Long Branch Elementary

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Regular Schedule for ART Tomorrow — “ART will operate holiday service on Christmas Day (December 25) and New Year’s Day (January 1). On both days, ART 41, 42, 45, 51, 55 and 87 will operate Sunday service. All other ART routes will not operate. ART will operate regular weekday service on December 24.” [Arlington Transit]

Holiday Hours at Pentagon City Mall — The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City is “offering special holiday hours to accommodate busy holiday shoppers… Shoppers can have their gifts beautifully wrapped this holiday season for a nominal fee with all proceeds benefiting Arms Outstretched, a local nonprofit organization supporting wounded warriors. The gift-wrapping service will be located on the second level near Nordstrom.” [Press Release]

Travel Tips at National Airport — “The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is gearing up for another record holiday travel period at both Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. As the holidays approach, the Airports Authority expects to see heavier traffic and passenger volumes.” [Press Release]

Video Highlights ACPD Crosswalk Enforcement — “WATCH: The Arlington County Police Department routinely conducts pedestrian crosswalk safety enforcement campaigns using decoy officers and federal standards for safe stopping distances.” [Twitter]

Football Team Drops By Elementary School — “Earlier today, the @dcdivasfootball visited Long Branch to talk about who they are, following your passion, health/fitness, and then walked through a few drills. The D.C. Divas, which play in the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA), are one of the most well-known and successful teams in women’s tackle football.” [Instagram]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Renegade Opening Today — “The Renegade, the new two-story coffee shop, restaurant, and live music venue from chef Patrick Crump is opening this Thursday, Oct. 24 at 3100 Clarendon Blvd. in Arlington.” [Press Release]

Hoskins Questions Amazon’s Arlington Location — “[Fairfax County Economic Development Authority CEO Victor] Hoskins helped land corporate giant Amazon for Arlington, but now says the company probably should have located in Fairfax County, with its larger, more diverse, pro-business environment. The county’s 120 million-square-foot office market is three times larger than Arlington’s, he noted.” [InsideNova]

ACFD Collects Supplies for Shelters — “More than 1600 pounds of supplies for shelter animals have been collected by Arlington County firefighters in the past four years in what has been dubbed ‘Operation Firepaws,’ with the donations going to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.” [WJLA]

Nats Rally at Long Branch ES on TV — “The students and teachers at Long Branch Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia [were] showing off their Natitude” during a rally on Wednesday. The Nats won big last night, by the way. [Fox 5]

Century-Old Sentinel Gets Big Welcome at DCA — “This morning we welcomed Jack, the oldest living retired Sentinel at 100 years young, on a special trip to DC to see his name posted on a plaque of the Wall of Honor in the barracks. Jack danced his way off the flight and into everyone’s hearts.” [Twitter, CBS News]

Police Charge Custodian With Credit Card Fraud Targeting School Staff

By ARLnow.com

A custodian at Long Branch Elementary School is facing a battery of charges after allegedly making fraudulent purchases with the credit cards of school employees.

Arlington County Police say 25-year-old Kevin Sykes stole personal and banking information by photographing items from a colleague’s purse. The woman, and two other school employees, reported the suspected credit card and identity theft to police.

More from an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department has charged a suspect following a fraud investigation targeting employees of Long Branch Elementary School. Kevin Sykes, 25, of Washington D.C. has been charged with three counts of credit card theft, two counts of credit card fraud, and two counts of identity theft. Mr. Sykes was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department and is being held in Washington D.C.

At approximately 3:46 p.m. on May 11, police were dispatched to the report of a credit card fraud. Upon arrival, the victim reported her credit cards had approximately 16 fraudulent charges since April. The investigation determined that the suspect, a custodian at Long Branch Elementary School, had stolen the victim’s personal and banking information by photographing documents obtained from inside her purse. Detectives identified two additional victims who were working at the school at the time their personal information had been stolen.

Arlington County Police are reminding residents to regularly check your bank statements. If you notice fraudulent activity, notify the banking institution so they can begin an investigation and file a police report.

This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact Detective G. Gammell of the Arlington County Police Department’s School Resource Officer Unit at [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Schools Plan to Expand Using Temporary Classrooms, Interior Modifications

By Chris Teale
1/8

Arlington Public Schools will look to temporarily add more space to try to cope with its rising enrollment by adding temporary classrooms and making interior adjustments at several schools.

The Arlington County Board is expected to vote on a slew of proposals across eight schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels at its meeting Saturday (July 15). The temporary solutions are all recommended for approval by county staff, as “student enrollment is growing at a faster rate than APS can provide new schools and classrooms.”

