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School News

October 30, 2007 12:36 am

Hugh Mercer Elementary

Michele Phillips, gifted-and-talented resource teacher, was awarded the Virginia Naturally Classroom Grant for environmental education.

Second-grade Pumpkin Run winners are Justus Morrett and Brianna Goode-Wright, first place; Julian Stebbins-Sharpless and Keara Forjan, second place; and Che Sprow and Devin Teri, third place. These students will be recognized for the achievement at the School Board meeting Nov. 5.

Second-graders will visit the science lab at Belvedere Plantation today.

Coats are being gathered through Nov. 2 for children in need of a winter clothing. Donations of new or gently used coats may be dropped off in the bin outside the main office.

Lafayette Upper Elementary

Third-grade teacher Ashley Crickenberger presented at the Virginia Council for Exceptional Children in Charlottesville on Oct. 15. Her presentation was called "Hand in Hand: Special Education Teachers and Community Leaders Work toward Community Integration."

Librarian Karen Duffy presented at the Virginia Educational Media Association Conference in Williamsburg on Oct. 12. The presentation, "The Student Media Festival: It's Definitely Worth Your Time," explained the state-sponsored student technology contest and the international media festival to participants. The elementary school state-winners were in attendance to share their insights and project.

The following students were recently installed as SCA officers: Deja Gray, president; K'Lynn Mastrup, vice president; India Lewis, secretary; Alyssa Washington, treasurer; and Madelaine Martin, historian. The at-large members are Max Glover, Hannah Sky Wilson, William Berry, Nikki Reyes and Alexis Curtis.

Third-grade homeroom representatives are Mary Wallace Baker, Elleanna Carroll, Stephanie Catlett, Christian Garcia, Zane Landeck, Katie Surbeck, Takyia Tensley, Pearson White and Robyana Williams.

Fourth-grade homeroom representatives are Jasmine Beamon, Clara Camber, Evan Cobey, Noah Holmes-Foster, Kellen Gerenser, Jaren Jackson, Stephen Martin, Johnny Silver, Italia Smith and Maggie Stoffel.

Fifth-grade homeroom representatives include Tiffany Bottoms, Norman Ellis, Reagan Farmer, Jesse Garcia, Kellen Gerenser, Chrishaun Morgan, David Nguyen, Miranda Ramos and Madison Stoots.

There will be a school committee meeting today at 7 p.m., in the library.

Costume parades for the fall festival will be held Oct. 31. Fifth grade will parade at 9:30 a.m. third grade at 11 a.m., and fourth grade at 1 p.m. All students will enjoy parties in their classrooms beginning at 2 p.m.

Report cards will be sent home Nov. 9.

Walker-Grant Middle

Walker-Grant faculty and staff went "Passionately Pink for the Cure" last week, joining others nationwide donning pink clothing to raise breast cancer awareness. Individual donations were made to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Sixth-graders will demonstrate their scientific know-how to parents, classmates and guests at Scientist for Night on Nov. 8.

Last week's Flag Brigade included seventh-graders Nick Woods, Jo-she Koomson and Tatiana Pappas.

James Monroe High

Nine members of the James Monroe French Club, Le cercle Francais, toured Kenmore Plantation recently. The tour was conducted totally in French and student teams answered questions based on the tour. The team of Abby Parsons and James Paulose turned in the highest number of correct answers the fastest and won chocolate truffles.

The Key Club raised more than $200 in just one short week with the Domestic Violence Awareness Ribbon fundraiser. Proceeds will go the Avon Foundation's "Speak Out Against Domestic Violence" program.

The Key Club will deliver Ghost Grams to all city schools Oct. 31. Proceeds from this fundraiser will purchase Thanksgiving meals for local needy families.

Battlefield Elementary

Fifth-grade students have the opportunity to order a "Class Shirt" to commemorate their years at Battlefield Elementary.

First-graders learned a great deal about fire safety during Fire Prevention Week. As part of this study, rescue team members from Spotsylvania County visited the school to describe the equipment and work involved in their jobs.

