Week of January 13, 2021

Sophomores: PSAT News

The scheduled Jan. 26 PSAT administration for MLWGS sophomores has been postponed due to public health and safety concerns. At the recommendation of our local regional representative of the College Board, we will administer the PSAT 10 test during a day in April to be determined. The PSAT 10 is identical to the PSAT/NMSQT but is only available for 10th graders and offers more flexibility in scheduling options.

We apologize for the change, but feel this is the right thing to do in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. More information will be sent out to families once an April date is selected.

Juniors: Seminar/Mentorship Choice

All juniors must make their decision regarding whether they will be enrolling in a seminar or applying to the mentorship program for their senior year. In December, each junior was admitted to a Schoology group called “The Class of 2022 Senior Seminar/Mentorship Information Group.” All juniors and their parents should visit this Schoology group to learn more about the Senior Seminar Program. This Schoology group provides descriptions of the seminar courses, mentorship application information, and deadlines for the decision-making process. If you have questions after visiting Schoology, please email Les Cook, the Senior Seminar/Mentorship Coordinator. The deadline for making the decision and ranking seminars is Monday, Jan. 18.

Seniors: Yearbook Ads

The Senior yearbook ad deadline is fast approaching! Please contact Yearbook Adviser Michael White for further information. 

Week of January 6, 2021

Happy New Year and welcome back to school!

Counseling: Sophomores and Juniors

Ms. Ebeling, school psychologist, and Ms. Cobb, sophomore and junior counselor, announce a virtual classroom guidance opportunity for sophomore and junior students using Naviance: Naviance Family Connection, a web-based school counseling tool designed to assist students, parents, and counselors. Naviance contains several helpful advising tools that students can use during their four years of high school (see the MLWGS counseling website for details). During January, students can participate in a virtual lesson using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and a Career Interest Inventory.

Students may attend one of four sessions offered on Fridays, Jan. 15, 22, and 29, by registering here. The deadline to register is Friday, Jan. 8. Contact Ms. Cobb if you have questions.

Counseling: Juniors and Parents of Juniors

Soon juniors will meet with counselors to discuss their academic schedules for their senior year. One major decision they must make involves the Senior Seminar Program. At Maggie Walker, each senior must either enroll in a seminar class or apply to complete a mentorship to fulfill the senior seminar requirement. Information regarding this program and the selection process can be found on Schoology. Each junior has been admitted to a Schoology group called “The Senior Seminar/Mentorship Decision.” All juniors and their parents should visit this Schoology group to learn more about the Senior Seminar Program. This Schoology group provides descriptions of the seminar courses, mentorship application information, and deadlines for the decision-making process. If you have questions after visiting Schoology, please email Les Cook, the senior seminar/mentorship coordinator. The deadline for making the decision and ranking seminars is Monday, Jan. 18.

Attention, Seniors!

Senior yearbook ads are due on Friday, Jan. 15. Please contact yearbook adviser Mr. White for further questions.

Scrip Still Sells

Don't forget to start or continue shopping with scrip so the PTSA can reach its scrip fundraising goal. So far this year, Great Lake Scrip has raised $1,058 for the MLWGS PTSA after shipping and incentives, with just 22 families participating. We hope to reach our goal of at least $1,500 before the school year ends. Please keep shopping! Even the smallest of rebates for your shopping and dining will add up by the end of the year. Look at the list of retailers and consider where your everyday shopping overlaps! Questions? Contact Laura Dysart.

ALSO: Scrip needs a new PTSA Board Volunteer in Fall 2021

Have you been thinking you'd like to get more involved with MLWGS? Serving on the PTSA Board is a great way to get to know other MLWGS families while also helping the school and its programming. Laura Dysart's son is graduating, so we are looking for a new scrip coordinator. It is not a difficult program to manage, and there is a well developed work plan in place. Responsibilities include advertising through school media sources, placing monthly orders, and coordinating deliveries. Contact Laura for more information or to just talk more about what's involved. 

Zoom Lecture Explores Maggie Walker

On Tuesday, Jan. 12, the MW Library hosts a Zoom talk by historian Dr. Shennette Garrett-Scott, author of Banking on Freedom, a book in the Columbia Studies in the History of U.S. Capitalism series that features Maggie L. Walker. A free reading guide for the book is available from Columbia University Press. MLWGS students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni welcome! Registration link below. Email Ms. DeGroat if you have questions.

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 12    Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Cost: FREE (registration required)    Reserve your spot here. 

