March 2, 2009

Wow, snow! Real, white, fluffy, snow! Wasn’t it beautiful falling to the ground on Sunday? It’s been so long since we had a bona fide deep snow suitable for sledding, building snowmen and making homemade ice cream! Celebrated American poet Walt Whitman found this anonymous poem about snow and passed it on to others more than a hundred years ago. I have included the first two stanzas for your reading pleasure!

OH! THE SNOW, THE BEAUTIFUL SNOW!
Filling the sky and the earth below,
Over the housetops, over the street,
Over the heads of people you meet.
Dancing, flirting, skimming along,
Beautiful snow! It can do no wrong;
Flying to kiss a fair lady's cheek,
Clinging to lips in frolicksome freak;
Beautiful snow from heaven above,
Pure as an angel, gentle as love!

Oh, the snow, the beautiful snow,
How the flakes gather and laugh as they go
Whirling about in maddening fun:
Chasing, laughing, hurrying by,
It lights on the face and it sparkles the eye;
And the dogs with a bark and a bound
Snap at the crystals as they eddy around;
The town is alive, and its heart is aglow,
To welcome the coming of beautiful snow!

Working in my office Sunday afternoon with the blinds drawn framed a wonderful wintry picture of the beautiful snow! I was reminded of how my mother loved to watch it snow! If she were alive today, she would have been impressed with Sunday’s performance. Like an excited school-girl, she would sit up late at night watching the snow fall! It was her most enjoyable time of the year. It is my hope that you welcome and enjoy the blessing of this beautiful snow!  

In recognition of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, we will celebrate Read Across America (and Pittsylvania County) on March 2, 2009. The goal of Read Across America is to build a nation of readers. As part of the festivities, I will be reading The Cat in the Hat to the students in Pittsylvania County Schools via a link on the homepage. The reading will be available at any time during the week and can be viewed from school or from home. Please look for the “Cat in the Hat” icon to view the presentation. Teachers should access http://www.nea.org/readacross/ to view the many resources provided for this reading celebration. I am very excited about sharing this time with students. Should you have questions or need assistance with set-up, please feel free to contact Ms. Cathy Scolpini, Lead Information Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT), at (434) 432-3823 or the ITRT that serves your school.

Also, Monday, March 9, 2009, is designated as a priority make-up day for students and staff. This becomes necessary because Pittsylvania County Schools were closed on March 2, 2009, due to inclement weather.   

The next meeting of the Budget Committee is scheduled for March 5, 2009, at 6:00 p.m. in the Boardroom at the School Board Office. Everyone is welcome to attend.  

REMINDER TO ALL ADMINISTRATORS:  The next principals’ meeting will be held on Friday, March 6, 2009, from 2:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the School Board Administrative Office, Chatham , Virginia .  All administrators should plan to attend.

Ms. Rhonda Yates , Supervisor of School Nutrition, members of the Pittsylvania County Schools’ Nutrition Team, and other participating schools across the State served more than 37 million breakfasts to students last year. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in partnership with the School Nutrition Association (SNA), recognizes School Breakfast Week each year to raise awareness about the availability of breakfast at school. During the week of March 2–6, 2009, schools around the country will participate in School Breakfast Week activities. This year’s theme, “Power Up with Breakfast,” encourages all students to begin each day of learning and achievement with breakfast. According to research compiled by the School Nutrition Association, children who eat school breakfast have higher academic scores, improved behavior, reduced tardiness and absenteeism and fewer visits to the nurse's office. Increasing the number of students who eat a nutritious meal as part of the School Breakfast Program is an important step in improving the health of Virginia ’s students and their academic achievement as well. 

The Department of Education is pleased to announce that the week of March 2-6, 2009, has been designated as National Foreign Language Week. Alpha Mu Gamma foreign language honor society has sponsored National Foreign Language Week since 1957, and the theme for 2009 is “Many Hands, Many Voices, One World.” Schools are encouraged to take this opportunity to highlight the value of learning world languages and learning about other cultures, and to celebrate the successes of world language students and teachers. For general information about the event and the annual poster, please visit their Web site at http://www.lacitycollege.edu/academic/honor/amg/nflw.html

Pittsylvania County Schools will hold pre-school registration for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students on Friday, March 20, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Pre-K students must be four (4) on or before September 30, 2009, reside within the respective school zones of Brosville Elementary School, Chatham Elementary School, Gretna Elementary School, Hurt Elementary School, Kentuck Elementary School, Mt. Airy Elementary School, Southside Elementary School, Stony Mill Elementary School, Twin Springs Elementary School, and Union Hall Elementary School, and meet eligibility requirements. Kindergarten students must be five (5) on or before September 30, 2009, who have not been previously registered in a Pittsylvania County school. Kindergarten students should be enrolled in the school where the parent/guardian resides. For further information, contact the School Board Office at (434) 432-2761, 793-1624 or 656-6248.

The Employee of the Week schedule is on-line. You can review the schedule by clicking on this link: http://www.pcs.k12.va.us/staff/employee-of-week/2008-09/employee2008-09-schedule.htm.