The following students earned perfect scores on the fourth-grade SOL tests last spring: Angela Banko, Brittany Beach, Emily Beverly, Zachary Bickers, Devin Chimnermill, Craig Close, Elizabeth Franco, Christopher Heimink, Madisyn Horton, Noah Karkenny, Kaitlyn Keisling, Claire King, Kelsie Lapore, Aemilia Letkiewicz, Robert Ohse, Jawaun Powell, Jillian Stack, Natalie Wilson and Kirsten Wright.

Each year, students, staff and parents come together to support our version of an Angel Tree for Battlefield students. Battlefield parents in need of help at Christmas time can call school social worker Robin Insley at 540/786-4400, ext. 1106, or e-mail
Email: rinsley@ms.spotsyl vania.k12.va.us for more information.

The PTO fundraiser Limo Lunch ride will be held Nov. 2.

Berkeley Elementary

The following students have been chosen as the Berkeley Students of the Month: Kylee Agee, Austin Swinson, Tyler Morath, Makynzie Terrell, Taylor Fines, Jessica Polly, Breelyn Taylor, Abigail Morkovsky, Morganna Duvall, Charles Bowles, Travis Smith, Justin Rogers, Crystall Hall, Hannah Brooks, Trevor Jones, Kenny Chantharavongsa, T.J. Heflin and Erica Durrett.

Brock Road Elementary

Shawna Williams' second-grade students are growing lima beans in their classroom windows. They will be measuring their growth for the next three to four weeks.

Tracey DeMarco's kindergarten and Lori Tritt's third-grade classes have become reading pals and read together twice a month. They are working on story retelling skills and are enjoying their time together.

Students are enjoying working on fun math learning centers while enriching their mathematical skills. Each week centers are changed and students rotate to find new and exciting ways to practice their math concepts. Todd Miller's fifth-grade and Alison Hovda's second-grade classes worked together on scarecrow acrostic poems. They used the C.O.W.S., computers on wheels, to create their poems and add artwork and clipart. Stephanie Scheff's first-grade students partnered with Kate Terney's third-graders in a writing activity. Third-graders helped the first-graders edit their pig stories. Amanda Gorelick, a practicum student from ODU, has been working with the class on its motion unit and has been awarding students with "Great Moments" certificates.

Karen Dodson's second-grade worked with Tracey DeMarco's kindergarten class Oct. 26. The older students helped the kindergartners get familiar with Computers on Wheels. They worked on using the mouse, logging in, and locating the student applications folder. Then they had fun with an educational computer game.

Chancellor Elementary

The Chancellor Elementary--Second Bank Fourth annual One Mile Run was held Oct. 20. Many Chancellor students placed in the top three in their age groups:

10 year-old girls--Maci Winebarger, third

10 year-old boys--Tyler Argust, second

9-year-old girls--Kelly Jurkouich, first

9-year-old boys--Kyle Davis, second and Ethan Fitch, third

8-year-old girls--Lizzy Vaughn, first and Karly Jurkouich, second

8-year-old boys--Brandon Tarbet, first and Ryan Miller, second

7-year-old girls--Lydia Burke, first and Kelly Davis, third

7 year-old boys--Luke Durocher, second

6 and under girls--Shelley Winebarger, first and Grayson Reese, second

6 and under boys--Jack Kreger, second and Daniel Weber, third.

Courtland Elementary

The end of the first grading period is Nov. 2.

This year's Sally Foster fundraiser netted more than $9,000.

School librarian Debi Goforth has set 15,000 points as a schoolwide Accelerated Reader goal. Students have already earned more than 5,000 points. The recent Saturday Open Library and Family Reading Night were both a big success. Students and families came to read, take AR tests, and work on the computers.

Report cards will be sent home Nov. 8.

Lee Hill Elementary

Community Connections is the school's weekly e-mail service that provides updates and reminders. A registration form can be found at the school Web site: spotsylvania.k12.us/lhes then click on "Parent E-mail List.

Character traits for the second nine weeks are kindness and respect.

Writing rubrics will be issued to grades three through five on Thursday. Parents are asked to review material and return it as quickly as possible.

The PTO Cookie Dough fundraiser begins Thursday. All orders are due Nov. 8.

Spirit wear will be sold during lunch shifts on Friday. Winter wear is now available in child and adult sizes.

Parkside Elementary

Picture make-up day will be Nov. 9.

