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WINCHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS RELEASES SMARTPHONE APP!
  • Winchester Public Schools has released a free smartphone app to provide a new and convenient way to communicate with students, parents, and patrons. The app, Go WPS!, will be used to provide notifications to user's cellphones about delays and closings, changes in schedules and emergencies. The app also provides access to a news stream, calendars, school directories, menus, sports news and links to the lunch payment system and the PowerSchool student information system. The school system will still use its current alert system to communicate important announcements as well. Superintendent Mark Lineburg said, “This app provides a capable and convenient tool to reach members of the community on the device they use most often, their phones. It will help us keep more people in touch with the school system.” The app is available through the App Store or Google Play. Search for “Winchester Public Schools.”
Long-Awaited Groundbreaking Sets John Kerr Future in Motion
  • The Winchester Star – After weeks of delays and questions about the project’s future, an official groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new John Kerr Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon. “Even through…
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WPS and Winchester Police Dept. Team Up for Student Safety
  • WPS is teaming up with the Winchester Police Department to educate the public regarding stopping for school buses when they are dropping off our children. We want to remind drivers they have to stop when a school bus's lights are flashing, even if they’re driving in the opposite direction unless there is a median. The campaign focuses on the safety of our children who get on and off school buses on a daily basis. Remember, Don't Break the Law, Brake for Buses.
  • Click HERE for full article.
Country Music Star Kenny Rogers Set to Headline Handley Show
  • The Winchester Star – Nashville legend and 2013 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Kenny Rogers will headline the sixth annual Patsy Cline Classic at Handley High School's Patsy Cline Theatre on March 7. The concert series, presented by Bonnie Blue Concerts and Zolivia LLC, in coordination with the Winchester Education Foundation, dedicates one show per year to the legacy of the country music legend and Winchester native, who died in a plane crash in 1963.
  • The series has previously featured such artists as Willie Nelson, The Beach Boys and LeAnn Rimes. Tickets will be available for $39.50, $59.50 and $79.50, and will be sold exclusively through Ticket-Fly.com. Tickets go on sale at 6 a.m. today [December 19].
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DMMS Band and Choir Perform for Quarles Students
  • The Winchester Star – A visit to Quarles Elementary School by Daniel Morgan Middle School's symphonic band and honors chorus was music to the elementary school students' ears.
  • The choir and band performed a mix of traditional and contemporary holiday and non-holiday songs Monday morning, including music from the movies “Polar Express” and “Frozen.” The choir and band gave two, 45-minute performances, one for kindergartners through second- graders and one for the schools' older students.
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City Middle-Schoolers Build on Science Skills
  • The Winchester Star – A four-foot tower of wooden planks wobbled precariously in Daniel Morgan Middle School's fifth- and sixth-grade common area after school on Tuesday. “We're trying to make it bigger,” said Daniel Morgan sixth-grader Wendy Esparza, as she helped stack another layer of planks on the tower.
  • Esparza, along with fellow sixth-grader Celyna Randall and visiting John Kerr fourth-grader Carter Gerometta, had constructed a seven-foot tower of wooden planks on Monday while participating in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)-based after-school program at Daniel Morgan. The trio were attempting to build an even taller tower on Tuesday.
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City School Division Gets Preschool Grant Money
  • The Winchester Star – Winchester Public Schools could significantly increase the number of preschools within the division during the 2015-16 school year. The division was one of 11 in the commonwealth Wednesday to be awarded a share of a $17.5 million federal Preschool Expansion Grant. The awards are first-year grants with the potential for three additional years of funding.
  • “We're just thrilled,” said Superintendent Mark Lineburg. “In tough budget times it shows we're hustling for every dollar we can get . . . Preschool is just so important.” Lineburg said the division applied for more than $4 million with the goal of funding four additional preschool classes. He said the division has not been told how much money it has been awarded.
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$17.5 Million Federal Preschool Expansion Grant Announced
  • RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Virginia has been awarded a $17.5 million federal Preschool Expansion Grant that will allow the Commonwealth to serve as many as 1,600 additional at-risk four-year-olds in new, high-quality preschool classes. In addition, the grant will fund enhanced services to approximately 1,400 children in existing pre-kindergarten classrooms.
  • “Expanding preschool is essential to ensure that all Virginians – regardless of income or background – acquire the education and skills they'll need to participate and succeed in the new Virginia economy of the 21st century,” Governor McAuliffe said. “This grant is a big win for the children of the Commonwealth.”
  • View the full press release.
Handley Student Appointed as Head House Page
  • John Handley High School student Kennedy Eagle was appointed as Head House Page by Speaker Howell for the Virginia General Assembly 2015 Legislative Session starting in January. She will spend the entire session in Richmond working at the General Assembly and Capitol buildings all day Monday – Friday during the session.
  • House pages assist the members of the House of Delegates, the House Clerk’s staff and other legislative staff in the daily duties required for the successful operation of the House of Delegates during the session. Pages deliver documents throughout the Capitol complex and perform errands for members and staff of House of Delegates during each day’s floor session and at committee meetings. Pages are also selected for assignments in specific House offices including the Speaker’s Office, the Clerk’s Office, the Bill Room, the Copy Center, and the Governor’s Office.
