All 9th, 10th,
and 11th-graders will take the PSAT in the morning while 12th-graders will
participate in college and transition-related activities in the auditorium.
For 9th and
10th-graders, the PSAT is primarily a practice test for the SAT. For 11th-graders,
the PSAT results are used for qualification purposes for the National Merit
Scholarship Programs.
There are
major changes to the questions and format of the PSAT and SAT tests this year.
Students will be receiving an “Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT“ this
week during lunch-time assemblies. The assembly for juniors will be
held on Monday September 28 and the assembly for freshmen and sophomores
will take place on Wednesday October 1. In addition to providing
general information about the PSAT, the guides have specific information about
test questions and contain a full-length practice test. Students are
encouraged to take the practice test before testing day. More information
about the PSAT can be found at www.collegeboard.org/psat.
Students
are reminded to bring #2 pencils and calculators for testing. The College
Board does not allow makeup testing for the PSATs so it is important that
students arrive at school on time. Counselors
will distribute score reports to students in mid-December through lunch-time,
grade-level assemblies. Juniors will need to register for SATs and ACTs
on their own by going to www.collegeboard.org or www.actstudent.org.
Juniors
have the option to take the current SAT in December or January, or the new
version starting in March. Students may want to consider taking the
current version of the SAT to see how well they do on it. Also, the score
reports for the March SAT will be delayed until May because it is the first administration
of the new test. Please note that colleges will not be able to
“super-score” (selecting the higher scores for the different sections) between
the current version and the new version of the SATs. In addition, the ACT
is given several times in the year and is always an option for students as
well.
Sophomores
and Juniors in AP classes will be reminded to register for SAT Subject tests if
appropriate.
Please
visit the MLWGS school counseling website for more important information about
college admissions testing at https://sites.google.com/a/gsgis.k12.va.us/mlw-school-counseling/college-admissions-information-1/test-preparation
FALL FESTIVAL SUPPORTS MLWGS COMMUNITY
As part of
Maggie Walker’s community engagement efforts, and a primary goal of this year’s
SCA, school supplies for Carver Elementary will be collected during the Fall Festival.
Although any item is appreciated, the following items are especially
appreciated as they are contributed less often and used at a greater rate:
- dry erase markers
- black and white composition notebooks
- wide-loose leaf paper
- K and 1st-grade writing tablets
- crayons
- glue sticks
- glue bottles
- 3-ring binders
- hand sanitizer
- paper towels
- liquid hand soap
Items maybe
dropped off at the Community Engagement Booth during the Festival.
VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED FOR FALL FESTIVAL
The MLWGS
PTSA would like to thank all the many people who have signed up to volunteer or
to lend items to the Fall Festival! The success of the Festival is dependent on
Volunteers! However, there are still lots of opportunities to help out! Please
use the following link to find out how you can help support MLWGS clubs and
organizations:
ORDER TICKETS IN ADVANCE TO AVOID LINES
Have you ordered
your Fall Festival Tickets yet? If not, please use the following link to order
in advance and save time in line!
WELCOME BACK FROM THE GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL FOUNDATION
The
Governor's School Foundation would like to welcome all new and returning
faculty, students, and families back for the new school year! For those of you who may not be familiar with
the Foundation, it is a non-profit established to support the students and
faculty of the Maggie Walker Governor’s School.
In the 2014-15 fiscal year, the Foundation raised more than $357,000 to
help enhance the educational experiences of MLWGS students, assist in sending
teachers to workshops, conferences and graduate programs, provide student aid,
and enhance technology in the school.
Additionally, the Foundation serves as the MLWGS Alumni Office, helping more
than 3000 alumni stay in touch with their alma mater. Over 28% of our alumni and 52% of current
parents supported the Foundation last year.
Look for
articles in Smoke & Scales over the course of the school year for stories
of enhancements the Foundation was able to provide for Governor’s School
students and faculty.
Questions
about the Governor's School Foundation?
Feel free to reach out to Laura Lewis, Interim Development Officer, at
354-1566 or laura.lewis@governorsschoolfoundation.org. And next time you are at school, stop by the
office in Room 251!
STUDENT ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Hugh
O’Brian Youth
Leadership Seminar Program
Leadership Seminar Program
The Hugh
O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) Seminar Program is offering one slot for a
Sophomore from MLWGS to attend its state-wide seminar in the spring. Interested students should submit a 75 to
100-word essay to Ms. Davis describing the most rewarding and challenging
aspect of being a leader in their school and community. The deadline for submission is October
30. More information about the program is
available at www.hoby.org.