Kindergarten, first-and second-graders will have their next Popcorn Friday on Nov. 2. Each bag of popcorn costs 25 cents and there is a two-bag limit.

Order forms to pre-order a year book were sent home recently. The cost is $17. Parents can also order special parent grams for their child for $3 each.

Riverview Elementary

Did you know that every time you use your Giant, Bloom or Food Lion card, or Target Red Visa, you can earn money for Riverview? Register your cards at the store or online and Riverview will receive a percentage of your purchase each time you shop.

Robert E. Lee Elementary

Students of the week for Oct. 15-19 were Marcus Parker and Teddy Tyler.

Perfect attendance winners were Marilyn Cope, Eric Taylor, Tyler Donald , Kayla Woodward, Sara Worley and Nicholas Lenox.

Tomorrow is Black and Orange Spirit Day.

Nov. 2 is Hawaiian Spirit Day.

Smith Station Elementary

Smith Station is recycling newspaper and white paper. Each classroom will have recycling boxes and two large recycling bins are located on the side of the building near the dumpsters. Students are invited to bring in newspapers from home to recycle.

Every Friday is spirit day. Wear your Smith Station T-shirt or red to show your Smith Station spirit.

Spotswood Elementary

The following members of the Fitness Challenge Club qualified for entry level in the Pacer Racer challenge by reaching the line seven or more times: Courtney Wolfgang, Skylar Strunk, Lance Brunson, Chelsea Schroeder, Olivia Fartro, Erica Kader, Imani Jones, Brandi Chew, Mykaela Lochiatto, Gabby Marzullo-Dove, Jodie Scott, Karis Bachman, Makayla Snider, Kaitlyn Hall, Logan Sale, Ernie Perez, Raymond Cropper, Madhvi Patel, Eleni Martinez, Lacey Smith and Tera Marzullo-Dove.

The following members of the Fitness Challenge Club qualified for midlevel in the Pacer Racer challenge by reaching the line 23 or more times: Ainsley Satterwhite, Kristin Kim, Makiah Coleman, Tayor Pitts and Camryn Allred.

The following members of the Fitness Challenge Club qualified for high level in the Pacer Racer challenge by reaching the line 32 times: Victoria Westermeyer, Dylan Emch, Henry Roa, Ralf Cabanlit, Alexis Satterwhite, Jared Wunderlich, Logan Brooks, Jamal Jones, Sydney MIchael, Bailey Bell, Collin Garnett, Justin Deters, Ronald Thornton, Ajia Yarbrough, Thomas Kurth, Andrew Branham, Chelsea Emch, Isaac Otero, Joseph Hildebrand, Matthew Sullivan, Sam McCown, Sean Conlee, Andre Eubanks, Eddie Wunderlich, Alyah Gilberry and Joshua Rebennack.

Wilderness Elementary

Library Media Assistants this semester are Gabrielle Boothby, Jacob Vignaroli, Mallori Sorensen, Lauren Dalfonzo, Emily Borst, Jessica Liberman, Tyler Lacik, Kayla Claypoole, Sarah Ahmed, Sierra Morcom and Bryanna Smith. They will help run the checkout computer, shelve books, process new books and other general duties.

Outstanding citizens for the month of September were:

Kindergarten--Joey Ortega, Nyla Dorsey, Timmy Dempsey, Carly Baker, Lily Van Slyke, Tanaia Downey, Dale Law, Riley Tibert, Connor McEniry, Nicole Choquette and Robbie Hudson

First grade--Kaitlynn Youse, Starlena Sigmon, Alex Barahona, Bobby Gonzales, Hunter O'Neill, Briana McCurley and Kristin Reesing

Second grade--Kelsey Jackson, Michael Luciani, Clay Wilson, Ke'Ahjah Bevels, Gavin Zerull, Shohn Downey, Henry Taylor, Lauren Malinowski, Amanda Carreras, Matthew Higgins, Christina Montee, Daniel Dunfee, Juliana Ramirez and Logan McEniry

Third grade--Anna Balgoyen, Alex Asimacopoulos, Emma Hebertson, Skyler Moon, Jozalynn Walker, Andrew Green, Stephen Roop, Brooke Sullivan, Pierce Wekenmann, Matthew Young and Dylan Letellier.

