To submit community notes for any Connection paper, call 703-821-5050.
Can Northern Virginia's Transportation Crisis be Solved, a community forum on Wednesday, April 18, hosted by George Mason University's School of Management. Discussion on the progress, plans and proposals. Panelists Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites, Del. David Albo, Dennis Morrison, VDOT's Northern Virginia administrator and the Washington Post's "Dr. Gridlock," Robert Thomson. 6:30 p.m. speakers’ reception with 7:15 p.m. presentation at George Mason University's Fairfax campus. Free and open to the public. For details and to register, visit www.som.gmu.edu under Events.
Reading Recovery is a short-term early intervention of one-on-one tutoring for low-achieving first grade students. Training is available for teachers with successful literacy experience at the primary level who can devote two and one-half hours each day to individual instruction. A principal's recommendation is required. The application deadline is Friday, April 20. For information or to obtain an application, call 703-846-8635.
On Saturday. April 21 the Northern Virginia Country Western Dance Association will hold a smoke-free alcohol-free fund-raiser dance to benefit the Fisher House Foundation. The dance will be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, 8601 Wolftrap Road, Vienna. Activities include dance exhibitions and a silent auction. Open dancing is 7:30-11:30 p.m. Admission is $20 at the door, $15 for advance purchase. Visit http://nvcwda.com or leave a message at the hotline, 703-823-5673.
Currently enrolled students and graduates of Northern Virginia Community College are invited to a Federal Career Day job expo on Monday, April 23, sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management and NOVA. The event will be held at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center on the Annandale Campus, 8333 Little River Turnpike, 2-7 p.m.
More than 25 federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. State Department, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Housing and Urban Development will be on hand with information about careers in civil service. There are currently more than 3,000 job openings in the Washington, D.C. area and over 100 student internships available.
Advance registration is required. Those students or graduates interested in attending should e-mail their first and last name, their NOVA campus and their field of study to fedjobs@nvcc.edu. Call the Federal Career Day hotline at 703-323-4241.
Grandparents and other relatives raising children will be able to take a day away from parenting on Saturday, April 28, as Fairfax County Public Schools — in cooperation with the Fairfax County Departments of Family Services, Community and Recreation Services, and Systems Management for Human Services and the Kinship Care Committee of Fairfax County — sponsors a day of supervised activities for children aged 3-12 who are Fairfax County residents. The event will be held 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Gum Springs Community Center and also at Mott Community Center and is free of charge.
Activities will be offered for children aged 3 and older. Each participating child should bring a lunch.
The same person must drop off and pick up a child. Identification will be required for pickup.
Pre-registration is required, and attendance is limited. Call 703-324-3517 to register.
Gum Springs Community Center is located at 8100 Fordson Road, Mount Vernon. Mott Community Center is located at 12111 Braddock Road in Fairfax. Contact Robin Hamby at 703-277-2640 or robin.hamby@fcps.edu.
Linking Parents and Schools, a conference for families of students who receive special education services in Fairfax County Public Schools, will be held Saturday, April 28, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Marshall High School. The conference will provide information on community resources and offer ideas to improve services for FCPS students with disabilities.
Workshops on home-school communication, extended school year services, assistive technology, help with homework, reading, writing in content areas, behavior management, and social skills will be offered. Tables with information on secondary curriculum, elementary resources, the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center, assistive technology, the Arc, and others will be available until 12:15 p.m.
Preregistration is requested, but not required; visit www.fcps.edu/ss/SpecialEducationForum/signup/request.htm. For information, visit www.fcps.edu/ss/SpecialEducationForum or call 703-204-3941.
Northern Virginia Family Service needs 15-20 volunteers for it's annual Road to Independence Gala on Friday, May 4, 6-11 p.m. The event will be held at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner hotel at 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean.Volunteers can work in 90-minute shifts or all evening. Participants will assist with greeting guests, silent and live auctions, raffle, information table, and clean up. Appropriate attire required: suit & tie or tuxedo for men, cocktail or evening dress for women. Minimum age is 16. For information or to volunteer contact Ann Granger at 703-219-2193 or volunteer@nvfs.org. Visit www.nvfs.org.
The USO of Metropolitan Washington and the Joint Employment Transition Services will present its second-annual Military Spouse Career Expo on Saturday, May 5, at the Barden Education Center at Fort Belvoir, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The program will include workshops on federal jobs, self-employment, alternative careers, resume-writing and more.
