Speakers Set for School Dedications Congressman Bob Etheridge will be the guest speaker at the dedication of the new West View Elementary School on Sunday, October 1 at 2 p.m. Senator Fred Smith is the featured guest at the dedication of the new Dixon Road Elementary School on Sunday, October 1 at 3:30 p.m. For more information, please call Crystal Roberts, Public Information Officer, at 919.291.4221. Fundraiser to bring computers and a cow to West View Elementary West View Elementary is having a fall fundraiser through Innisbrook (www.Innisbrook.com). The school's goal is to raise $50,000 in order to put computers in each classroom for the children's use. Funds will also go towards the start up of the Accelerated Reader Program. The fundraiser is going on from now until October 6th and anyone can log on to the website and enter the school code-106037 for West View to receive credit. If our goal is met, Principal Brian Vetrano and Assistant Principal Lorrie Johnson have agreed to ride a cow around the school! For more information, please call Sheila Thomas at 919.661.6184. Candidates forum to be held at West Johnston High School The West Johnston High School Parent Teacher Student Association will hold a forum for the Johnston County Board of Education candidates on Thursday, October 26, 2006, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the WJHS auditorium. All candidates have been invited to participate. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. For further information, email jgptsa@nc.rr.us GEAR UP program to host Opening Night Event The GEAR UP programs at North Johnston and Benson middle schools will be held on Thursday, October 5 at 7 p.m., and Tuesday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m., at the schools, respectively. For more information, please call Rose Pittman at 919.398.0566. Parents invited to attend Let's Talk About Sensitive Issues Program at Meadow Elementary Sarah Thompson, JCS Parent Involvement Specialist, will host a "Let's Talk About Sensitive Issues Program from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, October 23, at Meadow Elementary School. Mrs. Thompson will emphasize the importance of communication between parents and their children. Sex, drugs, and violence are the main topics of discussion, but Mrs. Thompson will address any parental concerns. Teen pregnancy is at an all-time high in NC, and drug use and violence are issues that many parents do not know how to deal with. This program is part of the school's effort to improve its parent involvement strategies. A light dinner of sandwiches, chips, and snacks for participants will be provided. Babysitting services are also available as children may not attend this ADULTS ONLY workshop (due to the nature of the topics discussed). Dinner will be served in the school cafeteria; the meeting will take place in the Media Center. This program is for ADULTS ONLY. Childcare services will be provided for parents needing it. For more information, please call Darene Honeycutt at 919.894.4226, extension 117. Elementary students at Four Oaks to perform "SchoolHouse Rock" Four Oaks Elementary School's elective "Theatre Production" will present the "SchoolHouse Rock" show at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 5, 2006. Twenty-three third, fourth and fifth grade students have learned lines, music, and choreography. All the music is from the 1970s' television series "SchoolHouse Rock". This production is the final product of the elective. These students have learned all the things that go along with producing a school musical, such as performance rights, live music accompaniment, stage directions, working as a team, and responsibility. The event will be held in the school cafetorium. For more information, please contact Nickie Lee at 919 963-2165. Selma Middle School Students Participate in SIGHT NIGHT The students and staff of the Life Skills program at Selma Middle School are participating in the Give the Gift of Sight Foundation and Lions Club International service project called Sight Night. Beginning on October 1st and continuing through October 31st, this group will be collecting used eyeglasses for people in developing countries. The eyeglasses collected will be cleaned, repaired, classified by prescription and hand delivered to people who need eyeglasses in those areas. "We really wanted to have our students make a positive difference to others as they went about trick or treating on October 31st. We decided to extend the program for the whole month so that our collection efforts will be stronger in numbers," said Brenda Newsome, Life Skills teacher. For more information, please call Brenda Newsome at 965-2555 ext.458. For more information on Sight Night, visit www.sightnight.org or call toll-free 1-877-605-4242. Polenta Cares: A new program supporting the Ronald McDonald House Please join Polenta Elementary School in supporting the Ronald McDonald Houses in Durham and Chapel Hill by recycling aluminum can tabs. All you need to do is collect the little tabs you pull to open soda, soup or other aluminum cans. Then, bring them to Polenta and add them to the classroom jugs that will be in each class. There will be a contest and the class with the most can tabs at the end of the year will be given a McDonalds lunch party. The Ronald McDonald house uses the money to purchase nights of stay at the house for families that can not afford it and to purchase much needed supplies for the house. Also at Polenta: The Polenta PTA is proud to present the 2006 Fall Festival. Come and enjoy