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 Board Kudos Jack O’Hale, member of the Johnston County Board of Education, has been named a Fellow to the American College of Trial Lawyers. O’Hale is one of only one percent of trial lawyers who have earned this honor. O’Hale, a partner with the law firm Narron, O’Hale, and Whittington PA, is also eligible to try cases before the Supreme Court. Jimmy Lawrence, the attorney for the Johnston County Board of Education, has been named Chairman of the North Carolina Council of Southeast Attorneys. Lawrence is a partner with the law firm Daughtry, Woodard, Lawrence, and Starling. Dorothy Johnson, Vice-Chair of the Johnston County Board of Education, has earned more than 400 hours of boardsmanship training through the North Carolina School Boards Association. She was also the first Board member from Johnston County to serve on the Association’s Board of Directors. For more information, please call Crystal Roberts, Public Information Officer, at 919.934.6031, extension 241. Cleveland Fire Department Was Honored (New) The West View Elementary School Student Government Association honored the Cleveland Fire Department recently. Jessica Hanley presented the Fire Chief with a “Certificate of Appreciation For Watching Over Us.” The West View Elementary chorus sang "Peace on Earth", and a banner that read "Thank you For Watching Over Us" which was created by students was presented to the firemen for display at the station house. This event was videotaped by the student broadcasting group and later aired over our classroom TV's for the entire school to view. For more information, please call Nancy Parker at 919.661.6184. SelmaMiddle School Honored (New) The students of Selma Middle School were honored by the United States Military on November 1. The United States Flag was flown over Fallujah, Iraq for the entire day of November 1, 2007. This was done to honor the students of Selma Middle School for their support towards the United States Military. The students have written cards and collected items for care packages since the beginning of the 2007 school year with hopes of bringing a little bit of home to the troops deployed to Iraq. On November 20, 2007, students received the American Flag that was flown for them, old currency, a letter of appreciation and a certificate of authenticity to accompany the American Flag. Also at SelmaMiddle School, SelmaMiddle School Participated in Students Against Hunger Food Drive(New) Throughout the months of October and November, Selma Middle School participated in the Students Against Hunger Food Drive sponsored by the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. SMS students collected canned goods for families who may not otherwise have food for the holiday season. A total of 813 pounds of canned goods were delivered to the Food Bank's branch in Raleigh. Selma Middle School placed 3rd for the most canned goods collected in the middle school division. The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina serves 34 counties in the state of North Carolina. For more information, please call Katey Rowley or Amee Smith at 919.965.2555. 2007 Lois Lenski Covey Foundation Grant Winner at SelmaMiddle School(New) Ms. Kaye Pearce, librarian of Selma Middle School, received the 2007 Lois Lenski Covey Foundation grant in the amount of $1,000.00 to purchase books for the SMS library. Lois Lenski is the 1946 Newberry medalist for "Strawberry Girl." She established this Foundation to provide grants to public and school libraries serving disadvantaged populations. Ms. Lenski had a life-long concern that all children have access to good books. Through the assistance of this grant, Selma Middle School looks forward to filling their shelves with wonderful material that all students can read and enjoy. For more information, please call Kaye Pearce, SMS Librarian or Katey Rowley/Amee Smith, Information Liaisons, at 919.965.2555. Civitans Visited PolentaElementary School(New) Crossroads Civitans visited Polenta Elementary on Friday, December 14 to give each of our EC students a Christmas stocking. For more information, please call PolentaElementary School at 919.989.6039. Clayton News Star Christmas Greeting Design Contest (New) Clayton Middle School entered the Clayton News Star Christmas Greeting Design Contest sponsored by the Clayton News-Star newspaper, Mc Donald’s of Clayton, and Blackley’s Printing. For the middle school contest, Clayton Middle had the first place went to Alivia Canter, 8th grade; second place went to Callie Woodard, 7th grade; third place went to Deanna Lipscomb, 7th grade; and Honorable mention went to Drew Smith, 7th grade and Laura Forbes, 8th grade. The artwork is on display at McDonald’s of Clayton and will be displayed on the newsstands throughout the Clayton News-Star area. Also, you may check out the Clayton Middle School Art Gallery on-line to see Alivia Canter’s first place entry. For more information, please call Deborah Coates at 919.553.5811. Cleveland Second-Graders Show Compassion (New) Second graders in Freda Caines' class at Cleveland Elementary are learning about the character trait of compassion. They decided to collect items for soldiers in Iraq to help make their Christmas a little brighter. The children also included letters they wrote to show their appreciation and wish everyone a safe return home. Pictured are: 1) Lilly Dotson, Mike Niikas, Jack Thibault; 2) Austin Woods, Lilly Dotson, Jack Thibault, Mike Niikas, Josh Burns; and ,3) Kenley Allen, Lexi Thomas, Christian Clark, Sarah Beth Pittman, Sarah Coull For more information, please call