Week of October 4, 2017

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE FALL FESTIVAL






Come one, come all to the 21st annual MLWGS Fall Festival on Friday, October 6! It is an international event sponsored by the PTSA to directly showcase and financially support MLWGS student organizations! Held on the front steps and lawn of the school facing Lombardy Street, the Fall Festival offers a wide variety of activities, entertainment, and food. The weather looks great! 


GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Just fill in the following form and bring it to the Dragon's Lair.
Ticket Order Form
Please remember, except for Dragon's Lair, booths only accept tickets and tickets are cash only the day of the festival.

PARKING
Follow the signs to the James River Bus Parking Lot at Leigh and Allen Avenue.
PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON THE GRASS.

FEAST AT THE FEST
Our students are hard at work preparing culinary delights from all over the world- smoothies, tasty baked goods, and much more.

CATCH THE SHOW
Here's the line up...
Time
3:50 pm    Orchestra I
4:05 pm    Orchestra II
4:20 pm    American Sign Language (ASL3)
4:30 pm    Chorus
5:00 pm    Jazz Band I
5:15 pm    Jazz Band II
5:30 pm    BREAK-Stage Set Up
5:40 pm    Bhangra Dance Club
5:50 pm    Katrina Hale
6:00 pm    Jui Paithane
6:10 pm    COSMIC
6:20 pm    Cole Mier-Stand Up Comedy
6:35 pm    Hannah Smith
6:45 pm    The Deadbeats
6:55 pm    Maggie Walker Dance Team
7:05 pm    Sive Lowell
7:15 pm    Raghda Labban
7:25 pm    Appalachian Heritage Music Club
7:35 pm    Hunter Carlton and Julia Ball
7:45 pm    Grace Larmee, Paige Handy, and Julia Oshenhirt

GAMES GALORE
A number of student booths have games planned to test your skills and win prizes.

KID ZONE
No worries! Bring the little ones. Kid Zone is a FREE fun area of games and activities planned just for them and is open from 4-7:00 p.m.

WE STILL NEED YOU
It's not too late to Volunteer.
Get the latest information about what volunteer opportunities exist. www.facebook.com/MLWGSFallFestival   
          We are still in need of many volunteers for clean-up and evening shifts,                 as well as tents.
Sign Up Here 

WE SURPASSED OUR GOAL
Thank you are so much to the generosity of our latest sponsors. 

Gold Sponsor
Ashby
Ashby is a locally-owned, resale clothing store for girls and guys in Carytown. They are conveniently located next to Mellow Mushroom- one block from the Byrd Theater. You will find a variety of trends and styles that are fresh, fun, and creative- all at crazy-affordable prices (we are talking $30 or less!). We also sell new jewelry and accessories- most under $15.

Silver Sponsor

Moran Reeves Conn, Attorneys at Law
Practicing from its Richmond office in historic Shockoe Slip, Moran Reeves Conn offers legal counsel in complex cases including medical malpractice and product liability. The firm's attorneys also handle matters related to business transactions, commercial real estate, and finance, among others.

We look forward to seeing you at the 21st Fall Festival!
         Ticket Order Form





ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK TODAY



Yearbooks cost $45 right now, but after Fall Festival the price goes up to $50. Don’t expect to buy your book at Fall Festival, because you won’t be able to! If you want to get in on the $45 price, submit your check to Mr. White no later than Friday, October 6. Pick up an order form outside Room 121.  Yearbooks can also be ordered online at www.yearbookordercenter.com

ALSO....

Did you buy a 2017 Yearbook? Of course, you did! Did you get your free Spring Supplement? Probably not! So come to the Commons at lunch Tuesday and Wednesday, October 3 and 4, to pick up your supplement, but only if you bought a yearbook.







