Principal's Message
Dear Whitman Community,
The week marks the beginning
of SOL testing for our students. On Tuesday, most 8th graders will
take their Reading test, followed by the 7th grade Reading test on
Wednesday. The 8th graders will take their Science test on
Thursday. Friday will be a makeup day for anyone who is absent. The
Math and Civics tests will be given next week. If your student has to be
absent, please have them talk to their teachers about any missed tests or work.
There is certainly a lot that
our students have to deal with as middle schoolers. Indeed one big change
from when I was a 7th grader is the presence of social media.
The FCPS Middle School Principals Association has been discussing cell phone
use and social media recently. One principal shared this article from
Psychology Today. I hope you take a moment to read it and reflect upon
the role social media plays in the lives of our students. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/201703/why-social-media-is-not-smart-middle-school-kids)
I wanted to give a special
thank you to our PTSA for a wonderful luncheon they hosted for the staff this
past Wednesday for Teacher Appreciation Week. The Whitman staff felt very
appreciated. In fact, there was so much food provided that many staff
members were able to enjoy lunch on Thursday also!
I hope everyone has a
wonderful week and thank you for all you do to support our school.
Sincerely,
Craig Herring, Principal
SOL Testing Week 1
 SOL Testing Week 2
TJHSST’s Tomorrow's Women in Science and Technology
(TWIST). Our club hosts an annual event called TJ Techstravaganza, a free, STEM
fair that attracts thousands of visitors from the DMV area each year. Each
year, we have over 300 TJ student volunteers and over a dozen exhibiting
companies who help us make this event possible. There will be over 50 exciting
labs ranging from Banana DNA to Stomp Rockets to Making Ice Cream! You can also
check out our website or Facebook for more information.
This year,
the event will be on Saturday, May 19th from 10 AM - 4 PM at TJHSST (6560
Braddock Rd Alexandria, VA). This past year, we had over 2900 visitors from
over 192 different schools, and we were hoping to enlist your help in making it
even bigger this year. This can be done through advertising our event by
putting up flyers (which
we’ve translated into multiple languages) in your facility or mentioning it to
parents and children.
Our mission
is to provide STEM resources to elementary and middle schoolers who lack them.
This is why tickets are free and are only used for calculating how much of each
material we need to buy! To purchase tickets, you can register on our Eventbrite
page to help speed up the sign in process at the event. We are
extremely passionate about what we do and are dedicated to making Techstrav an
opportunity available for any and every student. Thank you so much for taking
the time to read this email!
Sneha Thandra and Megan Lin
Techstravaganza Team
  
Online Application link below.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=18FSUR1Xt3QVaxLB28JoRlOjW1va8cYad
The National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior
Honor Society (NJHS) are the nation's premier organizations established to
recognize outstanding high school and middle level students. More than just an
honor roll, NHS and NJHS serve to honor those students who have demonstrated
excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character (and
Citizenship for NJHS). These characteristics have been associated with
membership in the organization since their beginnings in 1921 and 1929.
The Whitman Middle School chapter has begun the new
inductee process for our current 7th grade students. If
your student met the initial academic requirement (GPA of at least a 3.5),
he or she will be bringing home a letter inviting them to apply for membership
during the week of May 7-11, 2018. This letter gives them all of the
information needed to continue with the process. We understand that
parents are anxious to assist their child in the process. However, in an
effort to teach independence and responsibility, we encourage the students to
take charge of this process and address all questions to the sponsor, Ms.
Phelps. If you should have any questions however, please contact Ms.
Phelps in student services via email at lnphelps@fcps.edu
or direct office phone line at (703) 660-2445.
Ms. Phelps, NJHS Sponsor
Time to Return Library Books!
All student library books are due to be
returned to the library by Friday, June
1. This date is 2 weeks before the end of school per FCPS Regulation.
Please encourage your students to look for any missing library books at home
and turn them in to the library. Books are collected from the 7th
Grade Gym, Cafeteria, and 8th Grade Gym in the morning before school
in the purple shopping cart. Students may also drop off their books any time
during the school day to the book return box outside the library doors.
If you have any
questions or concerns, please contact Ellen Wise, Librarian, at efwise@fcps.edu .
May 2018
Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month,Better Hearing and Speech Month, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
5/14-5/31
SOL Testing
5/16
Whitman Family Market, 2:45 PM
5/17
PTSA Meeting
5/25
NO ASP and No Late Buses
5/28
Memorial Day Holiday
5/31
Last Day for ASP and Late Buses
Whitman PTSA
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
Fairfax Public Access - 2018 Teen Summer Camps
Overview of our Teen Summer
Programs:
FPA offers students interested in
Television and Radio production a great outlet to learn, experience, and
create. Each summer we offer 1 week Radio and 2 week Television Camps,
which certifies participants in the use of our production equipment and as FPA
station producers. Once properly trained, participants can begin
volunteering and earn production experience throughout the year by helping in
the various public access programs created at FPA or even create a show of
their own.
In the case of the Radio Camp,
students learn the use of our WRLD radio studio equipment (audio board, mics,
tapes, and recording decks) and learn the procedures on how to conduct a radio
show. During the camp, students will work in creating individual show
segments such as: news reports, traffic updates, or specific student-selected
themes. Together they will then finalize the project to create a 1-hour radio
show to air at our station.
We also have two versions of our
TV 101 Camps. An indoor television studio production camp or a field
production / documentary-style camp. For each TV 101 Camp, students will
learn about the equipment and the wide variety of crew positions needed to
create a successful television project. The first week generally consists of
learning the use of the equipment and crew positions; while in week 2 the
students work together to create a 30 minute program. Our instructor will
guide the students through all the production phases and explain the importance
of proper planning and preparation.
The Mission of Fairfax Public
Access:
“To provide quality and
engaging community television, radio, education, and cablecasting services of
interest to the public, and encourage the participation and involvement of
residents of Fairfax County and the Washington metropolitan area.”
FPA’s four channels are carried
by the following cable providers in Fairfax County (Cox Communications, Verizon
FiOS TV and Comcast). Channel 10: Our flagship channel, Channel
30: WRLD International Television & Radio, Channel 36:
Spirit, Channel 37: Radio Fairfax Cable & Webcast Radio and
Community Bulletin Board
Sincerely,
Jay Erausquin / FPA Director of
Training / 571-749-1102 / jerausquin@fcac.org
Cindy Rauda / FPA-Training
Coordinator / 571-749-1107 / crauda@fcac.org
 
JUNE 2018
June 1 Chorus Pops Concert, 7 PM
June 7 National Junior Honor Society Induction, 6 PM
June 8 Eighth Grade Formal, 6:30 PM
June 12 7th grade Awards/8th grade Activity Day
June 13 8th grade Awards/7th grade Activity Day
June 15 Last Day of School
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.
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