FCPS This Week e-newsletter - June 8, 2022

Multitasking: How an FCPS Grad Earned Her Associate's Degree Days Before Her High School Diploma

Newly-minted Hayfield Secondary School graduate Eryn Yarrell isn’t afraid of doing things a little out of order.

Eryn graduated from Northern Virginia Community College with her associate’s degree last month, 19 days before she crossed the stage to receive her high school diploma.

Stay Tuned–Next week we’ll share a celebration of 2022 graduation activities!

Cappies Review of South Lakes High School’s Production of Crazy for You 

Many FCPS high schools participate in the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Critics and Awards Program for High School Theater, 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. 

Sean Giullen of Oakton High School gives his review of South Lakes High School's production of Crazy for You. 

2022 Cappies Gala on Red Apple 21 on June 10

The Cappies of the National Capital area held its annual awards gala honoring excellence in high school theater on June 6 at the Kennedy Center. The show will be rebroadcast on Friday, June 10, at 7 p.m. on FCPS cable TV channel 21 and on the FCPS website.  

Preview Your Student’s Spring SOL Scores in SIS ParentVUE

Want to know how your student did on their spring SOL tests before the official report? Starting today, families can see SOL scores in the Test History section of SIS ParentVUE. To access Test History, log into your ParentVUE account using a web browser (not the app). You will see spring SOL test subjects, performance levels, and overall scores. Families will also receive an official SOL score report letter with more details by the end of July. 

Additional information about SOL assessments is available online. You can also learn more about SIS ParentVUE and how to activate your account.

Fifteen Students Named 2022 National Merit College-Sponsored Scholarship Winners

Fifteen Fairfax County Public Schools students from six high schools have been named winners of 2022 Merit Scholarship awards by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). 

The students are part of a group of more than 2,600 National Merit® finalists chosen to receive scholarships financed by higher education institutions. View the list of students. 

Enjoy our School Grounds This Summer

School blacktops, playgrounds, outdoor basketball and tennis courts, and tracks are available for use by individuals (not organized groups) without being scheduled.

Please keep the following in mind when using these facilities:

• Use is allowed from dawn to dusk, except during school hours or when being used for school activities or other scheduled programs.
• Facilities must be shared with anyone else who wishes to use them.
• Please leave the facilities as you found them. Remove any waste or debris from the property. 

Visit our availability webpage for more information on the usage of school grounds and facilities.

Community users are prohibited from having the following activities in Fairfax County Public Schools including in school buildings, on playgrounds, and on fields:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Animals. Service animals are allowed. However, the user shall clean up any school grounds used by service animals participating in scheduled events.
• Car wash
• Drones
• Fireworks and sparklers (except by Local Government)
• Gas or charcoal grills
• Illegal drugs
• Moon bounces
• Paintball
• Rocket launch
• Tobacco products or smoking devices

Visit our Community Use webpage for a full list of prohibitions and more information on reserving facilities. Groups interested in formally reserving school facilities should contact [email protected] or calling 571-423-2340. 

Summer Meal Service

No-cost summer meals will be served to students enrolled in summer school at all FCPS summer school locations this year.

Summer meal kits will be offered on Tuesdays at several sites beginning June 14 and ending August 8. Meal kits contain seven days of breakfast and lunch items packed in bulk. 

The meal kits will be available for pick up Tuesday mornings. All meals are available at no-cost to FCPS students and children 18 years of age and under. Visit our Meals for Students website for more details on pick up locations and times.  

Complete Your Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications This Summer

For the past two years, the federal government has provided no-cost meals to all public school students without the need to complete the annual Free and Reduced-Price Meal application. The extension of the no-cost meals benefit to all students is expected to expire at the end of this school year, meaning families must submit an application and be approved to be eligible for free and reduced price meals for the 2022-23 school year. 

Interested families are encouraged to submit the Free and Reduced-Price Meal application before the first day of the 2022-23 school year. The online application will be available later this summer and accessible via the FCPS homepage.

Students approved for Free and Reduced-Price Meals may qualify for additional benefits such as waived or reduced fees for instruments, uniforms, field trips, FCPS class fees, and Parktakes classes.  

Win Prizes With the Public Library Summer Reading Adventure; Starts June 10

The Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) summer reading program will take place June 10 to August 12. Children, teens, and adults can sign up now on Beanstack where they can track their summer reading.

Participants will have the chance to earn prizes when they read and complete activities. There are different challenges for preschoolers, K-5 students, teens, and adults. 

Prizes will be awarded after the completion of Summer Reading Adventure. If you don't want to use Beanstack to log your reading, paper reading logs will be available beginning June 10 online and at your local library branch. Fill out your reading log and return it to your local library by August 12 to be eligible for prizes. 

More information about the FCPL summer reading program is available online.

Tutor.com—Online Tutoring Services Summer Access

FCPS students will continue to have unlimited access to 24/7, on-demand, online tutoring support services through Tutor.com this summer. Students are able to use Tutor.com to review and/or practice in subject areas of interest or need. Students may also choose to access other tools such as practice quizzes in a variety of subject areas, as well as self-paced study courses for SAT and ACT preparation.

