Friends:  I hope this e-mail finds you feeling recharged after a happy holiday season and looking forward to 2010.   I am starting the new year with a new, updated website (many thanks to my webmaster, Dave Leichtman).  It’s a little more personal and a little less political than before.  I’ll do a brief blog post  about every week (and try not to brag about my beautiful grandchildren too much), and there will be fairly regular updates on education issues and what’s going on in our schools.  The section on Kennan features memorial information and information about Phoenix Bikes and organ and tissue donation.  All subjects that are close to my heart.  As always, please let me know if there is something you’d particularly like to see on my website.  I want it to be interesting and useful for my readers.  BTW, I’m also on Facebook where I post a few more of the goings on in my life with children, grandchildren etc.  I’m happy to be everyone’s friend.  :-)

Last week was a busy one.   I met our incoming governor on Monday when I was in Richmond for the Governor’s College and Career Readiness summit.  We started with Governor Kaine and ended with Governor McDonnell.*  To read more, go to LINk  On Thursday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sibelius, Surgeon General  Regina  Benjamin and Congressman Jim Moran all came to Carlyn Springs Elementary School to spotlight our H1N1 vaccination program.   It was covered by UPI, CNN, the News Hour, NBC, ABC, Fox and the AP. Carlyn Springs is a community school and a model for delivering health care to our nations children.  There was an article in the Washington Examiner that praises the administration of H1N1 vaccine and the communication network employed in Arlington. The author contrasts Arlington’s approach to Chicago’s with a satiric sense of humor http://tinyurl.com/yk8b4db. 

In the middle of all this, I took a quick trip to Charlottesville for a meeting of The Farm Team www.farmteam.org  and, finally, on Friday had a little basil cell removed from my face.  Don’t let the big bandages alarm you.  I’m fine and should look pretty normal in a few months.

Stay warm!      Libby

* In between the two governors, education leaders I’ve worked with on the P-16 Council talked about the need to smooth transitions from high school to higher education, and about the work and plans that are underway to do that.  Currently about half of community college students need remediation classes before they can start college level work, a loss of valuable time and resources.   Virginia’s Standards of Learning for high school, and their associated tests, are being aligned with standards for college readiness in math and English.  The plan (yet to be approved by the state board of education) is that students will take those tests junior year of high school and, if they do not pass, will take classes while still in high school to become ready.   It is also hoped that a number of students will be able to complete high school and college in fewer years, again saving time and resources.   Community colleges are working with local school systems to have college credit courses taught in high school, which we are already doing here in Arlington with NOVA.  Virginia’s P-16 Council was praised repeatedly to encourage its continuation under Governor McDonnell.  When the incoming Governor spoke he seemed quite aware that his own reputation would depend in large part on how much educational progress in Virginia continues under his leadership.  I am quite hopeful the P-16 Council will continue.  I would very much like to continue to serve on the Council.  I am not so hopeful about that, but am grateful for the over four years I have been able to serve.