ATTENTION FRESHMEN- MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS ASSEMBLY

The Maggie L. Walker Health and Physical Education and Counseling Departments in conjunction with our student-led Mental Health and Disabilities Awareness club will hold a Mental Health Awareness Assembly on Friday, October 6 for all FRESHMEN.  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. The school held assemblies for all grade levels last year with speakers from Minding Your Mind and we are fortunate to have this opportunity once again at MLW for our 9th graders.  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.   If you have any questions or concerns about your child attending the assembly, please contact Karl Zweerink (Counseling Department, ext. 3210).  This activity was planned as part of MLW’s strategic initiative to “develop a systematic approach to support social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and mental health needs of our gifted students.”






BABYSITTING OPPORTUNITY


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The Governor's School Class of 1997 will be attending their 20th high school reunion on the evening of Saturday, October 7, and some members are looking for MLWGS students who may be available to babysit that night.  If your student is interested and available, please have them email: cnicholas@mlwgsfoundation.org








SENIOR PORTRAITS



Due to overwhelming demand, in-school senior portraits have MOVED to Monday, October 9. New, additional time slots are now available. Seniors wishing to be photographed should sign up outside Room 330. Seniors' time slots from the old October 11 sheet have been preserved EXCEPT for those who signed up between 12 and 12:30, or after 3:00 p.m. Those seniors have new time slots so please find your names on the brand new list. Seniors who cannot make their assigned time slot may change it or swap with a classmate. See Mr. White mwhite@gsgis.k12.va.us if you have any questions. These free portraits are tux and drape only; additional poses, outfits, and backgrounds involve fees.

If you would rather be photographed for your formal yearbook portrait at another studio, be sure that your portraits adhere to the following specifications:

a. formal dress (tux or drape)
b. "midnight blue" or other standard, dark blue or black background
c. photo should be head and shoulders, with the bottom of frame hitting mid-chest level. Any size from Strawbridge [2-15/16" x 2-3/16" OR 2-3/16" x 1-5/8" OR 1-15/16" x 1-7/16"] is fine.

Photos from other studios are due no later than Friday, November 17. If we do not have your picture by November 17, you risk exclusion from the senior section. Please give Mr. White a copy of the photo if it is NOT the contracted school photographer. Digital images must be at least 300 dpi and can be emailed tomwhite@gsgis.k12.va.us or delivered on a CD or flash drive to Mr. White. If you email an image, please send a separate email to follow up to make sure we received the email. We may need to provide a different email address for larger images.






PSAT DAY- WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11


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All 9, 10and 11 graders will take the PSAT in the morning while 12th graders will be participating in college and transition-related activities in the auditorium.

The PSAT is a great practice opportunity for the SAT.  For 11th graders, the PSAT results are used for qualification purposes for National Merit Scholarship Programs. 

The counseling department  distributed PSAT Student Guides to all test-takers during lunch time assemblies during the week of Monday, September 25.   The guides contain information about the tests as well as 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 PSAT so it is important that students arrive at school on time. 

Score reports will be available online in mid-December and paper copies will be available and distributed in January during lunch-time grade-level assemblies.  Juniors will be encouraged to register for an SAT or ACT date in the spring by visiting the testing agency websites.  Sophomores and Juniors in AP classes will be reminded to register for SAT Subject tests as appropriate.






MIDDLE SCHOOL VISITS





Remember going to information night in middle school to learn about Maggie Walker?  If you or your student would be interested in sharing your Maggie Walker experience with future Dragons and their parents, please consider signing up for Middle School visits. We especially need parents for City of Richmond schools.  MW administrators visit with many of the area middle schools and would love to add parent and student perspectives.  No presentation skills needed, you just have to show up and be ready to talk one-on-one to parents and students about Maggie Walker! 


ATTENTIONS SOPHOMORES





Virginia Space Coast Scholars (VSCS) is a program focusing on the earth and airborne science, engineering, and technology integral to current missions at NASA Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. 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. The VSCS program features two key elements: an on-line science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning experience featuring five modules and a seven-day residential Summer Academy at NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, VA where selected scholars will learn first-hand from NASA professionals about cutting edge technologies and missions. Please visit http://vscs.spacegrant.org/ for additional information and application. 

