Some 650 teachers joined Prince William County Schools’ ranks for the 2011-12 school year. Some just graduated from college, others have taught for years elsewhere and still others have had careers in other professions but are joining the ranks of the teachers in the county.

The late-August issues of the Bull Run Observer, Manassas Observer and Old Bridge Observer all offer must-have back-to-school information for parents, students and the community.

Prince William County Schools requires parents and students to attend concussion training before students can even try out for sports, regardless of whether they are contact or noncontact sports.

Prince William public school seniors get high marks on national ACT college-readiness test.

Many area students performed extremely well on their Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. Even still, no area school division—Prince William, Fauquier county, Manassas City nor Manassas Park—achieved all the benchmarks required to earn the national Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standard. They were in line with 124 other school divisions that failed to make AYP. Only four school divisions as a whole achieved AYP, which requires not only high numbers of students to pass the math and reading SOLs, but that certain groups of students meet SOL pass rates, graduation and attendance rates as well.

Patriot High School, in Nokesville, is ready to have students gracing its halls. Principal Dr. Michael Bishop is excited to welcome students. Patriot’s final orientation is scheduled for Aug. 31, 6-8 p.m. A pep rally is planned for Sept. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m.; classes begin Sept. 6. Patriot High School, at 10504 Kettle Run Road in Nokesville, can be reached at 703-594-3020. Its website is patrioths.schools.pwcs.edu. Photo by Sudha Kamath

Nurses from Prince William Health System banded together to raise funds, which they donated to Head Start programs in Prince William County, Manassas City and Manassas Park schools.

Glenkirk Elementary School found its missing hard drive, which contained some personal student information on it. Parents can call Aug. 1 and 2 for more information.