REMINDER: Friday, March 12 is a make-up day. Reading with Dr. Seuss at McGee's Elementary The McGee's Elementary School Literacy Committee and students will celebrate reading and Dr. Seuss' birthday March 1-5, 2004. Activities will focus on reading, writing, Big Hat trivia related to Dr. Seuss books, reading with buddies, and guest readers. For more information, please call Vicky Temple-Rains, Assistant Principal, at (919) 894-7161. Selma Elementary To Host Asian Storytelling On March 3 at 8:45 a.m. and 10 a.m., students at Selma Elementary School will hear stories performed by Eth-Noh-Tec, a duo whose objective is to inspire the imagination and bring stories alive through highly stylized and lyrical movements, often accompanied by musical instruments such as Japanese taiko drums, voice and the ditze and shakuhaci bamboo flutes of Asia. Eth-Noh-Tec works to bridge cultural gaps while addressing a worldwide humanity. They performed for President Bill Clinton's inauguration, and have appeared at the Smithsonian, heard on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and on Public Television. Their stories originate from countries throughout Asia, including China, Tibet, Japan, Cambodia, and the Philippines. For more information, please call Martha Mann or Susan Wallace at 965-3361. River Dell Students Learning Government Cookie Pope of the Johnston Bounty Board of Commissioners will speak River Dell Elementary School second graders about county government on Friday, March 5 at 1:15 p.m. They will conduct a "mock" board meeting to learn how the commissioners act on motions. For more information, please call Samantha Suvak at 553-1977. Also at River Dell, Kindergarten through second grade students will give on-stage performances during a program entitled, "Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice," on Thursday, March 11 at 9:30 a.m., and an evening performance at 7 p.m. Both performances will be held at the school in the cafetorium. The program is a culmination of the music lessons and will provide the students the opportunity to perform on stage. Math is an Art at Four Oaks Middle Mr. Glenn McNitt, an origami artist, will be at Four Oaks Middle School March 8-11, 2004. He will be instructing 6th-8th grade students during their math classes. Mr. McNitt's residency was arranged by the Cultural Arts Committee and supported by the Four Oaks Middle PTA, along with a grant from the Artists-in-the-Schools program with support from the Fred Smith Company, Johnston County Schools and corporate, foundation and individual donors. The residency will highlight the math curriculum of 6th, 7th and 8th grades. For more information, please call Peggy Westmoreland at (919) 963-4022. River Dell Elementary Raising Money for Library Books River Dell Elementary School is participating in the Green School Project, a program that earns money for the school through the collection of empty printers, fax, and copier cartridges, as well as cell phones and pagers for recycling. Items can be dropped off in the school's front office. The school is also seeking business partners. For more information, please call Kay Hewitt, Principal, at (919) 553-1977. Clayton High School's Men of Distinction Club Gives Up Saturday to Help The Men of Distinction, a leadership skill development organization for male students at Clayton High School, gave up a Saturday recently to help a community member prepare a site for a future after-school/prevention program. The young men cleaned the house and moved furniture, making room for the youngsters who'll be participating in the upcoming program. For more information, please call Marlon Lee at (919) 553-4064. VIF Teacher Committed to Cultural Promotion Mogie Reddy was recognized again by VIF for reaching the next level of leadership, President's Club, in the Visiting International Faculty's Cultural Ambassador Program. For more information, please call Dr. Peggy Smith, Principal, at (919) 550-5311. Cooper Elementary School Sets Dinner Theater Date Cooper Elementary School will hold its annual Dinner Theater with a beach music theme on Friday, March 5 at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Cooper gym. Tickets are $7.00 and go on sale February 16. Also at Cooper: Students will participate in the school Science Fair March 30 through April 2. The projects will promote science and creativity. The school will host a Parent Reception and Fairy Tale Ball on April 16 at 8:30 a.m. in the Cooper gym. The school's Parent Night and Book Fair will be held on April 22 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, please call Cindy Parrish at (919) 553-0256. West Johnston Hosting Eighth Grade Parent Night Parents of upcoming freshman are invited to Eight Grade Parent Night at West Johnston High School on March 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the West Johnston High School auditorium. Administrators, counselors, and teachers will be on hand to answer questions about course selection and after-school activities. Counselors will be in the middle schools during the second week of March to provide registration materials. Parents are asked to bring those materials to West Johnston on March 4. For more information, please call Trish Palmer at (919) 934-7333. Also at West, Freshman and Sophomore Parent Night is scheduled for March 16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Parents whose students are enrolled in AP courses are invited to a meeting from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Junior Night is March 23 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. From 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., there will be a meeting for parents whose students are enrolled or who would like to enroll in AP courses. From 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., an Admissions Counselor from NC State will discuss competitive enrollment at universities. From 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., counselors will discuss a timeline for Seniors before entering their Senior year. Polenta Elementary Making ID Cards for Students, Hosting Science Fair Ident-a-Kid will be at Polenta Elementary to make photo identification cards for students on March 16 at 8:30 a.m. The cards will include the child's name, fingerprint, date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye color. For more information, please call Teresa Moss at (919) 989-6039. Also at Polenta, students in third through fifth grades are being invited to enter a project to be judged in the school's science fair scheduled for Tuesday, February 24. Three finalists will be chosen, and a first, second, and third place award will be given to those three. Second grade students can enter a project or display a collection. Special awards will be given for outstanding projects and displays. Kindergarten and first grade classrooms will prepare a class display. Judging will take place from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.; judging and viewing will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Parents will be invited to view projects from 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the multipurpose room. The top three students in grades three through five will have the honor of representing Polenta at the Regional Science Fair in Raleigh on March 27. Students at Polenta will see Zoe Speaks from Loyd as part of the Artists in the Schools program on March 5 at 9 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. From 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., a clogging workshop will be held. Zoe Speaks is a husband/wife duo whose families have resided in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky for eight generations. Cleveland Elementary Sets Date for Annual Spring Carnival Cleveland Elementary Schools' annual Spring Carnival will be held on Saturday, March 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring large blown-up rides, an Easter Egg hunt, pictures with the Easter bunny, food, and games. Profits will be donated to the teachers who run the events. For more information, please call Kay Davenport at (919) 553-5062. Selma Elementary Talent Show Fundraiser Two talent shows will showcase the gifts of Selma Elementary School students on Thursday, March 4 and Friday, March 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Selma Elementary School auditorium. The event is a fundraiser for playground equipment installation. For more information, please Jeannie Barnes at (919) 965-3361. Annual Battle of the Books Slated Johnston County Schools will once again host its annual Battle of the Books competition on Thursday, March 4, 2004 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the West Campus Media Center. This competition involves the most enthusiastic readers from Johnston County's middle schools. During this competition, students answer questions from approximately 20 novels they have read this year. For more information, please contact Dr. Chris Godwin, Secondary Curriculum Coordinator, at 919-934-4361 ext. 372. McGee's Crossroads Elementary School PTA Sponsors N.C. Days On April 2, 2004 McGee's Elementary students will travel throughout North Carolina without leaving campus. Exhibits from the North Carolina mountains to the Coast and everything in between will be displayed at the school, while musicians, storytellers, Blackbeard, coastal animals, historical exhibits, and many more experiences for the students will abound. For more information, please call Vicky Temple-Rains, Assistant Principal, at 894-7161.
