Week of June 3, 2020

TECH SURVEY AVAILABLE ON SCHOOLOGY

We will conduct a technology survey this week to collect data that will help us plan for the school opening in the fall. The survey covers general information and assesses home technology access (device use, Internet) as well as your experiences with distance learning over the past 10 weeks. It was sent out via Schoology on Monday, and will close on Friday, June 5. Please complete the survey so that we can better serve you in the future.

CALL FOR SENIOR PHOTOS

Seniors, the PTSA needs your cap and gown photos for the 2020 Baccalaureate video! 

Please submit your photo using the link below or directly to Julie Hendricks by Sunday, June 7. 

Upload your photos directly HERE. 

DETAILS ON YEAR-END GRADING OPTIONS

Pass/Fail Grade “Opt-in” Form

On April 14, Dr. Lowerre shared the two options for year-end grades for the 2019-2020 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For each Honors or Advanced Placement course, students may elect 1) the assigned grade according to our current grading scale (see quarter weighting below) and 2) a pass/fail grade (P = A-C; PS = D; F remains). All students keep their assigned grades (Option 1) unless they choose to “opt in” to pass/fail grades (Option 2) by completing the “Pass/Fail Opt-In Form” by Friday, June 12.

Here is the link to the Pass/Fail Opt-in Form to be used for Honors and AP courses: (Must be submitted no later than June 12 to utilize Option 2.)

VCU has a separate (but similar) process for selecting a pass/fail option for dual enrollment courses. Students must complete this form. (Email the signed form to your school counselor by June 12.)

School counselor consultation is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED for the Honors/AP process and REQUIRED for the Dual Enrollment process. 

To reiterate, if you plan keep all assigned grades as currently listed in PowerSchool NO ACTION IS REQUIRED!

INSCRIBE A MLWGS PAVER TO HONOR A GRADUATE

The Governor’s School Foundation invites families to purchase inscribed pavers in the Blue Stone Lobby. This is a great way to honor your dragon and support the Governor’s School.

Only 25 pavers will be available during this campaign, and orders must be placed by June 30. The pavers will be engraved over the summer. The cost is $1,000, and all donated funds beyond the cost of the engraving are tax-deductible. 

Click here for your paver now!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUTSTANDING SENIORS IN MATHEMATICS!

Each year, the Maggie Walker Mathematics Department recognizes outstanding seniors in mathematics, one or two students who not only excel in mathematics but have an appreciation of the power and beauty of mathematical thinking.

Both of our 2020 recipients have taken and excelled in advanced math classes. And both have wonderfully creative mathematical minds. The math department is happy to announce our 2020 Outstanding Seniors in Mathematics honorees: Varun Natarajan and Lida Wolman.

Varun Natarajan (Henrico) is an outstanding math student who has taken every higher-level math class that we offer – and we have many! He is often able to combine his mathematical acumen with his outstanding ability to code. For example, Varun created a mathematical model that he coded in app to win the Crab Trap App Challenge. Also, Varun has embraced mathematics not only in the classroom but on an individual basis, by applying his interests in mathematics and computer science to an independent study of computational fluid dynamics.

Lida Wolman (Henrico) is a talented math student who crafts clear and correct explanations for even the most difficult problems. But she also has a gift for unique and artistic interpretations of mathematical concepts. For example, in Multivariable Calculus, Lida created a crocheted model of the intersection of four planes in space. This unique piece was then shown at the 2020 Joint Mathematics Meetings Art Exhibit in Denver.

Congratulations! Each will receive a book at graduation that we hope will pique their mathematical curiosity.

Week of September 4, 2019

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER! 

The PTSA is always looking for volunteers! You can either return the form that was included in your back to school packet or use the following links:

Parent Volunteer Form or Online Version 

NIGHT OF THE DRAGON PLANNING COMMITTEE KICK-OFF MEETING



Thursday, September 5 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

The Governor's School Foundation is looking for parents to serve on the planning committee for the Night of the Dragon auction. Our first meeting is set for Thursday, September 5 at 11:30 a.m. in MLWGS room 153. Please email Suzannah Stora at the Governor's School Foundation if you are interested in attending. The Night of the Dragon auction is Maggie Walker's biggest fundraiser event of the year, last year yielding more than $75,000 to support the faculty and students at MLWGS! Serving on the committee is a great way to get involved and meet fellow parents and MLWGS alumni. This year's event is scheduled for leap day, Saturday, February 29, 2020 at the John Marshall Hotel.