Welcome Our New Registrar

Welcome to Mr. Lucas Veale, our new registrar in school counseling. You may recognize him as one of our soccer coaches. We welcome him to the MLWGS family!

Week of November 27, 2019

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

PTSA MEETING DECEMBER 2

Please join us on December 2 at 6 p.m. in room 153! You don't have to be a board member to participate.  If you can't attend in person, we do have a call in option available:

Conference Dial-in Number: (605) 475-4000
Participant Access Code:191682#

SCRIP HOLIDAY NEWS

The last order due date for physical cards before winter break is Friday, December 6. Cards will be available for pick up the following week. The very good news is that for orders placed on December 5 and 6 only, there will be no Scrip fee for using a credit card to shop all 750 plus brands! Please take advantage of this limited time offer to do your holiday shopping. Some retailers are offering $5 and $10 cards in December as well. You can also pay by check made payable to MLWGS PTSA which must be received in the PTSA Scrip Box in room 100 (Valenta William's office) on the due date or with Presto Pay. Hard copy of the order form is available here.

If you are not yet enrolled in Scrip, but want to do some holiday shopping, please contact your Scrip Coordinator, Laura Dysart at scrip@mlwgsptsa.org for the enrollment code. We can no longer post the enrollment code on-line. Go to shopwithscrip.com to see all available retailers or to shop. 

Thanks to all those who have used Scrip to support Maggie Walker. We have already raised $500 in family shopping rebates!





PARENTS OF JUNIORS

Senior Seminar and Mentorship registration information can be found in your student’s Schoology account (in the “Senior Seminar/Mentorship Application Information” group in the resources section). This includes the PowerPoint presentations used at student and parent sessions, handouts, seminar proposals, and the mentorship application. Please look at this information with your student as you help in the decision-making process. The online registration survey will be open until December 9 at 3:15 p.m. The paper Mentorship Application is also due by December 9 at 3:15 p.m. If you have any questions about the registration and application process, please contact Mr. Cook.

AUDITIONS FOR THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL

Auditions for The Addams Family musical will be by appointment from 3:30-6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10 and Wednesday, December 11. Callbacks will be held from 3:30-6:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 12. Audition sign ups will go live Monday, December 2.

CAFETERIA GRAB AND GO LUNCH PILOT

After evaluation of the food service survey that was issued earlier this year where we asked you for your feedback to improve this program, Serve1 is launching a pilot program of pre-ordered boxed lunches called “Grab and Go.” The concept should help reduce lunch lines for students allowing them more time to eat and socialize with friends. Boxes will be labeled by name and placed in a specific area of the cafeteria that does not run through the regular line. The pilot will run the entire month of December and will be evaluated in January.

During this pilot, only cold foods will be available for pre-order to include salads and sandwiches with sides. Attached is a form to print and complete. Submit a completed form to cafeteria personnel by 12:30 p.m. each Friday for lunch the following week. Complete your order for 1-5 days and total the amount due. Payment is due when the order is placed with acceptable payment forms of cash, debit, or MLWGS cash cards.

Use the attached order form or students can pick up extra copies to complete from Reception in room 100. The lunch order form will also be found on the ‘Co-Curricular and Curricular and Activities Fee Payment’ page of this website.

Grab and Go lunches December 2-6: Order due to cafeteria by November 26

Grab and Go lunches December 9-13: Order due to cafeteria by December 6

Grab and Go lunches December 16-20: Order due to cafeteria by December 13

Orders not picked up for any reason will be discarded and cannot be refunded or credited.

BONUS: During this pilot, Wednesday mornings will be smoothie days. More information coming in December.

ORCHESTRA NEWS

Congratulations to the following students who made it into Central Regional Orchestra this past weekend. They will be participating in the event in February 2020.

Chloe Biggs- Violin (Chesterfield '23)
Mariam Jafari-Nassali- Violin (Richmond '23)
Annabel Tang- Violin (Henrico '23)
Shreyas Muthusamy- Viola (Henrico '23)
Mark Janssen- Viola (Chesterfield '23)
Drew Rivas- Viola (Chesterfield '23)
Sarah Hendricks- Cello (Hanover '23)
Abhishek Satpathy-Cello (Henrico '23)
Ella Folin- Cello (Henrico '23)
Sean Fang- Cello (Chesterfield '23)
Will Taylor- Cello (Henrico '23)

THE CUBE IS BACK! 

The MLWGS Cube Club will hold their second annual Cube Speed Competition on Saturday, January 18, 2020. This will be held in the Gymnasium.

See the World Cube Association link for details.

Registration is now open and will close Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 7:00 PM EST, or sooner if participant limit is met.  This event fills up fast! Register soon!




