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The best in bulletin boards
Ocean Lakes High School got the new school year off to a great start during teacher inservice week. As part of the school’s Passion for Learning Tour, teachers were invited to participate in a bulletin board contest and some of the entries turned out to be not only outstanding, but inspiring. Take a look at two of the entries and see if you’re not impressed with what some of the teachers came up with. As a lead-in to the feature, ask yourself this question: What would I attempt if I knew I could not fail? That’s what English teacher Katie Midland asked herself, and she developed a thought-provoking bulletin board as a result. Her creative efforts earned her second place in the competition. She is an Ocean Lakes graduate and teaches core English 12 and Honors English 9.The first place winner was Julie Pocalyko, a core English 9 and AP English 11 teacher. She designed a board featuring an Iphone with different curriculum content and strategies from English. The message is 21st Century Learners: We have an ap for that.


English teacher Katie Midland’s bulletin board: What would I attempt if I knew I could not fail?	The winning entry in Ocean Lakes High School’s bulletin board competition: English teacher Julie Pocalyko’s 21st Century Learners: We have an ap for that!

Bayside Middle staff takes a break during staff days
Between meetings and workshops, Bayside Middle School faculty might be found on the field in a water balloon toss, in the library with a trivia contest, or in a classroom trying to “Name That Tune”. During staff days before students arrived, school improvement specialist Alison Acosta and social studies teacher Mark Mugler led in an "Olympics" held to build school spirit. Events ended with a tie between the seventh-grade team and the elective team. Teachers made sure to count their points earned after a scavenger hunt throughout the building. Who would have thought a Barbie doll and Hogwart’s sorting hat could be found at school?


English teachers Amy Clark and Candice Garling tally points for items found in the scavenger hunt organized to build school spirit.	Bayside Middle School teachers Anne Fox, Ellen Ruben, Amy Clark, Candice Garling, Melissa Spozio, and Carla Morris compare items they found during the scavenger hunt, one activity during staff days that built school spirit.

A Day Made Better
Congratulations to the VBCPS teachers at six elementary schools who were recently honored with A Day Made Better award sponsored by OfficeMax! On Tuesday, October 6 the teachers were surprised with a visit from OfficeMax staff members who brought each teacher a big box filled with $1,200 worth of school supplies.

This was the third annual A Day Made Better nationwide event. The purpose of the initiative is to provide economic relief for teachers and encourage national support. Hundreds of OfficeMax associates – working secretly with school principals – honored 1,000 teachers across the country with classroom donations of much-needed school supplies. An OfficeMax survey conducted in June 2009 supports data first reported in a National Education Association survey in 2005: Teachers spend on average $1,000 of their own money each year to offset school budget shortfalls and ensure their students have the necessary classroom resources for learning.

We are pleased to highlight our award-winning teachers!
• Adele Falardeau, third-grade teacher, Green Run Elementary School
• Laura Beth Lawver, first-grade teacher, Cooke Elementary School
• Ann Piland, kindergarten teacher, Holland Elementary School
• Robert Reynolds, first-grade teacher, Seatack Elementary School
• Martha Schreiber, reading specialist, Rosemont Elementary School
• Crystal Wilkerson, fifth-grade teacher, Williams Elementary School

	Holland Elementary Teacher of the Year Ann Piland was surprised with a box of teaching supplies from OfficeMax as a part of their A Day Made Better program. Pictured are principal Lionel Jackson, OfficeMax employee David Hodge, Ann Piland, OfficeMax employees Tracy Jones, Jennifer Hobbs, and Anthony Neal, and assistant principal Joanne Pereira.
	Williams Elementary fifth-grade teacher Crystal Wilkerson is surprised by OfficeMax staff with the news of her A Day Made Better award.
	Seatack Elementary’s A Day Made Better winner Robert Reynolds enjoys his new chair and boxes of supplies from OfficeMax, surrounded by members of the first-grade team. Pictured from left to right are Michelle Hazuda, Andrea Jackson, Robert Reynolds, Joanne Murphy, and Coleen Bowles.
	Laura Beth Lawver, a first-grade teacher at Cooke Elementary, is definitely surprised by her award.
	Green Run Elementary third-grade teacher Adele Falardeau (pictured right) had her "Day Made Better" when OfficeMax employees delivered office supplies to her classroom!
	OfficeMax employees surprised four Rosemont Elementary School teachers, kindergarten teacher Carolyn Gill; fifth-grade teacher Susan Koger; third-grade teacher Alison Reddy; and reading specialist Martha Schreiber with gifts, certificates, and flowers in recognition of their service to the children and the school.

Thanks for the memories…
Thanks to a grant she received from the Joint Military Services School Liaison Committee, John B. Dey Elementary guidance counselor Sarah Pope has embarked on an ambitious new project, memory books for her students. As she points out, military students don’t always receive school yearbooks at the end of the school year because of frequent moves. As a result, the children often struggle to remember friends, teachers, and other things about previous schools they have attended. To remedy this reality, Pope came up with the idea of working with students to create their own memory books, filled with personal memories that they can take with them should they move during the year.