a night of fun and laughter with Polenta Elementary Staff and Friends! Don't miss the dance room with old and new moves, Show off your talent with some karaoke. Take an old fashioned hay ride. There will be delicious foods and exciting games. Don't forget to vote for your favorite class decorated pumpkin. Tickets will cost 25 cents each. Box-tops may be exchanged for tickets. For more information, please call Nancy Nettles, Principal, at 919.989.6039. New principals are guests of honor at Benson Chamber Business After Hours The new principals of local schools are the guests of honor at the Benson Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours on Tuesday, October 3, from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. at the Benson Conference Center. This event is being hosted by Atlantic Coast Contracting and Carlie C's IGA. Stop by to welcome the principals to our schools. For more information, please call Loretta Byrd, Executive Director of the Benson Area Chamber of Commerce, at 919.894.3825. Micro-Pine Level hosts book club for students and their parents Mrs. Foster invites 4th and 5th grade students and their parents to a book club at Micro-Pine Level once each month. The club meets to increase family interactions and encourage at-home leisure reading. In September, the group read "Frindle" and had a discussion, snacks, and made "Frindle Friends" as an activity inspired by the book. The book club will be reading "Because of Winn Dixie" for October and has many more fun books planned. For more information, please call Mrs. Foster at 919.965.3323. Benson Chamber to award grants to JCS teachers The Benson Chamber of Commerce will award $2,250 grants to teachers in schools in Benson, Meadow, and at South Johnston High School. The checks will be presented at the Chamber's October 5th meeting at 6 p.m. For more information, please call Rodney Peterson, Principal at Benson Elementary, at 919.894.4233. SSS Class of '86 seeking placement of Performing Arts Center at school During its 20-year class reunion, the Smithfield-Selma High School Class of 1986 voted to establish a grassroots movement to erect the John R. Windley Performing Arts Center at the school. Windley was the school's band director, under whose direction many awards and honors were earned. For more information, please call Jennifer Capps Hinton at 919.934.5203. Johnston County's United Way campaign kicks off this month The 2007 Campaign Kickoff for the United Way of Johnston County will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 5, 2006, at Chick-Fil-a in Smithfield. Johnston County Schools is participating in the campaign. For more information, please call Lori Dixon at 919.934.6032, extension 242. SAVE THE DATE: upcoming events in the Johnston County Schools Oct. 10 10:45 a.m.--Group I North Carolina Symphony for 5th Graders Oct. 17 10:45 a.m.--Group II North Carolina Symphony for 5th Graders Oct. 17 7:00 p.m.--School Advisory Council Association PTA/PTO Council dinner meeting at Clayton High School. For more information, please call Lori Dixon or Carolyn Ennis at 919.934.6031 Technology Showcase to be held October 26 The sixth annual Johnston County Schools Technology Showcase will take place October 26, 2006. The event will be held in the Great Hall at Johnston Community College in Smithfield and is scheduled to last from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Technology Showcase is an opportunity to share some of the things the students in the Johnston County Schools are doing with technology and technology resources. For more information, please call Diana Freeman at 919.934.4361, extension 347. Exploration Day brings field trip presenters to South Smithfield campus Many local, state and national agencies will be on the South Smithfield Elementary School campus on Friday, November 3rd, to allow hands-on learning opportunities. Guest speakers will be on hand from Langley Space Center (NASA), the Museum of Life and Science, the Ava Gardner Museum, the Tobacco and Farm Life Museum and many local artists and musicians. Exploration Day allows students to experience many hands-on activities in science and social studies. Students also get to meet guest speakers who are very knowledgeable in areas such as music and art. For more information, please call Kathy Hamilton at 919.934.8979. Artists in the Schools will provide JCS over 50 artists for more than 150 cultural programs Cong Yuan will conduct a weeklong residency at Meadow School from October 2-6, 2006. In this five-day residency, Cong Yuan will introduce students to many different aspects of Chinese culture, such as the language, calligraphy, Beijing Opera, Tai Chi, music, and dance. Birdman Dave will perform at Riverwood Elementary on October 5, 2006, at 8:50 am and 9:50 am. Using live birds, storytelling, and audience participation, "Birdman" Dave will take students for a journey down the Amazon and all of its amazing wonders. Howard Craft will conduct a weeklong residency at Smithfield-Selma High School from October 9-13, 2006. "Poetry for Life" is a five-day residency where students learn to explore their everyday experiences by partaking in a guided tour of the writing process. Anyone interested in observing any performances should call the school to request permission and confirm the date and time of the performance. The Artists-in-the-Schools Program is supported by the Fred Smith Company, the Johnston County Arts Council, Johnston County Schools and corporate, foundation and individual donors. For more information, please call 919.553.1930.
