SAVE THE DATE!
September
22 is Back-to-School Night. The evening program begins at 6:30 p.m.
Student schedules, maps and more information will be sent home with students earlier in the week.
Student schedules, maps and more information will be sent home with students earlier in the week.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS ASSEMBLY
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
The
Maggie L. Walker Health & Physical Education and Counseling Departments in
conjunction with our student-led Mental Health and Disabilities Awareness club
will hold a school-wide Mental Health Awareness Assembly on Friday, September
30.
The
assembly will feature a speaker from “Minding Your Mind,” a national
prevention-based program that educates teens by initiating conversations
regarding mental health. Speakers are young adults who have
struggled with mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, and give
educational talks to reduce the stigma of seeking help. This program is
being supported by the locally based Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation, which
works with area public and private high schools to implement “Minding Your
Mind.”
Additionally,
in the weeks following the assembly, professional staff from the Cameron K.
Gallagher Foundation and MLWGS will facilitate an optional eight-session
interactive Peer Support Curriculum. Students can attend one or more of
these sessions as interested (sign-up for sessions will occur after the
assembly). This curriculum covers the following topics: stress, anxiety
and depression, substance abuse, negative and positive coping skills, active
listening, mindfulness, and establishing boundaries.
If
you have any questions or concerns about your child attending the assembly,
please contact either Paige Hawkins (Health/ P.E., ext. 1440) or Karl Zweerink
(Counseling Department, ext. 3210). This activity was planned as part of
MLWGS’ strategic initiative to “develop a systematic approach to support social,
emotional, physical, intellectual, and mental health needs of our gifted
students.”
DEADLINES ARE APPROACHING FOR
20TH ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL!
The
20th Annual Fall Festival will be held October 7 (rain date October
14). This family friendly annual festival celebrates MLWGS’s international
focus while offering clubs and organizations a lively and enjoyable way to
raise funds. The deadline to register for both Entertainment and Booths is Friday,
September 23!
To
register to perform, go on line at: http://goo.gl/forms/RCCxIS4MyU.
To
register to host a booth, Class and Club Sponsors should go on line
at: http://goo.gl/forms/mu6Cs6vRvK.
The deadline
for Corporate Sponsorship is Wednesday, September 28! Corporate
Sponsorship will help pay for new LED lights for the stage and other electrical
and safety improvements which can be reused every year! The Fall Festival is
pleased to announce the following Corporate Sponsors as of Thursday,
September 15: Gold Sponsors are Patient First and ASHBY. Silver Sponsors
are Short Pump Dental, Short Pump Realty, Nyfeler Associates, and Fan District
Association!
If
your company is interested in supporting MLWGS clubs and activities as well,
please contact Debbie Taminger at debtaminger@gmail.com.
Finally,
the deadline for pre-ordering tickets is Wednesday, October 5. With
the exception of the Dragons’ Lair Booth, only tickets will be accepted at the
Fall Festival. (The Dragon’s Lair will take tickets, cash, checks and credit
cards.). Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Festival, and
tickets are not refundable. Unused tickets can be donated to the booth of your
choice during the festival hours. To pre-order tickets, go on line at:
CALLING PARENTS AND STUDENTS!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR PHONE-A-THON!
The
Governor's School Foundation is looking for parents and students to
participate in the Governor's School Foundation Fall Phone-a-thon! Please join
us during the evenings of Tuesday, September
27 and/or Wednesday, September 28, at MLWGS to reach out to fellow
current and alumni parents and other donors.
Students can
earn up to six hours of community service!
Dinner
will be provided at 6:00 p.m., followed by a brief training
session. Calling will follow and will conclude each night
at 9:00 p.m. Come for one or both nights and help raise the funds that
enhance the Governor's School experience for MLWGS students and teachers.
Last
year’s phone-a-thons raised more than $58,000 in gifts and pledges
for the school, so this is an extremely important part of the Foundation Annual
Fund Campaign.
Please
contact the Foundation Executive Director, Suzannah Stora at sstora@governorsschoolfoundation.org or
stop by the Foundation Office (across from the auditorium) to sign up.
ATTENTION SENIOR PARENTS
The
September Senior Newsletter is now available on the School Counseling Website (https://sites.google.com/a/gsgis.k12.va.us/mlw-school-counseling/2011-2012-newsletters).
This newsletter contains college-related reminders and a listing of
scholarships with approaching deadlines. The latest newsletter was distributed
to students in their English classes last week. Scholarship information for
seniors is also available on the School Counseling website (https://sites.google.com/a/gsgis.k12.va.us/mlw-school-counseling/college-admissions-information-1/scholarships-financial-aid)
and in Naviance (https://connection.naviance.com/mlwgs).
