JCS Academic Calendar Dates *December 21-31—Christmas Holidays and Winter Break *January 1—New Year’s Holiday Clayton Middle Craft Festival Tomorrow More than 80 vendors will be on hand for the annual Craft Festival at Clayton Middle School on Saturday, December 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will also feature pet adoptions and a blood drive. For more information, please call Kristen Woodall at 919.601-9351. Jump Rope for Heart at Meadow (New) On October 22-26, in physical education classes, K-5 students at Meadow Elementary jumped all over heart disease and stroke by participating in Jump Rope for Heart. The students raised just over $3,100 for the American Heart Association. Donations raised for Jump Rope for Heart fund research, help fight heart disease and stroke, and support the American Heart Association’s public and professional education programs. Heart disease and stroke are the No.1 and No.3 killers in the U.S. “This year’s event was a success,” said Cindy Biggerstaff and Clint Bankes, Jump Rope for Heart coordinators. The top homeroom was Mrs.Wise’s kindergarten class, raising $448. They will receive a pizza party sponsored by Miss Biggerstaff and Mr. Bankes. Students raising $100 or more were: first place- Alicia Lee from Mrs.Turnage’s fourth grade homeroom. She received a bicycle. Second place- Chris Scrivnor from Miss McLamb’s fifth grade homeroom. He received a boom box. Third place- Jenna Brown from Mrs.Wise’s kindergarten homeroom and Lee Tart from Mrs.Webster’s second grade homeroom. They each received a $25 Wal-Mart gift card. Prizes were sponsored by the P.E. Department. For more information, please call Cindy Biggerstaff, PE teacher, MeadowSchool at 919.894.4226. Community Project at RiverwoodElementary School (New) Third graders at Riverwood Elementary have adopted several residents at the Clayton House (assisted living facility). Each class will have a Giving Tree which works much like the Angel Trees. This is an annual tradition at Riverwood Elementary School. For more information, please call 919.359.6300. Student Government Hosting “Books for the Bookless” (New) 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 10:00 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. FOESchool Raises Money to Military Support Organization Soldiers’ Angels (New) Students at Four Oaks Elementary School have raised $1,155.82 in change for the non-profit military support organization Soldiers' Angels, which sends care packages to active-duty soldiers. For ten dollars they provide a Soldiers’ Angel mug, socks, international calling card, drink packets, and energy bars. Students brought in pennies and other coins in bags, buckets, and backpacks. Four Oaks Bank sorted and counted the money at no charge. The children of Four Oaks Elementary School are proud to know that 115 soldiers will receive Christmas gifts because of them. For more information, please call Kim Wellons, Principal, at 919.963.2166. Etheridge visited ClaytonMiddle School (New) Congressman Etheridge visited Clayton Middle to talk to students in the Men of Distinction and Ladies with Vision programs and comment on the need to maintain funds for safe and drug-free schools programming. For more information, please call Eddie Price, Principal, at 919.553.5811. PrincetonHigh School Hosts Veterans (New) (Photos) As part of a weekend long Veterans celebration in the Princeton community, Princeton School hosted over a dozen veterans on Friday, November 9. Veterans from many conflicts - World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq - were on hand in the media center throughout the day to share their experiences and memorabilia they had collected. A parent of a soldier currently serving in Iraq even came to share with the students. Students in all grades took advantage of the opportunity to visit with our veteran volunteers, see their displays and artifacts, and hear history come to life. Kindergarteners made the veterans cards of thanks for their service to our country, and many of the veterans enjoyed lunch in the cafeteria with the students. Group Veterans Picture - L-R Sanford Daniel, Raymond Sugg, Delton Toler, Don Martin, and Elton Evans Veteran / Student Picture - Looking on Jacob Van Valkenburg, Vince Richardson, and Drew Wilmoth. Tomeka McCaine Views another Display by Veteran Bobby Toler (not pictured). For more information, please call Ken Williams at 919.936.5011. Also at PrincetonSchool, Students Competed in Regional HOSA Conference (New) (Photo) Princeton High School had six students who competed in the Regional HOSA Conference on November 17, 2007, at Smithfield-Selma High School. The following PHS students competed: Morgan Brush, Tony Sorensen, Alaina Hester, Brent Evans - placed in the top 10 for Extemporaneous Writing, Casey Spencer - placed in the top ten for Medical Math, Jill Whitley - placed in the top 10 for Sports Medicine There were a total of 25 high schools that competed at Smithfield-Selma High School. For more information, please call Ken Williams at 919.936.5011. Also at PrincetonSchool, Band Schedule at Princeton (New) The Princeton HS Band will perform in the following holiday parades: December 1 - Princeton Christmas Parade December 6 - Kenly Christmas parade December 7 - O'Berry/Cherry Hospital Christmas Parade December 9 - Pine Level Christmas Parade Also at Princeton School, 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. Events at SouthSmithfieldElementary School (New) 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 Student Government Association is currently holding a canned food drive to assist The Salvation Army during the holiday season. Boxes will be located in the lobby for anyone who would like to help in this worthwhile endeavor. Also at South Smithfield Elementary, South Smithfield Elementary is also collecting small toys, school supplies, and toiletries to make small boxes to assist Johnston County Social Services. Please bring these items to the school's lobby as well. 