Gary Ridout at 919.550.2700. Four OaksMiddle School Cheerleaders Perform Community Service (New) (Photos) The Four Oaks Middle School Cheerleaders have been very busy this Christmas season. Not only have they been busy keeping up their grades, practicing, and cheering at ballgames, they recently performed at the town’s tree lighting, marched in the parade, and have completed two service projects. The first project was to send a soldier package to a former student and the coach’s son, Ken Morris. Ken is currently serving with the USAF in Kyrgyzstan. The girls along with the help of the students, teachers, and parents were able to send two large packages full of presents, Christmas goodies, and letters that weighed approximately 55 pounds in all. The packages were sent out on November 30 in order for Ken to receive them by Christmas. The cheerleaders also did a service project for the Ronald McDonald House in Chapel Hill. During football season, the girls sold spirit ribbons to raise money. The cheerleaders used the money they raised from selling the spirit ribbons to purchase gifts for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House during Christmas. They also received toy donations from students at FOMS. Wal-Mart in Smithfield donated $50 in gifts. A teacher at Four Oaks Middle School donated a Christmas cake and some of the girls baked cookies. Each cheerleader bought presents to take to Chapel Hill. In all, the cheerleaders were able to take approximately $500 in gifts, food and toys to the Ronald McDonald house on Saturday, December 8. For more information, please call Amy Evans at 919.894.7064. Winter Performances at Riverwood Middle 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. Dance at South Smithfield Elementary South Smithfield Elementary will be having a dance on December 19 to 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. 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. Tony Peacock will conduct a week-long writer’s residency at Meadow Elementary on January 2-4 and February 20-21, 2008. Tony Peacock's five-day residency will increase student awareness of North Carolina writers and encourage the development of each student's voice. African American Dance Ensemble will perform at Four Oaks Elementary on January 3, 2008, at 8:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. This visual extravaganza of dance, music, and song provides an introduction to the dance, music, and cultural history of the nations of Africa and how it informed American Bluegrass music. Garry Krinsky will perform “Toying with Science” at Clayton Middle on January 7, 2008, at 9:00 a.m. "Toying With Science" is a fast-paced performance that explores the principle of gravity, leverage, fulcrums, simple machines, and imagination through the use of mime, original music, and audience involvement. Barbara Cleary conduct a five-day writer residency at Riverwood Elementary on January 7-11, 2008. For five days, students will develop language arts skills, gain appreciation for poetic structures and expression, hear and read poetry from other countries and cultures, and write and read aloud a variety of original poems. Howard Craft will conduct a week-long writer’s residency at Benson Middle from January 7 to January 11, 2008. "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. Cong Yuan will conduct a multi-cultural residency at South Smithfield Elementary from January 7-11 and January 14-18, 2008. In this two week residency, Cong Yuan will introduce students to many different aspects of the Chinese cultures, such as the language, calligraphy, Beijing Opera, Tai Chi, music, and the dance. Garry Krinsky will perform "Toying With Science" at East Clayton Elementary on January 11, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. "Toying With Science" is a fast-paced performance that explores the principle of gravity, leverage, fulcrums, simple machines, and imagination through the use of mime, original music, and audience involvement. Garry Krinsky will perform "Toying With Science" at Benson Middle on January 14, 2008. "Toying With Science" is a fast-paced performance that explores the principle of gravity, leverage, fulcrums, simple machines, and imagination through the use of mime, original music, and audience involvement. Howard Craft will conduct a week-long writer’s residency at Smithfield Middle on January 14-18, 2008. "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. Garry Krinsky will perform “Toying with Science” at Archer Lodge Middle on January 17, 2008, at 8:00 a.m. "Toying With Science" is a fast-paced performance that explores the principle of gravity, leverage, fulcrums, simple machines, and imagination through the use of mime, original music, and audience involvement. Touring Theatre of NC will perform at North Johnston Middle on January 18, 2008, at 9:00 a.m. This theatre documentary is compiled directly from the diaries of young people from Austria, Germany, Hungary, and the Netherlands who lived during the Holocaust. Mike Wiley will perform “Tired Souls” at Clayton Middle on January 29, 2008, at 10:15 a.m. This one man show documents the tales of Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and nearly a dozen of the hundreds of men and women who stood up to Jim Crow's segregation, held tight to their bus money and walked for freedom for 381 days in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Gran'daddy Junebug will perform at West View Elementary on January 30, 2008. Gran'daddy Junebug's unique combination of storytelling and poetry - story - instills personal responsibility and respect of self and others.
