Benson Middle Educator Named NC Region Teacher of the Year (New) Wesley Rich, a teacher at Benson Middle School, has been named the North Carolina Middle School Association Region 3 Teacher of the Year in honor of his outstanding dedication to academic achievement. Nominated by Dr. Chris Godwin, Executive Director of General Education Services for the Johnston County Schools, Wesley was described as having moved from “novice” teacher to “teacher leader” in his six years at Benson Middle. Rich has spearheaded the AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) program at the school. He now conducts workshops on AVID methodologies and tutoring. He is sought after by a majority of the middle schools within Johnston County to conduct workshops on AVID related topics as well as Professional Learning Communities. It is not uncommon to see Wesley’s name on district level committees discussing pertinent and critical issues related to the education of our students. For more information, please call Sheila Singleton, Principal, BensonMiddle School, at 919.894.3889. Polenta Teacher Published Author (New) Polenta Teacher Gwen Johnson is now working on her second children’s book based on Beaufort, N.C. The title of the book is The Treasure of Diamond's Shoal. For more information, please call Gwen Johnson at 919.989.6039. Wilson’s MillsElementary School Celebrating Successes (New) (photo attached) Fourth grade Power Hour students at Wilson's Mills are celebrating successes by spending points they have earned in their checkbooks at the "Power Hour" store. Power Hour is Wilson's Mills Title I Literacy Program. Students earn points for participation, effort and an overall positive attitude. Pictured are fourth graders Angelene Duty, Norma Martinez, Ashlee McNeil and Antonio Lynn. For more information, please call Lucy Treni at 919.934.2978. Senator Visits Corinth-Holders School (New) Senator Fred Smith visited Mrs. Zmijewski's third grade classroom on Wednesday, February 7. He spoke to the students about the value of a good education, hard work, and reading every day. His visit was a part of Teach for America Week. For more information, please call Paula Coates at 919.365.7560. Cooper Elementary Science Fair (New) Cooper Elementary announces its annual Science Fair winners from 3rd – 5th grades: 3rd Grade Winners: 1st Mariah Westmoreland – “Water Retention in Soil” 2nd Carsey Sutton and Amanda Lawther – “What Makes Plants Grow?” 3rd Lexie All and Amelia Lee – “Jammin’ Plants” Honorable Mention: Morgan Monroe and Kate Taylor – “Big or Small: Which Will Germinate Faster” 4th Grade Winners: 1st Allison Perez – “Behold the Mold” 2nd Sam Chase – “Coffee, Energy Drinks, and Soda” 3rd Jonathon Meyer – “Butterfly Development” Honorable Mention: Kayla Wilson – “C What I Discovered” 5th Grade Winners: 1st Hannah Jenks – “BeeWare Inside the Hive” 2nd Kaelin Amaya, Rachel Bolen, Madison Campbell – “The Blue Funnel Group” 3rd Cecily Peterson – “Incredible Edible Egg” Honorable Mention: Alisha Lee – “Mountains, Plateaus, & Hills Oh My” Honorable Mention: Caitlin Davis – “How Fast Is the Wind?” For more information, please call Debby Tutt at 919.553.0256. SouthCampusSchool will host the Men of Promise (New) South Campus School is hosting the Men of Promise, a high school step team from Petersburg, Virginia, and members of the fraternity Omega Psi Phi from Shaw University, as part of its Black History Month observance. The step presentation will be Monday, February 19 at 1:30 p.m. at the school. For more information, please call Rod Ford, teacher, at 919.934.6481. SelmaMiddle School will host a “Black Inventions” Display (New) Selma Middle School is hosting a “Black Inventions” display until Tuesday, February 20. For more information, please call Tina Robinson at 919.965.2555. CTE Students to Showcase Talents in Raleigh (New) Johnston County Schools Career and Technical Education students from West Johnston, Clayton, and Smithfield-Selma High School will participate in the observance of Career and Technical Education Month at the North Carolina Legislative building, 16 W. Jones Street, Raleigh, on Tuesday, February 20 from noon to 3 p.m. They will show North Carolina Senators and Representatives examples of CTE curriculum and student projects. Aerospace Technology, agriscience, digital media, 3-D CAAD, and TV broadcasting. For more information, please call JoAnne Honeycutt, Director, Career and Technical Education, at 919.934.9810, extension 280. Johnston County Schools hosting Battle of the Books (New) Johnston County Schools will host its annual Battle of the Books