Knights of the Round Table Support SHARE
The Northern Virginia Knights of the Round Table (NOVA) presented the 2013 Excalibur Service Award of $750 to SHARE, Inc., McLean. SHARE, a local nonprofit community group also recently received a total of $1,600 from NOVA to assist them in providing food and emergency assistance to community residents in need. The NOVA Round Table is a non-political and non-sectarian community service group celebrating 60 years of service this year. They have partnered with a number of service groups working with persons with disabilities and other needy persons. It is a chapter of The Loyal Knights of the Round Table International. Community minded citizens are welcome to attend weekly luncheons sponsored by the group in Falls Church. Those interested in their activities and speakers program can contact: John Theon, President at 703-356-1435 or jtheon@starpower.net
Claude Moore Colonial Farm Reopens to Public
The Claude Moore Colonial Farm at Turkey Run reopened to the public on Oct. 9 after the closure by the National Park Service in conjunction with the Federal Government shutdown. The living history museum and privately operated National Park portrays family life on a pre-Revolutionary War era working farm in Northern Virginia.
The Claude Moore Colonial Farm sits on 70 acres in McLean and offers self guided tours of a Colonial era farmhouse with loft and working hearth, heritage breed turkey and other animal pens, crop fields, orchards and more. The Farm is open Wednesdays through Sundays through Dec. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Farm will conduct a Threshing Day on Nov. 16 and Colonial Wassail on Dec. 15.
The Claude Moore Colonial Farm celebrates 40 years of operations in 2013. Over 2,000,000 visitors across the U.S. and internationally have visited the museum and farm since its founding in 1973. Annual memberships, which provide discounted or complimentary attendance to events and programs, are available at www.1771.org.
Arabic for Children Offered in McLean
Language Stars will begin offering new Arabic programs for children in the area this fall. The U.S. Government designated Arabic a “critical language,” creating a large demand for Arabic-trained professionals with little supply available. Parents who want to give their children a head start can register for Parents & Tots (Arabic programs for 1- to 3-year-olds) and Kids Only (Arabic programs for 3- to 5-year-olds) in the Alexandria, McLean and north Arlington Virginia Language Stars centers.
“It can be a challenging language for an adult to learn, making the need for Arabic programs for children crucial. By tapping into the window of opportunity between birth and 10 years of age when a child’s brain is hard-wired to learn any language naturally and easily, they can achieve Arabic proficiency the same way they learn their first language, in a play-based setting with other children,” said Leslie Lancry, the CEO and founder of Language Stars. “Many families in the area are affiliated with the Foreign Service or the military, and are either moving to a country where the primary language is Arabic, or are coming back from a country that speaks Arabic and want a way for their children to maintain their language skills. Language Stars provides these children and more with the opportunity to learn Arabic in a fun, full-immersion environment taught by native speakers.”
Interested families are invited to participate in a free trial class and can reserve a spot by visiting http://www.languagestars.com/arabic. For more information on Language Stars, visit www.languagestars.com or call 866-557-8277.