JCS Academic Calendar Dates *December 21-31—Winter Break *January 1—New Year’s Holiday *January 21—Martin Luther King Holiday *January 22 & 23 —Student Vacation Days *January 31—Report Cards Go Out WJHS Band Ends Season on High Note After two magnificent performances and another remarkable marching season, West Johnston is again one of the top marching bands in the country, placing 15th in the Bands of America Grand Nationals competition in Indianapolis, Indiana. Recognized as marching band’s most prestigious event, Bands of America’s Grand National Championship showcases the finest high school marching bands in America. Clayton High School also competed. On November 15, the West Johnston Marching Band stepped onto the Astroturf in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana for their preliminary competition performance. West Johnston advanced to the semi-finals and over 10,000 people from all over the United States watched them perform for their last performance in the RCA Dome on November 17. (The RCA Dome is to be torn down after this season.) “We were one of the lucky schools that had an administrator supportive enough to travel with us this weekend. Without her (Brookie Honeycutt, Principal) support and concern, we would not be where we are today.” said Lance Britt, Director of Bands. The judges’ final scores placed the band 15th in the nation. “As for our kids, simply put, they are remarkable young men and women. What they achieved … is truly amazing. To watch them walk out on that stage and pour their hearts into their performance is truly life changing. They took us all with them to Mars,” stated West’s band director M. Lance Britt. “Words simply can not describe the feelings we have for them. They will be remembered as the band that ran the race to the very end and still had more race in them.” For the first time, on Monday, Dec 10 at 10 a.m. the band will perform “The Exceptional Children's Winter Concert” for over 200 exceptional children from eight schools. The schools invited are McGee's Crossroads Elementary, McGee's Crossroads Middle, Dixon Road Elementary, West View Elementary, Polenta Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Cleveland Middle School, and West Johnston High School. “It's something Lance Britt and I have been working on for a couple of months now. I teach an EC Life Skills class at Dixon Road. We thought it would be nice to bring our students together for this experience...an awesome opportunity for all of the special needs kids, as well as the high school kids performing,” said Lisa Brewer, Exceptional Children's Teacher at Dixon Road Elementary School. The West Band will also perform its annual Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 16 at 3 pm. The concert will be held at the West Johnston Auditorium and admission is free. There will be a reception for the community immediately following the concert in the cafeteria. “We truly hope the entire community will join us in celebrating the Holiday season this Sunday,” said Director of Bands M. Lance Britt. “We have been working hard since Grand Nationals to prepare this ‘thank-you’ concert for our community. It is sure to be a fun afternoon for the entire family!” For more information, please contact Sal Biancardi, President, West Johnston Band Parents Association at daabees@gmail.com or 919. 341.4711, or M. Lance Britt, Director of Bands, at 919.934.7333. Also at WestJohnstonHigh School, Handicap Accessory Ramp 2007 Project at WestJohnstonHigh School(New) The Volunteer Publication Committee, created specifically for the Handicap Accessible Ramp Project within the Career Technical Education (CTE) Department, has commissioned the CTE students to build a handicapped-accessible wheel chair ramp for one of its own students, Laquan Smith. Materials have been pledged from local community businesses and organizations. The publication committee members are as follows: TJ Williams Justin King Will Olive Tim Wilson Ashley Nappen, Assist Secretary Tammy Williliford, Secretary David Pederson Justin Wyme Josh Torbich Jason Stowe Hunter Kunz For more information, please call Harris Jenkins 919.934.7333. Corinth-Holders Hosting Canned Food Drive Corinth-Holders Elementary will have a canned food drive for the families in the Corinth community from December 3 through 17. Students are encouraged to bring non-perusable items to the Media Center. Our staff will keep up with the amount of items that each class contributes. For more information, please call Betty Bennett, Principal, at 919.365.7560. Biome Unit Culmination at WestSmithfieldElementary School West Smithfield Elementary School will host its annual culminating event on the school's biome study on December 12 and 13. Performances will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on December 12 and from 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. For more information, please call Anne