The Summit

iPods that only play music are so 2011. In Mrs. Sheila Waller’s 2nd grade class at Jackson Memorial Elemen-tary, students are using iPods to reinforce concepts like counting money and telling time on an analog clock.

“It actually helps us learn,” exclaimed Ethan Cassell, peering over the shoulder of classmate Hayleigh Robin-son as she caught falling apples on the iPod during a time-telling exercise.

The pilot project began as an idea that developed from a discussion in JMES leader-ship team meeting.

Mrs. Waller thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if

there were some way to record the lessons so the stu-dents could watch them again when it came time for homework?”

The 5 iPods the school purchased will be sent home with struggling students for extra reinforcement.

“Sometimes,” Mrs. Waller explained, “parents don’t know how to help their chil-dren with their homework.” This tool is a great way to help both the child and the parent understand the con-cepts that are being taught in the classroom.

See Page 5 for more infor-mation on how iPods are aiding and reinforcing leaning.

2nd graders at JMES reinforce new math concepts with applications on an iPod Touch.

iPods generate great ideas

Sheffey Elementary raises fun(ds)

Wythe County Public Schools

Spring 2012

Volume 1, Issue 3

Budget Season 2

Backpack Nutrition 3

School Calendar 3

Dr. Seuss’ Birthday 4

Talent (cont.) 4

FCHS basketball 5

iPods (cont.) 5

Classroom Grants 6

Student Pride 7

Photo Gallery 8

Inside this issue:

Interesting Reads

“George Wythe student con-ducts research in Alaska,” www.swvatoday.com (Wytheville Enterprise)

“Benefit will help student,” www.swvatoday.com (Wytheville Enterprise)

The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss

WCPS School Board monthly meetings

April 11 9 a.m. SBO

May 9 9 a.m. SBO

June 13 9 a.m. SBO

In case you hadn’t already heard, “The Greatest Show in Piney” was a class act. Literally.

On February 24, the staff at Sheffey Elementary hosted their first annual (semi) talent show. The line-up of per-

formers included a Hee-Haw spin-off, a dance number or two, and com-mercials that brought peals of laughter from young and old alike.

See Page 4 for more about the shenanigans at Sheffey Elementary last month.

4th grade teacher Glenda Stuart plants a smooch on Bam-Bam during Sheffey’s 1st annual talent show.

1570 W. Reservoir Street Wytheville, VA 24382 Phone: 276-228-5411 Fax: 276-228-9192

http://wythe.k12.va.us/

School Board moves toward budget adoption

Educating students for success in the 21st

century.

Wythe County Public Schools Central Office Staff Dr. Lee Brannon Division Superintendent

Dr. Melinda Robinett Exec. Director of Educational Services

Jeff Noe Exec. Director of Instruction

Richard Thomas Director of Personnel

Marcy Olinger Director of Elem. & Middle Education

Beth Cochran Coordinator of Federal Programs and Testing

Dr. Wesley Poole Director of Facilities and Operations

Keith Cochran Technology Supervisor

2011-2012 School Board Members Chalmer Frye, Chairman Speedwell

William Kidd, Vice Chair East Wytheville

Walter White Fort Chiswell

Stephen Sage Blacklick

Patricia Hines Lead Mines

Deborah Crigger At-Large

David Martin West Wytheville

The Summit Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 2

The mission of WCPS, in partnership with our entire community, is to ensure that each student is empowered with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the challenges of the future.

School Board members made a stop at the General

Assembly building to visit Del. Anne B. Crockett-Stark

during a recent trip to Rich-mond for the annual VSBA legislative conference. Sev-eral bills pending in the G.A. could significantly affect funding for public educa-tion.

The Board is scheduled to adopt the 2012-2013 budget after a work session on March 28. The local budget adoption is contingent on the adoption of a state budget, which has not yet been passed. Dr. Lee Brannon is scheduled to

present the WCPS budget request to the Wythe County Board of Supervisors on April 2.

Copies of the anticipated budget figures and allot-ments can be found by ac-cessing the March agenda on Board Docs. An updated capital improvement plan for facilities renovations can also be found there.

