FCPS This Week - December 18, 2024
A kindergarten student excitedly builds a gingerbread house at Washington Mill Elementary School (above).
Our Fairfax County Public Schools community sends our deepest sympathy to the Abundant Life School community and all of Madison Wisconsin, as they struggle with what has become too common in this nation — another act of violence in our schools.
According to CNN, this is the 83rd school shooting in the United States so far this year. We once again look to our nation’s leaders for a path forward that returns a sense of safety to our children and staff in our schools. If your child is struggling with this week’s news, the National Association of School Psychologists has a resource that can help you talk with them about school violence.
FCPS is also committed to doing everything in our power to keep our students and staff safe in our schools. This includes a strong safety and security program (including a safety tip line to share safety concerns), gun safety lessons, and gun violence prevention resources on our website.
❄️ Be Among the First to Hear About School Delays/Closings
Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE to make sure you receive notifications of school delays/closings. Emails and text messages are sent to parents/caregivers based on the addresses and cell phone numbers entered on this platform.
Watch this video to see how FCPS makes weather closing decisions.
FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about 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.
🏆 Congratulations to FCPS' Fall 2024 Sports Champions!
Congratulations to all the FCPS student-athletes who participated in the 2024 fall sports season. This year, four teams and two individuals won the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 6 championship in their respective sports. Six teams and two individuals were the state runners-up. See who the VHSL honored this year.
🏐 Langley Spikes Second Straight State Girls Volleyball Title
The Langley High School Girls Volleyball team (pictured above) — last year’s state champs — started this season without four of the six starters who led them to a state title last year. Undeterred, the team and the coaches doubled down, embracing six days a week of practice during the playoffs, to emerge with a second consecutive state championship this year! Read more about how the girls beat the odds.
✨ Student participation in extracurricular, co-curricular, or leadership activities is a measure of the FCPS Strategic Plan Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.
🗺️ Dual Language Immersion Lottery Registration
Registration for the countywide lottery for Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program will open on Monday, January 13, 2025. Current pre-K students may apply for the kindergarten immersion program, and current kindergarten students may apply for the first grade immersion program for the 2025-26 school year.
Dual Language Immersion is available in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
Interested parents/caregivers may want to attend an informational meeting at the school site. Visit the Dual Language Immersion Program registration page for a list of meetings by language offered.
Get more details on the DLI Program webpage and DLI Program Registration webpage.
🎨 Eight Students Recognized in National YoungArts Competition
FCPS students received eight awards in the National YoungArts Foundation Competition. These students are part of a group of more than 800 YoungArts award winners who were selected through a highly competitive application. See the list of winning artists.
🎵 Robinson Symphonic Band Selected to Perform at International Conference
The Robinson Secondary School Symphonic Band is performing at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago this week. The International Conference is a prestigious event that draws an average of 18,000 attendees from all 50 states and 40 countries. The Robinson Symphonic Band, the only band from Virginia participating in the conference, successfully navigated a rigorous audition process to secure a spot to perform. Read more about the band and orchestra conference.
🎉 Teachers at 100 Schools Receive Educate Fairfax Grants
Educate Fairfax financially supported 107 grants across 100 Fairfax County public schools — including 24 Title 1 schools — totaling an unprecedented $180,273 in funding! These grants will help defray the cost of innovation in our schools, which might otherwise come out of the pockets of our educators and staff or simply not be possible. Nearly 36,000 of our students will be directly impacted by these grants. See the full list of schools and projects that will be funded.
⭐ West Potomac Teacher Honored With CARES of the Quarter
Congratulations to Lawrence Cooper, a work awareness and transition (WAT) teacher at West Potomac High School, who is the inaugural recipient of the FCPS CARES of the Quarter Award.
Educate Fairfax partnered with the Human Resources employee recognition team to create this award and further highlight the incredible stories of our outstanding employees and their meaningful contributions. Lawrence was chosen from all of the CARES of the Month winners so far this year.
Lawrence received a certificate and a $500 check from Apple Federal Credit Union in recognition of his unwavering commitment to his students and for fostering a strong sense of community and teamwork at West Potomac.
Want to help support teachers and staff? Make a tax-deductible donation to Educate Fairfax, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit that supports the students, staff, and mission of Fairfax County Public Schools.
🖥️ Free Webinars and Events for Families
In January, the Family Resource Center (FRC) will host the following webinars and events for families:
- Overcoming School Refusal and Resistance
- Virtual Meeting for Siblings of Children with Special Needs
- FCPS Math Week
- Supporting Your Child’s Executive Functioning Skills
- Depression in Teens
- Understanding Trauma in Your Child/Comprendiedo el Trauma en su Hijo (presented in Spanish)
Sign up for the FRC newsletter or visit their webinar webpage.
