Emma and Linda volunteered to assist the special education team process parent claims and issue authorizations to reimburse families for privately rendered special education services. Their extra effort exemplifies dedication, compassion, and a strong commitment to serving our community. In the midst of the challenges and uncertainties surrounding this project, Emma and Linda stepped up to help ease the financial burdens faced by families. Their commitment to partnership and excellence reflects the core values of our division and highlights the transformative power of collaboration in achieving our shared goals.
These three family liaisons have gone above and beyond by leveraging their strong collaboration skills and developing partnerships to impact the entire school community. They have truly impacted the lives of many by ensuring access to life changing experiences and classes. These experiences have created access to jobs for parents, increased parents' abilities to support their children through parenting classes and supporting families with donations of basic needs such as housing goods, food and clothes. Additionally, they have coordinated tutoring, swimming lessons, and bike donations for students, further enriching the community.
This group comprises various International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years and Primary Years Program Coordinators from across FCPS. For the past two years, they have collaborated to align IB’s Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills with the Portrait of a Graduate (POG) attributes. Through shared leadership, open discussion, and collective expertise, this team develops resources, strategies, and professional development that explicitly link POG initiatives to the IB Programmes. These resources and learning experiences are distributed across all seventeen IB schools, ensuring equitable access to student-led Presentations of Learning.
The StaffConnect Implementation Team demonstrated exceptional collaboration in conceptualizing, developing, and launching a platform that has significantly enhanced the experience for thousands of employees. The StaffConnect platform increases transparency and visibility, securely transmits information, and saves countless hours of analysis through continuous reporting and automated analytics. This cross-office partnership created the platform to facilitate the direct routing of inquiries across forty different topics, streamlining communication and response times for employees. Since its rollout in mid-2023, there have been over four thousand unique submitters and more than eight thousand closed cases—truly a remarkable achievement!
While these team members consistently demonstrate a strong commitment to equity and opportunity daily within our school community, the West Potomac Super Snack initiative has particularly highlighted their organizational and collaboration skills. Upon learning about the program's availability, they developed a system to identify when snacks were needed, focusing on resource stewardship to minimize waste. This initiative not only showcases the team's creativity and innovative approaches to keeping students connected to the school but also underscores their proactive efforts to address food insecurity.
In the spring of 2024, the West Potomac "La Liga" program was established, creating a fun and inclusive soccer league for students, particularly those who might not typically participate in after-school activities. The program made a concerted effort to engage multilingual students who may have felt disconnected from other school programs. The impact has been remarkable, with participating students demonstrating improved attendance and academic performance, while also developing a deeper sense of connection and belonging within the West Potomac community.
Over the past decade, the demands of standardized testing in public schools have become increasingly complex, underscoring the need for a secure and comprehensive test management system. A collaborative effort across departments led to the creation of the CAPS APEX Project, resulting in the Consolidated Assessment Planning Support (CAPS) application. Launched division-wide in 2023-24, CAPS has transformed assessment administration by ensuring compliance with federal and state policies. Through innovative solutions, the team not only met but exceeded user expectations, streamlining compliance, reducing workload, mitigating testing irregularities, and promoting equitable testing with appropriate accommodations for all students.
As a vital part of the Office of Design and Construction, the Red Team oversees the design and construction of both school bond and non-bond projects, including new school construction, renovations, and additions. They coordinate the efforts of architects, engineers, and building contractors, ensuring compliance with all components of the bond package. Throughout all phases of a project, the Red Team works closely with stakeholders in FCPS Central Offices, local schools, Fairfax County Government , and surrounding neighborhoods, to achieve outcomes that enhance both our school and community environments.
Beth Boivin, Tommy Burke, Ivert Cuellar, M., Tiffany T. Lee, Mario Martinez Diaz, and Oscar Melendez
The Onboarding Experience team worked tirelessly to improve this key interaction between a new employee or volunteer and the division. The goal was to provide a welcoming message for new employees while clearly outlining the onboarding tasks and the length of time required to complete each one. Since implementing the new workflows, the time to complete onboarding has been significantly reduced. Furthermore, the team has established a repeatable process for ongoing improvement, consolidating disparate procedures into clearer workstreams on the onboarding portal.
With the adoption of the new FCPS Strategic Plan in June 2023, all schools in the Division, for the first time, established consistent School Improvement and Innovation Plan (SIIP) goals aligned with this plan. To support this effort, several new resources were developed, with the SIIP Data Workbook Team playing a crucial role. They created a Division-wide data tool that provided every school with a standardized set of assessment results and student data, empowering them to set their goals for the upcoming school year. Congratulations to this wonderful team!
The Tech Support Desk consists of dedicated call center agents who serve as the front-line responders for students, staff, and parents reaching out for technology assistance. Staff members connect through the internal FCPS line, while parents and students use the Parent Technology Help Desk. On average, the Tech Support Desk processes two thousand support tickets through the Tech Support Portal and receives over twelve hundred phone calls each week. As FCPS continues to enhance technology and security, the Tech Support Desk remains the primary customer-facing office, dedicated to resolving IT issues across the division.
Each team member embodies qualities that promote student achievement and success, particularly for those exhibiting challenging behaviors. Together, they cultivate a culture of continuous learning throughout the day, skillfully addressing behavioral obstacles as they arise. The team upholds Key Center's culture of high expectations while employing effective problem-solving strategies to foster student growth. Their adaptability in adjusting expectations and guiding activities during shifting situations empowers students to learn, grow, and demonstrate their successes.
The Red Rover Implementation team, composed of representatives from various offices, worked diligently to launch this updated and modern substitute management system. The pilot began in the fall of 2023, with the full system going live in January 2024. This new system has transformed how educators, administrators, and substitutes connect, creating a more efficient and effective educational environment. Thanks to the Red Rover team’s exceptional performance, FCPS has successfully increased fill rates, improved efficiency, and enhanced the overall experience for both schools and substitute teachers.
Submit questions or concerns, as well as upload forms and other documents through the FCPS StaffConnect portal. Human Resources representatives are also available for assistance Monday – Friday (8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) by calling 571-423-3000 or 1-800-831-4331.
