ANNOUNCEMENTS_________________________________________________ Book published by Wilson’s Mills students is finalist in nationwide contest (New) Wilson’s Mills fourth grade teacher, Martha DiMaria, led her students in a writing exercise about being an American. The students’ work was then compiled into a book called, “I, too, am an American”. The book expresses the beauty of diversity while connecting with each student because each of them is an American. The students wrote four stanzas with three sentences focusing on their individuality and then one repetitive sentence stating, "I, too, am an American." Here is an excerpt from the book by Milton: My parents are from Mexico. Mexico is a beautiful country. I speak Spanish and English. I, too, am an American. I am a Jehovah Witness. My religion is important to me. I like to read the Bible. I, too, am an American. The following excerpt is written by Gabrielle: My mom is in the United States Army. She is stationed in Killeen, Texas. My mom is in Iraq, so I am living with my grandparents until she comes back. I, too, am an American. I have Sickle Cell Disease and have been in the hospital two times. I have to drink a lot of fluids and rest. I have a lot of pain when my legs are in crisis. I, too, am an American. Nationwide Learning Inc., the company the class published the book through, has selected it as a finalist for the Nationwide Learning National Book Challenge. The book may be featured in the company’s product catalogs and used as a sample to promote the student publishing program in schools throughout the nation. “I am very proud of my students work. I feel this has motivated them for the 4th grade writing test and has given them a purpose to write and develop their own writing styles,” said DiMaria. For more information, please call DiMaria at 919.934.2978. Lessons from NASCAR help in the classroom (New) (PHOTO-Richard Petty)Darene Honeycutt attended the NCCAT seminar: NASCAR: Science on the Race Track January 28 - February 2, 2007, in Randleman, North Carolina, at the Victory Junction Gang Camp. The purpose of the NCCAT seminars is to renew teachers' passion for teaching through topics of interest to the applicants. Mrs. Honeycutt selected the NASCAR seminar because her father owned and operated the Fayetteville Speedway in Cumberland County for many years. Many of the Meadow students are also huge NASCAR fans. Honeycutt wanted to learn fun, innovative ways to teach the curriculum using motor sports. Honeycutt met the entire Petty family except for Montgomery Petty who is attending college. NCCAT took the participants to places the average person is not allowed to visit such as the Penske Wind Tunnel and Racing headquarters, the Petty headquarters and museum, tour and access to the Victory Junction Gang Camp (camp for critically ill children ages 7-15), and Pit Crew University. Honeycutt was the front tire changer on her team. The group also received a copy of Devil on the Race Track which is an in-depth look at the birth of NASCAR. Book discussions were held, lesson plans were written, and many guest speakers came to the camp to assist teachers with ways to motivate student achievement. Meadow has two students who have attended the VJGC during Burn Survivor Week. Honeycutt wants to give back to the camp as the Petty's have given so much to others, including the Meadow community. Honeycutt is collecting child-size quilts, afghans, and homemade checkered bears for the camp. All campers are allowed to take their bed quilt, afghan, and bear home when visiting the camp. For more information, please call Honeycutt at 919.894.7064. Meadow students prepare valentines for veterans (New) (PHOTO-Vals) Meadow School students are participating in “Valentines for Vets,” in cooperation with the American Legion. The school would like to show its love and appreciation for the service that Veteran's have given to this country. Cards will be delivered by the American Legion to hospitals, nursing homes, and to soldiers in war-torn countries. For more information, call Darene Honeycutt, Parent Involvement Contact at Meadow, or Ray Smith, Past National Commander of the American Legion (Benson Area), at 919.894.4261. Police Dog visits WestViewElementary School students (New) (PHOTO-K-9)A K-9 Officer, Joe Mercer, and his partner, Jens, of the Raleigh Police Department came to West View Elementary School to demonstrate the abilities and responsibilities of police K-9 dogs. Mrs. Butcher and Mrs. Langley’s 2nd grade class classes just finished reading the stories "Officer Buckle and Gloria" and "Aero, the Police Dog." Officer Mercer’s visit was part of an extension to the 2nd grade reading program. For more information, please call Carleen Nichols, Principal Fellow Intern, at 919.661.6184. PolentaElementary School names Science Fair winners (New) Polenta Elementary School held its annual science fair on Friday, February 2, 2007. Christopher Cody was awarded first place with his project, "Which Salad Is the Cleanest?" Alexander Kuppler was awarded second place with his project, "Which Bridge Is Best?" Hayley Thompson was awarded third place with his project, "Which Is the Best Cleaner?" The