Week of October 27, 2015

FIRST FRIDAYS ART WALK

The Visual Arts Boosters (VAB) is hosting its first event of the year -- the First Fridays Art Walk on Friday, November 6 at 5:30 p.m. The evening will begin with food, fellowship, and a brief VAB meeting at Maggie Walker in Room 153.  Students who were selected to participate in the MLWGS pARTnership with Studio Two Three will be sharing their experience with the group. The meeting will follow with an evening of viewing some of the best art in RVA. As a part of this event, VAB provides a bus that will transport parents and students to the First Fridays Art Walk on Broad St. and Main St. -- http://rvafirstfridays.com.

Friday November 6 will be the 8th anniversary of this event at Maggie Walker! If you've never been to First Friday's it's a great experience for all ages (especially if you don't have to drive and park). More information on the VAB website:  http://www.maggiewalkervab.org/fall-art-walk.html

Friends and family welcome!

GET READY FOR GRADUATION 2016

Herff Jones will be stopping by Wednesday’s senior class meeting (during lunch in the auditorium) to collect measurements for graduation caps and gowns.  They will also be providing ordering information for announcements and other graduation paraphernalia.  It can be tough to anticipate how many announcements to order with graduation still eight months away, but order now to ensure you will have enough!  Herff Jones will return on Wednesday, November 4 (during lunch in the downstairs commons area) to accept orders and payments.  Don’t forget…seniors have already paid for their caps and gowns in their student fees, so no need to worry!  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kerry Sheppard -ksheppard@gsgis.k12.va.us or (804) 354-6800 ext. 3304.

NIGHT OF THE DRAGON DONATIONS WELCOME

The 14th  Annual Night of the Dragon auction will be held Saturday, February 27, 2016 at the Hilton Hotel & Spa at Short Pump. This annual event is the largest fundraiser of the year and collectively benefits the students at MLWGS through activities provided by all of the booster groups, the PTSA, and the Governor’s School Foundation. The solicitation committee is collecting donations of auction items. 

Have something great to donate? A donation form is available here.   Print out a form and return it to the PTSA box in Valenta Williams' office off the Bluestone Lobby or email to auctionmlwgs@gmail.com.   Last year's catalog is still online at www.nightofthedragon.com to provide ideas for donations.  The deadline for donations to be included in this year's event is December 18, 2015.  Have more questions? Please contact Peggy Feldmann at pafeldm@aol.com or 804-353-4533.

GLOBAL SPEAKERS BUREAU

Maggie Walker students are eager to change the world and our globally engaged families can help.

Can you give an hour to speak to a language, global studies, science, or government class about your experiences? In that short time, you can make a ‘world’ of difference. The School Advisory Council’s International Committee is assembling a database of parent and community presenters who are willing to share their expertise in:

• Language fluency and colloquial conversation
• Living and working in a foreign country
• Traveling abroad for business or recreation
• Working collaboratively on business or social projects across the globe
• Conducting international business in person or via communications technology

If you, your business, or a friend can help broaden our students’ horizons, please contact Kristi McCullough at mckristilin@gmail.com or (804) 598-9674 and become a global resource today!

SCRIP ORDERS

The next SCRIP order due date is today and will be ready for pick up next Wednesday, November 4. Please consider ordering SCRIP gift cards for your favorite stores and restaurants while supporting MLWGS. 

Remaining 2015 SCRIP dates:

• Order due November 10, delivery November 17
• Order due December 1, delivery December 8 (last delivery in 2015)

Questions? Contact Karen Murtha at k.murtha@comcast.net or Lori Bekenstein at lori.bek@verizon.net.

DRAGON’S LAIR OPEN DURING PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

The Dragon’s Lair will be open from 11:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. on  November 3 during parent/teacher conferences.  The Dragaon’s Lair is looking for volunteers, so please consider helping out before or after your conferences.  Sign up here:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e044caaac2d6-teacher.

REMINDER –The Dragon’s Lair is now open the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.  Please stop by on your way into work. 

Week of February 3, 2015

Night of the Dragon--Tickets available only one more week!

Don't miss the chance to attend the 13th Annual Night of the Dragon Auction on Saturday, February 21. Tickets are selling quickly for an expected sell-out crowd again this year at this fabulous fundraiser that benefits the entire school. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis and there are no ticket sales at the door.

The inventory of auction items includes weekend getaways to the beach and the mountains, several gourmet dinners, more than a dozen themed gift baskets along with unique jewelry, sports memorabilia, and plenty of items to help parents and MLWGS supporters show dragon spirit!  The catalog should be online within the next week!

All ticket purchases are online this year - purchase your tickets at www.nightofthedragon.com. Please buy tickets as soon as possible - but no later than the RSVP deadline which is Friday February 6. Remember to pre-purchase drink tickets at the discounted rate of $6 each, and heads/tails tickets along with event tickets. 

Can't attend this year? Watch for the opportunity to "Buy It Now" on nearly 100 items in our "Buy It Now" online event which will be available at www.nightofthedragon.com two weeks before the event!

For more information on the Night of the Dragon Auction, check out the event website: www.nightofthedragon.com. For questions, please contact Karen Akens, Night of the Dragon 2015 Administrative Co-Chair, at nightofthedragon15@gmail.com

FOUNDATION SUPPORTS CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION

For Fine Arts Department Chair Jeff “Coach” Hall, one of the challenges of teaching art is keeping up with the latest trends and techniques of the profession, especially in digital art or, as it is often referred to, “new media.”  Think of traditional sculpture or painting but add in engineering, programming, and computer science.  In addition to keeping up with the techniques, having access to the equipment is an additional obstacle.

