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| 12465 Warwick Boulevard • Newport News, VA 23606 • Phone: (757) 591-4500 |
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 WELCOME TO NNPS NEWSLines: AUGUST 2010 Sign up for NEWSLines, the monthly e-newsletter created especially for parents and community members in Newport News. Each month, we'll e-mail you NEWSLines at home or work--or both! Plus we'll e-mail breaking new bulletins such as school closings and other timely announcements. In this issue:
Nutrition, physical activity rewarded. Kiln Creek Elementary School has won a gold medal in the Governor’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Award program. The recognition, part of the Healthy Virginians initiative, honors schools that promote healthy nutrition and physical activity for students. Kiln Creek received a bronze award from the state in 2007 and a silver award in 2008, according to Principal Deborah Pack, who notes that the school’s progress came after a cultural shift involving students, staff, and families. “We began by replacing Muffins for Moms and Doughnuts for Dads with a whole-school celebration called Fruity Friday. This is one of the first Fridays in October. Tables are set up in four locations throughout the school and all students and many parents are treated to plates full of fresh fruit. Each year the celebration gets bigger,” says Pack, adding, “This year we had over 300 parents. The fruit is prepared by the teachers, office staff, and the cafeteria. It is served by staff and the PTA.” The elementary school also encourages students and staffers to be more active, in and out of school. Kiln Creek sponsored a 5-kilometer run in June that included a fun run in which 63 students participated. Half a dozen members of the school’s Jogging Club completed the longer distance, some of them with their families. Six staffers and Assistant Principal Fern Richardson went the distance, too. Pack says the Jogging Club is an activity for all the school’s students: “Students, including our special-needs students, run or walk the track. Students in wheelchairs are pushed around the track. Teachers keep track of the miles, and they turn in the totals to one of the office staff. She keeps track of the miles and awards plastic jogging shoes for each mile. Teachers also keep track of the miles they run after school and post a sign by their classroom announcing the number of miles run. (One had 209 miles.) We awarded over 5, 000 jogging shoes to students and made special awards for the students with increments of 25 miles.” Kiln Creek students start their school day with Brain Gym, a program that emphasizes the connection between movement and learning. Activities during the school year include a father-son sports night, basketball, competitive cup stacking, daily recess, and an hour of physical education each week. Teachers and staffers participate in extracurricular running, softball, kickball, bowling, and aerobic exercise, according to Pack. The school encourages students to bring healthy treats or non-food items to celebrate birthdays. Other nutrition criteria for the award program require schools to offer a variety of foods, provide low-fat and skim milk, and promote low-fat and low-sugar diets. Nutrition education is a shared responsibility of the school staff and the cafeteria. The Child Nutrition Services staff at Kiln Creek also plays a role in the school’s new attitude, but students and staffers aren’t eating any differently than their counterparts at other schools. All schools follow the same nutritional guidelines, according to Cathy Alexander, executive director of Child Nutrition Services. Meeting the nutrition standards is easier for schools than conforming to the requirements for physical activity, according to Alexander and Duke Conrad, supervisor for health and physical education. The state’s gold standard for physical education is 150 minutes of class a week for elementary students and 225 minutes each week for middle and high school students. But, schools can make physical activity – like Brain Gym – part of other classes. Before- and after-school activity, family events like the 5k run, and student participation in community sports make all the difference. Conrad credits Hassan Dubose, Kiln Creek’s physical education teacher, with helping the school achieve gold-medal status. Hilton project helps students and the needy. Give Hilton Elementary School’s first-grade team all A’s in marketing. The trio of teachers has come up with a successful formula for fundraising and charitable giving that also offers dividends to Hilton students. Susan Ailsworth, Cathy Pape, and Michie Powell use the Monart Method of drawing to help their young pupils focus, concentrate, and solve problems. The technique also helps students become better at drawing. The students’ artwork – which always reinforces class content like American symbols or plants – then is turned into note cards that are sold to raise money for worthy causes, which makes the effort something like a win-win-win-win project. The Monart Method, developed by Mona Brookes, involves visualizing objects as five standard geometric shapes: a dot, circle, straight line, curved line, and angle line. Students draw with permanent markers, and without erasing, while they listen to instrumental music or songs in a foreign language. Brookes says the method enhances children’s planning, decision-making, and follow-through skills and gives them more confidence – about their artistic skills and more. The Hilton teachers say they see some of those changes. “It is amazing to see the students' ability to focus and problem solve develop as the year progresses,” says Pape. ”As teachers, we begin to see students make sense of content using art as a way to connect to lessons. It is not unusual to hear a child tell another child who is having difficulty to ‘problem-solve.’ This extends to other subject areas.” Pape says she learned about Monart during a 21st Century Learning and Leading Conference. In 2009, she received a mini-grant from a partnership of the Newport News Education Foundation, National Council of Jewish Women, Junior League of Hampton Roads, and local businesses to bring Monart into Hilton’s classrooms. Pape and Ailsworth had taught together at Newsome Park Elementary School, where a note-card project raised funds for a butterfly garden. It all came together at Hilton, where the project has been used as a fundraiser during the past three school years. The teachers have learned from the project, too. At Newsome Park, the cards were printed by a local business. The NNPS Print Shop was able to do the work for less and has printed the cards for the past three years. At first, the teachers say, they sold a mixed package of different children’s artwork. But, parents and grandparents buy more of their own student’s work, so individual students’ work now is packaged in sets of four cards and envelopes. The students typically spend no more than one to two hours drawing, according to Pape. Of course, the study units are longer. And, additional time is required of a teacher to keep a student portfolio and handle printing arrangements. During the 2009-10 school year, there were 66 sets offered for sale, for $2.50 per set. The project raised $550, which was given to the Newport News Medical Society Alliance, to purchase medical supplies for Haiti after January’s deadly earthquake. Since the first-grade teachers seize every teaching moment that comes along, the Hilton students learned about the cause their artwork supported, too.