The day will also include a Job Fair, featuring employers from associations, businesses and federal agencies. Information on home-based businesses will also be available. Complimentary breakfast and lunch is included.
Attendance is free to any military spouse, but registration is required. To get a registration form, visit www.USOMetroDC.org. For information, contact Vicki.Mullen@belvoir.army.mil.
The Fairfax County Park Authority Rec-PAC program, running weekdays July 2-Aug. 9, will hold open hires in Suite 1050 of the Pennino Building, 12011 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, 12:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 10; and Thursday, May 17. Applicants must bring their original Social Security card and a DMV photo ID, and must be at least 18 years old. Contact the Rec-PAC office at 703-324-5514.
Leadership Fairfax Inc. announced that Verizon Communications is the tournament sponsor for its annual LFI/ELI golf tournament on May 21. Proceeds from the tournament benefit Leadership Fairfax’s scholarship fund.
This year’s tournament will be held on May 21 at Hidden Creek Golf Course in Reston. Other available sponsorships include Reception Sponsor (exclusive), Lunch Sponsor (exclusive), Individual Hole Sponsors (exclusive), Gold Sponsors and Contest Sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, contact Kelly Knolan at 703-752-7553 or knolan@leadershipfairfax.org.
Fieldtrip to Meadowlark Gardens’ garden of cancer-fighting plants. Keith Tomlinson, garden manager, and fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, will provide an overview of the collection of cancer fighting plans, talk about research with medicinal plants, and remind us of the healing power of nature. Thursday, May 24, 10-11:30 a.m. at the Visitor Center at Meadowlark Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct., Vienna. Rain or shine. To register call Life with Cancer, 703-776-2841 or visit www.lifewithcancer.org.
The American Diabetes Association will be hosting its annual Tour de Cure on Sunday, June 10, at Reston Town Center. The fund-raiser brings together 800 cyclists and volunteers in the greater Washington D.C. area. Riders travel on the W&OD trail across Fairfax and Loudoun Counties on 100-, 63-, 32- or 12-mile routes to raise money for diabetes advocacy, medical research, and awareness. Visit http://diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (800-342-2383).
The Paul Green School of Rock Music of Northern Virginia is releasing a call for entries for a mural design competition to create a rock mural for its Vienna location. The school is to be decorated with a hand-painted mural that evokes the mission of the school and the history of rock music. The School of Rock Music of Northern Virginia is sponsoring the competition and funding the $350 prize.
The mural design competition is open only to middle school and high school students (grades 7-12, as of spring 2007) living in Fairfax County. Themes to be represented in the design may come from a wide variety of sources, and may include but not be limited to musicians, musical instruments, album cover art, rock band logos, song lyrics, concerts, venues or other aspects of rock music. Any or all rock genres may be reflected in the design. Visit www.schoolofrock.com for additional thematic elements and school mission.
The winning mural design will be used to create a mural in the entry foyer/student lounge of the school in Vienna. Entries must be accompanied by either a short written description or key of any historical or symbolic elements. A panel of Paul Green School of Rock Music staff, teachers and students will jury the entries.
Artwork is due by Friday, June 15, and the winner will be announced Sunday, July 1. The winner will be commissioned separately to implement the design in the Vienna school location. Students planning to submit a design need to notify the school by e-mail at nova@schoolofrock.com.
Fairfax County Public Schools offers two-week foreign language camps for elementary school students at several area schools this summer, from July 9 to 20, 1-4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The school locations are: Centre Ridge, Colin Powell, Colvin Run, Great Falls, Mount Eagle, Ravensworth, Springfield Estates, Vienna, White Oaks, and Woodley Hills. Language offerings vary from school to school. For details, call 703-658-1293 or -1291. Visit www.fcps.edu/aceclasses in March for registration information.
Fairfax County Public Schools is introducing the Elementary Institute for the Arts, or E-IFTA, a sister program of Institute for the Arts, for students who were enrolled in grades K-5 during the 2006-2007 school year. Each day, students attend two 90 minute courses chosen from the various arts disciplines. The course runs July 9 to Aug. 3, weekdays only, at Forest Edge Elementary School in Reston. Tuition is $450 for Fairfax County residents; $650 for non-Fairfax County residents. Visit www.fcps.edu/DIS/OACE/prek12/eifta.htm or call the E-IFTA office at 703-227-8449.