National
English Honor Society
The English
Department is pleased to invite Juniors and Seniors to apply for
admission to the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School Chapter of the National
English Honor Society.
To be
eligible, students must have completed four semesters of core English credits with
an un-weighted GPA of 3.75.
To apply,
please pick up an application from Ms. Davis (counseling office).
Applications and the membership fee must be received no later than Friday,
October 16.
National
Honor Society applications are now available. If your child would like to be
considered for the National Honor Society (NHS) please encourage him or her to
complete an application and return it to Rachel Loving, School Counselor and
NHS Sponsor by Monday, October 5. Candidates must have a 3.5 cumulative
GPA and demonstrate the qualities of scholarship, leadership, and service.
Candidates will be notified of acceptance by October 9 and an induction
ceremony will take place later that month. Please contact Rachel Loving with
questions at rloving@gsgis.k12.va.us.
The Society
of Women Engineers at the University of Virginia invites high school
seniors and juniors to apply for a place in its High School Visitation program,
taking place Saturday, November 14, 2015. The program gives young women a
comprehensive look at engineering fields and at UVA’s engineering curriculum
through informative speakers and hands-on design activities. The program is
designed to benefit participants with all levels of engineering experience, but
it particularly targets those students who are not yet familiar with the field
but may be interested in applying to engineering schools or pursuing a STEM
career. Applications are available at http://www.virginiaswe.org. Applications
are due by October 23.
Virginia
Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) is a NASA-based program
for 11th-grade students who are interested in aerospace-related science,
technology, engineering and/or math (STEM). Applications and additional
information can be found at http://vasts.spacegrant.org. The application
deadline is November 8.
Virginia
Earth Systems Science Scholars (VESSS) is a NASA-based program for 11th and
12th-grade students who are interested in Earth Systems Science-related
science, technology, engineering and/or math (STEM). This course focuses on
Earth Systems Science and the NASA mission that help study these topics.
Applications and additional information can be found
at https://spacegrant.net/apps/?pk=sss and are due by November
8.
Virginia
Space Coast Scholars is a NASA-based STEM program for 10th-grade students
who are interested in NASA’s space and Earth and airborne science-related
missions managed or flown by NASA Wallops Flight Facility. This dynamic
(and FREE) program, designed by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium
(VSGC), inspires students who possess technical and/or scientific interests and
are motivated to learn about the many different opportunities that NASA
offers. Additional information and applications can be found
at http://vscs.spacegrant.org/. Applications are due by November 8.
THANK YOU MLWGS PARENTS
MLWGS’s quarterly
Kroger Community Rewards payment for the quarter ending on August 31, 2015 is $1,989.64.
That’s more free money that goes to help the school’s programs.
A quick
reminder to those who participated last year--registration has to be renewed
annually.
To renew:
To renew:
- Sign in using your email and password.
- Click on View Reward Details – In the Account Summary page scroll to Community Rewards at the bottom.
- Type in 82125 or Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School and click to update.
For those
of you who haven’t signed up yet:
- Click on “SignIn/Renew” then click on “SIGN UP TODAY” in the “New Customer?” box.
- Sign up by entering your zip code, clicking on your favorite store, entering your email address, creating a password and agreeing to the terms and conditions.
- You will get a link by email – click on this link.
- Click on “My Account” and use your email address and password to proceed.
- Click on “Edit Kroger Community Rewards” information and input your Kroger Plus card number from your card. Update or confirm your information.
- Enter the school NPO number 82125 or Maggie L Walker Governor’s School PTSA, select the school from the list and click on “Confirm”. The school name should appear at the right side of the page.
You still
get all of your Kroger discounts and fuel points, and MLWGS gets a share of the
money set aside to support community organizations.
KEEP UP WITH STUDENT EVENTS (AND ALL THINGS DRAGON) ...
For this week's issue, check out
the new Jabberwock website.
HELP
RESTOCK LIBRARY'S GRATITUDE DRAWER
Two years
ago, the MLWGS Library started making supplies available to students and
teachers for spreading gratitude at MLWGS and beyond. You can help
re-stock its gratitude supplies by donating extras of any of the following that
you have on hand:
- Blank note cards (with envelopes)
- “Thank-you” cards (with envelopes)
- Colored paper
- Decorative printer paper
- Stickers, glitter, or glue
- Colored pencils, magic markers (incl. Sharpies), or pens
Thank you
in advance for your contributions!
Sincerely,
Wendy
DeGroat
Librarian,
MLWGS
