Communities In Schools of NOVA In Action

Arlington Officials Devise New Ways To Further Reduce Dropouts

Original article from Inside NOVA By Scott McCaffrey Several years ago, Arlington school officials couldn’t track down a student who had been AWOL from the classroom for days. They turned to School Board member Emma Violand-Sanchez, who knew the young man, was able to find him and get him back in class. A situation that could have ended as a statistic resulted in a student who graduated high school and now is in college. That type of story shows that Arlington educators “focus on each student,” Violand-Sanchez said during a May 7 presentation on efforts to further cut drop-out rates. The good news [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:19:17+00:00May 12th, 2015|0 Comments

Career Day 2015 at Wakefield

On Thursday, April 30th, 40 volunteers and 200 sophomore students gathered in the Wakefield High School cafeteria to discuss education and career paths for the Sophomore Career Day. The Sophomore Career Day is an annual event in which students are able to hear from professionals in the Northern Virginia area and ask questions about their careers. Students and volunteers heard from Bishop Garrison, the event’s keynote speaker, and then engaged in a “speed networking” activity. Each student heard from volunteer speakers about their education and career paths, career changes and strategies for making transitions between high school and college, and eventually entering [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:18:58+00:00May 4th, 2015|0 Comments

Hyatt Regency At Crystal City With Wakefield Students

One of this year’s newest partnerships was with Hyatt Regency at Crystal City, with the hotel running its PENCIL college readiness program for students at Wakefield High School. Fourteen Wakefield students visited the hotel in late February to meet with Hyatt employees from all fields in hospitality. Students heard from one of the senior chefs, a building engineer, a marketing representative, event planners and human resource managers, with the take home message that even though there are numerous careers in hospitality, everyone has to start somewhere and that education is the key to opportunities. The day concluded with a complimentary lunch at [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:18:34+00:00April 13th, 2015|0 Comments

Phoenix Bikes Engages Students At Wakefield High School

The second semester of Phoenix Bikes at Wakefield High School kicked off on February 5, 2015, with twelve Wakefield students learning about bike mechanics and the importance of community service. Throughout the spring semester, students have learned bicycle mechanics and how to perform repairs, as well as work on bicycles that would be later donated to Arlington community members, and to a fellow Wakefield classmate. CIS of NOVA partnered with Wakefield staff members Debbie Polhemus and Joyce Kelly to recruit students and coordinate the club at the school. Each Thursday, Ms. Polhemus and Ms. Kelly meet with the Bike Club students during study [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:18:14+00:00April 1st, 2015|0 Comments

CIS of NOVA Heads to Atlanta for the 2014 Summer Institute Conference

This summer, Communities In Schools of NOVA Site Coordinators attended the 2014 Summer Institute Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Hundreds of CIS staff, administration, and supporters from around the nation headed to The Peach State for a 3-day conference filled with workshops, networking sessions, and testimonials from CIS leaders and alumni. Many of the workshops were led by CIS staff themselves, with topics that would benefit all attendees. Breakout sessions, such as How We’re Changing the Picture: An Update on the Public Branding Campaign, concentrated on building the CIS brand to a larger level. Other sessions, like The Connection Between Early-Warning Indicators and Targeted Intervention, focused [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:17:53+00:00August 19th, 2014|0 Comments

Wakefield Students On the Job Hunt!

Earlier this month, 25 Wakefield students gathered to learn about the skills and knowledge needed to gain part-time and summer employment! Communities in Schools hosted Dave Remick and Chris Rieley, chairmen of the Arlington/Alexandria Workforce Investment Board, the Teen Network Board and Nadia Conyers of the Arlington Employment Center to learn about how to be successful in the application and interview process, as well as leadership opportunities available to teens in Arlington. Topics included where to look for teen jobs in the area, how to fill out applications, how to follow up with potential employers, and how to best prepare for interviews. [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:17:38+00:00April 29th, 2014|0 Comments

Check Out New Child Trends Report on Integrated Support Programs!

Click here to read a report from Child Trends, a national research nonprofit that affirms the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of integrated student supports (ISS) programs like Communities In Schools in improving education outcomes. These programs target both academic and non-academic barriers to achievement by identifying individual student needs and mobilizing community resources to meet them. Communities In Schools is the largest provider of ISS in the country, with a data-driven model that continues to prove effective in reducing dropout rates across the country. Key findings from Child Trends’ report, Integrated Student Supports include: ISS programs increase math achievement and student attendance and [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:17:26+00:00February 25th, 2014|0 Comments

Your feedback is needed: Feedback tools for Arlington Public Schools FY 2015 Budget

Arlington Public Schools (APS) is proposing several cuts in order to add on new programs or initiatives. This proposal is in an effort to balance the FY 2015 APS budget. One of the proposed ideas to balance the budget is to no longer offer a high school diploma for adults above the age of 22 in Arlington Public Schools and also move the Langston High School Continuation Program to The Arlington Career Center to merge with Arlington Mill High School (AMHS). The majority of students currently at AMHS are over the age of 22, and due to the huge impact this would [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:16:55+00:00February 13th, 2014|0 Comments

Saturday School Helps Students Succeed!

“There is no substitute for work.” - Vince Lombardi While the big game approaches this Sunday, CIS of NOVA is focusing on providing students with a safe place for students to learn and a healthy start to the new semester at Wakefield high School. While CIS provides tutoring throughout the week, one of the great resources that has existed at the school for several years is the Saturday School and Saturday Academy! Every Saturday in the new Wakefield High School library, students, teachers and volunteers meet to tackle everything from Catcher in the Rye to Trigonometric proofs. Teachers and tutors come together [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:16:11+00:00January 28th, 2014|0 Comments

Poetry Out Loud competition at Arlington Mill High School

Tuesday, January 7th, a 2-hour delay wasn't the only news happening in Arlington. Students from Arlington Mill High School participated in the school's first annual Poetry Out Loud contest. Earlier in the year, students in every English class participated in a poetry competition where students from every English class at Arlington Mill had to memorize and recite a poem, competing against classmates for who would win each class-wide competition. On Tuesday, January 7th, class winners then participated in a competition against each other. Arlington Mill High School's library was full to capacity as contestants competed against each other. Audience members were brought [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:14:59+00:00January 13th, 2014|0 Comments