Details about how students can access Tutor.com through archived courses in Schoology are provided in Summer Access at Tutor.com - Online Tutoring Services. Students enrolled in summer Credit Recovery Academy, Online Campus, Online Economics and Personal Finance, and TJHSST summer courses will be able to access Tutor.com via their active summer course in Schoology.

FCPS' Family Return to School Survey Due this Week

You have an opportunity to provide your feedback on how the 2021-22 School Year has gone through our Family Return to School Survey, which you should have received via email. The survey will close on Friday, June 10.

We encourage all FCPS parents/caregivers to respond to the survey and share their experiences whether positive or negative. The information you and other families provide will be used, along with other data, to inform FCPS leadership about the return to five days a week of in-person instruction, and support FCPS’ efforts to make improvements that support schools, students, and staff. It will also be included in ESSER III reporting.

Support Students This Summer With the Collect for Kids School Supply Drive

To ensure that every child in the school district is prepared for school, Fairfax County Public Schools and Educate Fairfax are once again leading the Collect for Kids effort, a consortium of not-for-profit, for-profit, and government entities providing school supplies to benefit FCPS students who otherwise might go without them.   

More than 56,000 (31%) FCPS students qualify for free or reduced-price meals and struggle to afford basic necessities. Your donation will help provide the school supplies these students need to be successful at school. 

Contributions can be made online through Educate Fairfax. Donations will be used to purchase bulk school supply kits at highly discounted pricing. For more information, visit the Educate Fairfax website.

Make An Impact As A Special Education Teacher

Join us for a Special Education Teacher Information Session on Wednesday, June 15, from 5 to 6 p.m. Learn how you can become a special educator and the benefits of working in FCPS.

Summer Is a Great Time To Explore New Careers--Instructional Job Fair June 22

Interested in an instructional job with Fairfax County Public Schools? Instructional positions include teacher, school counselor, librarian, instructional assistant, public health attendant (PHA) and public health training assistants (PHTA), and substitute teacher and assistants.

To learn more, attend the virtual Instructional Job Fair on Wednesday, June 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn more and register online.

Orchestra Students at Mount Vernon Present World Premiere

Mount Vernon High School orchestra teamed up with a young composer from Arizona who flew to Northern Virginia last month to witness the world premiere of Free Fall, which she wrote especially for the students.

Read more about the collaboration in our May story. Watch a video capturing highlights of the practice and performance.  

Going Places: Students at 33 FCPS Schools Learn to Safely Bike in Physical Education Unit

A physical education program at 33 schools teaches some students how to ride bikes entirely, while more experienced riders learn hand signals for turns, safety rules, and the meanings of various road signs.

Congratulations to Our Education Heroes

Cox Communications and Cox Business selected four FCPS Cox Education Heroes and presented them with $1,000 for a classroom makeover. 

Read their individual stories of student encouragement, engagement, and collaboration. 

• Charlotte Frazier, a multiple disabilities teacher at Island Creek Elementary School.
• Kathleen Mehari, a first grade teacher at Wolftrap Elementary School.
• Anne Nolan, head librarian at Fairfax High School.
• Kevin Deans, a math teacher at Katherine Johnson Middle School.

The 2022 Cox Education Hero awards honors teachers because, according to Cox, teaching is a work of heart. From early mornings and late nights to parent teacher meetings and testing, it is fitting to call our teachers heroes. 

FCPS Video Producer Wins Historic Preservation Award

Jeff Clark, video producer for FCPS and local historian, was presented with an Excellence in  Historic Preservation Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. The award was given for a passion project on one- and two-room schoolhouses in the county that were operated in the first 50 years of Fairfax County Public Schools. 

Additionally, he’s also worked with DAR chapters to transcribe early records of the school system. Copies of this work will be given to the Virginia Room at the Fairfax City Library. 

School Board Seeking At-Large FPAC Applicants; Deadline Is June 17 

The Fairfax County School Board invites applications from community members interested in serving on the Facilities Planning Advisory Council (FPAC) as an at-large member. FPAC advises and informs FCPS staff and the School Board in the development of comprehensive, long-term plans for facilities.

The Facilities Planning Advisory Council consists of 13 members, one from each Fairfax County magisterial district, three at-large representatives, and one representative from the City of Fairfax, each appointed for three-year terms. The current council member appointment will end June 30, 2025.

FCPS encourages individuals with experience in construction, engineering, architecture, land use planning, development, demographics, government operations, and financing to apply. The deadline to submit an application is June 17. Applicants must reside within the boundaries of Fairfax County or Fairfax City.  

More information and an application are available online (English only). 

June Is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

In the month of June we recognize the valuable contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals across America, and we reaffirm our commitment to standing in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ Americans in their ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice.

Calendar Reminder: Last Day of School Is June 10 

As a reminder, the last day of the 2021-22 school year is Friday, June 10, and students will be dismissed early. Check with your child's school for its individual dismissal time. 

2022-23 School Year to Start on August 22 

With the school year winding down and many families making plans for summer camps, vacations, and other activities, be sure to note that the first day of school for the 2022-23 school year will be Monday, August 22. See the complete 2022-23 school year calendar.

Please note, next week’s issue of FCPS This Week will be the last regularly scheduled weekly newsletter for the school year. Have a great summer!