SAVE THE DATE! 2020 NOTD- SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2020!


The Night of the Dragon Auction is one of the highlights each year for Dragon parents (past and present), staff, and alumni. The 2020 NOTD: Quantum Leap-will take place on Leap Day, February 29!

The evening includes live and silent auctions, dinner, drinks, student entertainment, heads and tails, and more. This fun-filled event is also MLWGS’ single largest annual fundraising event.

Here’s how you can help make the upcoming 18th Annual Night of the Dragon the best ever! 

• Save the date and get your tickets when they become available after winter break.
• Donate an item(s) for the Live or Silent Auctions. Popular items include unique experiences hosted by MLWGS families and friends, event tickets, vacation home rentals, artwork, local adventures—GET CREATIVE! To donate or help solicit, contact Suzannah Stora.
• Become a Sponsor. Individual and corporate sponsorships are available at many levels. For Sponsorships, contact Suzannah Stora.
• Lend a hand. If you want to help with putting on this amazing event, contact Ginger O’Neil for committee options.

Stay tuned for more information about this wonderful event in the coming weeks! 






Dragon parents continue to battle it out to see which class has the highest parent percentage of Foundation Annual Fund supporters and the competition is fierce! Remember 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.

Totals to date are as follows:

Senior Parents (2020) 26%
Junior Parents (2021) 23%
Sophomore Parents (2022) 28%
Freshman Parents (2023) 27%

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!

Week of October 16, 2019

MLWGS NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTION CEREMONY

MLWGS National Honor Society Induction Ceremony Thursday, October 17, 2019, at 6:30 p.m.

National Honor Society (NHS) is a national organization for high school students that seeks to honor students who demonstrate excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. This year, 158 Maggie Walker juniors and seniors will be inducted into The Patricia E. Taylor Pioneers of Excellence Chapter of NHS. The National NHS Council requires that induction ceremonies be appropriate and impressive.

Eligible members are Maggie Walker juniors and seniors with at least a 3.5 weighted, cumulative, unrounded GPA who have earned the required number of service hours (70 for juniors, 105 for seniors) and abide by the MLWGS standards of honor. The students selected for induction met these criteria and completed an application in September where they discussed their experience with or aspirations for leadership and completed an essay on either honor or service.

The induction ceremony itself will include: a keynote address from Mr. Aaron Montgomery, Harvard alum and co-founder and COO of CarLotz, a candle lighting ceremony, the presentation of certificates, and a statement of the NHS Pledge. A reception will follow in the Student Commons.




HOMECOMING DANCE THIS SATURDAY 

Each year, the Junior Class hosts the MLWGS Homecoming Dance. The dance will be held at the school on Saturday, October 19 from 7:30-10:30 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 lunch on Friday, October 18 as they will NOT be sold at the door. Again, tickets will NOT be sold at the door. The ticket price is $10.

The dress code is semi-formal 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.

AP EXAM ORDERS

The online payment system for AP exams is now available on the MLWGS website as of October 15. MLWGS AP Exam Order Forms were distributed through Advanced Placement classrooms last week. This form will allow students to officially indicate their testing plans and calculate a total amount of AP exam fees due by October 25 ($94 per exam). Students must turn in their MLWGS AP Exam Order Form to the Counseling Office between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., October 21-25 with cash/check payment or online payment receipt.

Students may also take an AP exam for a course they are not enrolled in or is not taught at MLWGS, by indicating their preference on the form. If the course is not currently being taught, there must be at least three requests for the exam to be administered and additional proctor fees (not to exceed $20) may apply. AP Statistics is pre-approved and students may see their teacher to obtain the join code for their “exam only” section.

IMPORTANT: All students enrolled in AP courses should have already “joined” the correct section(s) on the CollegeBoard website (myap.collegeboard.com) with a unique access code for each course. See Dr. Loving in the counseling office immediately if you have not completed this step.

The timeline for the next few weeks is as follows:

• October 7-8: AP Exam Order Forms distributed to AP testers through AP classes
• October 15: Online payment system opens
• October 21: If you would like to inquire about a fee waiver/reduction, please do so by this date (see your counselor for a confidential form)
• October 21-25: Form collection/payment window (October 25 will be the on-time registration deadline)
• October 26-November 14: A late fee of $10 per exam will apply
• November 15 and beyond: The College Board add/drop fee of $40 will be instituted (NEW COLLEGE BOARD POLICY)
• January 17: Deadline to apply for College Board accommodations for a documented disability (see Ms. Cobb)
• March 13: Deadline to add an exam (even with the late fee)
• November 15-April 13: Students who choose not to test can get a refund of $54
• April 13: Last day for students to get a refund of any kind

Contact Rachel Loving AP Coordinator, with questions.