Some are looking to add more temporary, trailer classrooms — known in APS parlance as “relocatables” — while others will make interior adjustments to add more space.

The following schools are applying to add relocatables:

The following schools will look to make interior adjustments and modifications:

Photos Nos. 6, 7 and 8 via Google Maps

Police: Men Arrested After Stealing iPads from Elementary School

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)Arlington County Police say they arrested two men who tried to steal electronics from a local elementary school.

The incident happened just after 2 a.m., early Saturday morning, at Long Branch Elementary School on N. Fillmore Street in Lyon Park.

According to police, an officer patrolling the area noticed the men creeping around the school with flashlights and then going inside via an “unsecured” door. By the time the suspects left the school, with Apple iPad tablets in hand, more officers had arrived and they were taken into custody, said ACPD.

The men, both Arlington residents in their early 20s, were charged with burglary and grand larceny. From the ACPD crime report:

BURGLARY, 160521007, unit block of N. Fillmore Street. At approximately 2:10 a.m. on May 21, an officer working in the area observed suspicious persons. He observed the individuals shining flashlights towards the school and enter through an unsecured door. Officers confronted the individuals upon their exit from the school. The suspects fled but were ultimately apprehended and determined to be in possession of Apple Ipads. Dvonte Medious-Jackson, 21, of Arlington VA, was charged with burglary and grand larceny. James Minor, 22, of Arlington VA, was charged with burglary and grand larceny.

Possible Norovirus Outbreak at Long Branch Elementary

By ARLnow.com

Long Branch Elementary School (photo via APS)School and health department officials are investigating a possible norovirus outbreak at Long Branch Elementary School.

At least 20 students went to the school clinic Friday because of nausea or vomiting, according to Arlington Dept. of Human Services spokesman Kurt Larrick.

Officials say they’re investigating whether the illness was caused by norovirus, and whether the virus might have spread due to a bathroom that was not cleaned properly.

Photo via APS

Community Groups Rally After Nine-Year-Old’s Death

By Ethan Rothstein

Andrew Alford (photo courtesy Louisa Marinaccio)Andrew Alford, a third-grader at Long Branch Elementary School, died for still-unexplained reasons on April 11. This Saturday several groups around Arlington are organizing fundraisers and events to honor his memory.

This Saturday at 6:45 p.m., Arlington Little League, in cooperation with the Mothers of North Arlington, Long Branch PTA and Evolve All Martial Arts, is coordinating a memorial ceremony at Barcroft Sport and Fitness Center (4200 S. Four Mile Run Drive) on baseball field No. 1. Those in attendance are asked to wear orange, Andrew’s favorite color, and to write remembrances of Andrew for his family to keep.

“While for me this is a personal tragedy that I will never recover from, the community has been amazing in their support of Andrew and me in their efforts to honor his memory and the amazing boy he was,” Louisa Marinaccio, Andrew’s mother, told ARLnow.com in an email. “Andrew loved orange, the Pittsburgh Pirates and his momma. He dreamed of pitching for the Pirates in the World Series and owning a mint condition Honus Wagner card.”

Andrew Alford (photo courtesy Louisa Marinaccio)In addition to the event Saturday night, the Arlington Little League has pledged to transform the dirt field at Long Branch in Lyon Park into a full-fledged baseball field in an effort they’ve named the Andrew Alford Memorial Project. Marinaccio said Frank Coonelly, the president of the Pittsburgh Pirates, reached out to her and pledged to donate to the fund.

In addition, MONA will start the Andrew Alford Buddy Bench Project, according to Marinaccio, “as an annual community service project with a goal of installing an orange Buddy Bench in Andrew’s honor at every elementary school in Arlington.”

Arlington Little League President Adam Balutis recounted his favorite Andrew story in an email he wrote to the parents of little leaguers.

“He was playing catcher on a close play at the plate, and an opposing player slid hard into Andrew, accidentally hitting him in the face with his cleats,” Balutis wrote. “With dirt and blood all over his face, Andrew’s mother told him that all the girls at school would say he looked cute and tough and cool. She said Andrew refused to wash his face for hours.”

Photos courtesy Louisa Marinaccio

President Obama Visits Long Branch Elementary School

By ARLnow.com

(Originally published at 11:20 a.m.) President Obama made an unannounced visit to Long Branch Elementary School in Lyon Park this morning.

During the visit, the president posed for photo ops and read part of two books to the school’s second graders. The books were Twas The Night Before Christmas and Of Thee I Sing, Mr. Obama’s recently-published children’s book.

The press release on the event from Arlington Public Schools, after the jump.

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