Principal's Message
Dear Whitman Community,
This week at Whitman, we are having a spirit week to celebrate
the last week of the month of the Military Child. Students and staff will
be dressing as their favorite superhero, wearing red, white, and blue or
camouflage, and ending on Friday wearing purple. See the calendar below
on how your student can dress to get into the spirit. I want to thank Ms.
Rebecca Maylum, our military counselor for all her work in organizing events
and the recognition of our students. This Military Child Spirit Week
should be fun for students and staff as we head into May and all of the testing
to follow (testing calendar is below as well).
Our Scholastic Book Fair continues this week in the library
until April 26. Students and adults can shop for books and small gifts
that promote literacy. There are adult titles available as well.
Ms. Ellen Wise has done a great job, as always, in creating a wonderful event.
Please stop by this week and see for yourself.
On Wednesday, April 25, we will have our Whitman Family
Market. As always, our families can come by after school and pick up
fresh produce and groceries. We always need volunteers to help set it up
and to guide parents, students, and staff through the market. Please
contact Ms. Jennifer Diglio if you can help out.
This Thursday after school, we will be having our Spring Dance
for students. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday and Wednesday during lunch in
the cafeteria for $2.00. Students will receive wristbands during lunch on
Thursday and must have one to enter. If you would like to chaperone,
please contact Ms. Prince. We really could use your help!
Thank you for all you do to support our students and let’s make
this a great week!
Craig Herring, Principal
April is the Month of the Military Child
From deployments to new schools, military children are faced with unique challenges that ordinary youth their age never experience. Their ability to adapt to present and future changes deserves respect and admiration. In an effort to recognize the hard work and applaud the courage of military children, the DoD deemed April as the Month of the Military Child (MOMC). It is a time to honor military youth for the important role they play in contributing to the strength of the military family.
It reminds us that the strength of Soldiers comes from the strength of their Families. It also reaffirms the military’s commitment to ensuring excellence in schools, childcare and youth services as well as, providing a strong supportive environment where children can thrive.
Why Purple? Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military, as it is a combination of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine red, and Navy blue. Wearing the color purple is a visible way to show support and thank military youth for their strength and sacrifices.
Walt Whitman Students Qualify for State History Competition
Three Walt Whitman Middle School 7th graders will be representing their school at the Virginia History Day competition Saturday in Richmond.
The three students completed projects centered around this year’s theme — “Conflict and Compromise in History” — and did well enough at a March 17 regional competition to advance. The regional competition, held at Mount Vernon High School, featured schools from districts across Northern Virginia and farther down the Interstate 95 corridor.
Whitman’s winners were:
· Talia Guerrero – 1st Place Individual Exhibit for Illegal Occupation, Compromise of a Nation
· Jake Ward – 2nd Place Individual Exhibit for Nazi Medical Experiments
· Walid Hasnaoui – 2nd Place Individual Website for Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence
Additionally, two other students -– Natasha Windt and Hope Walther — won the Newseum First Amendment Freedoms Award sponsored by the Newseum for their group documentary entitled The Vietnam War and Student Protesters.
Virginia History Day is an annual event run in conjunction with National History Day, a non-profit group founded in 1974 that sponsors programs for middle and high school students around the country. It’s biggest program is The National Contest, which feature winners from each states’ history day competitions. It will be held in June at the University of Maryland.
APRIL
4/23-4/26
Scholastic Book Fair
4/23-4/27
Administrative Professionals and Support Employee Recognition Week
4/23-5/4
Roller Skating for 8th Grade PE
4/25
Student Services - Wellness Screening, Lecture Hall 3rd PD Only
Whitman Family Market, 2:45 PM
To volunteer sign-up: http://signup.com/go/RXxpCnv
4/26
Spring Dance, 2:30 PM
4/27
Support Military Youth - Wear Purple
 Parent Info Night: 2019 Whitman Peru Service Trip!
Please join us for a mandatory parent info night on 5/2/18 exclusively for Whitman Middle School parents. We will be showcasing our FCPS approved 2019 service tour to Peru for your student.
To kickoff the excitement, we will highlight some amazing moments in the itinerary, go through what's included like school credit and affordable payment options, explain how to enroll & answer any questions.