following students received Honorable Mention: Anna Luckett, Justin Raab, Sarah Willis, Luke Moore, Taylor Stewart, and Paige Simons. According to John Dodson, science fair coordinator, "The Judges were impressed with the level of scientific inquiry. Every year, the students show more research and improved experimental design. When the county started a hands-on approach to science by using kits, rather than textbooks, students responded with a better understanding of science process skills. We've been very fortunate that the school board and central services have supported such a beneficial program." For more information, please call Dodson at 919.989.6039. High School Principal wins Beauty Pageant (New) The Princeton cafeteria staff sponsored a Womanless Beauty Pageant on February 3, 2007, to raise money for Relay for Life. The event raised over $1,000 for cancer research. Jake Jacobs, the Principal of Smithfield-Selma High School, was crowned the winner. This is the 3rd year that the event has been held to raise money for cancer research. For more information, please call Faye Smith at 919.936.5011. Micro-Pine Level students are always dependable (New) (PHOTO-Dependability) Each month, Micro-Pine Level Elementary School holds a character trait assembly. Each grade level team is responsible for performing a skit that demonstrates the character trait. This month, the teachers sang a version of the classic, "Lean on Me" to demonstrate the trait dependability. They included movements to the song as the entire school participated. For more information, please call Angie Jacobs, Principal, at 919.965.3323. One Noble Journey made at NorthJohnstonMiddle School (New) (PHOTOS-Gear Up 1 & Gear Up 2) Gear Up 1: (Christian Kelly, NJMS Student, and Mike Wiley) Gear Up 2: Garfield Baker, Teacher at NJMS, Tevin Terry, Student, and Mike Whiley The GEAR UP students at North Johnston Middle School recently enjoyed a performance from Mike Wiley Productions which recreated the life of Henry “Box” Brown. Brown was an African American who was born a slave in 1816 in Louisa County, Virginia. At the age of 35, he was bequeathed to his master’s son, who sent him to work in his tobacco factory in Richmond, VA under the authority of a relentlessly evil overseer. Although his experiences in slavery were comparatively mild, and he was not subjected to physical violence, Brown was not content to be a slave. “One Noble Journey” visited his trial and tribulations which eventually took him to his breaking point. He devised a plan of escape by sealing himself in a small wooden box and shipping it to the northern states speaking against slavery… “One Noble Journey” dramatized Brown’s life and the GEAR UP students at North Johnston Middle were mesmerized by the performance. GEAR UP is a program which will assist the 8th grade students at Benson Middle School and North Johnston Middle School from now until they graduate from High School. These students will be provided information on decision making in high school and appropriate choices for college and careers. These students will have the opportunity to explore colleges and universities as well as business and industry. GEAR UP is always looking for partners to assist with funding. For more information, call Rose Pittman, GEAR UP Partnership Coordinator, at 919.284.3374 or 919.920.9238. GEAR UP invades CamelCounty (New) (PHOTOS-Gear Up Campbell 1,2,3-- Anjelica Alvarez-Gonzalez,left; Maria Barcenas, right) Last month, GEAR UP students from Selma Middle School and Benson Middle School invaded Camel Country. Campbell University’s Dean of Education, Dr. Karen Nery and Campbell Instructor, Dr. Carolyn Maiden welcomed these enthusiastic middle school students, most never touring a college or university before this experience. Dean Nery and Dr. Maiden opened with a question/answer session speaking on the history of Campbell University and what this university offers the community. They were pleased to announce that Campbell University had just received the honor of now working with and graduating upcoming North Carolina teaching fellows. Students were also informed that Campbell University would have its first Football Team in 2008. After the morning session, the students joined Dr. Maiden on a walking tour of the campus. These students were amazed at the dorm rooms, classroom buildings, and student life in general. One of the highlights was the Lundy-Fetterman Museum & Exhibit hall which is housed in the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business Building. It featured approximately 175 animals from the Burrows and Lundy Collection. The display included a life-size brown bear, polar bear, zebra, leopard, gnu, impala, and rhinoceros, along with other species. The GEAR UP students saw these animals up close and were amazed that this collection was found at Campbell University. For more information, call Rose Pittman, GEAR UP Partnership Coordinator, at 919.284.3374 or 919.920.9238. UPCOMING EVENTS________________________________________________ Artists-in-the-School sets February calendar of events Susan Schuhmacher will conduct a five-day residency at Princeton School through Friday, February 9, 2007. During this residency, the fifth grade students will explore color mixing, brush strokes, and a variety of "washes" on paper tiles. Moscow Nights will perform at Meadow Elementary School on Thursday, February 15, 2007, at 2 p.m. Moscow Nights will offer students an entertaining and authentic glimpse into old Russia through music, song, and dance. 