Teacher Wins State, District Award
<bt>William Brady, an adapted physical education teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools, has been named the Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year for Virginia and for the Southern District of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Brady is an itinerant teacher and has worked at 22 schools since joining the school system 12 years ago.
He works with students from kindergarten through grade 10 who have physical, mental and sensory disabilities in both general and self-contained physical education classes. A preinclusion model for physical education instruction developed by Brady has become a model for inclusion by students at George Mason University, where Brady works as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate class for physical education majors.
Brady has a bachelor's degree from Longwood University in physical education and an M.Ed. in education administration from Mason and is working on his Ed.D. in adapted physical education at the University of Virginia.
<sh>Food Services Wins Award
<bt>Fairfax County Public Schools Office of Food and Nutrition Services has received the National 5 A Day Excellence Award for employee and community education from the Produce for Better Health Foundation.
The 5 A Day National Excellence Award series recognizes organizations that educate their clientele by providing greater opportunities for fruit and vegetable consumption and nutrition education activities.
<sh>KIDsafe Toolboxes
<bt>Each Fairfax County public school will be receiving a KIDsafe Virginia School Safety Toolbox from the Commonwealth of Virginia. The kit will contain a number of publications about school safety, crisis management, juvenile law and drug detection and prevention.
The toolboxes have been designed to complement and reinforce successful efforts to teach personal safety skills to school-age children. They also contain KIDsafe Virginia personal safety lesson plans and lessons in crime prevention, as well as posters, brochures and magnets.
Details about the KIDsafe Virginia program can be found at www.gosap.state.va.us/kidsafeva.htm.
<sh>Medicaid Waiver Workshop
<bt>The Fairfax County Public Schools will hold a workshop on Medicaid Waivers and how do to apply for one Thursday, May 1, from 7:30 to 9:15 p.m., at the Dunn Loring Center, 2334 Gallows Road, Dunn Loring. Call the Parent Resource Center at 703-204-3941 or e-mail Connie.Brown@fcps.edu to register.
<sh>Grade All-County Choral Festival
<bt>Approximately 900 sixth-grade students from Fairfax County Public Schools will participate in the 27th Annual Sixth Grade All-County Choral Festival on Saturday, May 3, at 4:30 p.m., at Mount Vernon High School field house, 8515 Old Mt. Vernon Road, Alexandria. The program will include traditional, folk and classical choral music selections.
The choral festival is cosponsored by the school system's Instructional Services Department and the Fairfax General Music Educators Association. The public is invited to attend the concert, admission and parking are free.
<sh>Second Annual Chatterbox Fun Fair
<bt>Fairfax County Public Schools will hold its second annual Chatterbox Fun Fair, Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at Kings Glen Elementary School, 5401 Danbury Forest Drive in Springfield. The fair is designed for students in preschool through second grade who use assistive technology to communicate.
Nearly 200 students and their families have been invited to attend the fair, which will feature games and activities specially adapted for students with limited verbal skills. The students use communication boards with picture symbols as well as devices that produce a verbal message when a switch or message area is pushed, such as Big Mack, Tech/Talk 8, and DynaVox. Examples of the various augmentative-alternative communication devices will be available at the fair.
A helicopter and K-9 team from the Fairfax County Police Department are scheduled to attend, as well as the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and child fingerprinting will be offered by the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office. A performance by the DanceAbilities troupe, specializing in therapeutic dance for special needs children, is scheduled. Students attending the fair will be able to participate in the creation of a community quilt. Information from other Fairfax County offices, including Health and Human Services, will be available.
The Chatterbox Fun Fair is made possible through the support of many community organizations and businesses.
<sh>Understanding Girls with AD/HD
<b>The PTA of Crossfield Elementary School and the Oakton Coalition Community is sponsoring Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, a nationally recognized authority on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and the author of numerous books on this topic, Wednesday, May 7, from 7:30 -9 p.m., at Crossfield Elementary School, 2791 Fox Mill Road, Herndon. For more information or to register, call Deidre Wildman at 703-860-1329 or e-mail dmwildman@cox.net.
<sh>ACT Deadline Approaches
<bt>The deadline for high-school students to register for the next ACT Assessment, to be administered Saturday, June 14, without additional fees is May 9. There is a late-registration postmark deadline of May 23, but there is an additional fee. The test fee is $25.
Students can register by getting a packet from their high-school counselors or by registering online at www.act.oeg. The Web site also provides sample tests and the opportunity to order test prep materials.
<sh>FCPS Events Calendar
<bt>Monday, May 5, 5 p.m.
School Board work session, finance & budget. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Wednesday, May 7, 7 p.m.
School Board special meeting, teacher leadership awards. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Thursday, May 8, 7 p.m.
School Board public hearing, bond. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Thursday, May 8, 7:30 p.m.
School Board regular business meeting, bond. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Monday, May 12, 7 p.m.
School Board public hearing, budget. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Tuesday, May 13, 7 p.m.
School Board public hearing, budget, if needed. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.