Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Fairfax County Fire Department investigates Tuesday morning incident.
Thoreau Middle School students have returned to class Tuesday morning after a brief evacuation for a suspicious odor. An email from the school's administration Tuesday morning said students, faculty and staff evacuated the building around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday "as the result of a suspicious odor in the cafeteria area." Students waited outside for about 15 minutes as the Fairfax County Fire Department arrived and investigated, administrators said. FCFD determined the odor was not a gas leak or a safety hazard. "Our students did a phenomenal job of evacuating the building and following safety protocols," administrators wrote in the email. The source of the odor is not immediately clear. Patch will update this story as more information becomes …
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The awards recognize high-achieving schools.
Five Vienna schools were honored this week as Gov. Bob McDonnell and the Virgina Board of Education announced recipients of the 2013 Virginia Index of Performance awards. Some 151 schools in Virginia were recognized across several categories. How did Vienna schools stack up? Four schools won the Board of Education Excellence Award, "the second-tier honor in the VIP program. These schools "met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunities set by the board." Vienna Elementary won the Board of Education Distinguished Achievement Award, one of "98 schools that met all state and federal …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Starting Monday, high schools and middle schools in Vienna and across the county will now email — in addition to call — after a student misses first period.
Parents of Vienna students who don't make it to class after saying goodbye at the door — or of those who decide a trip to McDonald's is better spent than a period of geometry — will now know sooner when their child misses class. Fairfax County Public Schools announced a new attendance process Tuesday that will more quickly notify parents of middle and high school student absences by sending an email after first period. Starting Monday, all high school and middle school parents will receive a call and an email around 10 a.m. if their student didn't show for first period. They'll receive another call and email around 6 p.m., the county's practice. It's a change driven largely by an effort to improve student safety, said Mary Ann Panarelli…
Monday, December 17, 2012
After shootings in Newtown, Conn., FCPS says move is for community reassurance, not a specific threat; Vienna schools focus on making resources available to students.
When children return to school on Monday, families should expect to see an increased police presence at all Fairfax County Public Schools. The move is a reaction to Friday's shootings at an elementary school in Connecticut, where a gunman killed 20 schoolchildren and six teachers, according to police. The gunman also killed his mother at her nearby home. On Sunday, Superintendent Jack Dale wrote in a message posted to the schools' website that "this is not in response to any specific threat but rather a police initiative to enhance safety and security around the schools and to help alleviate the understandably high levels of anxiety. Police patrols will be increased throughout the school day from the opening of schools to dismissal. As …
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Thoreau students chop nearly 400 inches to support eighth grade classmate
Lija Lusis had been fighting Hodgkin’s lymphoma with mostly good spirits -- until she had to cut her hair. The eighth grade Thoreau Middle School student said when her hair started to fall out from chemo treatments, she asked her parents to shave her head full of brown hair. While she was smiling on the outside, she was "sobbing on the inside," she said. "When my hair started to fall out, the cancer became real," Lusis said. Last Friday, nearly 50 of Lusis' classmates and teachers showed their support for Lusis by cutting their own hair through "Make the Cut," a charity haircutting event held at the school. Volunteers cut at least 8 inches of their hair, which was gathered into ponytails and cut by volunteer hair stylists to be sent to …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Seventh-grade boy died unexpectedly over the weekend
Students returning to Thoreau Middle School on Monday were told they'd lost a classmate and a friend over the weekend. The teens and teachers at the school, along with parents and administrators, mourned the unexpected death of a seventh-grade boy, with counselors, a psychologist and social worker on hand to support the community throughout the day. In an email to parents late Sunday night, Principal Greg Hood wrote the student's death was "very sad and difficult day for all of us." "This is tragic news for all of us, but especially for the family of the student," Hood wrote. The boy's name and cause of death were not released. On Monday, Hood told Patch that staff is working with the family and the school's business partner, Navy Federal…
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
New middle school principal will begin Jan. 17
Thoreau Middle School concluded its weeks-long principal search Wednesday, naming Gregory Hood, who has worked in various roles throughout Fairfax County Public Schools for the past 15 years, as its new leader. Hood, now the coordinator of the system's School Counseling and College Success program, will begin at the school Jan. 17. "He is very excited to work with the staff and community," Assistant Cluster II Superintendent Jim Kacur wrote in an email Wednesday. Hood first came to FCPS in 1996 as a classroom teacher and school counselor at Key Middle School in Springfield, Va. From 2001 through 2003, he worked as a test administration specialist and then an instructional employment specialist before becoming the director of student …
Monday, July 11, 2011
A window and a wall were damaged in the accident.
A Isuzu Trooper crashed into a Thoreau Middle School classroom late Monday afternoon. A Fairfax County Police Department dispatch officer said a 911 cell phone call was placed to the department at 5:46 p.m. A non-load-bearing wall and a window at the school was damaged. The driver of the vehicle, whose identity has not been released by police, was assessed for injuries at the scene, but was not transported to the hospital. The dispatch officer said initial reports did not reveal the cause of the accident. Kevin Sneed, director of design and construction services for Fairfax County Public Schools, was on the scene of the accident late Monday night and said he was told the crash happened while a driver was learning how to use a manual stick…
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Susan Turner
3:26 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Gov. McDonnell has now opened discussions about arming teachers and school staff in Virginia schools - I urge you to let him know directly what you think of this idea. more ›