Contact
your child’s counselor if you would like to view the Naviance scholarship
database and need your registration code. Scholarships are still being added to
this database on a monthly basis, most with direct links to the applications.
Hard-copy applications are scanned and attached to the scholarship description
as a PDF. Please note that all deadlines posted on Naviance or in the
Newsletter are subject to change as organizations are still sending updated
information for this school year. Check the organization’s website for the most
current information. Please contact Rachel Loving in the School Counseling
Office with scholarship questions.
ATTENTION JUNIOR AND SENIOR PARENTS!
National
Honor Society applications are now available. If a student 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 Friday, September 30, 2016. Candidates must be a junior or a
senior, have a 3.5 cumulative GPA, and demonstrate the qualities of
scholarship, leadership, and service. A complete list of qualifications is
available on the application. Candidates will be notified of acceptance by
October 7 and an induction ceremony will take place later that month. Juniors
and seniors will receive a copy of the application via email and a hard copy is
also available in the Counseling Office. Please contact Rachel Loving with
questions at rloving@gsgis.k12.va.us.
TRIP TO SPAIN
There
will be an important meeting for any student interested in a trip to Spain in
2017. The meeting will be held on Thursday, September 29 at 6:30 p.m.
in room 335. Parents and students are welcome. Steve Ross, Susan
Hefty, and Bob Jenkins will discuss the upcoming trip.
TRAINING GROUPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL-AGE STUDENTS
WITH ADD/ADHD AND THEIR PARENTS
VCU
is offering free training groups for high school age students with ADD/ADHD and
their parents. The groups focus on teaching parents and high school age
adolescents strategies to promote adolescent autonomy, increase academic
success, and reduce parent/adolescent conflict. Session topics include
improving the use of organization/ time-management skills and communication
strategies. As part of enrolling in the groups, participants will receive
$50 for their time and effort, and a free mental health evaluation and report.
The next group will be run in October and slots for participation are filled on
a first come first serve basis. Please contact Efren Velazquez at 804-828-4254 or velazquezea@vcu.edu for
more information.
MAGGIE WALKER GARDEN CLUB
AWARDED $750 FROM KEEP VIRGINIA BEAUTIFUL
Davis
Coffey leads the MLWGS Garden Club. This past summer, Davis wrote and submitted
a grant request to the “Keep Virginia Beautiful” 30 Grants in 30 Days Program.
“Keep Virginia Beautiful” awarded 45 applicants $500 to $1000 and, thanks
to Davis, MLWGS was one of the recipients, receiving $750 for the
Garden Club.
The
Keep Virginia Beautiful mission is to "engage and unite Virginians to
improve our natural and scenic environment through five impact areas:
Litter Prevention, Waste Reduction, Recycling, Beautification, and
Environmental Education." Davis began the garden club this past
spring. Together with more than 40 National Honor Society members, the
club cleared land near the tennis courts and built several raised garden
beds. Davis plans to use the award money to build five additional raised beds
that will contain vegetables, flowers, and herbs. The garden club also hopes to
host several fundraising opportunities throughout the year to help cover the
expense of ongoing management and care of the garden. Several wish list items
include building a trellis and planting several flowering shrubs that
will invite insects to the area and promote pollination. The goal of
the club is to create a sustainable garden producing fruits and vegetable that
will be shared not only in our school but also within our community.
For
more information on the Garden Club, please contact Davis Coffey or Mrs.
Edgerton, Garden Club sponsor.
LATEST ISSUE OF MLWGS JABBERWOCK
Want
the student news? Check out the latest issue of the MLWGS Jabberwock here: http://mlwgsjabberwock.com/.
DRAGON’S
LAIR ANNOUNCEMENTS
The
Dragon’s Lair would like to remind MLWGS friends and family that the store is
open regularly on Tuesdays and Fridays during the lunch hour. Prefer to
stop by on the way to work? No problem! We also open up for
convenient morning shopping the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month
from 8 to 9 a.m. Checkout is quick and easy as we’re all electronic
now!
Visit
the store to see our newest items pictured above - more to come soon.
- Bow Ties with a new design
- Holiday Ornaments
- Flannel Pants with a new design
- We’re also looking into a new blanket, polo shirt, sweat pants, ladies tee, tervis cup, stadium seat, flag, and alumni shirt.
Shoot
us an email and tell us what you’d like to see offered in The Lair – mlwgsdragons@gmail.com.
We’ll be placing orders for Fall Festival within the next two weeks.
More
announcements coming soon!