REGISTER on this page by 5/1/18 to ensure we can accomodate space for attendees.
RSVP at : www.2019GlobalVolunteersPeru.eventbrite.com
Online Application link below.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=18FSUR1Xt3QVaxLB28JoRlOjW1va8cYad
   
May 2018
Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month,Better Hearing and Speech Month, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
5/1—5/4
Roller Skating for 8th Grade PE
5/2
Parent Info Night: 2019 Whitman Peru Service Trip!, 6:30 pm
Spring, Instrumental Concert, 7:00 PM
5/7-5/11
Teacher Appreciation Week
5/9
PTSA - Staff Appreciation Lunch
5/9
School Nurse Day
5/10 PTSA Meeting, 6:30 PM
5/11
7th Grade Honor Roll Ceremony, 8:00 AM
8th Grade Honor Roll Ceremony, 9:30 AM
Upward Trend, 1:00 PM
5/12
PTSA Dress to a Tea Event, 2:00 PM
5/14-5/31
SOL Testing
5/16
Whitman Family Market, 2:45 PM
5/28
Memorial Day Holiday
Whitman PTSA
May
9, 2018 is our PTSA Staff Appreciation Luncheon. We are asking our Whitman
families to help show our staff how much we appreciate everything they do for
our children by contributing to this luncheon. Please sign up at:
http://signup.com/go/odNtZBA
May
10, 2018 is our end of year PTSA meeting @ 6:30PM. We are still looking for
PTSA Officer nominations.
May
12, 2018 the PTSA is sponsoring a community event, Dressed To A Tea. Seating is
limited, so reserve your tickets today at: Whitman-dressed-to-tea.eventbrite.com
PTSA OFFICER NOMINATIONS FOR UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR
We are currently recruiting candidates (moms, dads, grandparents,
staff, community members), to hold PTSA officer positions for 2018-2019
school year. Officer positions to consider are: President, Vice President,
Treasurer, and Secretary. The election will take place May 10, 2018 @ 6:30PM at
the general membership meeting. You may email your interest and/or questions to
parentsforwhitman@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Sherry Nachnani, PTSA President & mother of 8th grader, Jaya
Melissa Schmechel, PTSA Vice President & mother of 8th grader,
Olivia
Cara Stankewick, PTSA Treasurer & mother of 7th grader,
Catherine
Sandra Desir, PTSA Secretary & community volunteer
Volunteer Opportunities
**Volunteer Reston – Multiple opportunities!
-
Spring Mar Coop Preschool – Touch A Truck
– 4/28
-
Northern VA Food Allergy Heroes Walk – 6/10
-
Earth Day Carnival at Lord of Life Preschool
– 4/21
-
Volunteer Reston Nature Walk 5k and Run –
4/14
-
Cardinal Forest Robotics – Mondays and
Thursday Feb-May
-
FEEA Charity Walk/Run – 5/6/18
-
The Virginian – multiple opportunities
-
KEEN Greater DC – most Saturdays through
the Spring
-
Northern VA Bridge – every Tuesday night
Scheduled
Other
-
Country Day School Spring Fair on May 5th from 10 AM- 2 PM -
Volunteers are needed for the fair held May 5th from 10am to 2pm. This fun
filled family event is geared towards preschool children and will hosts games,
crafts, face painting, tie dying and a petting zoo. We are in need of volunteers
to lead the activities and play with the children. Shifts are from 10am to 12pm
and 12pm to 2pm. (Feel free to volunteer for both shifts if your schedule
permits.) If you have any questions about volunteering or to sign up for the
event please contact Elle Patout, elleopatout@gmail.com.
A confirmation email will be sent with details upon registering to
volunteer. We hope to see you there!
-
Fairfax County LED
Light Bulb Exchange events in April and May. See the library calendar page here
- https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/calendar.php?t=s&q=lightbulb&sa=0&cid=6524&sort=1
-
Fairfax County Stewardship – Remove Invasive Plants from Fairfax County's Natural Areas Invasive invaders such as kudzu, wisteria and stilt
grass are pushing out important native flora and diminishing the health of our
parks. Help turn the tide against these exotic invaders by joining the
Invasive Management Area (IMA) volunteers and pulling these weeds out by their
roots. The IMA volunteer calendar can be found online.
