Week of January 20, 2015

PTSA PROGRAM TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY JANUARY 21

You may want to drive your child to school tomorrow morning – or stop by before work…

VCU’s Dr. Michael Southam-Gerow is worth it!

Teens and Mental Wellness: Managing Rejection, Anxiety, and Depression 

Wednesday, January 21, 8 a.m. in room 153

This author, speaker, and expert on teens and emotions is also a MLWGS parent (which means he knows!). Don’t miss this informative session on teens and anxiety, processing failure, sleep deprivation, exercise, and other important topics.

Coming in February! Achieving Academic Balance: Dual Enrollment, AP, Honors, and Plus with Mr. Karl Zweerink is slated for February 2, 2015, 5:30 p.m.

NIGHT OF THE DRAGON AUCTION - INVITATIONS IN THE MAIL!

Invitations to the 13th Annual Night of the Dragon Auction on February 21 are in the mail. Don't delay in responding - admission is limited at this popular event and we expect a sell-out crowd again this year!   New this year - all tickets can be purchased on-line at www.nightofthedragon.com - buy yours today!

The auction committee has a fabulous inventory of auction items to sell, including season tickets to Innsbrook Afterhours; Disney Park Hopper Passes; more than a dozen dinner opportunities offered by faculty, staff, and parents; beach and mountain vacation homes; and a wide selection of merchandise. Thanks to generous area merchants and MLWGS families for the many donations! Look for more sneak peeks at the auction inventory in the coming weeks’ Smoke and Scales and daily on our MLWGS Night ofthe Dragon Facebook page.

Questions about the Auction? Please contact Karen Akens at nightofthedragon15@gmail.com

Digital Magazines Empower Mobile Learning

Thanks to a partnership with the Library of Virginia and funding from the Governors School Foundation, MLWGS students can access eight gorgeous full-color, full-text digital magazines for art and language learning through Zinio.com by using their public library card. These magazine include:

Visual Arts

·         American Craft

·         Aperture

·         ARTNews

International Languages

·         Scientific American – Chinese edition

·         L’Officiel Art (French)

·         Sport Life (Spanish)

·         Contenido (Spanish)

·         Personal Computer y Internet (Spanish)

To access these magazines, follow the instructions available from the MW Library at http://bit.ly/zinio4dragons                        

SUPPORT THE GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOUNDATION ANNUAL FUND

The Governor’s School Foundation Annual Fund supports grants for student classroom instructional enhancement like the digital magazine access described in the article above.

So far this year, the Annual Fund Campaign has raised $222,067 for the school. Overall current parent participation is 29%, and here is the parent participation by class:

• Seniors: 36%
• Juniors: 28%
• Sophomores: 38%
• Freshmen: 18%

To donate online, please click here.

ATTENTION JUNIOR PARENTS:  COLLEGE KICKOFF PROGRAM

Save the Date!

College Kickoff Program for Juniors

Tuesday, February 10 12:45-2:45 p.m.

College Representatives from Elon University, Georgetown University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Washington &Lee University will speak.
A meet-and-greet for parents and college representatives will follow the program.

Mail and email invitations to follow.

SENIOR YEARBOOK ADS STILL AVAILABLE

Senior parents: you’re almost out of time to buy a Senior Ad in the Yearbook to honor a beloved MLWGS graduate! Ads may be purchased to cover a full page ($220), ½-page ($140), or ¼-page ($80). Please make checks payable to MLWGS. To purchase a Senior Ad, please email Yearbook Adviser Michael White (mwhite@gsgis.k12.va.us), and he will send the specs. 

The deadline for submission is Friday, January 23, 2015. Ads submitted after the deadline may be subject to a $15 late fee. A check can hold the spot now initially, but the MLWGS Yearbook will need all materials by January 23. Order now while there’s still space!

MLWGS STUDENTS EARN SEATS IN CENTRAL REGIONAL ORCHESTRA

Congratulations to the following students for earning seats in the Central Regional Orchestra based on their audition performances January 10:

• Ben Hamilton ('18, Chesterfield), seat 20, Violin 1, A Orchestra
• Jake Holweger ('18, Henrico), seat 3, Double Bass, B Orchestra
• Catherine Qian ('18, Henrico), seat 16, Violin 1, A Orchestra
• Andrew Shin ('18, Henrico), 1st seat,  Viola, A Orchestra
• Anisha Sharma ('18, Henrico), seat 10, Viola, B Orchestra

The performance will be February 7, 2:00 p.m. at Meadowbrook High School.

ALUMNI RETURN FOR ROBOTICS REVEAL

Following a long tradition of MLWGS alumni support, several former Robotics team members joined current students and mentors for the build season kickoff on Saturday, January 3.  For the next 6 weeks, the team will spend nights and weekends at MLWGS designing and building their robot to compete at two regional competitions, striving to qualify for the first Robotics League national championships in St. Louis.  Last year the team won the coveted Chairman’s Award at a regional event, noting their achievements in team building, leadership skills, and community outreach. Go Mech Tech Dragons!

Tumble into The Dragon’s Lair!

Keep the hot drinks hot and the cold drinks cold with our NEW authentic Tervis tumbler, available exclusively at The Dragon’s Lair.  It’s 16 ounces of pure beverage awesomeness, featuring a wrap-around dragon for scaly style from any angle.  Best of all, it’s dishwasher safe, no matter whether your dishwasher is machine or human.

Come by and see the new green-lidded goodness available at The Dragon’s Lair, every Tuesday and Friday during lunch, and at special after-school events.  You can also marvel at it 24/7 at our website (http://mlwgsdragons.weebly.com/).   Cash and checks welcomed.