FCPS This Week December 14, 2022

An instructor assists students and their families at a festive painting event at Glasgow Middle School. See more photos of this event on FCPS’ Facebook and Instagram accounts as they count down #8DaysofExcellence.

Deafness Doesn’t Discourage Drummer 

Michael Gouin, a junior and member of the drumline at Woodson High School, teaches his peers that his deafness won’t hold him back. He hopes to continue drumming in college and eventually for the Baltimore Marching Ravens, the largest musical organization associated with the NFL. At his winter concert, the NFL team provided a surprise gift to Gouin. Read more of his story. 

How to Find Weather Closings/Delays

With winter weather on the horizon, please take a moment to watch this video detailing how weather-related closing decisions are made. 

FCPS’ website is generally the first mode of communication during emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated. 

Be sure to plan ahead for the winter season. Parents/caregivers should confirm their contact information is up-to-date in weCare@school (or, if you are an Employee, UConnect), in order to receive emails and text messages from FCPS. Bookmark the FCPS website, plan for childcare, if appropriate, and know what items your child may need to take home before a weather event.

FCPS' Fall 2022 VHSL State Champions

Congratulations to all the FCPS student-athletes who participated in the 2022 fall sports season. This year four teams and two individuals won the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 6 championship in their respective sports, and three teams and three individuals were the state runners-up. Learn more about the champions. 

Speed Cameras Target School Zone Safety

On December 6, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to launch a pilot program that will have 10 speed monitoring devices (speed cameras) installed throughout the county. These cameras will be in nine school zones and one construction zone. Thanks to our county partners for helping to improve the safety of our students and staff.

Studies show that speed camera enforcement is effective in improving safety by reducing speeding, accidents, and injuries. Read more about the school zone speed camera pilot program.

Calendar Reminder: Winter Break, December 19 - January 2 

As a reminder, winter break will be held December 19 to January 2. To help make sure school-based staff and students have a restful break, we have asked that no homework be assigned during this time. Teachers may assign long-range assignments in the weeks ahead of the break, allowing students to practice time management skills, but no assignments will be due immediately following the break. We look forward to welcoming students back in the new year. 

Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. See the complete 2022-23 School Year Calendar.

The next issue of FCPS This Week will be sent Wednesday, January 4. Enjoy the break! 

High School Academy Open Houses

FCPS high school academies will hold open houses for interested students beginning in mid-January. 

A high school academy is a center within a high school that offers advanced technical and specialized courses that can prepare students for postsecondary education and/or career fields. Students enrolling in Academy elective courses will be provided with opportunities to participate in a variety of career experiences including shadowing, mentoring, and/or internships with local businesses.

Learn more and find the calendar of Academy Open Houses. 

Strategic Planning Community Forums Scheduled

Beginning January 30, FCPS will host a series of community forums as part of our Strategic Plan development process. The completed schedule and locations for the sessions are posted on FCPS' Strategic Planning webpage. 

Decades of Making a Difference

Dominic Prakash and David Plum, auto technology teachers at Lake Braddock Secondary School, aren’t just colleagues. Their friendship goes back nearly 40 years to when they met in an auto class at South Lakes High School. Now they teach, inspire, and mentor a new generation of students. Watch this FCPS Heroes video to see how David and Dominic are impacting students. Read more on our website. 

Tutor.com Testimonials

Are you wondering what experience other FCPS families have had with Tutor.com? Read some comments below: 

• “As a parent, I logged in for the first time to see what my student could expect here. The tutor I chatted with was very helpful with my questions and gave me some great tips to try with my child. Next time, I will log in with my child and hopefully match with a tutor that will help him realize learning can be done in different ways.” —Elementary school parent
• “My child used tutor.com last night and said her math tutor was EXCELLENT. She was happy and so now I'm happy, too, as she's been grinding it out solo in the hardest math.” —High school parent

Unless they have been opted out, students can access Tutor.com through Schoology. Every session is personalized to meet students’ needs from remedial to advanced levels. Sessions focus on conceptual learning and critical thinking—not quick answers. 

Learn more on FCPS’ Tutor.com webpage. 

McLean Student Selected for U.S. Senate Youth Program

Saehee Perez, a student at McLean High School, has been selected as one of only two students to represent Virginia as a delegate to the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) in March. Saehee will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship.

Every year, two of the highest-achieving students from each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education system overseas are selected through an extremely competitive merit-based selection process held at the state departments of education nationwide. Congratulations to Saehee!

Give Your Student the Gift of Education

We recognize that holidays are an important time to reconnect with family and expose children to their heritage and culture, whether they grew up in another part of the United States or a different country. If your family’s holiday plans include extended travel, please remember the impact to your children’s education if they miss too much class time. Visit our website for more attendance resources. 

Attend today, achieve tomorrow!

COVID Diagnostic Testing in January

COVID diagnostic testing will be available for FCPS students, teachers, and staff at five locations across the county January 3-5 from 5 to 8 p.m. This testing is for those who are either experiencing COVID symptoms or have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID. Appointments are not required, but registration must be completed before testing. Visit the COVID Testing webpage for more information. 

Virtual Special Education Conference Coming in April

Save the date! Fairfax County Public Schools will hold a virtual Special Education Conference on Saturday, April 29. The event is open to the public and intended to help parents/caregivers learn more about how families, teachers, and schools can work together toward “Unity in Our FCPS Community.” More information will be shared in January. 

School Board Meeting on December 15 at 7 p.m.

The School Board will hold a regular business meeting on Thursday, December 15, at 7 p.m. See the complete regular meeting agenda (English only). The meeting can be viewed on FCPS Cable TV Channel 99 (Verizon Channel 11), the FCPS YouTube Channel, and on the FCPS website. Agenda highlights include:

• Public Testimony on Collective Bargaining (during the public hearing)
• A presentation on Capital Improvements
• FY23 Mid-Year Budget Review
• Proposed New Policy 3290, Parental Notification Regarding Instructional Materials with Sexually Explicit Content

Recordings of School Board meetings and work sessions can be viewed on the FCPS YouTube channel. To watch School Board meetings dubbed in Spanish, you can visit the FCPS en Español YouTube channel.

If you need language interpretation or American Sign Language support for any School Board meeting, please contact the Board clerk.

Find your School Board member and how to contact them on the School Board Members webpage