However, thanks to a grant from the Governor’s School Foundation, the art department now has access to both the training and equipment for “new media” via HackRVA.  HackRVA is a local maker space located in nearby Scott’s Addition.  Their website declares “You provide the enthusiasm and we provide the tools and community.” The Foundation-funded membership provides access to everything from networking to woodworking programming to robotics.  Students in the digital art class designed sculptures that were printed on HackRVA’s 3D printers. 

Contributions to the Foundation Annual Fund help bring cutting-edge technology and teaching to MLWGS students.  So far this year, the Annual Fund Campaign has raised $224,755 for the school. Overall current parent participation is 29%, and here is the parent participation by class:

• Seniors: 36%
• Juniors: 29%
• Sophomores: 38%
• Freshmen: 18%

To donate online, please click here.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for February 12  from 4 -7 p.m.  Dr. McGee is sending out an email this week with links to Signup Genius for conference registration.  If you do not receive the email by Friday, February 6, please email kzweerink@gsgis.k12.va.us or mrainey@gsgis.k12.va.us for the link.

Attention Senior Parents!

The February Senior Newsletter is now available on the School Counseling Website. This newsletter contains college-related reminders and a listing of scholarships with approaching deadlines. The newsletter was distributed to students in their English classes last week. Scholarship information for seniors is also available on the School Counseling website and in Naviance. 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 us 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 Parents!

You are invited to attend the College Kickoff program for Juniors on February 10 at 12:45 p.m. See invitation below! Postcard (below) and email invitations have also been sent. Please contact Rachel Loving (rloving@gsgis.k12.va.us, x3211) or Penny Deck (pdeck@gsgis.k12.va.us, x3240) with questions.

Senior counselor caseloads for the Class of 2016: Last names A-Le, Ms. Deck; Last names Li-Z, Dr. Loving

MLWGS Valentine’s Day Dance

It’s that time already! Each year, the Sophomore Class hosts the MLWGS Valentine’s Day Dance and this year is no different.  The dance will be held at school on Friday, February 13 from 7-10 p.m. The dance is open to all MLWGS students and their dates, if they choose to bring one.  Tickets for the dance will be sold during school next week.  Tickets must be purchased by the end of the lunch on Friday February 13 as they will NOT be sold at the door.  Again, tickets will NOT be sold at the door.  The ticket price has not yet been set, but will likely be $10 or less.  The dress code is casual this year.  If students plan to bring a guest who is not a student at MLWGS, a form must be completed in advance and requires a signature from an official at the guest’s school. Forms can be found in Room 100.

Parents are needed to help out with this event.  Please see the sign up genius below.  If you volunteer to send in snacks, please ask your student to leave them in Mike Brown’s office. Snacks and non-perishables can be brought in on either Thursday or Friday, the 12^th and the 13^th.   Please also send in any brown grocery bags those in to Mr. Brown’s office as well.  They will be used to store student coats during the dance. 

As always, thanks for your support!

Sally Schultz and Cathy Temple

Sophomore Class Parent Reps

www.SignUpGenius.con/go/60B0C4CADAC2CA02-valentines

MLWGS Blood Drive

MLWGS will hold a Blood Drive on Friday, February 6, 2015 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. in Rooms 104 and 105. Please sign-up with Mr. Blanton for an appointment time to donate. Walk-ins are also welcome. Prepare for your donation by eating well and staying hydrated. Please bring an ID to your donation appointment.

Every participant will receive a coupon for Outback Steakhouse!

*All students ages 16 and 17 MUST have a signed parental consent form to donate and all MUST have ID.

MLWGS Parents Love Robotics!

As the Mech Tech Dragons continue their hard work on this year’s robot, a past parent’s testimonial on the rewards of the long hours put in by students and parents provides insight into the value of this program:

My son Wil Thomason (’12 Chesterfield) has benefited greatly from his commitment to Team 422.  As a UVa student majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics, his team experience has been integral to his decisions and choices in college and graduate school, in teaching and research positions, in internships, and in development of his future goals.  FIRST Robotics contributed to his confidence and expertise which has led to opportunities with Microsoft, Google, and Palantir, to name a few.   Thank you!  David Thomason

MLWGS Students Perform in Virginia Dance Festival

Four MLWGS students will be performing with the Richmond Ballet Ensemble in the 16^th Annual Virginia Dance Festival Saturday February 7 to benefit Children’s Hospital Foundation.  Annika Basch (’15, Richmond), Samantha McCoy (’15, Richmond), Catherine Gilfoyle (’16, Richmond), and Samantha Grossman ('18, Richmond) will perform at both the 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows at Altria Theater (formally the Landmark Theater).

The event will feature more than 300 dancers performing traditional and cultural dances as well as a silent auction.  Tickets may be purchased at Etix.com.

Get Lost at The Dragon's Lair

Well, with the end of exams, we turn our attention to that next major academic milestone:  SPRING BREAK!!  And the staff of the Dragon's Lair stand prepared to help you avoid the embarrassment that plagues spring breakers for years - - no, not 'should-have-thought-twice' selfies posted to Facebook.  Worse than that: Misplaced luggage. Just think, instead of watching luggage circle the baggage claim carousel, you can immediately spot your MLWGS-tagged baggage as soon as it comes down the chute.  And then it's goodbye airport, hello sweaty cab ride.

Come get tagged every Tuesday and Thursday during lunch at The Dragon's Lair and during special after-school events. Check out our entire selection of apparel, accessories, gifts and more at http://mlwgsdragons.weebly.com/.  Cash and checks are always welcome.