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 Leadership Council Formed at SelmaElementary School (New) Student Leadership Council was formed for fourth and fifth grades at Selma Elementary School this year. Two students were elected from each homeroom to serve. They meet once a month. The purpose of the council is to promote leadership skills among the upper grade students and to give them a voice in school activities. Mr. E.D. Hall, Associate Superintendent of Johnston County Schools, was the guest speaker on November 27. He talked about what it takes to be a successful leader. The students have been discussing Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. For more information, please call Janice Jett or Hillary Vann at 919.965-3361. NJMS Raised $1,000 for United Way (New) North Johnston Middle School held a Silent Auction and a Staff/Student volleyball game to raise money for United Way. The Third Annual Silent Auction was held the first week of November. A variety of items including a Christmas train, homemade cheesecakes, school apparel, and jewelry were donated by staff members. Items were displayed on the stage and bidding took place over a three day period. More than $750 was raised. The Second Annual Staff / Student Volleyball game was a huge success. The faculty played the Lady Jags who were the 2007 American Conference Champions. The Lady Jags were coached by Principal Ross Renfrow. The faculty was able to overcome the competition and win the match. The faculty team was comprised of Kay Howell, Ray Stott, Garfield Baker, Kevin Shaffer, Jody Edwards, Rhonda Johnson, Amanda Surratt, Chan Hales, Tracey Kent, Shannon Evans, Michael Cochran, Mandy Barnes, and Gary Boyd. For more information, please call Amanda Surratt or Lynn Prescott at 919.284.3374. SJHS Yearbook Featured Nationally (New) (Photo) The 2006 yearbook for South Johnston High School was featured in the nationally recognized Herrf Jones book for its design. For more information, please call Cora Godwin at 919.894.3146. Holiday Concert at Corinth-HoldersElementary School (New) Corinth-Holders Elementary School will have their annual holiday concert on Thursday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m. The 5th grade students will be performing the musical Snow Biz written by Jon Jacobson and Mac Huff. Also, each grade level will be performing holiday songs. For more information, please call 919.365.7560. Also at Corinth-Holders Elementary School, Student to Sing with the NC Elementary Honors Chorus (New) Kasie Velez from Corinth-Holders Elementary School was selected to sing with the prestigious NC Elementary Honors Chorus, in Winston-Salem, NC, during the Veteran Day weekend. Kasie is a fifth grader in Mrs. Meir's Class and is the first student from our school to be chosen to participate in such event in quite some time. For more information, please call 919.365.7560. Selma Elementary Held Writing Workshops for Fourth Grade Students (New) Holly Bass, Writer in Residence, held a program on November 26 for fourth graders. Also, there was a two-day writing workshop on November 26 and 27 held for fourth graders. This was an effort to improve Fourth Grade writing scores. The school is trying this strategy to focus more on individualized attention to writing skills. For more information, please call Martha Mann or Susan Wallace at 919.965.3361. Micro-Pine Level Elementary PTA and Christmas Program Micro-Pine Level will host a PTA meeting Tuesday, December 4 at 6:30 p.m. Following the PTA meeting the third, fourth and fifth graders will be performing. The title of the program is "The Elves' Impersonator.” For more information, please call 919.965.3323. West Smithfield Elementary to Host Book Fair West Smithfield Elementary will host a Fall Scholastic Book Fair in the media center on November 28 - December 5, 2007, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Book Fair Blizzard” will be the theme. West Smithfield Elementary would like to promote reading. For more information, please call Vanessa G. Watson at 919.989.6418, extension 131. Annual Food Drive Held at McGee’s Crossroads Elementary School The McGee's Crossroads Elementary Student Council Annual Food Drive has begun and will continue until December 15, 2007. A race between the K-5 classes is taking place at McGee's. Many cans of food, paper products, diapers, and other goods for needy families will be shared with the Johnston County Salvation Army. For more information, please call Vicky Temple-Rains or Student Council Sponsor Ms. Caitlin Hill at 919.894.7161. WJHS to Sponsor a Winter Wildcat 5k Run/Walk West Johnston's Health and PE students would like to invite everyone to join them for their Winter Wildcat 5k run/walk. The event will take place December 8 on the campus of West Johnston High School. Walkers and runners will begin at 10 a.m. All participants will receive a t-shirt (only those who pre-register are guaranteed a shirt, all others will be while supplies last) and prizes will be awarded for top finishers in each age division and for overall winners. All proceeds will go to purchase fitness equipment for the Physical Education Department. This race is open to all ages and we welcome runners and walkers. Registration forms along with the $15 entry fee need to be returned to Karen Johnson at West Johnston High School. The course is certified and will be timed by the East Carolina Road Runners Association. Registration forms can be picked up at West Johnston High School or can be printed from the school's website. For more information, please call Karen Johnson at 919.934.7333 extension 510. 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. Theatre IV will perform at McGee's Crossroads Elementary on December 7, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. Three children bring characters from American tall tales to vibrant life through the magic of their imaginations by exploring the wild and adventurous stories of Pecos Bill and John Henry. 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.