A link to the agendas is located on the WCPS home-page.

Sign up to receive this newsletter via email by contacting Amanda Evans at amanda.evans@wythek12.org

Backpack program promotes nutrition A few elementary schools in our county are taking a stand against hunger.

Recently, Sheffey joined Max Meadows and Jackson Memorial Elementary schools by starting a backpack nutrition program.

Local churches, community organiza-tions, and PTOs have partnered with the schools to provide supplemental food for those children who may need a little extra over the weekend at home.

These backpacks are filled with items such as oatmeal, crackers and peanut but-ter and distributed discreetly each Friday to be sure no student at the schools goes hungry.

Want to get involved? Contact one of the schools for more information!

See the next edition of The Summit for a feature story on the creative project students at RRHS are doing in relation to the novel series The Hunger Games.

Revised 2011-2012 School Calendar

April 4    Last Student Day Before Spring Break 

April 5‐9  Spring Break  

April 12   End of Fifth Six Weeks 

April 13   12:30 Student Dismissal; 1/2 Teacher Workday 

May 24   Last Day of School; 12:30 Student Dismissal 

May 25   Teacher Workday 

The Summit Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 3

Did you know?

1 in 5 children lives in a household that is

food-insecure.

Source: www.ers.usda.gov

For WCPS spring sports calendar information, visit http://wythe.k12.va.us/ to find links to the Mountain Empire and

Hogoheegee District schedules.

JMES, Sheffey, and MMES all participate in similar backpack nutrition programs, sponsored by local

churches and community organizations.

Graduation Dates

WCTC Thur., May 17 7:00 p.m. GWHS Auditorium

RRHS Fri., May 18 6:00 p.m. Community Stadium

GWHS Fri., May 18 8:00 p.m. Pendleton Field

FCHS Sat., May 19 10:00 a.m. C.F. McKinney Field

*Note: These dates have been set and approved by the WCPS School Board. School closings due to inclement weather will not affect these dates. Schools will use their auditoriums in the event of inclement weather the day of their graduation ceremony.

Shout Out to Scott Memorial Middle School students who are doing their part to end hunger.

They donated almost 2,000 canned goods to the Agape Food Pantry

in Wytheville!

Spring Break is April 5-9

The goat-kissing contest at the end was a definite high-light. Students donated quarters to vote for which teacher they’d like to see kiss “Bam-Bam,” who was borrowed from the Fort Chiswell Animal Park.

4th grade teacher Billie Sue Martin was one of those lucky teachers.

“As far as kissing goats go, I guess it was all right,” she laughed.

And in case you ever need to smooch a goat, the kids said red lipstick is the key.

Mr. Newman said they are hoping to have DVDs of the event available soon.

Read across America week

Talent show (cont.) per was held beforehand. With about 500 people in attendance, the school raised a total of just under $3,000.

In addition to bringing in money, the talent show brought the staff together.

“Overall, it brought us together as a team,” said Mr. Newman. At first, he ex-plained, the teachers were anxious about putting on the show, wondering how it would turn out., but once it got started, he said, it only got better.

“They’re already talking about what they’re going to do next year,” he said.

“I could hear my mom back there laughing,” gig-gled nine-year-old Garrett Porter, who sat with his friends near the stage that night.

Teachers and staff worked for months to prepare origi-nal skits and comedy acts for the evening’s entertain-ment.

“It was a hoot,” said Prin-cipal Chad Newman. “Everyone’s still talking about it.”

The goal of the evening, aside from fun, was to raise money to help purchase playground equipment for the school. A hot dog sup-

Left: Students at Speedwell Elementary get in the spirit of Read Across America Week (Feb. 27 - March 2) by wearing costumes of their fa-vorite Dr. Seuss char-acter.

Page 4 The Summit Volume 1, Issue 3

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go…”

-Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go!

Check out our website at http://wythe.k12.va.us

Above: Superintendent Dr. Lee Brannon reads to 2nd graders at JMES on March 2, which is Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

Schools across the county are taking ad-vantage of their own Outdoor Classrooms, local national parks

and the beauty of na-ture. Get outside and

play!

iPods (cont.) help their child succeed.

