October 1, 2021

HOSA promotes awareness of childhood cancer

GWHS Senior Nurse Aide II HOSA officers wear HOSA gold in support of September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Pictured from left to right are Jayla Adams, Jamiiyah Townes, Iyonnia Frazier, and I'niyah Brown. Not pcitured is Summer Jernigan.

Evening meals to be provided to students starting Oct. 4

Starting this coming Monday (10/4/2021), we will be providing evening meals for our students (free of charge) at the following sites:

Food Truck - Cardinal Village Apartments - 651 Cardinal Place, Danville VA, 24541 (Monday’s Supper Meal (CACFP) 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

Food Truck - Pleasant View Apartments - 101 Pleasant View Ave, Danville VA, 24540 (Tuesday’s Supper Meal (CACFP) 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

Food Truck - Purdum Woods Apartments - 1575 Richmond Boulevard, Danville VA, 24541 (Wednesday’s Supper Meal (CACFP) 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

Food Truck - Woodside Village Apartments - 1321 Piney Forest Road, Danville VA 24540 (Thursday’s Supper Meal (CACFP) 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

Food Truck - Cedar Terrace Apartments - 127 Cedar Place, Danville VA, 24541 (Friday’s Supper Meal (CACFP) 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

George Washington High School Gym Parking Lot – 701 Broad Street, Danville VA, 24541 (Thursday’s Supper Meal (CACFP) 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.)

O.T. Bonner Middle School Cafeteria – 300 Apollo Avenue, Danville VA, 24540 (Thursday’s Supper Meal (CACFP) 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.)

Inaugural River City Classic held Sept. 25

Last Saturday, we hosted an Invitational Marching Band Competition for bands from Virginia and North Carolina. It was a successful day for everyone involved and we'd like to give special thanks to the Band parents and volunteers who stepped up to help out! Best of all, the night ended with a great performance from our very own Marching Eagles! The winners of the competition are listed below:

Gretna High was our Class A Champion

Dan River High was our Class AA Champion

Magna Vista High was our Class AAA Champion

Northwest Guilford High was our Class AAAA Champion

And finally, Dan River High won the Eagle Cup, with Northwest Guilford being named the Grand Champion.

Schoolfield holds annual Walk-A-Thon

On Friday, Oct. 1, Schoolfield Elementary School held their annual Walk-A-Thon fundraiser. Students in grades K-5 participated in an opportunity to have fun with their friends and family, get fit, and raise money for their school. Students raised $3,710.25, and 100 percent of those funds go to Schoolfield PTA. Principal LaTonya Simmons said the school is "beyond grateful" for this level of participation in their first fundraiser.

Congratulations Mr. Bowman!

This week, Johnson Principal Kevin Bowman participated in a webinar that highlighted a national award Westwood, where he was assistant principal, won last school year for a virtual visit with Senator Tim Kaine. Westwood was one of two schools nationally recognized and awarded $2,500 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Bonner starts anti-bullying month activities

October is Bullying Prevention Month! Bonner Middle School is celebrating by inviting students to create anti-bullying posters and having a Anti-Bullying Spirit Week! The days are as follows:

October 4 - Stop Bullying by Working Together (Twin/Group day)

October 5 - Be the Hero, not the Bully (dress as your favorite hero)

October 6 - Bullying is Crazy (Wacky/Tacky)

October 7 - I'd rather be a _______ than a bully

October 8 - Stand Together Against Bullying (School Spirit Day)

*Pictured is last year's anti-bullying poster contest winner*

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

October 5 - GW cross country meet at GW 5 p.m.

October 5 - GW Volleyball home match vs. Patrick County at 5:30 p.m.

October 5 - Capital Improvement/Sales Tax Parent Meeting for Forest Hills and Gibson in the Gibson Gymnasium at 6 p.m.

October 7 - School Board meeting in the Danville Room at 5:30 p.m.

October 8 - GWHS homecoming game vs. Tunstall 7 p.m.

October 9 - Walk a Mile in Their Shoes Walkathon at 2 p.m.

Preschool students learn steady beats

The children at Grove Park and Northside Preschools are exploring steady beats in music class. Research has shown that the ability to keep a steady beat assists with developing literacy and communication skills. The DPS preschool children have been exploring keeping steady beats at various tempos, using different instruments and their bodies, and to diverse songs. This week the children were introduced to the bucket ball drums, and were asked to keep a steady beat while listening to Offenbach's Can Can from Orpheus in the Underworld.

ExerciseBallDrumming.MOV

Preschool students learn about Pointillism

The children at Grove Park and Northside Preschools have been learning about the Pointillism Art Style in their Art and Music classes during the month of September. In music class the children looked at A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, a pointillistic painting by Georges Seurat, and pretended to move to music like the little girl in the white dress in the center of the painting. In art class, the children created their own pointillistic artworks using different colored Do-A-Dots.

The Galileo Art Club made mini piñatas this week to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month.

Ms. Snyder's Spanish 1 class celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month this week with a craft day. Students made flores de papel.

Human Resources Updates:

Records specialist joins staff

Jessica Hawks, DPS' new Records Management Clerk, joined our team on Monday, September 27. She will be sending out some records policy and procedures and retention/records destruction guidelines in the coming weeks. Jessica comes to us from the higher education world, as she worked in Admissions operations for Emory & Henry College the last 15 years, so she is excited to be learning the public education sector as she works with us in the coming weeks. Please feel free to reach out to Jessica (jhawks@mail.dps.k12.va.us) if you have any questions. Welcome to the team Jessica!

New leave form posted on DPS website

The Department of Human Resources has updated the division's Request for Leave document on our website.

United Way Campaign

Last year, the employees of Danville Public Schools raised $13,418 for the United Way! Our goal for the 2021-2022 campaign is $14,760, which is roughly a 10% increase over last year's campaign. The United Way plays a vital role in helping to improve lives in our community, and they need our help now more than ever, as the effects of COVID-19 reach across our entire community. Employees, please check your email for more details on how to contribute. Public Information Officer Lanie Davis sent out the information on Tuesday, September 28.

Changes to The Local Choice Benefits Administration

Effective October 2, our health plan will be transitioning to a new health benefits administration system. Please check your email for more information. Public Information Officer Lanie Davis sent out the information on Monday, September 27.

Got content for the Friday Feature? Email it to ldavis2@mail.dps.k12.va.us

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