Upcoming Family Academy Events
You are an important part of your child’s education! The Family Academy compiles classes, webinars, workshops, and programs offered by FCPS to help you support your child’s needs and learning at home. Browse Family Academy offerings.
✨ Fostering trusting partnerships with families is included in Pillar B of the FCPS Strategic Plan: Vibrant Home, School, and Community Partnerships.
🎭 “Antigone: 3021” Highlights the Timeless Battle for Justice
Fairfax County Public Schools students are talented actors, musicians, and visual artists. Many FCPS high schools participate in the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Critics and Awards Program for High School Theatre, otherwise known as the Cappies.
The Cappies is a program through which high school theater and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers. There are 15 Cappies chapters across the United States and Canada.
Read the review of “Antigone: 3021” performed at Centreville High School, written by Jenny Mears of Langley High School.
📆 Never Miss a Show! Subscribe to the Fine and Performing Arts Calendar
Take a look at the Fine and Performing Arts calendar on FCPS’ website for individual listings of many middle and high school theater events. You may also subscribe to the calendar for notifications of upcoming performances.
📍 Comprehensive Boundary Review Update
The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee held its second meeting on December 16 at Gatehouse Administration Center. View key takeaways from that meeting and access the meeting agenda, slides, and other materials that committee members received.
Virtual Comprehensive Boundary Review Community Meetings will be held:
- Friday, January 10, 2025, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Thursday, January 16, 2025, 1-2:30 p.m.
- Saturday, January 25, 2025, 9:30-11 a.m.
- Monday, January 27, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m.
- Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m.
- Monday, February 10, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m.
Registration will be available soon on the Comprehensive Boundary Review webpage, where you can also learn about the boundary review process. Sign up for our School Boundary Review newsletter as well.
❄️ Keeping Up with Dr. Reid
In the latest issue of Weekly Reflections, Dr. Reid looked back on a busy Thursday with multiple school visits. Among them was McNair Elementary School, where she was greeted with a sign saying “we are snow glad you are here (pictured above)!
Read more about Dr. Reid’s week in Weekly Reflections. Subscribe today.
⛄ Calendar Reminder: Winter Break (Student Holiday)
Winter break is Monday, December 23, 2024, through Friday, January 3, 2025. To help make sure you and your children have a restful break, we have asked that no homework be assigned during this time. Teachers may assign long-range projects, allowing students to practice time management skills, but nothing should be due immediately after the break.
We look forward to welcoming students back in the new year! Classes resume on Monday, January 6, 2025. See the complete school year calendar.
Follow Us During Winter Break
This is the last issue of FCPS This Week for 2024. The next issue will be sent on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram during winter break as we look back on some of the highlights of 2024.
School Board Meeting Thursday, December 19, at 7 p.m.
The School Board will hold its next regular business meeting on Thursday, December 19, at 7 p.m. Topics on the agenda include:
- FY 2025 Midyear Budget Review
- Policy 2418, Reporting Student Progress to Parents and Guardians (renamed to Secondary Grades Assessment and Grading, and Reporting on Progress of Learning)
- Strategic Plan Goal 2 Report: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered
View the complete agenda. Find out how to watch and participate in School Board meetings.
📣 Sign Up and Speak Out: Fairfax County’s Pre-2025 Session Public Hearing
The Fairfax County delegation to the Virginia General Assembly will hold a public hearing regarding the upcoming 2025 session on Saturday, January 4, 2025, at 9 a.m., in the Board Auditorium at the Fairfax County Government Center.
Fairfax County residents can sign up in advance to speak at the hearing, letting the delegation know what matters most to them. To participate, register online using this form or contact the Department of Clerk Services at 703-324-3151 or TTY 711, by noon on Thursday, January 2, 2025.
Additional guidelines for speaking at the public forum are available on the Fairfax County Government website.
🐕🦺 Service Animals Permitted in FCPS Buildings
FCPS permits service animals access in all public areas, including schools, in accordance with federal and state law. A service animal has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. A service animal is not a pet, and the work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability.
Generally, therapy animals are not considered service animals and are therefore not permitted.
The ongoing use of a service animal by staff members, parents, or members of the community must be coordinated through the Office of Employee Relations. Contact [email protected] to submit an accommodation request.
To coordinate a student’s use of a service animal, contact the Due Process and Eligibility section of the Office of Special Education Procedural Support at 571-423-4290.
If you have any questions regarding service animals in FCPS buildings, contact the Office of Employee Relations at 571-423-3070.
