Check the band web site (http://www.hayfieldbands.com/) for rehearsal schedule for drumline; jazz band and wind ensemble this week. The jazz band performs at Broadway Night this coming Saturday, February 19. And congrats to Drumline for their first competition this weekend!
If you're going on the Spring Trip, final payment is due Tuesday, February 15. (Checks made payable to Hayfield Secondary School. Final payment $166 - less any credits from Tag Day and/or Fruit Sales.)
Finally, I'm forwarding some info from the fine arts advocacy group, FACE. As you may know, there are efforts underway to increase the amount of required time for Physical Education in public schools, which would affect time for music and arts as well.
(A great typo in the Washington Post this weekend made it sound like short kids might be exempt: "The Virginia General Assembly is sending a bill to Gov. McDonnell requiring tall children in public school to have 150 minutes of physical activity ...." Pretty sure the bill is for all children .... ! ha ha )
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Margi and Bill Flynn <my4flynns@verizon.net>
Date: Sat, Feb 12, 2011 at 3:11 PM
Subject: from FACE
From FACE co-chairs Mary Wagner and Christian Donion
Dear Colleagues,
We have had some success locally fighting the PE bills. Articles in the Washington Post and emails sent to VEA members indicate this will have a significant impact on our programs, so ACT now! News is starting to spread throughout the Commonwealth and we need to sustain our efforts here to stand a chance of defeating these bills. HB1644 will go to the Senate Public Education Subcommittee on Public Education on Monday.
Please read the forwarded email from the Virginia Leadership Coalition for Fine Arts Education below. There is a sample letter at the very bottom, or you could compose your own letter of course. Send your letter to the Senate Education Committee (cut and paste list below), and your senator, which you can find using this link:
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform
Senate Education Committee:
district17@senate.virginia.gov, district35@senate.virginia.gov, district18@senate.virginia.gov,
district32@senate.virginia.gov, district13@senate.virginia.gov,district11@senate.virginia.gov,
district23@senate.virginia.gov, district21@senate.virginia.gov, district15@senate.virginia.gov,
district31@senate.virginia.gov,district14@senate.virginia.gov, district02@senate.virginia.gov,
district01@senate.virginia.gov
If HB1644 makes it out of the Senate, our next step will be to contact Governor McDonnell, so stay tuned. Thank you as always for your efforts, with persistence we can make a difference!
Mary Wagner and Christian Donlon
FACE
Co-Chairs
Dear Colleagues,
We have had some success locally fighting the PE bills. Articles in the Washington Post and emails sent to VEA members indicate this will have a significant impact on our programs, so ACT now! News is starting to spread throughout the Commonwealth and we need to sustain our efforts here to stand a chance of defeating these bills. HB1644 will go to the Senate Public Education Subcommittee on Public Education on Monday.
Please read the forwarded email from the Virginia Leadership Coalition for Fine Arts Education below. There is a sample letter at the very bottom, or you could compose your own letter of course. Send your letter to the Senate Education Committee (cut and paste list below), and your senator, which you can find using this link:
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform
Senate Education Committee:
district17@senate.virginia.gov, district35@senate.virginia.gov, district18@senate.virginia.gov,
district32@senate.virginia.gov, district13@senate.virginia.gov,district11@senate.virginia.gov,
district23@senate.virginia.gov, district21@senate.virginia.gov, district15@senate.virginia.gov,
district31@senate.virginia.gov,district14@senate.virginia.gov, district02@senate.virginia.gov,
district01@senate.virginia.gov
If HB1644 makes it out of the Senate, our next step will be to contact Governor McDonnell, so stay tuned. Thank you as always for your efforts, with persistence we can make a difference!
Mary Wagner and Christian Donlon
FACE
Co-Chairs
Virginia Leadership Coalition for Fine Arts in Education
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - CALL TO ACTION
HB 1644
HB 1644 will come before the SENATE Public Education Subcommittee Monday afternoon, February 14. If it makes it through the committee, as expected, it will then move through the full education committee and then to the floor of the senate. Action is need now to contact your senator and particularly members of the SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE.
You may find information on how to contact your senator posted on the coalition website:
www.vaea.org/coalition.html
A sample letter is attached and provided below.
Please distribute as widely as possible.
Contact me if there are questions. THANK YOU for your continued participation.
Steve
Stephen E. King, Ed. D., Chair
Virginia Leadership Coalition for Fine Arts in Education
5250 Keffer Road
Catawba, VA 24070-2122
(540) 384-7449
(H) http://netmail.verizon.net/webmail/driver
========
You may find information on how to contact your senator posted on the coalition website:
www.vaea.org/coalition.html
A sample letter is attached and provided below.
Please distribute as widely as possible.
Contact me if there are questions. THANK YOU for your continued participation.
Steve
Stephen E. King, Ed. D., Chair
Virginia Leadership Coalition for Fine Arts in Education
5250 Keffer Road
Catawba, VA 24070-2122
(540) 384-7449
(H) http://netmail.verizon.net/webmail/driver
========
Dear Senator ________________,
I have great concerns regarding proposed legislation, HB 1644 which would result in an unfunded mandate that could have long-term financial, facility and scheduling issues for local school divisions.
I am calling your attention to the following issues related to this legislation:
1. While I believe the value of students developing a lifelong enjoyment of physical fitness is essential, my hope would be that physical education programs could assist students in finding ways of maintaining healthy lifestyles that they could sustain. A lifelong commitment to exercise and other ways of meeting those human needs is based on individual choice of physical activities.
2. The proposed legislation for physical education HB 1644, which requires additional minutes of participation in a physical education class, will likely create scheduling issues, a need for additional staff, and would create facilities and equipment requirements which result in significant financial implications for school systems at a time when meeting current needs is challenging.
3. The additional minutes required in HB 1644 could directly impact the ability to meet elementary art and music SOL's and would create substantial scheduling difficulties for those classes, as well as social studies and science.
4. If required in high school, HB 1644 would add 2 additional Carnegie units at the high school level, which in addition to the Economics and Personal Finance course requirement, would result in 3 additional course requirements, and could impinge on the ability of students to prepare for careers, through sequential courses, in preparation for post-secondary study or career pathways, in all advanced elective studies.
5. I recommend that recess, with structured physical education activities, be included in the 150 minute requirement.
6. If school divisions choose to hire additional physical education teachers, a question arises as to the available supply of physical education teachers in Virginia college and university teacher licensure programs.
Your continued support of fine arts instruction is much appreciated. Offering of fine arts and other electives benefits all students. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
_______________Your name and contact information
Mary Wagner
JMU University Supervisor
Music Education
FCPS String Orchestra and mentor
teacher, Cherry Run & White Oaks
Chair, MENC Council for Orchestral Education
ASTA Articles Editor