Fourth grade--Ariyana Young, Marcus Reynolds, Kemunto Maragia, Raeanne Martell, Austin Jackson, Luis Torres-Ramos,Alley Labossiere, Victoria Scanlon, Malik Lewis, Kaitlyn Breeden and Alysa Pugmire.

Fifth grade--Connor Grant, Samara Gall,Chris Pritchett, Ellie Maston, Andrew Mackert, Breezy Smith, Ana Torres, Kayla Claypoole,Chantel Hardy, Elizabeth Balgoyen, Mallori Sorenson and Alan Batt .

Battlefield Middle

The school library is accepting donations of unwanted magazines. Call 540/786-4400, ext. 1114, for details.

Winter sports tryouts begin Nov. 7. Students must have a completed physical form turned in by that date or they will not be allowed to participate.

Freedom Middle

The PTA fall fundraiser has concluded. The top three sellers were Samantha Gomez, Kristin Blount and Justin Burwell. On Nov. 1, the 32 students that sold 25 or more items will be going by limo to lunch at CiCi's Pizza.

Ni River Middle

Boys Basketball and Wrestling Tryouts begin Nov. 7, 3-5 p.m. Students who are trying out must have a completed physical on the first day of tryouts or have one on file.

Kathryn Alvey has scheduled a hands-on music piano recital in the forum Oct. 31, 4-5 p.m.

The Special Olympic Games Oct. 23 were a huge success.

Thornburg Middle

Meteorologist Adam Caskey from ABC7/WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8 presented an assembly to the sixth-graders Oct. 17, to describe his occupation and share his experiences as a meteorologist. The students are currently studying weather and the atmosphere and were pleased to see how their knowledge in the classroom can be utilized in the future.

The following students have received positive referrals for excellent behavior, respecting others, being kind and helpful to other students or always striving for their personal best: Ravon Johnson, A.J. Johnson, Kailyn Sonnenberg, Matt Tolley, Lauren Williams, Cara Hall and Marvin Mudd.

The FBLA officers are: Tierra Johnson, president; Michael Messina, vice president; Christian Garry, secretary, and Josie Heintzelman, reporter/historian.

The Student Advisory Committee has been selected:

Sixth grade--Kyle Dalton, India Fox and Scott Anderson

Seventh grade--Desiree Ross, Marc McGlinn and Christopher Fountain

Eighth grade--Jordan Shilling, Bryan Suarez and Roksana Qasimi.

Thornburg is striving to be the first school in the county to achieve 100 percent attendance. When we achieve that, the assistant principal will shave his head on the televised morning announcements.

Chancellor High

The ASVAB has been rescheduled for Dec. 5. Students who have

already signed up, will remain on the list to take the ASVAB on Dec. 5, and will not need to sign up again.

The Cross Country Team will be collecting used cell phones again this year. Collection boxes are in the main lobby and main office.

Yearbooks are on sale now for $65; $6 for DVD; $5 for spring supplement. See Mr. Panarese in room A-113 for details.

Massaponax High

The Marching Panther Pride marched their stuff Oct. 20 at Lee Davis. They received second place AAA Band, first place AAA Percussion, first place AAA Marching, fourth place Overall, Spirit Award, and Best Pit Crew.

Students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month last week with some trivia fun and "Lunch in the Library" with music, food and fun. Each day students answered trivia questions to win a prize.

Yearbooks are currently on sale. Students will not be getting a mailer sent home so pre-order your yearbook before the price goes up Dec. 1.

Riverbend High

Geography teacher Penny Anderson has had an article titled "Atlantic Canada in Review: Highlights of a Teacher's Trip with the Virginia Geographic Alliance, " published in the October 2007 edition of The Geography Teacher.

--Mark Keith PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Blake Farm Dayschool

Everybody is invited to a free concert Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. in the social hall of the Beth Sholom Temple. Entertainment features the musical talents of Epiphany, Grace Heartstrings and the music students of Blake Farm Dayschool.

The school is hosting a Fall Festival Oct. 31 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will be a costume parade and the students will rotate between the five classrooms to participate in various activities.

Nov. 5 and 6 are early release days. Students will be dismissed at 1 p.m.

The upper grade class "Famous Person History" projects are in. The children were to describe what they were going to be 30 years in the future.

