Victory Elementary School: Home of the Westies

 

Bristow, Virginia. In anticipation of the upcoming school year, BristowEnews.com met with Donna Cude, Principal of Victory Elementary School. Victory Elementary school is the home of the Westies, which is the official mascot of the school. The school started three years ago with 600 students and now there are over 950 registered students. As a result of this extraordinary growth, the school hired more experienced teachers to compliment the school curriculum and activities.

Principal Cude and her staff are excited about the upcoming coming school year and she can see the difference in students registering this year. According to her, the school atmosphere is relaxed and in a sense the school has achieved a true community spirit. She said both the parents and students have been supportive overall and have a positive outlook for the upcoming school year.

The school is in the process of pursuing an International Barraculate Program Certification; this program was developed and catered to student's aged 3 to 19. It helps develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn, and work in a rapidly globalizing world. As a result of this endeavor, the elementary school has attracted students from the Bristow, Gainesville, and other surrounding communities. However, at this time the school cannot accept students transferring to the school due to capacity. Principal Cude anticipates completion of the initial draft of the curriculum to be completed this year. This draft curriculum conforms to guidelines established by the International Barraculate Program body. The draft documents will be published next spring.

Victory Elementary school became part of the Virginia Effective Schoolwide Discipline (ESD) Initiative, a program developed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) responding to the need for research-validated positive behavioral intervention practices. This program provides schools the professional development in implementing a school wide discipline programs in their settings. In concert with this program, Principal Cude designed and initiated a "Hero Celebration", a program designed for recognizing students for doing the right thing on a regular basis. The students are recognized for good behavior and are allowed to participate in the after school hour activities.

The school is currently staffed with 76 full-time employees and the average ratio of students to teacher is 24. There are countless numbers of school volunteers throughout the school year. According to the Principal, parents are required to volunteer at least 2 hours per month.

Victory Elementary school is by far the largest school facility in the district. The school has roughly about 84,000 square feet. The class sizes are broken down into the following:

7 classrooms for Kindergarten Students
7 classrooms for 1st Grade Students
8 classrooms for 2nd Grade Students
6 classrooms for 3rd Grade Students
6 classrooms for 4th Grade Students
5 classrooms for 5th Grade Students

The school has a gymnasium, a school cafeteria, and a computer lab. Each classroom has two computers. There are currently two ActivBoards installed. An ActivBoard is an interactive whiteboard. It can be used as a screen for the teacher and for the student to write on through the use of a wired, wireless, and internet technology.

Principal Cude gave Bristowenews.com a tour of the school and we took note on how much work and preparation was needed for the upcoming school. Among the pictures BristowEnews.com have taken are teachers in session and strategizing for the school year; the computer lab where teachers were busily preparing the class curriculum; the cafeteria manager for planning the school year menu, and of course the school maintenance for keeping the place safe and clean.

The upcoming activities for the school year are:

1. 5 K Mile and 1 Mile Fun Run in November 2007. Again the race will run by age group.
2. Annual PTO Blood Drive held in February 2008.
3. Monthly Social Family Fun Night at local restaurants. The proceeds of this event are put back to the school.
4. After School Activities such as the Arts Club, Chorus Club, Drama, Writing and other education programs to stimulate the young minds.

Finally, Principal Cude encourages parents and legal guardians to encourage children with their school work and remind voters to vote for the coming referendum in November regarding the funding of the local school system. Principal Cude emphasizes the need for school volunteers throughout the year.

Residents often refer to Victory Elementary School as Victory Lakes Elementary School. Principal Cude adamantly pointed out there is no "Victory Lakes" Elementary School. Victory Elementary school provides educational service to the communities of Sheffield Manor, Bridlewood, Lanier Farms, and other outlying communities within Bristow, VA.

The school ground facility is located at:

Victory Elementary School
12001 Tygart Lake Drive
Bristow, VA 20136
703-257-0356

http://www.pwcs.edu/victory

 

 

Date Published: 2007-09-05 12:00:00

Section: Education,