Students will be dismissed at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 23, 2011. The remainder of the day is designated as a Teacher Workday. Teachers will use this time to plan, consult, grade papers, prepare bulletin boards, etc. Please be reminded that all teacher aides and full-time nurses work a full day.

A group of Pittsylvania County Schools professionals and community leaders has created a School Wide Autism Team. The Team would like to provide information and support to our teachers and school staff when instructing our children with Autism. It is my understanding that the team has developed a mission statement that supports our vision, mission and guiding principles. Specifically, the Team desires “to provide awareness, education, training, and resources for autism spectrum disorder for Pittsylvania County Schools and the surrounding community.” A needs assessment has been created and will be e-mailed out to all schools in the division. It is the hope of Team members to provide support in the critical areas defined in the outcome of the needs assessment.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is partnering with Radio Disney to bring the Get Active, Get Fit School Challenge to students throughout Virginia. This free program encourages healthy, active lifestyles. The goal is to motivate families to take a closer look at their lifestyle and incorporate more activities into their daily lives. The deadline to register for this program is September 30, 2011. To register go to http://www.GETACTIVEGETFIT.com. After completing the online registration form, schools can download the student tracking chart, classroom tracking chart, school tracking chart, and the "Get Active, Get Fit" school challenge poster.

The Virginia Department of Education, in collaboration with the Education Commission of the States, encourages all parents, teachers, and caregivers to join them in celebrating Read for the Record, October 6, 2011. Read for the Record is a national campaign designed to encourage hundreds of thousands of children and adults to read the same book on the same day, October 6, 2011. The ability to read is the foundation of literacy and the single most important activity for building knowledge for personal success; therefore, individuals in Pittsylvania County Schools are urged to set aside time to read to a child. It is our hope that reading to a child will provide a reading role model and that it will help motivate all children to develop a passion for reading, a love for books, and an appreciation for lifelong learning. Read for the Record website On this website you can register to read to a child, obtain information on the selected book, and find out ways you can share your involvement with friends, family, and your community.

Regent is developing a program to help provisionally licensed special educators get the coursework they need to accomplish the requirements of the five (5) year renewable license for the Special Education K-12 General Curriculum. There may be professionals in Pittsylvania County who are provisionally licensed and need to take classes. It is my understanding that most of the courses are offered online and are developed for those working full-time. For more information, please contact Hannah Duke at (757) 352-4277 or by e-mail at hannmil@regent.edu Also, you may click on the following link to receive more details about the Regent School of Education. http://www.regent.edu/acad/schedu/masters-special-education/ Teachers are asked to please check with Mrs. Janet F. Hancock, Clerk of the Board, before registering for classes to ensure the courses are appropriate for the endorsement.

The Virginia Retirement System is pleased to share the link to the summer issue of Member News. The Web address for the newsletter is www.varetire.org/MNews. This notification gives members the opportunity to read about benefit changes, updates and the latest news as soon as the newsletter is posted.

Dr. Willie Sherman, Dan River Middle School Instructor, has been named National Gentleman’s Club (GC) Coordinator by the Peters Group. Dr. Sherman is well-known for his “Gold-Level” achievement Gentlemen’s Club at Dan River Middle School. For the past 4 years, Dr. Sherman has been the lead facilitator for the Gentleman’s and Ladies’ Clubs at his school. The Peters Group uses the Dan River club as a model for the national program. Dr. Sherman brings to the Peters Group his years of experience in education and transforming the lives of young men and women.

It is once again time for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk. The walk will be held at Gretna Middle School on Thursday, September 29, 2011. Information about the Heart Walk has been presented in the school library and over the public announcement system. This walk is held in memory of Drake Robertson who lost his battle with heart disease. Drake was a beloved student at Gretna Elementary School. Everyone is encouraged to come out on the evening of September 29, 2011, and enjoy the fun and fellowship of this community event. Registration begins at 6:00 p.m. and the walk begins at 6:30 p.m.

Please join me in congratulating Ms. Tara Mills, Social Studies Instructor at Tunstall High School, on her selection as Pittsylvania County Schools’ Employee of the Week. Please click on the following link to find out what our employees do to make this A Great Place to Learn and Work! http://www.pcs.k12.va.us/staff/employee-of-week/2011-2012/

Visit http://www.pcs.k12.va.us/media/index.html to (1) request media presence on site to cover an upcoming event or (2) to request media coverage (without media on site) of an upcoming event or (3) to report news from a past event. Thank you for identifying the great things happening in our schools!