The deadline for student applications is November 12, 2017.



ATTENTION JUNIORS AND SENIORS
The Society of Women Engineers at the University of Virginia invites high school juniors and seniors to apply to our High School Visitation program on Saturday, November 18, 2017. The program gives young women a comprehensive look at engineering fields and 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 we particularly target those students who are not yet familiar with the field and may be interested in applying to engineering schools or pursuing a STEM career.

To apply, students should complete the HSV Fall 2017 Application which can be found here. This fall session particularly targets high school seniors, but sophomores and juniors can also apply. Students who have previously applied to HSV, are in the targeted grade level, and demonstrate a strong interest in engineering through their essay will receive priority acceptance and priority consideration for an overnight stay.  The attached flier provides more information about the event and instructions on how to apply online through our website.

The application must be completed online by 11:59 pm on Saturday, October 21, 2017.

Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) is an interactive online learning course with a space mission design and human space flight theme, culminating in a one-week residential Summer Academy at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton for those students who qualify.  Offered at no cost to the student, VASTS consists of seven modules and a final project to be completed from November 2017 through May 2018 under the guidance of licensed master educators.  Based on success in the online coursework, students may be selected to attend a Summer Academy where they interact with NASA scientists, engineers and technologists to design a human mission to Mars. 

Additional information and application can be found at http://vsgc.odu.edu/VASTS/.  

The deadline for student applications is November 12, 2017.

Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS) is an interactive, on-line Earth System Science Course featuring NASA scientific research and data. The course is offered for dual enrollment college credit (statewide through TNCC) for high school juniors and seniors in the Spring semester 2018. VESSS will have two components.  The first component is an online sixteen-week course running from December through April. The second component is a residential NASA Summer Academy at NASA Langley Research Center for students who perform well in the course.  

Additional information and application can be found at http://vsgc.odu.edu/VESSS/ 

The deadline for student applications is November 12, 2017.






ATTENTION SENIOR PARENTS

The second issue of the Senior Newsletter is available on the School Counseling website. This newsletter contains important college and scholarship-related reminders and deadlines.

A description of all scholarship opportunities sent to MLWGS can be found on Naviance. Please note that this list is not exhaustive- students are still encouraged to do their own scholarship research. See the “Scholarship and Financial Aid” page of the School Counseling website for tips. All deadlines listed in Naviance are subject to change as MLWGS is not always notified of annual date changes; therefore, it is important that students confirm all deadlines on the scholarship organization’s direct website. Please contact Kierstin Streitel in the School Counseling Office with any scholarship questions.

Teacher Recommendation Request forms are due at least two “school” weeks prior to the college/program deadline (winter break not included). Extra forms are in the School Counseling Office.

Transcript Request forms for deadlines November 15 or earlier were due to counselors on Monday. A Transcript Request Form is due to counselors by 3:30 pm on November 15 for any deadlines November 16 or later. Extra forms are in the School Counseling Office.

Students are allowed four excused absences for college visits per year. Students must get and turn in a pre-approval form to Ms. Bowman in advance. Students should let their teachers know ahead of time that they will be missing class and it is up to them to inquire about and complete any missed work.








CONGRATULATIONS ORCHESTRA STUDENTS




Congratulations to the following students for auditioning and earning seats in Senior Regional Orchestra:

Minji Cho, Violin 1, seat 1, Concertmaster
Alyssa Wright, Violin 1, seat 5
Willow Kwak, Violin 1, seat 11
Emma Chun, Violin 1, seat 15
Andrew Shin, Viola, seat 1, Section Leader
Libby McFadden, Viola, Alternate 2
Rachel Zhao, Cello, seat 8
William Davis, Double Bass, seat 7

Participating students are eligible to audition for All Virginia Orchestra.