Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Education notebook: Parents can learn about teen driving
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For the fourth year in a row, Roanoke County schools will offer information on teen driving to some of the people who need it most: parents.
The school system has planned 90-minute sessions at each of the county's five high schools over the next few weeks to explain the risks of teen driving, state laws governing driving and the driver education process. There's also a testimonial from a parent who has lost a child on the road.
The idea is for parents and their children to learn more about driving before they embark on driver education training.
"It's an effort to raise parent and student awareness," said Barry Trent, the school system's coordinator of driver education. "They're doing something similar to this in school systems across the state."
Once students have gone through the training process, they get some final words of advice from Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge Philip Trompeter at a ceremony during which the judge hands permanent driver's licenses to the parents of teenagers.
After that, they're on the road.
The schedule for the 90-minute sessions is as follows:
n Hidden Valley High School auditorium, 7-8:30 p.m. Monday.
n Glenvar Middle School forum (for Glenvar High School parents), 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
n Cave Spring High School cafeteria, 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 12.
n William Byrd High School auditorium, 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 24.
n Northside High School auditorium, 7-8:30 p.m. March 3.
n n n
A half-dozen teachers have been selected as finalists for the 2009 McGlothlin Awards for Teaching Excellence, one of the country's most lucrative teaching prizes. Two winners will receive $25,000 each during a ceremony at Radford University on April 6.
The awards, now in their 10th year, are given by the Bristol-based McGlothlin Foundation and administered by Blue Ridge PBS. Two teachers, one for grades kindergarten through fifth and one for grades six through 12, are recognized every year. They must use $10,000 of the $25,000 for international travel. Teachers from parts of Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia and Kentucky are eligible.
Teachers are evaluated based on their lesson plans and on a 20-minute video of their teaching. The six finalists were chosen from 19 semifinalists. They are:
n Rebecca Boone of Troutville Elementary in Botetourt County.
n Teresa Hash of Marion Intermediate in Smyth County.
n Elizabeth Lester of Patrick Henry Elementary in Martinsville.
n Jayanne Bridges of Christiansburg Middle in Montgomery County.
n Mary Slone of South Floyd High in Floyd County, Ky.
n Erin Wigginton of Pulaski County High in Pulaski County.
n n n
In this era of tightened belts, here's something you can do with your children that won't cost any money. Roanoke's public libraries are holding their winter reading program throughout February for children up to first grade. Parents can pick up a reading log that will track the books they read to their children. Families will receive a certificate for filling out their reading logs. The libraries will also give away age-appropriate books to children who participate in the program.
The program is in advance of Read Across America Week in March, when the libraries will be holding joint events with the city's public schools.
The main library also offers preschool story times on the first and third Thursday of the month at 10:30 a.m. There are also regular story times scheduled at branch libraries. Ask your librarian for details.