competition on Thursday, March 1 from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Selma Elementary in Selma. For more information, please call Dr. Chris Godwin at 919.934.4361, extension 372. Superintendent continues meeting with community group (New) Dr. Anthony Parker, will host a ministers meeting at 8:30 a.m., on Monday, March 5, 2007, at the Johnston County Board of Education, located on Highway 70 East in Smithfield. All ministers in this area are invited to attend. For more information, please call Lori Dixon or Carolyn G. Ennis at 919.934.6032. extension 242 or 257. SouthSmithfieldElementary School will have a visiting author (New) Author Jan Brett will visit South Smithfield Elementary on March 16. She will present session with the K-2 students from 8:45 – 9:45 and a second session with the 3-5 students from 10:00-11:00. As part of her visit, she will autograph her books from 1:00-3:00. During this time, she will be able to sign approximately 200 books. All students will receive a free paperback book with a signed bookplate. K students will receive Gingerbread Baby, 1st grade - The Umbrella, 2nd grade - The Hat, 3rd grade - The Mittens, 4th grade – Trouble with Trolls, and 5th grade – Daisy Comes Home. For more information, please call Principal Carla Taylor at 919.934.8979. Showcase of Stars Performances (New) Johnston County Schools and the Johnston County Education Foundation are jointly offering “Progress Energy Showcase of Stars.” Held in the Paul A. Johnston Auditorium on the campus of Johnston Community College. Clayton High area schools will perform on Friday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m. North Johnston High area schools and South Johnston High area schools will perform on Saturday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m. Smithfield-Selma High area schools will perform on Saturday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. Princeton High and West Johnston High area schools will perform on Sunday, March 18 at 3:00 p.m. All schools will perform only once. Tickets are necessary for all (including performers) who wish to watch even a portion of a performance; the exception is young children who will be continuously be held. All seats will be reserved. All tickets will be sold through the Paul A. Johnston Auditorium box office beginning February 14, 2007. Credit card orders can be taken by phone. All other purchases need to be made at the Auditorium box office. Their hours are Monday – Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visit or call 919.209.2099. For more information, please call Lorine Davis at 919.934.2016, extension 105. Human Resources Services will host the annual Job Fair (New) The annual Johnston County Schools Job Fair is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, 2007, in the Smithfield-Selma High School cafeteria. For more information, please call Kay Gardner at 919.934.6031, extension 251. 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.) For more information, please call Cary Lane Cockrell at 919.934.4361, extension 377. 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. Get ready, get set, Kindergarten, here we come Johnston County Schools presents: “Get Ready, Get Set...Kindergarten, Here We Come”, a free informational session on kindergarten transition. In this session, parents will learn about the daily experiences of a typical kindergarten student; find out specific types of activities you can offer your child to give him or her a “jump start” on kindergarten; children will begin the transition to the school setting by meeting their teachers, asking questions about kindergarten, and meeting other students...all while having fun! Several sessions are scheduled as follows: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007 @ Selma Elementary Tuesday, March 6, 2007 @ Wilson’s Mills Elementary Tuesday, March 13, 2007 @ West Smithfield Elementary Monday, March 19, 2007 @ Corinth Holders Elementary Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ Glendale Kenly Elementary For more information, program times, or to register, please call Sarah Thompson at 934-4361, ext. 376. Find out what MiddleCollegeHigh School is all about at information sessions 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. Clayton High School – March 1, 2007 Smithfield-Selma High School – March 6, 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. MeadowElementary School cooks green eggs and ham for dinner 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 in observance of 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.