Koebley at 919.989.6418. ClevelandFirstGradersVisitClemmonsStateForest. First graders from Cleveland Elementary Schools learned about trees by walking on the talking tree trail. They also learned about how forest products are used, how to protect the environment, and the predator/prey nature cycle. Micro-Pine Level Teacher Assistants To Visit Smithfield Manor On December 11 at 7 p.m. the teacher assistants at Micro-Pine Level Elementary School will be spreading cheer and good tidings for the residents at Smithfield Manor. We will be singing Christmas carols and distributing bags of fruit. The students will be participating in decorating the bags during their art class. For more information, please call Angie Jacobs, Principal, at 919.965.3323. Cleveland Elementary Studies Other Holiday Cultures (New)(Photo) The first grade students at Cleveland Elementary participated in Christmas Around the World on November 30. They learned the various symbols, traditions and celebrations each country. For more information, please call Candace May at 919.550.2700. McGee’s Middle Beta Club HolidayFood Drive The Junior Beta Club at McGee’s Crossroad’s Middle School is sponsoring a Holiday Food Drive during the first two weeks in December. The non-perishable food collected will be distributed by the Salvation Army to Johnston County residents who are in need. For more information, please contact Joyce Younce or Frances Petit at 894.6003. 2007-2008 Special Focus Grants (New) The Johnston County Education Foundation announces recipients of the 2007-2008 Special Focus Grants. Seventeen applications were received from twenty-three teachers at nine schools. The review panel consisted of former educators and business leaders from throughout JohnstonCounty. Winners are… Do You See Me Now? A United Streaming Library submitted by Fred Roberts, Jennifer Spencer, Jennifer Medlin, Heidi Joyner, Susan Moore, and Debbie Via of River Dell Elementary School. $1,500 reading, math, science, and social studies lessons for 775 Kindergarten - fifth grade students. All K-5 staff members will be involved in the project. 100% of the materials purchased will be useable for project duplication. The school goal is to create a United Streaming DVD/CD library to be housed in the MediaCenter. Write Right with Neo 2s, submitted by Beth Mukamal of FourOaksElementary School. $1,500 will enhance the all core subjects, especially Language Arts, and technology lessons of 600 students in grades three through five. Forty teachers will be involved in the project. 100% of materials purchased will be useable for project duplication. Putting History into Students’ Hands, submitted by Rebecca Bettis of EastClaytonElementary School. $1,499.43 will enhance Language Arts and social studies lessons in pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade for 150 special education students. Ten teachers will be involved the initial year. 100% of the materials purchased will be useable for project duplication. Wow! Did I Really Do That?, submitted by Tracy Caulder of RiverwoodElementary School. $1,400.00 will enhance Language Arts, math, science, social studies, art, P.E., music, media, and technology lessons for 800 students in grades K-5. Fifty-one teachers will collaborate on this project. 100% of the materials purchased will be useable for project duplication. Functioning in Society, submitted by Barbara Nicholl and B.J. Woodall of SouthJohnstonHigh School. $1500.00 will enhance 223 students in tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade mathematics classes. Two teachers will be involved in the project. Ninety-three percent of the purchased materials will be useable for project duplication. Sensational Centers, submitted by Patricia Tippins of FourOaksElementary School. $1,417.70 will enhance Literacy: reading and writing lessons for 7-10 students in a K-3 exceptional children’s classroom. One teacher will be involved in the project. 100% will be usable for project duplication. Writing with the Stars!, submitted by Stephanie Williams and Jennifer Roberts of WestClaytonElementary School. $1,499.68 will enhance writing lessons for 965 students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Sixty-eight teachers will be involved in the project. 100% of the materials purchased will be usable for project duplication. ABC and 123, submitted by Katrina Dunn of FourOaksElementary School. $904 will enhance Language Arts, math, music, and social studies lessons for 60 Kindergarten students. Three teachers will be involved in the project. 100% of the materials purchased will be usable for project duplication. Technology for All, submitted by Wendy Srinivassan of ClaytonHigh School. $1,066.05 will enhance Algebra I and Algebra II classes for 10 ninth through twelfth grade students. One teacher will be involved in the project. 