The PTO is sponsoring a canned food drive with the Salvation Army.

School Beautification Day is Nov. 3, 10 a.m. to noon. Rake the playground, pull weeds and plant bulbs. Students are encouraged to bring in their own bulbs to plant. Donations of mulch will be greatly appreciated.

Chuck E. Cheese Spirit Night is Nov. 8, 3-9 p.m.

Fredericksburg Academy

The 11th grade visited Monticello yesterday to enrich their study of U.S. history.

Today, the first grade will travel to Alum Spring Park as part of their unit on seeds and trees. Also today, the seventh-grade drama class will present scenes in the theater for their classmates.

On Wednesday, the lower school will participate in the annual Halloween costume parade. This event is a highlight of the fall for many lower school students.

Lower school parent-teacher conferences will take place Thursday. There will be no classes for lower school students that day.

The Navy Brass Quintet will present a special concert for students on Monday.

Fredericksburg Christian Schools

Fruit and nut sales to benefit the athletics and missions departments will continue through Nov. 12. Family Directories are available in your campus office or through Development for $3 each. The yearbook sales drive ends Oct. 31. Re-enrollment for the 2008-09 school year begins Nov. 1. On Nov. 3, the music department will sponsor a car wash at the Taco Bell on U.S. 1 and Mine Rd. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The athletics department is still looking for a JV girls basketball coach. Contact Doug Taylor for information at 540/373-5355.

There is no school Nov. 9 for parent-teacher conferences.

The Sally Foster fundraiser orders will be delivered to the high school campus and the Fredericksburg Elementary (New Life) campus Nov. 7. They will be delivered to the upper elementary/middle school (Highway) campus and Stafford campus Nov. 8.

The following students are the new middle school Student Government Representatives: Sixth grade--Christopher Cheatham, Olivia Dirscherl, Christopher Jones and alternate Mary Kathryn Pressley

Seventh grade--Bret Barham, Mary Copeland, Rachel Evans and alternate Hannah Hodges

Eighth grade--Rachel Baciocco, Andrew Elser, Elizabeth Steigerwald and alternate Alex Cheatham.

The Students of the Month were the following:

Sixth grade--Caty-Scarlett Coleman

Seventh grade--Mary Copeland

Eighth grade--Sarah Bower.

At the upper-elementary campus, the next Geography Bee workshop is Oct. 31, 3:15-4 p.m. There is no chapel Oct. 31.

The Stafford first-graders will share in their chapel service Oct. 31 and third-graders will share Nov. 7. Nov. 8 is the third-grade field trip to Mount Vernon.

There is no chapel Nov. 2 at the Fredericksburg Elementary campus. This campus is also looking for volunteers to help with the Operation Christmas Child collection week. Contact the school office for more information.

The FCS preschool is collecting pictures from the different events and field trips from both campuses. If you have taken some pictures that you are willing to share, please send them to Jeannine Metzger. The Fredericksburg Preschool campus is taking a trip to the fire station. The 3-year-olds and Beth Harvey's 4-year-olds will go Oct. 30, and the other 4-year-olds will go Oct. 31. They also have chapel Nov. 1. The Stafford Preschool has chapel Nov. 2.

Gladys H. Oberle School

English classes has been studying Shakespeare and acting out the play, "Much Ado About Nothing." It has been exciting to see student take on a new persona as they participate in this assignment.

The Transition Training classes continued to prepare students for a variety of work experiences by participating in mock interviews. Two new students are preparing to begin a new training site within the next week. English classes have been preparing business letters which has made for a nice overlap with the transition classes as students have been learning the importance of sending a follow-up letter after an interview.

The biweekly partnership with Westwood Clubhouse continues to be a popular activity. Students planned a menu of southwestern tacos and strawberry shortcake to prepare with the clients at Westwood Clubhouse. Students are gaining skills in the areas of planning, budgeting, and purchasing and assisting client with the execution of the meal.

Holy Cross Academy

The Instrumental Music Program which includes keyboard, strings and band is holding a fundraiser on Halloween selling caramel apples at lunchtime. The program relies on fundraisers to supplement its operating budget. Apples cost $1. Please send this amount in with students on Oct. 31 if they wish to purchase a caramel apple.

