PTSA Budget Forum
<bt>The PTSA at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will be sponsoring a budget forum Monday, Dec. 9, from 7:30-9 p.m., in the Jefferson auditorium, 6560 Braddock Road, Alexandria.
Panel members will include Del. Jim Dillard (R-41), chairman, House Education Committee and chairman, House Education Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee; Del. Bob Hull (D-38), delegate representing Jefferson's district and author of amendments to the state budget eliminating the funding gap; and School Board member Jane Strauss (Dranesville), chairman, board's Budget Committee. For more information, call 703-750-8300.
<sh>Child Safety Initiative
<bt>The state has launched an initiative to better coordinate a variety of programs that teach young people about issues of personal safety, KIDsafe Virginia. The program will consolidate new and existing public safety and educational resources to support the efforts of parents, educators, public-safety professionals and students.
Under the program, teaches and school resources officers across the state will use one of three, grade-level appropriate KIDsafe Virginia curriculum books, fire safety program and Internet safety instruction. All lessons in the program are aligned with the Standards of Learning. School administrators will receive a KIDsafe "tool kit" containing information about crisis and emergency management, juvenile law, drug detection and prevention.
In addition, the program will work in partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies, private companies, parents, community organizations and fire departments.
A special hotline, 1-866-SAVE-VA-1, has been updated and expanded for children and adults to report incidents and unsafe conditions that pose a potential threat to any child or community.
The initiative is funded under the federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program and Allstate Insurance Company. For more information, call 804-786-9072 or go online at www.gosap.state.va.us.
<sh>TJ Gets Upgrade
<bt>Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) received an upgraded Cray SV-1 high-performance supercomputer, worth millions of dollars, from Cray Inc.
The Cray SV-1 computer is the first replacement of the original supercomputer ETA-10P that TJHSST won in the late 1980s in the SuperQuest competition, a national science competition for high-school students. The ETA-10P will be donated to the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology in Wisconsin, hometown of Seymour Cray, founder of Cray Research and the “father of supercomputing.” The ETA-10P bears a plaque acknowledging TJHSST’s role in the history of supercomputing.
TJHSST is a Virginia governor’s school serving students selected on the basis of aptitude and interest in the biological, physical, mathematical and computer sciences. The school offers a computer science curriculum with advanced placement and post-advanced placement courses.
<sh>FCPS Events Calendar
<bt>Wednesday, Dec. 4, 6 p.m.
Fairfax City/Fairfax County School Board dinner. Falls Church High School, 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church.
Thursday, Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m.
School Board regular business meeting. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Monday, Dec. 9, 9 a.m.
School Board work session, instruction; administrative & general services; student services; finance & budget; and policy review. Burkholder Center, 10700 Page Ave., Fairfax.
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m.
School Board special meeting, principal of the year. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m.
* Human Resources Advisory Committee meeting. Human Resources Center, 6815 Edsall Road, Springfield.
* School Health Advisory Committee meeting. Devonshire Center, 2831 Graham Road, Falls Church.
Wednesday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m.
* Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee meeting. Walnut Hill Center, 7423 Camp Alger Ave., Falls Church.
* Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities meeting. Belle Willard Center, 10310 Layton Hall Drive, Fairfax.