09/15/24
PSAT Day Information
PSAT Day will take place on Friday, October 18th. Sophomores and juniors will test from approximately 8:40-11:15. Students and parents are encouraged to visit PSAT Family Guide for additional information about the digital test.
Students are allowed to use their personal device for testing. Personal devices can include a Mac or Windows device or an iPAD. Students are not allowed to use a personal Chromebook. Your device must also be able to connect to Wi-Fi and be charged enough to stay on for roughly 3 hours. We recommend you bring a power cord or portable charger, but we can’t guarantee you’ll have access to an outlet. You’re permitted to bring an external mouse for your device and an external keyboard if your device is a tablet. You can’t use detachable device privacy screens. All other applications and programs must be closed during the test. Students can complete this form if they will need to borrow a device on test day.
Ms. Cobb will be visiting English classrooms at the end of September to help students prepare for the day. Please feel free to contact Ms. Cobb at [email protected] if you have additional questions.
Security Corner:
Reminder:
Do not prop open exterior doors. Do not open exterior doors for anyone during school hours.
Keep track of your belongings and valuables. Do NOT leave bags unattended anywhere!
Please check the Lost and Found boxes regularly. Boxes will be emptied on September 13.
Clinic:
ILLNESSES: When should your student stay home?
Taking care when you’re not feeling well is important, but so is not falling behind in class. Students should stay home if they:
- Have a fever of 100.4 degrees or greater before taking a fever-reducing medication.
- Are experiencing vomiting or diarrhea because of illness.
- Have an unknown rash or possible contagious condition.
- Are unable to focus due to pain, a chronic health condition or an acute illness.
- Have a flu-like illness (with or without fever), characterized by headache, fatigue, cough, aches, weakness and sore throat.
If you have minor cold symptoms but feel well enough to attend school, consider wearing a mask and washing your hands or using hand sanitizer throughout the day to protect others.
All medical forms for the 2024-2025 school year should be submitted this month to the school nurse, Alisa Shapiro, [email protected]. This includes all students who have a medical condition or a life-threatening allergy or if they would like to either self-carry medications or have access to over-the-counter medications here at school.
Library:
RSVP to Watch the Livestream of a Fireside Chat with Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, and Suzanne Youngkin, First Lady of Virginia
At 7pm on Thursday, Sep. 19, the MLWGS Library will host a livestream of a Fireside Chat with Suzanne S. Youngkin, First Lady of Virginia, and Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author. Their discussion about the findings shared in Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness will be broadcast live to participating public schools across the Commonwealth from 7:00-8:00pm EST. After the broadcast, we’ll have a MLWGS community conversation to explore the topic further. Please RSVP by Sep. 16 (https://forms.gle/TY9RyDrUWinqSkRZA). If you’d like to participate but can’t come to campus that evening, please complete the RSVP form anyway.
Science Honor Society
The Science National Honor Society is now accepting applications! Eligible Juniors and Seniors are invited to apply (please see application for eligibility requirements). The deadline to submit an application is Friday, September 20 at 3:30 PM, and late submissions will not be accepted. Please reach out to Ms. Gawne with any questions ([email protected]).
Application: https://forms.gle/MgqMWHW6MYwtQrCGA
Visual Arts Boosters
The Visual Arts Boosters will be having their first meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 17th at 5pm in room 131. The Visual Arts Boosters (VAB) provide advocacy, financial and logistical support for the visual arts programs at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School. Fundraising and other support efforts help to provide students with specialized materials and equipment and unique learning opportunities for further exploration of art, our local art community, and art-related careers. Field trips, guest artists, a lecture series, exhibits, awards, domestic and international travel, and other unique experiences are all supported by the VAB. Any parent interested in participating is invited to attend our first meeting. You can find out more here. http://www.maggiewalkervab.org
Athletics:
Welcome Back Dragons! If you plan to play a sport this year you must have completed paperwork. https://mlwgs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/24-VHSL-Forms-1.pdf Once completed, please send to [email protected] as PDF file.
Peru Trip
It is official: Six Maggie Walker students will spend nine days exploring the culture, traditions, landscape, food, language, and people who reveal the breath-taking wonder of Peru. Nine more students will make this a private tour. Sign up now to join them and experience the magic first-hand.
Full Details and Peru Trip Registration Link: https://acis.com/tripsite-trip-overview/?key=MjAyNXw3MDE2MA
Experience “The Inca Trail” in Peru – June 9-17, 2025 with ACIS, our new travel partner! Enjoy Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Sacred Valley, Cuzco, Lima, a cultural exchange with the Uros Indians, and many more exciting opportunities to gain first-hand understanding of local culture and taste delicious cuisine all while practicing language skills! Enjoy double occupancy in centrally located 3 and 4-star hotels, and a private tour once we have 15 registered students.
College Visits to MLWGS
This fall, over 75 colleges and universities will be sending admissions representatives (either in-person or virtually) to meet with MLWGS students in grades 10, 11, and 12 during lunch (Monday-Thursday). Sign-ups and passes are not required—students simply may travel to the location of the presentation of their choice after the dismissal of their 3rd or 4th block class.
To view the entire calendar of scheduled visits (as of September 13, 2024), visit https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g0lyV3MXzJZzWxBjW0xONjVT_IfyqdROI3czy6WT9IM/edit?usp=sharing
For more updates, students should continue listening to the morning announcements and reading the “College Information for the Class of 202_” page which corresponds to their year of graduation.
The Foundation:
Alumni Showcase
The Governor’s School Foundation will once again host Alumni Showcase @ MLWGS!
On Friday, September 27, more than 50 Governor’s School alumni will return to campus to share insights about all things “life after high school” with current Dragons, including their unique educational and professional journeys, tips for making the most of MLWGS, and insights from their own successes, struggles, and lessons learned along the way.
This is the 6th MLWGS Alumni Showcase, a hallmark event that started in 2012 and features alumni from the early days when the Governor’s School was located at Thomas Jefferson High School to recent graduates still in college.
This year’s Showcase speakers include CEOs and non-profit leaders, a conservationist, international relations experts, artists, doctors, lawyers, musicians, engineers, finance folks, and many other amazing alumni whose life paths have often surprised them.
This program is made possible by support from Foundation donors.
The Foundation’s Parent Participation Competition is Underway!
The Foundation’s Annual Fund Campaign supports many of the amazing academic and extracurricular experiences that set MLWGS apart, including our academic clubs and teams, student travel, teacher professional development, student aid, and more. This year’s annual fund goal is $375,000. Parent support is key!
The Annual Fund Parent Participation Campaign is a friendly (but fierce, lol!) competition that recognizes the class with the highest percentage of parents making annual fund donations each year. All donations of any size count. And each year, the winning class gets bragging rights and a sweet treat in June courtesy of the Foundation! It’s the perfect time to show your support for MLWGS and your Dragon’s class, so please make your gift online today.
Remember, we are here to be compassionate, courageous, collaborative, and to have a sense of community. It is The Walker Way.
Have a great evening and GO DRAGONS!