ATTENTION JUNIOR PARENTS

Les Cook, the Senior Seminar/Mentorship Coordinator, will be holding sessions at three different times to provide information to junior parents regarding registration for Senior Seminar/Mentorship. Parents are invited to attend either on Tuesday, October 29 from 6-7:00 p.m. in the Forum, Monday, November 4 from 9-10:00 a.m. in the Auditorium, or Monday, November 4 from 6-7:00 p.m. in the Forum. Students will be invited to sessions held during the school day starting the first week of November to receive information and ask questions about the application process. Information will also be provided to all junior students through their Schoology accounts.

SCRIP

Next order due date is Friday, November 8 at noon for plastic cards. Don't forget you can purchase "Scrip Now" products which arrive digitally to your computer or phone ANYTIME you need them! Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, Target, Panera, Chipotle, Petco, Zappos, Best Buy, Lowe's, CVS, Barnes and Noble, Krispy Kreme, Sam's Club, and Uber are just a few you can get immediately, no waiting for due dates! To get the Scrip Wallet app on your phone go to myscripwallet.com. To enroll or shop go to www.shopwithscrip.com. Enrollment code: C43669E564L28. 

Questions? Your coordinator is happy to explain how it all works: scrip@mlwgsptsa.org. Let those retailers you already shop give back to Maggie Walker!

STUDENT DIRECTORIES

In an effort to be more environmentally friendly and to reduce costs, MLWGS now publishes the Student Directory online in PowerSchool. We do plan to print a limited number of paper copies for those families who are not able to access or print the directory from home. Updates and corrections to the directory are still rolling in, but as soon as we feel confident that the data is as up to date as possible, we will have them printed and available for pickup in the main office.

How to Access the Student Directory

From Your Computer:
1. Open up your web browser
2. Navigate to the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School website (https://mlwgs.com)
3. Click on the Power School link located towards the bottom left-hand side of the page
4. Login to PowerSchool
5. Click on Directory Information located on the left in the Navigation window panel

Feel free to save the Directory to your computer or print it, if desired.

From Your Mobile Device:
1. Open your web browser (it does not currently work on the Power School app)
2. Navigate to the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School website (https://mlwgs.com)
3. Click on the Power School link located towards the bottom left-hand side of the page
4. Login to PowerSchool
5. On the main page, you will see your student's name in the upper left-hand corner
6. Under your student's name, there will be two arrows- one up arrow and one side arrow. Click on the side arrow.
7. A navigation window pane will open and the Directory Information button will be located towards the end of the list next to the school bus icon 

Once you have successfully opened the directory, the file can be bookmarked or saved to your mobile device.

If your contact information is incorrect, please contact Megan Perez.

FOUNDATION PHONE-A-THON

Hello parents! The Foundation is gearing up for our fall Phone-a-thon, scheduled for Tuesday, October 22 and we are looking for callers! We will host a brief training from 6-6:30 p.m. and will be making calls from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Dinner will be provided!

We also wish to invite you to bring your student along. Students who participate in the phone-a-thon can earn 2 hours of community service.

Please contact Suzannah Stora if you are interested in participating. The Phone-a-thon is a great opportunity to showcase the work of the Foundation and to directly connect with our supporters and friends. It is so vital to the Foundation's success and we appreciate your participation!

Opt out of the Phone-a-thon by making your annual fund gift now!

Plans are well underway for the 2020 Night of the Dragon Auction Event-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2020!

The Night of the Dragon Auction is one of the highlights each year for Dragon parents (past and present), staff, and alumni. The evening includes live and silent auctions, dinner, drinks, student entertainment, Heads and Tails, and more. This fun-filled event is also MLWGS’ single largest annual fundraising event.

Here’s how you can help make the upcoming 18th Annual Night of the Dragon the best ever!

1. Save the Date (Saturday, February 29) and get your tickets when they become available on January 1, 2020.
2. Donate an item(s) for the Live or Silent Auctions. Popular items include unique experiences hosted by MLWGS families and friends, event tickets, vacation home rentals, artwork, local adventures—GET CREATIVE!
3. Become a Sponsor. Individual and corporate sponsorships are available at many levels.
4. Lend a hand. Join the Night of the Dragon Planning Committee.

Stay tuned for more information about this wonderful event in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you want to get involved in any way, contact the Foundation office!