Partnership Update - September 2022

Capital One Continues Coders Program

The popular after-school Capital One Coders program will provide 200 students at four schools with 20 weeks of after-school coding lessons supported by 15 to 20 Capital One volunteer associates at each school.

FCPS has been a long-standing partner of the Coders program, which was launched in Virginia. This year’s schools include Glasgow, Key, Holmes and Poe Middle Schools.

Following the 20 weeks of coding lessons, students and their families will be invited to a culmination event where the students will present their coding project to family members and Capital One associates at the year-end showcase. At the showcase, family members and Capital One associates will vote for winners in categories like Most Functional App, Best Graphics, Most Fun, and Best Overall.

We are extremely appreciative of the commitments Capital One has made to our students through this exceptional partnership. Thank you, Capital One!

Read-On Young Readers and MentorWorks

Read-On Young Readers (ROYR), a new Ignite Partner, was founded to lessen the potential reading and English language loss of students following the pandemic. 

ROYR is a mentoring-through-reading organization partnered with the FCPS MentorWorks office. They are targeting students at Mason Crest and Mount Eagle Elementary Schools before expanding to additional Title I schools in our county.  

Through the partnership, mentors engage with their mentees to select books and then read stories aloud to the mentees. The books are stimulating and emphasize inclusion, diversity, confidence building, history, and other subjects. Students can also choose books and read them to their mentors.

Welcome and thank you Read-On Young Readers.

Leaders & Learners Breakfast: "Education is Everybody's Business"

Educate Fairfax, the not-for-profit foundation connected with FCPS, will host its annual community event, "Leaders & Learners: Education is Everybody's Business" on Wednesday, November 9, from 8 -10 a.m. 

With schools starting back, it's an ideal time for business leaders to consider how they will work with their local schools in the coming year. "Education is Everybody's Business" is an event designed to bring area employers and leaders from Fairfax County Public Schools together.

This event will feature a key-note address from new superintendent, Michelle Reid, and honor two incredible supporters of FCPS and Educate Fairfax, the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation and Len Forkas, past board chairman of Educate Fairfax.

Check out the Educate Fairfax website for more information. 

Single tickets are available with a discounted price of $65 until October 1, through this link.  We hope to see you there!

Opportunities for Volunteers 55+ Years Old

Are you looking for an interesting, local volunteer experience that will make a difference in a child’s life? If so, Ignite Partner GrandInvolve is recruiting volunteers to provide classroom assistance with reading, event support, math, materials preparation, and other important tasks that a teacher might request. 

This all-volunteer led program facilitates volunteer opportunities in 25 of FCPS’ Title I elementary schools.

If you would like a rewarding experience with flexible hours and an engaging variety of responsibilities, consider volunteering with GrandInvolve. Learn more and complete their interest form at www.grandinvolve.org.

Lunch and Learn - The Lowdown on Partnering in FCPS

Businesses, community groups and governmental groups looking to learn more about partnering with Fairfax County Public Schools, are encouraged to attend a Partnerships Virtual Lunch and Learn.  

Learn what defines a partnership and the return on investment (ROI) that our partners enjoy; understand the Ignite Partnerships structure and its value; explore other ways to support FCPS; and get answers to your questions.

Each Lunch and Learn will last just 30 minutes and include a five to seven minute overview followed by 20 minutes of Q&A. 

Partnerships Virtual Lunch and Learn 2022 Dates:

• October 18 - 11:30 a.m. to Noon
• November 15 - 11:30 a.m. to Noon
• December 20 - 11:30 a.m. to Noon

Join the meeting from your computer or mobile app.

FCPS Is an Integral Part of the Business Ecosystem

The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce’s recent Innovate Conference brought together Tech and Trades, healthcare, and STEM leaders who are planning for tomorrow’s workforce today. 

An integral part of the event’s discussion included the role of K-12 education, and specifically some of the roles Fairfax County Public Schools plays in developing tomorrow’s workforce.

Featured on the healthcare panel were Dr. Shelly Powers, Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) Provost of the Medical Education Campus, who pointed to FCPS’ dental partnership with her school and Medical Care for Children Partnership (MCCP) as a win-win training model. In the partnership, uninsured FCPS elementary students receive free dental screenings by NVCC dental students with funding support by MCCP. Important, according to Dr. Powers, because “20% of our community’s medical workforce comes from the NVCC Medical Campus.”

Tech and Trades panelist and Chantilly High School Academy Administrator Scott Settar explained the FCPS Academy structure including details about the quality fire and rescue workforce development program in partnership with regional professional fire departments. Mr. Settar also shared that there are wait lists again for several of his academy’s trades programs.

FCPS understands that businesses immersed in healthy ecosystems thrive. Understanding our community as interconnected systems of businesses, not-for-profits and governments, helps us identify and fully understand challenges so we can engage in solutions.

If you or your business or community group would like greater connections to your future workforce, please consider partnering with FCPS. Feel free to reach out to Jay Garant, director, Business and Community Partnerships at [email protected] to learn more.

FCPS Trust Policy and Our Partners

In alignment with Fairfax County’s Trust and Confidentiality Policy, Fairfax County Public Schools’ new Trust Policy confirms the School Board’s commitment to providing a safe and welcoming space for all students and their families. The policy affirms that students and families can access FCPS benefits and services without fear that information will be disclosed, directly or indirectly, to federal immigration officials.

As our valued partners, we hope that you will understand and support the tenets of the Trust Policy, which is being added to all Ignite Partnership agreements. You may learn more about FCPS’ Trust Policy on our website.

Celebrating National Workforce Development Month

September is National Workforce Development Month. We offer a sincere “Thank you” to all of our partners engaging students in meaningful work-based learning experiences. Students benefit from your involvement and engagement. 

Thank you to those who support students with disabilities by providing opportunities and resources necessary for their transition to postsecondary options. Thank you to those supporting our general education populations, too, because inviting students to visit your workspaces; engage your employees in research or brainstorming; help your technology team with computer challenges; or get their minds cranking in an HVAC shop, kitchen, or data center connects their school work to your work.

We would like to highlight the importance of workforce development and your efforts to support our students. If you or your employer has a story to share, please reach out and let us know. Send us a short note about your work-based support for FCPS students to Jay Garant at [email protected].