100% of the materials purchased will be usable for project duplication. Who Has the Remote?, submitted by Tracy Caulder of RiverwoodElementary School. $1500.00 will enhance Language Arts, math, science, social studies, music, art, P.E., media and technology classes for 800 Kindergarten through eighth grade students. Fifty-one teachers will be involved in the project. 100% of the materials purchased will be usable for project duplication. Technology Write Now, submitted by Patricia Tippins of FourOaksElementary School. $1,500.00 will enhance Language Arts, math, science, and social studies classes for 8-10 exceptional K-3 students. Two teachers will be involved in the project. 100% of the materials purchased will be usable for project duplication. The Memory Project, submitted by Judy Boyette of PrincetonSchool. $702.98 will enhance art III, art IV, and honors art III and IV classes for 15 students in grades eleven and twelve. One teacher will be involved in the project. 20% of the materials purchased will be usable for project duplication. The Memory Project is a nationwide project which partners art students with orphans in the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) orphanages. The orphanages are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. Art students will receive a photograph of one of the orphans and then will paint a portrait of that child and send the finished portraits to The Memory Project. The Memory Project staff takes the photos, mail them to the art students, and then deliver the portraits to the countries where the orphans are located and hand-deliver the portraits to the orphanages. The purpose is to provide the orphans with a special memory of their youth that honors their heritage and identity and to help them build a positive self-image. For the art students, the goal is to open the hearts of high school art students to the children who have endured many hardships and to promote kindness to others. Funds will be used for student participation fees ($15 per portrait) that cover the administrative costs of the project and to pay for postage to mail the portraits, paints and brushes, and illustration board. For more information, please call Lorine Davis at 919.934.7977. 2007 Creative Project Grants (New) The Johnston County Education Foundation announces recipients of the fall 2007 Creative Project Grants. Twenty-nine applications were received from twenty-seven teachers at sixteen schools. The review panel consisted of four former educators and business leaders from throughout JohnstonCounty. Winners are… 1) Busy Bee Goes Traveling – A Travel Buddy Project, submitted by Deborah Jones of RiverwoodElementary School. $127.00 will enhance lessons for 17 kindergarten students in Language Arts and social studies classes. One teacher will be involved in the project. Fifty percent of materials purchased will be useable for project duplication. “Busy Bee”, a seven inch beanbag bee, is the class mascot. He will travel to five different states this year. His job is to teach other students about Riverwood Elementary, Clayton, JohnstonCounty, and North Carolina through a book created in the kindergarten classroom. The notebook will be added to by each state Busy Bee visits: New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Alabama. Busy Bee and his materials should arrive back home in April 2008, along with all the information from the participating schools. Grant funds will purchase membership a three-ring binder, 2 boxes of plastic page protectors, a book on North Carolina, postcards of NC sites, and postage to ship 6 boxes. 2) Microbes: Thee Good, the Bad and the Ugly submitted by Lori Stroud of ClaytonMiddle School. $499.76 will enhance Exploring Biotechnology lessons for 255 seventh and eighth grade students. One teacher will be involved in the project. Sixty-one percent of materials purchased will be useable for project duplication. Students will use various hands-on methods and research based instruction to build an understanding of microbiology. 3) Survivor: North Carolina/The Native American Edition, submitted by Stephanie Williams of WestClaytonElementary School. $499.63 will enhance social studies and writing lessons for 185 fourth grade students. Eight teachers will be involved in the project. All materials purchased will be useable for project duplication. Eight classes of fourth graders will be invited to participate in a series of reality “simulation centers”, each depicting a different aspect of Native American life. This “reality show” will allow students to walk in the shoes of the earliest people of our great state ad see first hand just how they survived. They will then ask themselves the question, “Could I have survived this culture?” 