Interested parents are invited to join the Visual Arts Boosters at their first meeting of the year on Tuesday, September 10 from 5-6 p.m. in room 131.

The Visual Arts Boosters (VAB) provide financial and other support for the visual arts programs at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School. Fundraising and other support efforts help to provide students with specialized materials and equipment and unique opportunities for further exploration of art, our local art community, and art-related careers. Field trips, guest artists, a lecture series, exhibits, awards, domestic and international travel, and other unique experiences are all supported by the VAB. Find out more at http://maggiewalkervab.org

We are in need of help in filling vacant positions, so please consider attending this meeting!  If you can't make the meeting, but can help off site, please contact Jeff Hall at jhall@gsgis.k12.va.us





GREECE AND ITALY 2020 INFORMATION MEETING

We will be having an informational meeting Tuesday, September 10 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the art room 131.  If you are interested in learning more about this trip for your student, we hope you will be able to attend. If you attended one of the informational meetings in the spring of last year or have already signed up, you do NOT need to attend.

We are very pleased to announce that during the summer of 2020, MLWGS Fine Arts Department will be leading a small group of students to Greece and Italy with EF Tours. This will be our second international trip with students and we are very excited about this opportunity.

With their rich histories, these two countries are such amazing places for our young artists to experience. Athens, Rome, and Florence have so many great art, architectural, and cultural attractions that we thought it would be a wonderful place to continue our Fine Arts Department international travel tradition. It is worth noting that this is a school sponsored trip (pending school board approval) so if there is financial hardship, your student may be able to get partial assistance.

Please note that on the web version of the Smoke and Scales, there are MANY useful links-  all the Booster organizations, Counseling Department, MLWGS school calendar, volunteer forms, link to AmazonSmile, SCRIP online link, and so much more! These links are updated continuously. Please note them and use them often. 

Want to donate your time and skill set to Maggie L. Walker Governor's School from the comfort of your home or office? One of our editors has a graduating Dragon so Smoke and Scales is seeking a co-editor for the 2020-2021 school year. Smoke and Scales is published weekly with the exception of summer and  winter and spring breaks.

The co-editor would organize article blocks and edit accordingly in Google Blogger and proof the online draft prior for publication each week. 

The co-editor must possess strong writing, organizing, fact-checking, proofreading, and communication skills. This commitment requires approximately 2 hours early in the week.

If interested, please contact Smoke and Scales at smokeandscales@gmail.com and provide a brief summary of your experience as well as the graduation year of your MLWGS student; to provide some continuity, Smoke and Scales particularly welcomes applicants with students in their first or second year at MLWGS. If you have questions or want to discuss the position further, please contact smokeandscales@gmail.com.

HELP CHOOSE THE TIME SLOT FOR FAMILY TIME MACHINE TUESDAYS

In October, November, January, February, and March, Ms. DeGroat (your MLWGS librarian a.k.a. resourceress) will offer a genealogy workshop series called Family Time Machine Tuesdays.

These workshops will be open to MLWGS students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as interested students, parents, faculty, or staff in our participating school divisions, and neighbors who live near our campus. Parent-student teams are encouraged to attend together.

The workshops will be offered on Tuesday evenings and will cover tips for searching many types of records valuable in ancestry research, including historic census records, military records, and newspapers, as well as ways to transform your research from a list of facts to an engaging story.

If you are interested in participating, please indicate which Tuesday time slot(s) would usually work for your schedule- and whether you would prefer to attend in-person, online, or a little of both- by answering the brief survey at:

TIME MACHINE TUESDAYS





MAGGIE WALKER RANKINGS IN NEW SURVEYS

Maggie L. Walker is ranked #2 best Public High School in Virginia and #8 in best Public High Schools in the United States!  Congratulations to our students, parents, faculty, and staff!

Read more here

Welcome MLWGS Dragon Parents! Each year Dragon parents battle it out to see which class has the highest parent percentage of Foundation Annual Fund supporters. This year the class with the highest parent percentage will receive a student ice cream party at the end of the school year! Help the Foundation meet its goal of raising $330,000 before the end of the school year.

The Governor's School Foundation Annual Fund makes a huge impact on all students at MLWGS by directly supporting activities like academic competitions and student travel, as well as new technology, and student financial assistance. The support of our parents is critical in these efforts and we are most grateful for your continued commitment. Make your contribution now.

We look forward to all that we can accomplish together for MLWGS!