With some students returning to class tomorrow, parents in Stafford County are expressing frustration and concern as some students have yet to be assigned bus routes for the upcoming school year. In a letter sent to families, Karim Johnson, the Executive Director of Transportation Services, acknowledged the delay and apologized for the oversight, assuring parents that his team was working diligently to resolve the issue.
The first day of school for kindergarten, 6th, and 9th grade students is tomorrow, Monday, August 12, 2024. All other students will return to school on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Johnson emphasized that the transportation team works around the clock to ensure all students receive their bus assignments by Monday evening.
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Teachers will return to Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) on Monday, August 12, 2024. The second-largest school division in Virginia is gearing up for the return of its 92,000 students on August 19, 2024.
Superintendent Dr. LaTanya McDade shared her excitement for the upcoming school year in a recent message to the community.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that the Virginia Lottery's fiscal year 2024 profits exceeded $934 million, the highest in its 36-year history. All profits from the Lottery go towards supporting K-12 public education in the Commonwealth.
Since 1999, Virginia Lottery profits have generated over $12 billion for Virginia's K-12 public schools. 10% of the Virginia K-12 education budget comes from the Lottery. The record profits in FY24 were driven by over $5.5 billion in sales, the highest ever. Tickets were purchased at over 5,300 businesses and online, and retailers earned $142 million in commissions and bonuses. Of that $5.5 billion, players received $4.2 billion in prizes, with 77 cents returned for every dollar spent. The Lottery also recorded a low administrative cost rate of 3.8%, which will be finalized after a standard audit by the Auditor of Public Accounts.
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Fredericksburg Free Press: Gladys West may be referred to as a “Hidden Figure,” but her name will be visibly and prominently celebrated at Fredericksburg’s new elementary school.
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At the Meet-the-Principals Night on Monday, August 5, 2024, Osbourn High School in Manassas introduced a new initiative to enhance the learning environment: the "Phone Home."
The "Phone Home" is a designated storage area for students' phones, which will be installed in every classroom. This initiative requires students to place their phones in the "Phone Home" at the start of each class and leave them there for the instructional period.
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Stafford County teachers returned to school today, August 5, 2024, to prepare for the new school year. The morning began with volunteers from Mount Church providing backpacks to students. They donated over 300 backpacks filled with supplies and sorted through all donations from the recent Collect for Kids event.
A representative from Stafford Public Schools expressed appreciation for the volunteers' efforts, saying, "Thank you to the Mount Church Volunteers for starting the morning with a heart of service for our students coming BackToExcellence. None of this is possible without the continued support of the Stafford community." Stafford Public Schools students will return to class on Tuesday, August 13.
In Prince William County, the school division partnered with the Prince William Community Foundation for the annual Back to School Community Fair over the weekend. The back-to-school fair was held at Unity Reed High School near Manassas on Saturday, August 3, 2024. School in Prince William County begins on Monday, August 19.
The Prince William Community Foundation, partnered with the school division to host the event, and shared their gratitude on social media, stating, "Words cannot express my gratitude for an exceptional time we had! Thank you to everyone who was a part or played a part in our Back-to-School Community Event. Together, we Can Make a Difference."
Thank you to the @MtAraratorg Volunteers for starting the morning with a heart of service for our students coming #BackToExcellence. They generously donated more than 300 stuffed backpacks and sorted through all of our Collect for Kids donations from this weekend's donate and… pic.twitter.com/InCnKV2TWo
— Stafford Schools (@SCPSchools) August 5, 2024
Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) will ban personal wireless communication devices, including cell phones, during high, middle, K-8, and traditional school instructional periods starting in the upcoming school year. It joins Stafford County and Fredericksburg public schools in requiring students to turn off and store cell phones during instructional time.
Press release:
PWCS is excited to welcome students back to school on Aug. 19! To help prepare our families for the first day, below are 10 key things you need to know for a successful start to the 2024-25 school year. More details will be shared in the coming days and weeks:
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Camilo Medina, 14, of the Manassas Young Marines, was named the honor graduate from the 2024 National Leadership Academy's Senior Leadership School (SLS) for his exceptional leadership abilities.
The school, at Naval Station Newport in Newport, R.I., focuses on developing leaders through education and service. It's also the highest level of leadership training offered by the Young Marines, who gathered from around the country in Rhode Island for the academy from July 13 to July 20.
Young Marines has been a national youth organization for boys and girls ages 8 through high school graduation since 1959. According to its website, the programs aims to promote the mental, moral and physical development of its members.
"The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork and self-discipline," the website continues. "The Young Marines strengthens the lives of America’s youth by teaching the importance of self-confidence, academic achievement, honoring our veterans, good citizenship, community service and living a healthy, drug-free lifestyle."
Medina is a rising freshman at Randolph-Macon Academy and plans to attend the United States Naval Academy for engineering and business once he finishes high school. The SLS provides mentorship experiences and guides attendees on growing into bigger leadership roles.
"The leadership and planning courses will be of great benefit to me in running a business and being an effective leader and team player in the military,” Medina said.
Col. William P. Davis USMC (Ret.), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines, said graduation from SLS
"As the highest level of Young Marines leadership training, the graduates of the National Leadership Academy’s Senior Leadership School have excelled in their units," he said. "Completion of each leadership school is a major accomplishment for each of these young people. They gain unequaled new skills that they will utilize as they return to their communities and units.”
In this episode, I talk with Manassas City School Board member Sara Brescia about the evolving grading policies in the school district. Listeners will learn about the significant post-pandemic changes, including the controversial 50-100 grading scale and removing the 55 minimum grade provision. Sara Brescia provides a deep dive into the rationale behind these changes, the challenges faced, and the pushback from the community.
The conversation also touches on the broader implications of grading policies on student behavior and engagement, the importance of setting deadlines, and the balance between flexibility and accountability in education. Sara shares her vision for the future, emphasizing the need for productive dialogue and the importance of preparing students for the real world.