4) Exertaining Math: A New Generation of Math Practice, submitted by Stephanie Williams of WestClaytonElementary School. $385.35 will enhance the math and physical education lessons of 25 fourth grade students. One teacher will be involved in the project. All materials purchased will be useable for project duplication. A group of fourth graders will be given the opportunity to experience the most exciting math practice available. The students will use a Cateye game bicycle to interact with Playstation 2 games and then use the information to complete their mathematical practice pages. This is no longer just entertainment, but exertainment, a workout for the body and mind. 5) Sweating with the ABCs, submitted by Pam Crocker of Glendale-KenlyElementary School. $176.70 will enhance Language Arts and physical fitness lessons for 25 Kindergarten students. One teacher will be involved in the project. None of the materials will be usable for project duplication. Students will learn to write the upper and lowercase letters using a sky writing technique with a one pound ball. In addition, while forming the letters, students will repeat the sound made by each letter. 6) Look at Me…I’m a Star, submitted by Teresa Butcher of WestViewElementary School. $500.00 will enhance reading lessons for 18 second grade students. One teacher will be involved in the project. 100% of the materials purchased will be useable for project duplication. Students will read scripts of tall tales, folk tales, fairy tales and legends aloud in class, allowing students to “become” the characters. Stories will have character lessons. Students will develop reading and fluency skills. 7) Weather Geeks: Using Technology to Forecast the Weather, submitted by Elizabeth Logan of PrincetonSchool. $305.45 will enhance science, technology, math, and Language Arts lessons for 112 students in seventh grade. One teacher will be involved in the project. 100% of the materials purchased will be usable for project duplication. Students will participate in an inquiry-based project that requires the use of weather instruments to gather data for a classroom weather station. 8) Verbal Explosion – Frogs, Fish and More! submitted by Denise Vassar of PrincetonSchool. $458.83 will enhance communication skills for four Kindergarten through third grade students. One teacher will be involved in the project. 100% of the materials purchased will be usable for project duplication. Students with developmental delays, including lagging speech/language and communication development, often find interaction within the world difficult. This comes to light even more in the school setting, making their interactions at school with their classmates, teachers and others around them frustrating versus fulfilling. Verbal Explosion – Frogs, Fish and More!! focuses solely on using modern day communication “toys” that assist the children with communication skills. 9) Gourd Globes, submitted by Virginia Hocutt of ArcherLodgeMiddle School. $500.00 will serve 180 sixth grade students in social studies class. One teacher will be involved in the project. Fifty percent of the items purchased will be useable for project duplication. In an effort to help students remember the seven continents, oceans, and familiarize themselves with longitude, latitude, hemispheres, cardinal directions, North and South Poles, the Prime Meridian and the equator, students will paint pumpkins, turning them into globes 10) Memory Projects, submitted by Kelly Crocker of PrincetonSchool. $424.19 will serve 240 fourth and fifth grade students in art class. One art teacher and six classroom teachers will be involved in the project. Sixty percent of the items purchase will be useable for project duplication. Students don’t often get an opportunity to reflect on memorable events or times in their young lives. Through this project, students will reflect on some part of their lives that was special and depict it in their artwork, making a lasting memory 11) Facial Coil Topographic Maps submitted by Judy Boyette of PrincetonSchool. $283.49 will serve 15 eleventh and twelfth grade students in Art III-IV/Honors Art III-IV classes. One teacher will be involved in the project. Twenty percent of the items purchased will be useable for project duplication. Topography is defined as the art of graphic delineation in detail, usually on maps or charts of natural and man-made features of a place or region to show their relative positions and elevations. Students could use the coil method of hand-made clay techniques to lay out the contours of a person’s face in an expressive vessel sculpture. Students will begin by observing and discussing a variety of masks, face jugs, and creative pots from around the world. Students will then sketch and plan their own creative facial map. 12) Let’s See What Develops, submitted by Kelley Hardin of Smithfield-SelmaHigh School. $492.08 will serve 50 ninth through twelfth grade students in photography class. One teacher will be involved in the project. One hundred percent of the items purchased will be useable for project duplication. The traditional darkroom is a dying breed. Students will keep the “tradition” alive