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. Corinth-Holders to showcase at LegislativeSchool Technology Day (New) Corinth-Holders School will be participating in Legislative School Technology Day in Raleigh on Tuesday, February 13, 2007. The project will illustrate team planning between core classrooms and the technology department to build projects like “The Cost of Fun in North Carolina.” This project is an example of the Corinth-Holders’ technology plan to provide students with problem solving experiences in real life situations. For more information, please call Paula Coates, Principal, at 919.365.7560. Johnston County School leaders asked to present at conference Johnston County Schools’ Megan Shaner, Rose Pittman, Wesley Rich and Dr. Chris Godwin have been selected as presenters at the 2007 North Carolina College Access Conference to be held in Asheville on Wednesday, February 14 – Friday, February 16, 2007. The group will present, “We’re going to college: The GEAR UP/AVID Partnership of Johnston County Schools!” For more information, please call Chris Godwin at 919.934.4361, extension 372. Four Oaks Middle School to host first dinner theater The Four Oaks Middle School PTA is pleased to announce its first dinner theater featuring the production of Cinderella. The main goal of the dinner theater is to feature the talents of the students and to present an opportunity for the community and school to come together for a unique experience of food and special entertainment. The program will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 15, 2007, in the school cafetorium. PTA members will be selling tickets. For more information, please call Lisa Allen, chorus teacher, or Kim Robertson, PTA President, at 919.963.4022. WestClaytonElementary School’s Student Council to participate in a book drive The West Clayton Elementary School Student Council is conducting a book drive through Friday, February 16, 2007. The students plan to collect books from each classroom over the next several weeks and then distribute these books to shelters, hospitals, children’s homes, and various places where children are in need of books. The book drive will end the same week as the school’s Book Fair where the Student Council will have a basket on display for additionally purchased books. The students of the Student Council decided on this project because they believe that all students should have access to books and that reading increases academic success. For more information, please call Dorlisa Johnson, Assistant Principal, at 919.553.7113 Find out what MiddleCollegeHigh School is all about at information sessions (New) Have you heard of the Middle College and what it has to offer? Did you know that you can take college classes for free – and that they count as credits for high school graduation? Join us at one of the following information sessions to hear details about the Middle College. All community members are invited to attend. Middle College staff will provide a brief presentation and answer questions about this exciting opportunity for the students of Johnston County. Princeton High School – February 5, 2007 Clayton High School – March 1, 2007 North Johnston High School – March 5, 2007 West Johnston High School – March 7, 2007 For more information, please call Dr. Amelia McLeod, Principal, at 919.989.6208. Johnston County Schools seeking kindergarten registrants Parents of upcoming kindergarten children are encouraged to reserve a seat for their children for the first day of school by registering at the child’s school starting Friday, February 23, 2007. Children must be five years old on or before October 16, 2007, to enroll. Parents are strongly encouraged to enroll their children on February 23 or as soon as possible after that date to assist the schools in planning for the upcoming school year. It is important for parents or guardians to go to the school that serves their address to register their children. Registration takes approximately 15 minutes. Please bring the following: Child’s Certified Birth Certificate Photo Identification (to match parent’s name on Birth Certificate) Child’s Social Security Number Physical Examination / Immunization Record Proof of Residence (utility bill, land contract, etc.) (A driver’s license is not adequate proof of residence.) Guest readers invited to 50th birthday celebration of The Cat in the Hat at McGee’s Elementary School Guest readers have been invited to McGee's Elementary School to read and celebrate the 50th birthday of The Cat and The Hat from Monday, February 26 through Friday, March 2, 2007. Guests are invited to be a part of the school’s annual celebration to honor Dr. Seuss and Read Across America. The Cat and The Hat is 50 years old this year. Dr. Seuss' birthday is March 2, 2007. For more information about being a guest