  • Miss Eagle was a page last year. Each year one girl and one boy are selected to return from the prior year’s cohort to lead this new year’s group.
Local Chromebook Efforts Possible Future of Education
  • The Winchester Star – Winchester Public Schools is in the initial stages of trying to launch a one-to-one Google Chromebook program that would supply all of the division's sixth- and seventh- graders with the devices, which are similar to laptops.
  • If funding for the program, which would be included in the 2015-16 budget, is formally approved by the School Board and City Council in the spring, the program would begin in the fall.
  • “As devices get smaller and more affordable, we’ve gotten to the point where we can make it work now,” said Director of Technology Steve Muller, adding the program would be an “affordable and sustainable way to put technology in students' hands.” The devices cost between $200 and $300 apiece, he said.
  • View the full article.
Local Students Third in Virginia Video Contest
  • The Winchester Star – A video made by students at Handley High School has placed third in a state competition. The contest, sponsored by the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA), challenged high school students across the state to create a 30- second video around the theme, “Virginia, we are one.”
  • The first-, second- and third-place finishers, selected from 59 submissions, were announced this week at the VSBA annual convention in Williamsburg, and the videos were shown to the convention’s attendees. The Handley team from Winchester Public Schools was comprised of students Emily Anderson, Dontae Mauck, Ivy Nargiz, Hazer Pastora, Matt Petitta, KeSean Robinson, Haley Swartz and Max Thompson.
  • Click HERE to view the video. Click HERE to view the full article.
Mentoring Program Helps Latino Students Get Ready for College
  • The Winchester Star – Shenandoah Valley Scholars' Latino Initiative (SLI), a program that helps local Latino students prepare for college, is in its second full year at Handley High School. But for the most part, nobody has heard of it.
  • “We' re pretty under the radar,” said Thomas Robb, a math teacher at the school who serves as site coordinator for the program. Three juniors and three sophomores are participating in the one-to-one mentorship program that pairs the high school students with students in corresponding years at Shenandoah University. Ten students applied to be in the program last year and six this year. “We’ve held back (on the number of students admitted to the program),” said Robb, “ because we can’t guarantee how many mentors we’ll have.”
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Capitol Steps Are Returning to Winchester By Popular Demand!
  • Capitol StepsThe Handley Class of 2015 is proud to bring back the highly acclaimed American political satire group, Capitol Steps! They're bringing “all new” political satire, song parodies, and skits with them to Winchester! Their performance will be held on March 1, 2015, at 3:15pm in Handley's Patsy Cline Theatre.
  • Advance ticket sales will be available at the Handley Tennis Pavilion Box Office Monday & Wednesday, 12:00-2:00pm and Tuesday & Thursday, 4:00-6:00pm. For more information, call (540) 533-3226 or email handleyclassof2015@yahoo.com.
Handley Applies to Offer JROTC in 2015-16 Year
  • The Winchester Star – A Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) class could be in the cards for Handley High School students for the 2015-16 school year. An application was submitted to the United States Marine Corps (USMC) for approval of adding the program to the school’s curricula. The JROTC program is designed to instill “the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment,” according to a recommendation made by Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Mark Miear at Monday night’s Winchester School Board meeting.
  • View full article (subscription required)
Free Coffee on Tuesdays for All Teachers and Staff at McDonald's
  • McDonald's® Family Restaurants of Greater Washington, D.C. are saying “Thank You” to local educators with Teacher Tuesdays by offering complimentary McCafé Coffee every Tuesday throughout the 2014-2015 school year for all faculty and staff.
  • To receive a complimentary McCafé Coffee, educators, faculty and staff must show a valid school identification prior to placing their order. McCafé Coffee may be substituted for iced coffee, hot tea or iced tea. One free coffee per person or card, per visit to McDonald's. No purchase is necessary. The offer is available in-restaurant or drive-thru every Tuesday between 9/9/14 – 6/23/15 at all participating McDonald's® restaurants located in District of Columbia; In Maryland: Alleghany, Calvert, Carroll, Charles, Cumberland, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, Prince George's, St. Mary's and Washington; In Virginia: City of Alexandria, Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, City of Fairfax, Fairfax, City of Falls Church, Fauquier, City of Fredericksburg, Frederick, King George, Loudoun, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park, Page, Prince William, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren, Westmoreland and City of Winchester; In West Virginia: Berkeley, Hampshire, Grant, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral and Morgan Counties.
Conversational Spanish Fun Hour
  • Conversational Spanish Fun Hour! Winchester Public Schools teachers and staff are gathering on Friday afternoons at 3:45 p.m. at the Casa Maria Mexican Cuisine restaurant for an informal opportunity to converse in Spanish and participate in Spanish games and fun language activities geared towards the acquisition of the Spanish language. There will be a suggested activity each Friday such as dancing lessons, simple cooking demonstrations, card games, poetry reading, etc. to stimulate conversation. Spanish is the language of trade at these gatherings, but participants do not need to be fluent in Spanish to attend. For additional information, contact Fernando Pantoja.
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