within the classroom by creating their own images and then get to watch them come to life in the developing tray. 13) Exploring Fiction/Nonfiction In the Special Ed. Classroom, submitted by Kim Connors of WestViewElementary School. $481.43 will serve 70 second through fifth grade students in resource and self-contained classes. Four teachers will be involved in the project. One hundred percent of the items purchases will be useable for project duplication. Special education teachers can address decoding needs with a variety of research-based programs; however there are limited resources available which adequately address comprehension needs. The implementation of this project would enhance the educational experience of special education students served in both resource and self-contained settings by providing high interest/low readability texts that engage students in the reading process while providing background knowledge in science and social studies content. In addition, the project will incorporate other content areas, increate oral and written expression skills, and expose students to technology. Students will be grouped into “book clubs” and study literature on a common topic. 14) Take the Teacher Home, submitted by Bridget Mozingo of SelmaElementary School. $255.81 will serve 15 first grade students in Language Arts and reading class. One teacher will be involved in the project. Eighty percent of the items purchased will be useable for project duplication. ESL (English as a second language) students will be provided a tape player and headphones to take home along with specific books and use for homework. The teacher will record the stories in English in her own voice, include questions or statements about the books, and also provide directions for a follow-up activity. For more information, please call Lorine Davis at 919.934.7977. RMS Sends Letters to American Soldiers (New) Mrs. Jean Tapley’s eighth grade Social Studies class at Riverwood Middle School completed their first service project for the first nine weeks. Students in Mrs. Tapley’s classes became service angels by sending 235 Christmas cards and 47 letters to our nation’s soldiers. For more information, please call Jean Tapley at 919.359.2769. Also, at RiverwoodMiddle School, Riverwood Middle Stuffed Animal Drive(New) The RMS Guidance Department along with the RMS Student Council has teamed up this Holiday Season to help out Harbor Lights Domestic Violence Shelter. Students at RMS are encouraged to bring their gently used stuffed animals to school in the first ever RMS Stuffed Animal Drive. The stuffed animals will be given to Harbor Lights to use at the shelter when children arrive. For more information, please call Marie Holland or Kim Nappier at 919.359.2769 One Noble Journey Performed at RiverwoodMiddle School(New) Student’s at Riverwood Middle experienced One Noble Journey, a one-man play. This play was based on the true story of the miraculous lives of three slaves who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to gain a life free of Southern Shackles. Mike Wiley uses 20 different characters while utilizing only his voice, his posture, and a simple traveling set. This story was gripping from start to finish; Wiley became Henry "Box" Brown, a black slave who sees no alternative but to mail him in a small crate to freedom. Brown's life unfolds like a Mark Twain adventure, perilous and somber at times while humorous and heroic throughout. Students joined Wiley on stage quickly and quietly becoming characters propelling the historic action. For more information, please call Magen Pike at 919.359.2769. Riverwood Middle Student’s Jog for Joey (New) Riverwood Middle School students participated in the Joey Jog in Fairfax, Virginia to benefit the American Liver Foundation. The RMS Beta Club raised $819.17 during Penny Wars. Breanna Bonczewski and Karli Pelle represented the RMS Beta Club at the event. Josephine Heppner was struck by acute liver failure at the age of 2. This event raises awareness and funds for the to prevent such tragedy from striking other families. Joey is the cousin of Karli Pelle. For more information, please call Jeni Wiley at 919.359.2769. RiverwoodMiddle School Students Sign a Violence Prevention Pledge (New) The RMS SAVE Chapter held a Violence Prevention Pledge campaign recently. During the morning announcements students heard the pledge, and each grade level had a poster board to sign. After students signed their name to the pledge, the posters were displayed in the cafeteria. Students wore orange, purple and white ribbons. The white ribbons stood for 1 out of 4 students will have violence touch their lives this school year. For more information, please call Jean Tapley at 919.359.2769. NC Soldier’s Angels are at RiverwoodMiddle School(New) Students in Mrs. Tapley’s eighth grade social studies classes wrote letters with Christmas cards to soldiers