade band and 8th grade band will be performing. Come enjoy an evening of festive music. For more information, please call Chris Germanoski, Band Director, at 919.359.2769. Imagination Station brings in Four Oaks Middle Schoolers A 7th grade field trip, Imagination Station—"Science on Wheels", will do a hands on demonstration and presentation on physics and chemistry on Tuesday, December 19, at 9:30 a.m., in the Four Oaks Middle School gym. Students will also travel to Smithfield to eat at a Japanese restaurant. The event is being held to combine science and social studies to extend curriculum. For more information, please call Lisa Calcutt, Principal, at 919.963.4022. Commencement scheduled for Middle College High School students (New) Commencement exercises for the Johnston County Middle College High School Class of 2006 will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 21, 2006, at the Johnston County Agricultural Center. For more information, please call Dr. Amelia McLeod, Principal, at 919.989.6208
