The 21st annual Summer Solutions Camp Fair takes place Sunday, Feb. 1, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., at Tysons Westpark Hotel, 8401 Westpark Drive, McLean. Parents of children ages 3-18 will have the opportunity to meet with representatives offering a wide selection of summer programs in different price ranges. Admission is free. For more information, Joanne Wilkenfeld at 703-255-2540 or visit www.summersolutions.com.
Enterprises for Hispanic Youth Foundation, in collaboration with George Mason University, is launching the "Hispanic Teacher of the Year Award," awarding an outstanding teacher with over five years of dedicated service to public schools k-12. The awardee will receive $2,000 stipend and be honored at a dinner banquet on April 8, with commemorative prize at the George Mason University campus in Fairfax. Contact Shelley Grohmann at 703-383-7224.
Night on Broadway will be held on Thursday, Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m., join the Fairfax High School Chorus for a silent auction, luscious desserts and exciting musical selections from the best of Broadway. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Fairfax High School is located at 3500 Old Lee Highway in Fairfax City. For information, call 703-219-2355.
The Jewish Social Service Agency is offering eight scholarship funds for undergraduate and graduate study. Three of these funds are established at JSSA; the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington's United Jewish Endowment Fund holds five.
The scholarships fund a wide variety of opportunities, including study in the United States and abroad, graduate and undergraduate programs, and study in Jewish communal service. Depending on the fund, grants range from $250 to as much as $6,500 per year for four years.
Each scholarship carries its own set of eligibility requirements. Students who submit the required application will be considered for any and all grants for which they qualify.
Students may also apply for no-interest educational loans. Repayment of loans must begin with three months of completion of studies.
For more information and an application, contact Lynn Ponton at JSSA, 301-816-2616, or visit JSSA's Web site at www.jssa.org. Application forms may be downloaded from the scholarship page. The deadline is March 1.
Need the help of a reliable teenager? West Springfield High School maintains a job and volunteer opportunity board. Students come to the Career Center at school to obtain information about part-time jobs and volunteer needs. From baby-sitting to yard work to word processing, there is a student to help. Contact the Career Center at 703-913-3828 with a description of the job, hours and contact information.
Immanuel Christian School hosts an open house on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Immanuel opens its doors to the community to observe classes in session, review curriculum and meet teachers and administration. Immanuel Christian School is located at the corner of Backlick and Braddock Roads in Springfield. Call 703-941-1220 for more information.
Registration for winter classes offered by the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Office of Adult and Community Education (ACE) is now under way. Classes, Etc., the ACE course catalog, is in the mail to Fairfax County residents. Registration will be ongoing throughout the term, January through April. Class information is also available on the ACE Web site at http://www.fcps.edu/adult.htm by clicking on “Classes, Etc.” For additional information, contact Jennifer Rhodes at 703-227-2229.
Preschool Open House at Spring-Mar Cooperative Preschool in Burke. Monday, Feb. 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., at Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church, 10125 Lakehaven Court, Burke. For more information, call 703-239-1213 or visit www.spring-mar.org. Spring-Mar Cooperative Preschool will be enrolling ages 2 through pre-kindergarten for Fall 2004. Limited spaces available.
The third annual MHz Shortz Student Film Festival is calling for entries. A part of the MHz Networks' division of EAT (Education Arts Technology), MHz Shortz features live action and animated films created by K - 12 students and teachers. All films for this year's entry must be submitted by March 19, 2004. Requirements and entry forms may be obtained directly from the MHz Networks Web site at www.mhznetworks.org.
The MHz Shortz Student Film Festival is an opportunity to showcase student creativity and culminates in a public event featuring and awarding student films based on age appropriate entry categories. The festival also presents prizes for outstanding work and special awards for teachers who motivate, instruct, and advise student projects.
MHz Networks (MHz and MHz2) is an independent, noncommercial, television network delivering international, educational and arts programming. MHz provides diverse cultural perspectives for a globally minded audience. Serving the Washington, DC area's 4.3 million residents, MHz Networks features programs in more than 20 different languages from over 25 countries.
Long & Foster Real Estate is sponsoring a $150,000 Scholarship Program for well-rounded graduating high school seniors entering an accredited four-year college or university. The Long & Foster Scholarship Program will award $1,000 to each of 150 worthy recipients throughout the seven-state region for the 2004-2005 academic year. The deadline for applying is March 1, 2004 and the scholarships will be awarded beginning May 3, 2004. More than 1,200 applicants vied for the 125 scholarships in 2003. Scholarship candidates must have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale; demonstrate community involvement; provide a photo and submit an essay. Applications for the Long & Foster Scholarship Program can be obtained from any of Long & Foster's residential sales offices located throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, from high school guidance counselors, or via Long & Foster's Web Site at www.longandfoster.com/scholarship. A hard copy of the application and the required attachments must be mailed by March 1, 2004 to Long & Foster Corporate Headquarters at the following address: Long & Foster Scholarship Program, c/o Corporate Marketing Department, Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., 11351 Random Hills Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-6082, Attn: Colleen Park.
Twenty-seven Fairfax County Public Schools teachers earned national board certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) in 2003. These teachers include Suzette Anderson of Fairfax High School, Shala Hahn of Garfield Elementary School, Pete Cookson and Randall Miller of Kings Glen Elementary School, Bruce Tsio of Kings Park Elementary school, Julie Ann Abell of Lee High School, Wendy Goldfein of Newington Forest Elementary School, Kathleen Nealon of North Springfield Elementary School, and Kristin Ramey of Woodson High School.
The teachers work toward certification during a single academic year. The certification process involves participating in continued and intense professional development and learning how to deepen subject matter knowledge and become more skillful in daily classroom instruction and student assessment. The ultimate goal is to improve student learning. NBPTS certification is meant to complement state licensing requirements.
Certification is based on five core propositions: being committed to students and the learning process; knowing the subjects taught and how to teach those subjects to students; being responsible for managing and monitoring student learning; thinking systematically about one's practice and learning from the experience; and serving as a member of one's learning community. Teachers are able to earn board certification in any of 24 certificate areas.