who usually do not receive mail, for the NC Soldier’s Angels organization. For more information about this project or if you are interested send a letter or card to: Susan Laukat, Letter Writing Project, 1323 Tucker Road, Monroe, NC 28110. For more information, please call Jean Tapley at 919.359.2769. Boston Massacre at RiverwoodMiddle School(New) Social Studies teacher Mrs. Tapley and Mr. Pawlak are currently planning a mock trial of the Boston Massacre. The dates are December 12, 13, 14 and 15. For more information, please call Jean Tapley or Doug Pawlak at 919.359.2769. Winter Performances at Riverwood Middle (New) Riverwood Middle School’s Winter Concert will be held on Tuesday, December 18, in the gymnasium at 7 p.m. The band will also be participating in the Clayton Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 8 at 3 p.m. in downtown Clayton. For more information, please call Chris Germanoski at 919.359.2769. Science Olympiad Team at Princeton(New)(Photo) The Princeton Science Olympiad Team competed Saturday, December 1 at Washington High School in Student Challenge, earning six first place medals, four second place medals, and 10 third place medals. The team is composed of students in the sixth through ninth grades. Also at PrincetonSchool, Concerts at Princeton The Princeton Chorus Concert is scheduled for December 11 at 7:30 p.m., featuring third grade classes, the middle school chorus, and the high school chorus. The Princeton Band Concert will be December 18 at 7:00 p.m., featuring grades 6, 7, 8, and the high school bands. For more information, please call Ken Williams at 919.936.5011. SouthSmithfieldElementary School Students to Perform, Dance South Smithfield Elementary will have a special Christmas performance on December 11, 2007, at 6:30 p.m. Our PreK, Kindergarteners, and First Graders will be presenting a musical "Christmas on Candycane Lane" which focuses on good character and friendship as well as beautiful songs and dancing. Also at South Smithfield Elementary, South Smithfield Elementary will be having a dance on December 19. The dance will celebrate good character and positive behavior among our students since the beginning of school. For more information, please call Kathy Hamilton at 919.934.8979. Student Government Hosting “Books for the Bookless” West View Elementary’s Student Government Association has been raising funds for "Books for the Bookless" campaign. They have donation jars in their classrooms, and hosted a booth at the Annual Holiday bazaar dedicated to the cause. The school is asking for a $5 donation at our fourth grade Christmas play, and this week is "Dollar Week". The SGA is encouraging all students to bring in a dollar and be part of this exciting and rewarding experience. On December 19 at 10 a.m. the SGA officers along with the members will be presenting the money they have raised. For more information, please call Nancy Parker at 919.661.6184. Artists-in-the-School Programs for the Month of December 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. Almost Recess will perform at Riverwood Middle on December 11, 2007, at 9:00 a.m. Almost Recess will perform songs-both originals and covers- and band members describe how they create their music, incorporating explanations of vocal arrangements, songwriting, and the history of a cappella, voice parts, vocal drumming, and types of a cappella. Almost Recess will perform at Four Oaks Elementary on December 12, 2007, at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Almost Recess will perform songs-both originals and covers- and band members describe how they create their music, incorporating explanations of vocal arrangements, songwriting, the history of a cappella, voice parts, vocal drumming, and types of a cappella. Bright Star Children's Theatre will perform “Once Upon a Time” at Micro-Pine Level Elementary on December 14, 2007, at 9:00 a.m. From "Jack and the Beanstalk" to "Cinderella," this play invites young audience members to join the actors on-stage throughout the show, undertaking a variety of roles in the process. Bright Star Children's Theatre will perform “A Dickens Tale” at Micro-Pine Level Elementary on December 14, 2007, at 10:15 a.m. An interactive approach to the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol explores the value of kindness. Bright Star Children's Theatre will perform “A Dickens Tale” at West Clayton Elementary on December 18, 2007, at 9:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m., and 11:15 a.m. An interactive approach to the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol explores the value of kindness. Bright Star Children's Theatre will perform “A Dickens Tale” at Riverwood Elementary on December 20, 2007, at 8:45 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. An interactive approach to the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol explores the value of kindness.
