FCPS This Week - November 20, 2024
A student smiles on the playground at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School.
❄️ Prepare for Winter Weather
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather closing decisions are made.
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.
Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange childcare if needed.
⛄ Keep Your Child Warm During Outdoor Activities
Your school’s principal will monitor the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories that may prevent children from being outside. Make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing, so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. See the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather.
If you need assistance getting cold-weather clothing for your family, please call Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at 703-222-0880. Their multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and health care.
School Board Extends Superintendent’s Contract
The Fairfax County School Board unanimously voted to extend the contract of Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid through June 2028. Read more about this decision.
Approved Secondary Course Offerings
At Thursday’s School Board meeting, the board also voted to add and adjust middle and high school course offerings for the 2025-26 school year. Read about the new course offerings.
🩹 Immunization Clinics for FCPS Students
In collaboration with the Fairfax County Health Department, FCPS will host immunization clinics for FCPS students on Thursday, November 21, 1-7 p.m., and Friday, November 22, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., at Willow Oaks Administrative Center. All school-required immunizations will be available free of charge.
Parents/guardians must accompany students under the age of 18 and provide consent for their child(ren) to receive immunizations. They should bring an insurance card, if applicable, though insurance is not required to participate.
Although appointments are not needed, parents/guardians are asked to complete the sign-up form on the Immunization Resources webpage to choose a preferred time slot. Language interpreters will be available at the clinics.
✨ Providing students with access to the necessary emotional, behavioral, mental, and physical health services to support their successful engagement in school is part of the FCPS 2023-30 Strategic Plan Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.
📍 Boundary Review Update
Our first set of Boundary Review Community Meetings kicked off Monday evening at Glasgow Middle School. Participants learned more about the boundary review process, asked questions, and shared their thoughts.
The next meeting will be held Monday, December 2, 6:30-8 p.m., at Westfield High School Cafeteria (Region 5). Visit the Comprehensive Boundary Review webpage to register or view other community meeting dates.
Superintendent's Boundary Review Advisory Committee
More than 1,600 parents/caregivers applied to participate in the Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee! Two parents/caregivers from each of FCPS’ 24 high school pyramids have been invited to join the committee.
Members were chosen randomly from those who confirmed their ability to participate in in-person meetings. Other advisory committee members include school-based administrators, teachers, operational staff, and representatives from community groups.
The Boundary Review Advisory Committee’s unique perspectives will be invaluable, as we work together to ensure this process is transparent, includes significant community participation and feedback, and always keeps students at the center of every decision.
📖 Lexia Parent Night: Helping Children Learn to Read
Attend a virtual information night on Thursday, December 5, to learn about Lexia and discover strategies to support your child’s literacy.
✨ Integrating Lexia into the literacy curriculum aligns with the Virginia Literacy Act, FCPS’ Equitable Access to Literacy, and FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan Goal 3, which aims to have all students reading on grade level by the end of third grade.
Visit the Family Academy Catalog for more classes, workshops, and webinars.
Girls Enter the Ring: Varsity Girls Wrestling Is New Winter Sport
Varsity girls wrestling is the second of two new athletic offerings Fairfax County Public Schools added in the 2024-25 school year. The first, varsity boys volleyball, is about to finish its inaugural season.
The wrestling season officially starts with a scrimmage on Saturday, November 23, giving the students who make the team a week of practice time before their first matches. Read about why girls from Justice High School (pictured) are excited for the wrestling season.
✨Participation in extracurricular activities is part of Strategic Plan Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.
Teacher Shares Native American Roots
Many teachers look to inspire the next generation. Tony Gray, a Native American and the advanced academics resource teacher at Wakefield Forest Elementary School, was raised to think seven generations ahead.
A member of the Haudenosaunee’s (ho-dee-no-show-nee) Bear Clan who grew up on a reservation in upstate New York, Gray didn’t realize at first that his upbringing had perfectly trained him for a future in teaching. Read about how his background inspired him and is inspiring students.
Native American History Month
November is Native American History Month. It is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native peoples, past and present, and to acknowledge their important contributions. It is also a time to raise general awareness about the unique challenges Native peoples have faced both historically and in the present, and how tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.
Liaisons Work to Set Families Up for Success
For many families who move to Fairfax County from other countries, the Dunn Loring Welcome Center is a safe haven. There they find staff, like Community Liaison Beatriz Bucarey, ready to help them learn everything from how to set up email to what forms are needed for school registration. And they’re greeted in their own language. Beatriz has been helping families for more than 20 years. Read about her experience.
November Is Family Engagement Month
Parents/caregivers are children’s first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers. More than 35 years of research shows that the most effective way to increase student achievement is for families to be actively involved in their children’s education. Family engagement is a shared responsibility between home, school, and the community.