Early registration recommended Classes begin September 7. Now’s the ideal time to register your child for school. To ensure that schools and students are prepared for the first day of classes, parents are encouraged to register their child or children as soon as possible. Doing so helps schools to be staffed, equipped, and ready to make each student's first day pleasant and productive. Entering kindergarten: Children who are 5 years old by September 30 are eligible to enter kindergarten for the 2010-11 school year. Parents of younger children can find resources through the NNPS early childhood program, please call (757)283-7788, extension 12183. A child who will be 6 on or before September 30 must attend school. To determine which school your child will attend, use the NNPS School Zone Finder. Enter your address, and the finder will provide the names of the elementary, middle, and high schools assigned to each home in the city. You may also call (757) 591-4502 to find out which school serves your neighborhood. (Please note that the bus stops in Zonefinder will be finalized the week of August 30.) You will need to register your child at the school he or she will attend. See more registration requirements and download registration forms. Families living outside the City of Newport News may apply to enroll their child(ren) on a tuition basis. Please contact the NNPS Business Department at 757-591-4511 for enrollment of nonresident students. Some students will need booster shots. Students entering middle school and new students in grades seven through 10 might need a shot in the arm before they set foot in school. Students will need a Tdap booster if they haven’t received the vaccine in five years. They won’t receive schedules or be allowed to attend classes until they provide proof of vaccination. The Tdap vaccine protects the recipient against tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (whooping cough), which has made a comeback in recent years as adolescents’ and adults’ immunity to the deadly disease wanes. The World Health Organization estimates that pertussis causes more than a quarter of a million deaths annually worldwide. Despite immunization programs in the U.S., the number of whooping cough cases began to rise in 1990, with epidemics every three to five years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infants and children who haven’t been fully vaccinated are most vulnerable to the disease. Shots can be obtained from medical providers, military immunization clinics, and the Peninsula Health District, which offers the vaccinations for free. Parents must bring a record of the shot to the school their child will attend before Sept. 1. If your child cannot take the shot, you must obtain a medical waiver signed by your doctor. All documents must be taken to the school so that students will receive their class schedules on time. Students aren’t the only ones who might need those booster shots. Their parents and teachers may need them, too. The CDC now recommends that adults receive a onetime Tdap booster in lieu of one of their tetanus boosters, recommended every 10 years. View more information about immunizations required by Newport News Public Schools. Child-care bus stop requests due Facilities must be in same zone. Meeting the transportation needs of a school division with more than 30,000 students requires careful planning. Working parents who use child-care providers need to firm up those arrangements now, especially if they request the Transportation Department to pick up or drop off students at a child-care facility. Requests for transportation are due by Aug. 16. There are some other requirements. The child-care setting must be located in the child’s school zone. (Contact your school for a list of in-zone facilities.) For TAG, magnet, and ESL students, the bus stop must be the same for pickup and drop-off. Parents must understand the service is not door-to-door. Approved bus stops are within three-tenths of a mile of the child-care provider. The transportation request must be renewed every school year. Details and a Request Form can be found online. Personal use banned during school hours. Newport News Public Schools’ guidelines for the use of cell phones and two-way communication devices are designed to ensure that use of the items does not interfere with teaching and learning, or with maintaining a safe and orderly environment during the school day. NNPS will assume no responsibility in any circumstance for loss, destruction, damage, theft, or charges made on monthly statements for a cellular phone or two-way communication device. Elementary students are not permitted to have cell phones at school, during the school day, or at after-school activities. Middle and high school students are permitted to use cell phones after school dismissal on school property. From the start of the instructional day (the first warning bell) through dismissal, cell phones should be turned off and not used for text messaging, taking pictures, or direct-connect, two-way communication unless the use is directed or expressly permitted by a school official. Sanctions for violation of these guidelines will be as follows:
Some school supplies, clothing exempt. Virginia’s Department of Taxation has scheduled a sales tax holiday for some school supplies and clothing purchased between 12:01 a.m. Aug. 6 and midnight Aug. 8. View NNPS supply lists. Shoppers who familiarize themselves with the state’s guidelines and map out their shopping expeditions ahead of time will benefit the most from the holiday. Retailers are allowed to begin advertising their specials two weeks before the holiday. Generally, school supplies that sell for $20 or less per item are exempt, as is clothing that costs $100 or less per item. That rules out big-ticket items like computers, but some retailers voluntarily offer discounts on those items that equal the state sales tax. The state guidelines and regulations are very detailed. Music supplies are exempt, but sports equipment is not. Calculators are exempt, but only if they cost $20 or less. Umbrellas, shin guards, and safety goggles are not exempt. For a complete list of exempt and non-exempt items and a list of Frequently Asked Questions, check the Virginia Department of Taxation website. Freshmen helped with transition Program part of safety net. Moving from middle school to high school isn’t easy. High schools are larger, with student populations that can be twice that of middle schools. Course work is more challenging. Ninth-graders experience a different culture, new schedules, higher expectations, and exposure to many different activities and influences. According to Aaron Smith, coordinator of the Freshman Transition program and an assistant principal at Gildersleeve Middle School, it’s a critical juncture. That’s why Newport News Public Schools offers help to smooth the entry to high school and boost students’ chances of success. Collectively, the initiatives are called The Freshman Experience, and Freshman Transition is part of the expansive safety net. Learn more about the Freshman Transition program and why ninth grade is critical. 20th year of football. The fall football schedule is out, and NNPS-TV (Cox channel 47/Verizon FiOS 17) will broadcast five high-school football games this year. This will be the 20th year that NNPS-TV has televised AAA Peninsula District football and other high-school sports. NNPS-TV started televising games on a tape-delayed basis in 1991. Since 1995, the football games at Todd Stadium have been aired live. They can also be viewed live via webcast by going to nnpstv.com. Greg Bicouvaris will handle the play-by-play, and Nate Milton will provide commentary. Ray Price is the executive producer of NNPS-TV sports broadcasts. For more on NNPS-TV, visit www.nnpstv.com. The broadcasts begin at 7 p.m. Here’s the lineup: Sept. 2, Hampton v. Woodside Family Fun Calendar The final performance and exhibition of the NNPS Summer Institute for the Arts will be held at Woodside High School Aug. 5. The art exhibition will be at 6:30 p.m. and the performance at 7 p.m. The Wickham Avenue Alliance also will offer a Summer Movie Series at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays through August 24 at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center. Free. 2410 Wickham Ave, The lineup: The Summer Sounds on Styron Square concert series happens through September 22 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Port Warwick. Bring a chair or blanket and a snack. Free. 875-9351. The lineup: The Fridays at the Fountain concert series happens weekly from 6-9 p.m. at City Center Fountain Plaza, City Center at Oyster Point. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Free admission and free parking. 873-2020. The lineup: Bluebird Gap Farm will offer a free pony pedicure demonstration from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Aug. 7 at the livestock barn. Free. Free hayrides will be offered from noon until 2 p.m. Aug. 14, beginning near the Bluebird Amphitheater. The 60-acre farm is home to more than 250 domestic and wild animals. There are a shelter, picnic tables, barn, Master Gardeners' Display Garden, nature trail, and a playground. The park is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 60 Pine Chapel Road, Hampton. 825-4750. The Family Films by the Fountain program runs from Aug. 7-28 from 7-10 p.m. on Saturdays at City Center at Oyster Point. Movies begin at 8:30 p.m. Children’s activities. Food and drink will be offered for sale. No pets. Free admission, free parking. City Center Fountain Plaza. 873-2020. The lineup: The 9th Annual Classics at Lee Hall automobile extravaganza will take place at Lee Hall Mansion from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Aug. 7. The show is open to all makes, models and years of vehicles. Vehicle registration is $20 per vehicle and registration begins at 9 a.m., with awards presented at 2:30p.m. Spectator parking and admission is free. Food and drink will be offered for sale. Mansion tours will be discounted. Proceeds benefit the continued restoration of Lee Hall Mansion. 163 Yorktown Road. 247-8523 or (804) 824-9198. The Hampton Roads Bird Club has monitored the bird population of Newport News Park since 1965. Join club volunteers in the Picnic Area I parking lot at 7 a.m. through Dec. 19 every first and third Sunday of the month for early morning bird walks. Be prepared to car pool to several areas in the park. Beginners are welcome. Binoculars and field guides are recommended. Free. First and third Sunday each month. 13560 Jefferson Avenue. 886-7912. The Peninsula SPCA Exotic Sanctuary and Petting Zoo is open weekdays from 11 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 3:30 p.m. Admission is $2 for teens and adults, $1 for children ages 3-12. 523 J. Clyde Morris Blvd. 595-1399. NNPS Dates August-September 2010
Calendar for the 2010-2011 school year (en español). Students will report for classes Sept. 7, 2010. NNPS NEWSLines is published by Newport News Public School Office of Community Relations, 12465 Warwick Blvd., Newport News, VA 23606. Director, Public Information and Community Relations: Michelle Price. NEWSLines Editor: Marguerite Hargreaves. |
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