<sh>School Budget Calendar
<bt>Several School Board work sessions and public hearings will be held before the adoption of the proposed budget in May. Below is the current schedule. To speak at School Board hearings, sign up by calling 703-246-3646. To speak at Board of Supervisors' hearings, call 703-324-3151. The complete proposed budget is available on the school system's Web site at www.fcps.edu
Unless noted, School Board work sessions and public hearings will start 7 p.m. at Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church
<cal2>* Tuesday, Jan. 20, School Board work session (finance and budget)
* Thursday, Jan. 22, School Board Meeting (CIP)
* Monday, Jan. 26, School Board public hearing (budget)
* Tuesday, Jan. 27, School Board public hearing (budget)
* Monday, Feb. 2, School Board public hearing (boundaries)
* Thursday, Feb. 5, School Board work session (finance and budget)
* Monday, Feb. 9, School Board work session (human resources, policy preview, facilities, student services, strategic planning and evaluation), Burkholder Center, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
* Thursday, Feb. 12, School Board Meeting, (FY 2005 Proposed Budget Adoption), 7:30 p.m., Jackson MS
* Tuesday, Feb. 17, School Board public hearing, Superintendent profile
* March 15, School Board work session (human resources, student services, instruction), 8:30 a.m., Burkholder Center
* Tuesday, March 30, Budget presentation to the Board of Supervisors, Government Center, tentative
* March 29-31, Board of Supervisors public hearings, Government Center
* April 19, School Board work sessions
* April 26, Speakers list opens (FY 2005 Budget)
* April 28, Supervisors set transfer to schools, Government Center
* May 10, School Board work session
* May 17, School Board public hearing (budget)
* May 18, School Board public hearing, (budget, if needed)
* May 20, School Board work session (finance and budget)
* May 27, School Board adopts FY 2005 approved budget, 7:30 p.m., Jackson MS
The School Board work sessions and public hearings will be broadcast live on Cox Cable channel 21.
Citizens wishing to speak at the School Board hearings can sign up by calling 703-246-3646. To speak at the supervisors' hearings, call 703-324-3151.
<sh>Foreign Language Immersion
<bt>Two-way immersion or partial immersion into a foreign language; that's just one choice parents can make as their children begin kindergarten in Fairfax County Public Schools.
The school system is currently accepting applications from current prekindergarten and kindergarten students for its two-way immersion and partial-immersion foreign language programs for the 2004-05 school year.
Four elementary schools in the county offer two-way immersion kindergarten — Lake Anne Elementary (Reston), London Towne Elementary (Centreville), Rose Hill Elementary (Alexandria) and Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences (Falls Church). Half of the students in these programs come from families whose native language is English and the other half from families whose native language is Spanish. Children are taught half the day in English and the other half in Spanish
Partial immersion programs are offered at 13 elementary schools throughout the county, including French immersion programs at Kent Gardens Elementary (McLean) and Herndon Elementary; German at Orange Hunt (Springfield); and Japanese immersion at Great Falls Elementary and Floris Elementary (Herndon). Spanish immersion programs are located in most areas of the county. In the partial immersion program, students spend half of the school day learning math, science and health in the foreign language, and the remainder of the day, social studies, language arts and reading, is taught in English.
Applications are available at all Fairfax County elementary schools. Completed forms must be received or postmarked by Monday, Feb. 23 and should be sent to the FCPS Foreign Language Office, 7423 Camp Alger Ave., Falls Church, Va. 22042, at 703-208-7724.
Programs are available to all residents of Fairfax County. Students who reside outside the school attendance area are also eligible, but parents must provide transportation to that school.
Informational meetings will be held during the next three weeks at the following elementary schools:
French, first grade
* Herndon, Feb. 3, 7 p.m. (snow date, Feb. 11)
* Kent Gardens, Feb. 10, 6 p.m. (snow date Feb. 11)
German, first grade
* Orange Hunt, Feb. 4, 7 p.m. (snow date Feb. 9)
Japanese, first grade
* Fox Mill (this meeting will also cover Floris Elementary as well), 6:30 p.m. (snow date Jan. 29)
Spanish, kindergarten and first grade
* Bailey's, Feb. 12, 7 p.m. (snow date Feb. 19)
* Lake Anne, Feb. 5, 7 p.m. (snow date Feb. 10)
* London Towne, Jan. 28, 7 p.m. (snow date, Feb. 10)
* Rose Hill, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. (snow date Feb. 5)
Spanish, first grade
* Fort Hunt, Jan. 22, 7 p.m., (snow date Jan. 28)
* Laurel Ridge, Feb. 4, 7 p.m., (snow date Feb. 12)
* Ravensworth, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. (snow date, Feb. 12)
For more information, call the FCPS Foreign Language Office at 703-208-7724 or visit the Web site at www.fcps.edu, and then click on "Foreign language partial-immersion programs."
<sh>Nine Expulsions
<bt>Nine students were expelled by the Fairfax County School Board in a closed meeting on Jan. 8, including the following:
* Expelling a student for serious misconduct, including threatening and dangerous behavior at a school bus stop.
* Expelling a student for gang-related activity.
* Expelling three students for violation of conditions of probationary placements.
* Expelling a student for involvement in a mob assault and possession of a weapon at a school bus stop.
* Expelling a student for possession of illegal drugs on school grounds.
* Expelling a student for continued defiant and destructive behavior.
* Expelling a student for possession of illegal drugs on school grounds and participation in a mob assault on another student.
* Expelling a student for participation in a mob assault on another student.
* Expelling a student for possession and distribution of illegal drugs on school grounds.
The school board did not release the names of the schools involved.