Ongoing
Other
-
Annandale Christian Community for Action - Individuals and groups are invited to prepare the evening
meal for either on-site or off-site hypothermia guests. Bag lunches
are needed for the guests to take with them during the day to eat prior to
returning to the shelter each evening. Welcome kits are also needed at the
Baileys Shelter. These are easily assembled using a quart plastic zip bag
and should include a comb, bar of soap, wash cloth, deodorant, shaving cream,
razors, feminine hygiene items, nail files, several band aids, tooth
brush, and tooth paste. For more information about shelter needs or to
have questions answered, please call Mary Lee Di Spirito at 703/256-9513 or ddmld@verizon.net.
-
Volunteer Fairfax Directory of Youth Service Opportunities http://www.volunteerfairfax.org/individuals/YSOD%2017-18.pdf
-
ArtStream is a nonprofit that provides creative and
performance opportunities that build confidence, interaction and independence
skills for adults with disabilities, such as Autism and Down Syndrome. The
successes of ArtStream program participants range from new jobs to better
friendships to improved public speaking skills. Volunteer application: http://www.art-stream.org/2016-2017-volunteer-application/
Registration is open for the
2018 Student Summer Institute
Rising Grades 5-12
July 9-20 GMU FAIRFAX
July 23-August 3 GMU ARLINGTON
Mon-Fri, 9am - 1pm
2018 Early Writers Camp
Rising Grades 1-4
Session 1: August 6-10 GMU ARLINGTON
Session 2: August 13-17 GMU ARLINGTON
Mon-Fri, 9:30am - 12:30pm
* Students may sign up for both sessions of the
Student Summer Institute (Fairfax and Arlington)
or the Early Writers Camp (Session 1 and Session 2)
Apply online at
https://nvwpyoungwriters.submittable.com/
The NVWP Student Summer Institute (SSI) is an
enrichment program for rising 5th-12th grade students to write and to share
their work with other writers. It is designed for students who enjoy
writing and who are willing to help others with their writing. The Institute
works with students who wish to improve their own writing skills and develop
their own styles. Of course, since this is
a summer camp experience, students can also expect refreshments and fun!
Enjoy the opportunity to write with friends
made in previous workshops and summers with a ratio of one teacher to 12
students. We have a high proportion of returning participants!
For more information on the Student Summer Institute, go to http://nvwp.org/youngwriters/ssi/
Early Writers one-week summer camp is an
opportunity for students in rising grades 1-4 to spend each morning for a week
with trained Northern Virginia Writing Project Teacher Consultants exploring
writing and having fun with writing along with reading, listening, and
speaking activities. This camp is geared toward students who like to
write and want to participate. English Language Learners are particularly
encouraged to sign up.
All participants will experience:
- lots of
daily writing time
- participation
in the full writing process, including revision and publication
- sharing
writing in small groups
- participation
in interest groups
- honest,
thoughtful responses to writing and respect for participants'
sensibilities
- individual
conferences with and direct instruction from trained NVWP
Teacher Consultants (teacher/student ratio is 1/12)
- publication
party to celebrate student writing
- opportunities
to work with visiting published writers
- daily
snacks and lots of fun!
Questions? Contact youngwriters@nvwp.org.
Personal Property
Students are responsible for the personal property that they
bring to the school building, on school grounds, on a school-sponsored function
such as a field trip, or on a school bus. Fairfax County Public Schools
does not assume responsibility for the personal property of students and does
not insure their property or otherwise reimburse students for loss of or damage
to their property. Students and their parents should consider carefully
the value of property brought to school. Electronic games, expensive
equipment, and excess money should not be brought to school. Students
may not bring toys or stuffed animals to school unless the items are related to
a current unit of study or approved by the classroom teacher.
This year, the Walt Whitman Middle School PTSA, acquired a lost
and found bin. This bin is now located
in the cafeteria. Unclaimed lost and
found items will be donated to charity at the end of March. Future lost and found items will be donated
the last day of April and May. If you
have any questions please contact Mr. Ausbrooks at maausbrooks@fcps.edu.
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