Resources for New FCPS Families
Are you new to the area and need help understanding school registration or connecting with your local school? The following resources are available for all families:
- Family liaisons work in the schools and community to help families get the information and assistance they need to support their children and to ensure their academic success. Family liaisons represent a variety of cultures, languages, and races.
- Family information phone lines are available in nine languages to assist families. A school system employee will respond to your call in your preferred language within 24 hours, Monday through Friday.
Visit the FCPS Family Academy webpage to learn how FCPS works to support the continued success and well-being of each and every student.
✨ FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan Pillar B: Vibrant Home, School, and Community Partnerships, reminds us to empower families through trusting partnerships that sustain a safe, inclusive culture for learning.
Social and Emotional Learning Screener Results Coming Soon
Students in grades 3-12 took the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener in October, providing information on skills such as achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students if their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
In early December, individual student SEL Screener results will be available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
Please review the Family Guide or reach out to your child’s school for help understanding your child’s results or ideas on how to support them at home.
Register for ParentVUE
Learn how to activate your ParentVUE account for easy access to your child’s SEL Screener results and other information.
✨ Student access to the necessary emotional, behavioral, and mental health services to support their engagement in school is part of Strategic Plan Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.
🥰 FCPS CARES Recipients Offer Caring Support
FCPS CARES allows parents/caregivers, staff, and community members to recognize employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care.
Among the CARES of the Month recipients for September are Heather Frei (left), Alejandra Navarrete (right), and Michael Symanski (not pictured) from Pulley Career Center. Principal Peter Kelly is pictured in the center.
A parent of a recent graduate nominated the Pulley Center staff. Even though she is no longer enrolled at Pulley, staff members have supported her during her transition from the school.
“With their help and guidance over the last couple of weeks, she has been able to get a job that she is enjoying,” their nomination stated. “Pulley Career Center was a blessing to our daughter throughout her time there and continues to be a blessing."
Other FCPS CARES of the Month recipients include:
- Jennifer Conner and Felicia Hamilton, Gatehouse Administration Center
- Kenyatta Momon, Langley High School
- David Wall, Justice High School
- Jennifer Quinn, West Springfield Elementary School
- Hannah Miller and Rebecca Hitchings, Greenbriar East Elementary School
- Karen Baxter, Island Creek Elementary School
Read about all the recipients.
✨Supported and successful transitions to postsecondary opportunities are part of Strategic Plan Goal 5: Leading for Tomorrow’s Innovation.
🥣 Discover New Holiday Recipes
As the holiday season approaches, why not impress your friends and family with new culinary skills? FCPS Adult and Community Education (ACE) offers a variety of holiday-themed cooking classes to help you craft delicious seasonal treats.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try the German Christmas Classic: Stollen & Fruitbread, or dive into the world of festive baking with classes like Buche De Noel - French Christmas Cake or German Christmas Cookies.
For those looking to enhance their general baking skills, classes like Cake Decorating for Beginners and Pound Cake Baking Skills with a Flavorful Twist will help you craft elevated treats for any occasion. Look for these classes and more at ACE.
Serving Every Student
In her latest Weekly Reflections, Dr. Reid provided a glimpse into her visit to Kilmer Center School, which serves students ages 5 to 21 with a spectrum of different abilities. Approximately 90% of students at Kilmer use assistive technologies — such as communication devices that rely on eye tracking — to communicate. Dr. Reid visited an art classroom, the Zen Den self-regulation space, and a PE class. Read more about her visit and other observations throughout the week in Weekly Reflections. Subscribe today!
📉 Reducing Chronic Absenteeism to Improve Academic Success
During the Academic Matters section of last Thursday’s School Board meeting, Dr. Reid talked about FCPS’ work to reduce chronic absenteeism. View her presentation (pdf).
Regular school attendance is important because:
- Missing just 10% of school negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That is just two days a month.
- Only 17% of students who were chronically absent in both kindergarten and first grade were reading proficiently in third grade, compared to 64% of those with good attendance.
- Students who fail to read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than students who achieve proficiency to drop out of high school.
- By sixth grade, chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
Chronic absenteeism in FCPS rose to a high of 17.1% in the 2022-23 school year. Thanks to our multi-tiered system of support, we reduced that to 12.8% in 2023-24. Visit our website for attendance resources.
✨Improving absenteeism rates is part of Strategic Plan Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.
🗓️ Calendar Reminder: Thanksgiving
Schools and offices will be closed Wednesday, November 27, through Friday, November 29. Classes will resume on Monday, December 2. See the complete school year calendar.
Note: FCPS This Week will not be distributed on Wednesday, November 27, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
