09/08/24
Anonymous Alerts
Maggie Walker Governor’s School pleased to introduce a new communications tool called Anonymous Alerts®.
What is the Anonymous Alerts app?
The Anonymous Alerts anti-bullying and safety app reporting system helps combat bullying and other negative activity in schools by empowering students to speak up. Social and peer pressure are some of the hardest obstacles for students to overcome.
The system allows for 1-way or 2-way anonymous encrypted communications between submitters (students, parents or community members) and school administrators. Users of the system have the option to remain anonymous or reveal their identity when submitting a report.
How does it work?
To use this revolutionary new app, students, parents or other school personnel can simply visit the Maggie Walker Governor’s School website and click on the “Anonymous Alerts” button or text link to submit a report expressing their concern. Anonymous Alerts® mobile applications can be downloaded directly from the Apple, Google Play or the Chrome stores.
Maggie Walker Governor’s School supplies students with an activation code, making the app remarkably easy to use and students select which school the message should go to. In addition, informational posters explaining how to use the app are displayed throughout school.
To send reports from the Web/Internet go to: https://tips.anonymousalerts.com/maggiewalkerschool/
To send a report from your phone:
- Download the Anonymous Alerts® app for free from the Apple Store, Google Play store, or the Chrome store
- Start the App, enter activation code: maggiewalkerschool
- Send important reports to school officials
- Add a screenshot, photo or video about the incident
In an emergency, always call 9-1-1!
Anonymous Alerts Overview Video
National Honor Society Fall Application
Are you a junior or senior interested in joining National Honor Society? NHS is currently accepting application for the fall admission cycle which are due on Friday, September 13thth. To be eligible for NHS, juniors and seniors should be on track with their service hours and have a weighted, cumulative GPA of 3.5. See the application for specific details: https://forms.gle/5nt4oisNRjYKkpkg7. Students who have previously been accepted to NHS do not need apply again. Contact Dr. Loving, NHS Sponsor, with questions at [email protected].
History Honor Society
Attention all juniors and seniors: Want to connect with fellow history enthusiasts, participate in community service projects, and enhance your academic and leadership skills? Come find out about membership requirements and discover the benefits of being in the TJ National History Honor Society. The honor society will host an interest meeting Wednesday, September 11, 2024, in the forum during lunch. Hope to see you there!
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
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.
Yearbook Pictures:
It’s Yearbook picture time! On Mon-Tues, Sept. 9-10, all non-seniors will go to the Auditorium with their English classes. Look sharp! Attached is a PDF with some info about the big day. If you’re out that day, don’t fret! Make-ups and retakes will be on Wed, Oct. 16.
Calling Dragon poets, songwriters, and storytellers! The library’s first open mic of 2024-2025 will occur during lunch on Thursday, Sep. 12. Want to share a brief sample of your creative work? Sign up to reserve your reading spot! Open mics will be held quarterly. Mark your calendars for the other three Thursdays too: Nov. 14, Jan. 16, and Mar. 20. Prefer to listen to your peers rather than sharing your own work? Join us! Creative Dragons need an audience. See you there!
Need community service hours? Enjoy history or deciphering old handwriting? Join the 100+ Dragons on the library’s 2024-2025 Transcribe Team! Sign up to attend the annual kickoff Transcribe-a-thon from 3:30-5pm on Wednesday, Oct. 2nd in the library. If you’re new, this will alert Ms. DeGroat to add you to the Transcribe Team’s Schoology group. If you’re a returning member of the team, please make sure you fill it out too, so she knows how many treats to get!
AP Exam Ordering Information and Payment
Information about AP exam registration can be found on the following document, which was distributed in hard copy during the first week of school to all students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hlRy5aJqGrIL4rzVlf8MbMvnCA2cWqgt/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107178821893099947385&rtpof=true&sd=true
Registering for AP exams is a two-step process:
- “Join” the course in MyAP (students must enter a specific join code for each exam into their College Board account) and
- Pay the AP exam fee ($99) for each course through assigned school fees in the OSP system.
We realize it is new this year to include the AP exam fee(s) upfront with the school fees, and please know that families that need it have until November 1st to pay for all exams without any form of late fee. Choosing to spread out AP exam payments through November 1st requires no additional forms or documentation. Beginning on November 2nd, the College Board’s $40 add/drop fee will be instituted for late payments, exam registrations, or exam cancellations made after this date.
The linked document above also contains details about special situations such as how students can communicate
- if they wish to “opt-out” of taking an AP exam (primarily for seniors who have researched maximum transferable college credit at their prospective colleges),
- if they want to make a special request for an additional exam over and above the classes in which they are enrolled, or
- if they need to apply for a fee waiver.
The AP schedule for May 2025 and the final deadline for cancellations may also be of interest.
Please contact Rachel Loving, AP Coordinator, at [email protected] if you have and questions or concerns about AP exam registration and/or payment.
School Counseling
During the week of August 26th, senior/college counselors Ms. Forquer and Dr. Loving visited each 12th grade English class (once) to share information and demonstrate procedures in Naviance and the Common Application in regard to the college application process. Class of 2025 parents, please ask your Dragon to show you the September 2024 Senior Newsletter and the Transcript/Letter of Recommendation worksheet they received during this presentation. The newsletter also can be found here: https://sites.google.com/gsgis.k12.va.us/mlwgs-counseling/college-admissions-information/seniorjunior-newsletters Seniors are encouraged to keep checking their school email daily and to consult the “College Information for the Class of 2025” Schoology page for important reminders.
This fall, over 70 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. The calendar of college rep visits is still under construction, but here are the schools which will be at MLWGS during the week of September 9th:
To view the entire calendar of scheduled visits (as of September 6, 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.
Twenty-three years on Wednesday, Americans woke and began their daily routines. They were little aware at the time, that September 11th, 2001 would become a turning point in American History. The attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the plane crash in Pennsylvania resulted in the loss of 2,977 lives. Since 2001 we as Americans have tried to make sense of this tragedy.
The results of 9-11 are many; changes in the basic structure of our government, severe economic challenges, and the important debate about the balance between our individual rights and our desire to be safe. While some of you may not have been born when these events happened, they affect you deeply whether you realize it or not.
So this week, as our country recalls this tragedy, ask those who are close to you the true meaning of these events and how the world changed for them. Understanding their answers is key to understanding the world in which you live.
“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.” — Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl.
Have a great evening and GO DRAGONS!