As Pope says, “Memory books are a really great way for military students to have a personal yearbook. Many military students will relocate in the middle of the year before yearbooks are sold or may not be able to afford yearbooks. The memory books provide the opportunity to have something to take to a new school and add more memories. Therefore, regardless of how many schools a military child may attend, they will have a memory book to fill in with pictures and memories from each school."

Another advantage to memory books is that they provide on-going linkages, not only with the school, but students can share the books with a deployed parent when the parent is home on leave or during a videoconference call. As the book is updated, students can share the new pages with the deployed parent to keep that parent "in the loop" with new school activities, new friends, and new teachers.

Students in grades three, four, and five will be creating memory books during this school year with the help of Pope. Congratulations to Pope and John B. Dey on this great idea to reach out to military families.

Sarah Pope works with military student.

Hard Hat Area: The “New” Great Neck Middle
On October 5, John Smith shared his fond memories as a student at the same school – Great Neck Middle – he would eventually return to as its principal. These sentimental tributes to John’s alma mater were echoed by many parents, teachers, former teachers, and principals who participated in the ground breaking ceremony for the new 219,370 square foot Great Neck Middle.

Originally completed in 1961, Great Neck Middle opened its doors to students in 1961 as Cox High. For the past 26 years it has served 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students and will continue to carry its rich history forward when this state-of-the-art school opens in 2012 as the new Great Neck Middle. The three-story school will be built on the rear of the site where the school currently is located. Great Neck Middle will remain in operation until completion of the new building.

Here are a few of the exciting and unique features that will be incorporated into the new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified Great Neck Middle:

•	Storm Water Design: This feature will improve the water quality of any run-off by the use of bio-retention. Bio retention is a complex design that removes bad material such as nitrogen, bacteria, and sediment from the water before it leaves the site.
•	Heat Island Effect: The design of the building will reduce the amount of heat generated and released by the building by the use of highly reflective materials on the roof and in the pavement.
•	Water Efficient Landscaping: The planned landscaping will reduce the need for irrigation by 50 percent
•	Renewable Building Supplies: · At least 50 percent of the wood used on the project will be from certified managed (renewable) stock. · At least 30 percent of the new construction materials will be certified recycled material.
•	Rainwater Recovery Program: Water use for the facility will be reduced by 40 percent through the use of rain water. Rain water will be captured on the roof and reused for irrigation and flushing toilets.
•	Energy Performance: Energy used to operate the building will be improved by 25 percent through the use of HVAC optimization, and lighting controls.
•	Demolition Materials Recycled: The demolition of the old building and stadium will divert more than 75 percent of demo materials from landfill by recycling.
•	Unique Lighting System: The new building will utilize a “day lighting” design that uses window orientation , construction , and lighting controls to increase the natural light in the building and decrease the need for artificial light.
•	Solar Water Heaters: The new building’s hot water system is heated by solar collectors.
•	Minimal Light Pollution: The “light pollution” produced by the school will be minimized through the landscape and new athletic facilities lighting design.
•	Flushless Urinals: This is the pinnacle of water-saving and maintenance reducing technology.

	Those helping to “break ground” for the new $62.5 million Great Neck Middle on October 5 include: (left to right) School Board vice chair Rita Sweet Bellitto; Superintendent James Merrill; Emilie Tilley, former Cox High principal; Richard George, former Cox High teacher; Great Neck Middle principal John Smith; and Ed Jones director of Employment Services and former Great Neck Middle principal.
	Superintendent James Merrill, School Board vice-chair Rita Sweet Bellito, and Mayor Will Sessoms enjoy the groundbreaking ceremony.
	Thanks to Lamont Woodhouse, Electronics Craftsman, II (left) and Antonio Murphy, Electronic Craftsman, III (right), the sound system at the Great Neck Middle groundbreaking ceremony worked perfectly.

Successful students at the Global Studies and World Languages Academy
Congratulations to Rebecca Gurley, coordinator of the Global Studies and World Languages Academy at Tallwood High School. Several Academy students have distinguished themselves recently:

Senior Chris Yates is featured in the November issue of an automotive magazine, Mopar Muscle, and was awarded $250 which will fund his Senior Project work. Yates has also been made a member of the publication’s Young Guns Club, an honor granted to students showing promise. Chris’ senior project involves rebuilding an engine for the 1975 Dart automobile mentioned in the article.

Six Academy students presented to more than 30 City directors of government offices in Virginia Beach, including City Manager Jim Spore, during one of their monthly director’s meetings at the Municipal Center. The presentation came about after director of volunteer resources Mary Russo heard the students speak at a World Affairs Council Meeting. She was impressed with their knowledge and professionalism and asked the students to talk to City staff about how their skills could be valuable to City volunteer efforts. Through their volunteer efforts, students learn skills that prepare them for future careers and civic duty. Academy students have logged over 15,000 volunteer hours in the two years since the Academy adopted its community service component. Pictured are Mary Russo (far left) and the Academy students following their presentation.