The All Saints' Day Parade will be at 2 p.m., Nov. 1. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to dress as their favorite saint. Parents are also welcome to share information about their favorite saints by participating in the parade or sharing a "saint story" with a class during the month of November.

The annual "Donuts with Dad" event will be held at 7:30 a.m., Nov 12.

The lunch ordering program, Lunch Works, is in place for the month of November. Please refer to the Quick Start Guide and the pink insert in the Family Envelope. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Halsey via the office.

Saint Mary Parish recognized several HCA volunteers at their appreciation dinner last Thursday: Donna and John Hetrick, Barb Frasher and Glen Pickerel for their dedication and service to our school and parish.

The new Daisy Troop will hold its first meeting at 3 p.m., Nov. 7.

First grade won the September box tops contest with 375 box tops and earned a free dress day. Fireman Knerr visited with kindergarten classes and talked about the importance of having a fire drill at home. He reviewed the stop-drop-and-roll process and the children posed for a picture with their own fire hat.

Middle-schoolers are enjoying their new Friday electives. The boys soccer team placed third in the Linton Hall tourney. They lost to Holy Cross 2-1 and beat Linton Hall 1-0.

St. William of York

There is a half-day of school Nov. 2. Dismissal is at noon.

Winter uniforms began Oct. 29.

Picture Day is today in the winter uniform.

All students are invited to dress-up in storybook character costumes Oct. 31. Students should know the title of the actual book, character, author, the plot, climax and resolution. Surprises will be awarded if students know the correct answers.

Nov. 1 is All Saints' Day. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. Please join the students for Mass at 9 a.m.

If you missed the opportunity to purchase Sally Foster products during our brochure sale or just wish you had purchased more, it's not too late to order. SallyFoster.com is still open. You can order until Jan. 15. The school will earn 50 percent profit on all orders placed on our behalf. Just go to sallyfoster.com to view the products and place your order. At the checkout screen, enter our account number 505494. For questions, contact Kristy Lumley at 703/906-9099.

The first Math Club Educontest test is Nov. 6, from 3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. in Room 2. There are two levels of testing: Pre-Algebra and Algebra I. Any student in any grade, except Algebra I students, may take the Pre-Algebra test. The exciting part is that our scores get entered into the Educontest Web site so we can compare scores with other U.S. Catholic schools. The cost to participate in the contest is 50 cents. Please pay Jenn Jedrych anytime before the contest begins and to pick up a permission slip and practice test. You do not need to be a member of the Math Club to take the test.

The Kindergarten Halloween party is today in the cafeteria. No costumes allowed on this day. Storybook character costumes can be worn Oct. 31.

All adult volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and fingerprinted. The next VIRTUS class is Nov. 10 at 9 a.m. To attend, you must register online at virtus.org.

Daylight Saving Time ends Nov. 4. Remember to set your clocks back one hour.

Help is still needed daily at the security desk in the school's lobby. If you are able to volunteer even a few hours a week, please contact Stacy Melancon at 659/9325 or
Email: stacymelancon@comcast.net.

The Book Fair is almost here. Volunteers are still needed. The Book Fair will be held Nov. 1- 9. The holidays are right around the corner and books make great Christmas gifts. For more information, or to volunteer, please contact Julia Simmonds at grd
Email: nvrity@aol.com.

The soccer goal anchors have been ordered and, as soon as they are delivered, they will be installed. Anyone interested in helping with installation please contact Mike Bouchard at 540/659-3723.

Tree of Life Christian Prep School

Fall Week of Prayer has been rescheduled for Nov. 12-16. Pastor Gregory of Fredericksburg Seventh-day Adventist Church will be the speaker for the week.

Nov. 8 is the trip to Stratford Hall.

First quarter ended Oct. 26. Grades will be sent home Nov. 9. Awards Chapel will be Nov. 12. Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Nov. 13.

The first Citrus Fruit and Nuts sale of the season will be Nov. 14, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Navel oranges and grapefruit are available for November's order. All orders must be placed no later than one week prior to the sale. Orders can be placed with fruit coordinator Diane Grimes at 540/972-0476.

For more information, please call 540/786-2019 or e-mail at
Email: TLCPrep@aol.com.