Right now, they are waiting for protective covers to ar-rive so the iPods can be sent home for the first time.

She said she has found that even working 10 or 15 min-utes on the iPods has bol-stered student confidence in their learning. Late bus stu-dents, like Hayleigh, can get an extra 15 minutes in the afternoon to practice those

skills a few more times.

“The kids are really moti-vated with this,” Mrs. Waller said. “They ask me for them all the time.”

Even Mrs. Waller’s enthusi-asm about this project is difficult to contain.

“I’m so excited to learn all these new things,” she said.

She’s only recorded a handful of lessons at this

“We want to be consistent in the way we’re helping the child,” Mrs. Waller said.

JMES Principal Tammy Watson said she is excited to see an increase in parent involvement with this pro-gram.

The hope, she said, is that parents will take a more vested interest in their child’s education and feel like they, too, have a tool to

with a win against neighbor-ing George Wythe High School, FCHS went on to beat Glenvar for the Region C Group A championship.

Student and community support for the team was high; many supporters even drove the distance to the Siegel Center in Richmond to watch them play George

CONGRATULATIONS to the FCHS Men’s Basket-ball Team on winning the Region C championship. This is the first time in re-cent memory FCHS has contended for the state title in the semi-final round of the playoffs. Their regular season record was 17 W—5L. After clinching a posi-tion in the state tournament

Mason High School from Falls Church. The boys played a tough game, falling to George Mason 62-50.

With the majority of the team being strong sopho-mores, the team is looking forward to becoming an even more dominating force on the court next season.

Way to go Pioneers!

Page 5 The Summit Volume 1, Issue 3

The FCHS Men’s basketball team would like to thank their sponsors: Hutchinson Sealing Systems, Pioneer Ruri-tan Club, First Bank of Virginia, A&I Mechanical, Inc., Coalfield Services, Inc., New Seasons Assembly of God,

Fort Chiswell BP, Dollar Shoppe, Burger Express, Center Manufacturing, Rodney and Janet Cassell, Jack and Frances Lawson, Randy Lund, Graham Watson, Carl Stoots, Amanda Ayers, and Louie Watson

Pioneer basketball takes a shot at state playoffs 2011-2012 FCHS

Men’s Basketball Team

#0 Levi Mooney

#2 Cory Mabry

#3 Corey Gravley

#5 Chase Rathbone

#10 Brett Mabry

#11 Daniel Hamm

#12 Joe Stoneman

#14 Desmond Perry

#15 Lane Edmonds

#22 Jared Hovencamp

#24 Josh Quesenberry

#30 Austin Widelo

#32 Coleman Thomas

#35 Nathaniel Worrell

#45 Dylan Hale

point, but Mrs. Waller said she hopes to build a library of lessons. Then, if the pro-gram were to be expanded, perhaps even share those short video lessons with other second grade teachers across the district..

This innovative project is just one of the ways WCPS teachers are getting creative with learning and incorpo-rating 21st century skills.

World Travelers Brittany Sage Sheffey

Supported by the Wytheville Rotary Club

Outdoor Classroom Susan Jones, Wendy Pease Spiller

Supported by an anonymous donor

High Interest Books for Boys Tabitha Martin, Karen Barton RRES

Supported by a grant in memory of Janie Gates Patterson by the family

Trout in the Classroom Duane Snavely SMMS

Supported by an anonymous donor

iPads to Enhance Learning Kindergarten Spiller

Supported by Jones, Adams & Delp, P.C.