reader, call Vicky Temple-Rains, at 919.894.7161. MeadowElementary School cooks green eggs and ham for dinner (New) The Meadow Association of Educators (also members of the National Association of Educators, The North Carolina Association of Educators, and the Johnston County Association of Educators) will sponsor Meadow School’s 2nd annual Green Eggs and Ham dinner on Thursday, March 1, 2007, at 6 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Uncle Sam plans to come and greet students and parents at the door. Signs designating The Places You Can Go will direct attendees where to go for Dr. Seuss activities and games. The reading of Green Eggs and Ham will precede the meal. In honor of The Cat in the Hat’s 50th birthday, Darene’s Catering, Inc. has donated a tiered, hat-shaped cake and Grinch Green Punch for dessert. The dinner will be followed by Family Reading Night activities and games. Students will be given a Seuss Passport to track all their adventurous travels for the evening. Back by popular demand will be the Seuss Walk (cake walk). Fourth grade students will also have a Young Authors’ Corner where they will share their published books. Mrs. Peggy Darden will host the Horton corner where she will dramatically read Horton stories. Other possible activities include Cyber-Seuss, Sneetch Booth, Fishing in McElliot’s pool, Ring Toss, and a Photo Studio where pictures will be taken with the Cat in the Hat. Students may also come dressed in costume as their favorite Dr. Seuss book character and complete in a costume contest. The dinner and family reading night are the kick-off to the Read Across Celebration starting at Meadow on Monday, March 5 through Friday March 9, 2007. Teachers may choose to participate in a Dr. Seuss lesson plan contest. Each day of the week will be devoted to a special event: Monday will be Red, White, and Blue day in honor of Read Across America week. Tuesday will be Crazy Socks day in honor of the book Fox in Socks. Wednesday will be Wacky Wednesday day in honor of the book Wacky Wednesday. *Teachers will act wackier than usual and possibly dress wacky. Thursday will be Hats Off to Seuss Day. Students may bring their favorite hat and share with their class why the hat is special. Friday will be celebration day. Students may dress as their favorite Dr. Seuss character and share Dr. Seuss moments at snack time. We will also have a Dr. Seuss movie on the Bogen (school-wide television system). Dr. Seuss’ birthday is actually March 2, 2007. To honor his book the Cat in the Hat and the Cat’s 50th birthday, Project 236 was organized. Project 236 is a nationwide campaign for all schools to read The Cat in the Hat on March 2, 2007 at 2:36 P.M. (because there are only 236 words in the book). Dr. Seuss was challenged in 1954 by John Hershey to write a first grade book that students would not be able to put down (www.nea.org/readacross/archive.html). Meadow plans to participate in Project 236 also. Parents are encouraged to assist with the planning of this event. For more information, please contact Darene Honeycutt, Reading Specialist and Parent Involvement Contact for MeadowSchool, at 919.894.4226 extension 117. School project includes 40 community members South Smithfield Elementary School’s 3rd grade students are involved in a community project. The students have selected approximately 40 community members to invite to the campus. Guests include retired teachers, pastors, doctors, lawyers, and many business owners. District Attorney Susan Doyle, County Manager Rick Hester, Clerk of Court Will Crocker, and School Board member Butler Hall are among special guests who are visiting the campus and being interviewed by 3rd grade students. The students work in teams to record the background of each guest and write a biography about him/her. In art class, the students will be drawing portraits of each person. A ceremony to honor each community member who has participated is planned for Friday, March 2, 2007, at 9 a.m. For more information, please call Carla Taylor, Principal, at 919.934.8979. Polenta Elementary invites parents to school Polenta Elementary School is planning a Parent Involvement activity called "Family Games Night." Students and their families are invited to participate and bring board games and then families can meet other families to play games. This event is planned for 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 15, 2007, in the school cafeteria. Drinks and snacks will be provided. For more information, please call Deborah Bennett at 919.989.6039. Presenters needed for Career Day at Wilson’s MillsElementary School In preparation for Career Day for its fifth grade students, Wilson's Mills Elementary School is seeking interested adults who are willing to contribute 15 minutes of their time to present information about their jobs and careers to the students. Stations will be set up in the school's gym and small groups of students will be led from station to station to hear the presentations. The event is tentatively scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, March 23, 2007. For more information, please call Chris Strayer, the school guidance counselor, at 919.934.2978.