The Dome Planetarium Stacey Minton, Mary Bland SMMS

Supported by an anonymous donor

Substance Abuse and Prevention Karen Hodock, Sheffey

Kristen Williams MMES

Heart Rate Monitors Walter Midkiff RRMS, Speedwell

Supported by Ruth Chitwood in memory of husband Dr. W.R. Chitwood

iPads in Classroom Kindergarten JMES

Books for Mad Scientists and Explorers 3rd grade MMES

Cultural Explorations DeAnne Burch RRMS

Supported by the Wytheville Rotary Club

iPad Intervention Jessica Cornett, Jenn Ryan JMES

Career Search Program Jeff Graham, Anita Aymer FCHS

Tchoukball Michael Brown RRHS

SmartBoard for PreK Courtney Alley WCTC

Jumping 2 B Fit Donna Jones JMES

Little Shop of Horrors Nichole Scartelli FCHS

Non-Fiction Navigators Sara Williams RRES

Supported by a grant given in memory of Janie Gates Patterson by the family

The iPad Project 1st grade Speedwell

Traveling with the Tree House Sheila Waller JMES

Supported by Wythe County Community Hospital

Cake Appeal Mary Alice Hardin WCTC

iPads in Kindergarten Kindergarten RRES

Dance into Fitness Jo Repass, Joey Russell GWHS

Supported by an anonymous donor

Page 6 The Summit Volume 1, Issue 3

Foundation awards 2012 classroom grants

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, Wythe County Public Schools is prohibited from discrimi-nating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities.

Make plans now for your s tudent t o a t t e n d t h e 6 t h a n n u a l F o u n d a t i o n f o r E x c e l l e n c e Summer Enrichment Program, June 25-29 . Classes wi l l be held for grades PreK-8 in areas such as cooking, dance, math, craf ts and more! High school s tudents are be ing recru i ted to serve as Class Ass is tants . Specia l emphas is wi l l be placed on phys ica l f i tness , nutr i t ion and the importance of summer reading. A parent expo wi l l be held on the f ina l day of the program, a l lowing students to show off what they have learned dur ing the week. F a m i l i e s w i l l a l s o r e c e i v e informat ion about hea l th , wel lness , and keep ing s tudents engaged d u r i n g t h e s u m m e r m o n t h s . Regis trat ion mater ia ls wi l l be sent home soon. Remember , a l lot ted spaces f i l l up quickly , so return your reg is trat ion form to your s tuden t ’ s s choo l a s soon a s poss ib le . The deadl ine to register i s M a y 1 1 . T h e S u m m e r Enrichment program is supported by a grant from the Wythe-Bland Foundat ion and the generos i ty of

Wythe County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence, Inc.

GWHS FBLA collected 112 lbs. of “pop-tabs” for charity so far this year. Way to give back to your community!

Worth their weight in gold

Page 7 The Summit Volume 1, Issue 3

The RRHS Scholastic Bowl team placed first in the dis-trict. (from left to right) Caleb Whalen, Lindsay King, Will Patton, Grace Ellis, Joey Gallimore, James Willard, Brandi Cline, Bill Mullins, Selena McGrady, Izsak Barnette

WCTC students competed in the Skills USA regional com-petition on Feb. 24. First place winners will have the op-portunity to compete at the state level in April.

April Mulkey (RRHS)—1st place, Chapter Display

Samantha Crabtree (GWHS)—1st place, Spelling

Alysen Rorrer (FCHS)—2nd place, Occupational Display

Kacy Pruitt (GWHS)—3rd place, Cosmetology

Ben Wassum (GWHS)—1st place, Architectural Drafting

Casey Hardin (RRHS)—2nd place, Architectural Drafting

Amanda Ambroiso (GWHS)—2nd place, Poster and

2nd place 3D Animation & Visualization

Chase Copper (FCHS)—2nd place, 3D Anim. & Visual.

Haley Padget (FCHS)—1st place, Poster

Congratulations to Senah Stephens from SMMS. Senah was the WCPS Annual Spelling Bee grand champion. Her winning word was “cellophane.”

MMES 1st graders participate in the “Paws to Read,” a program founded by FCHS librarian Marilyn Garnto. The program helps students practice their reading skills by reading aloud to Sammie, a registered therapy dog.

The Summit is a publication of Wythe County Public Schools. It is published four times a year—autumn, winter, spring, and summer . All materials, including photographs and content, are copyrighted by WCPS unless otherwise noted.

Education in action

The Summit Vo lume 1, Issue 3 Page 8