Superintendent's Weekly Reflections
What a great week ahead, -- one of my favorites because of course it includes a significant mathematics holiday. Pi Day (which is 3/14) will be celebrated across the division. Pi (π) is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter and is a constant number, meaning that for all circles of any size, Pi will be the same. It is such a comfort that some things in this amazing and oft changing world stay the same regardless of size ;>)
I started my week with a visit to Rolling Valley Elementary School with School Board member Karen Keys-Gamarra. Principal Maureen Boland and Special Education Department Chair Amy LaCrosse kindly showed us around their beautiful school as we met students, staff, and stopped in classrooms along the way.
In Anna Markel’s kindergarten classroom, students were counting with their favorite stuffed animal. It was lovely to see how excited the students were about learning next to their stuffed besties! I was impressed with the library as librarian Samantha Reynolds recently redesigned the space into a colorful and inviting place to learn. Keep rockin’ Robins!
I had previously met teacher Betsy McArdle so it was great to connect again. Betsy’s husband Chip is the assistant wrestling coach at West Springfield High School. This year’s inaugural Girl’s Wrestling State Champion is Elaina Primozic from West Springfield High School. NBC Washington featured a story about Elaina that you can watch on their website. Betsy also shared this quote from Elaina, " I'm so grateful that opportunities for girls in wrestling are growing. The physical and mental benefits of wrestling don't compare to any other sport, but they transfer over. I would love to see more girls involved." Head Coach Pat Smith added, “Elaina’s accomplishments serve as inspiration and encouragement for girls that may have been undecided about wrestling to step forward and get involved in the sport.” Elaina is breaking barriers in sports but as Betsy shared, she’s keeping her academics in focus as a 4.0 scholar. Elaina is a role model for all our young women! Never believe there’s something you can’t do. As Thomas Edison once said, "If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves."
FCPS students are shining their light across Northern Virginia this week - quite literally in the spotlight at the recent CNN Town Hall on education. If you watched Thursday night, you saw West Potomac senior Callie Walsh (second from left), who was able to ask Governor Youngkin a question. Callie was one of only three students who asked questions during the event. Callie chose to ask him about possible legislation that would guide the selection and removal of public school library materials.
Three of Callie’s classmates were also selected to be in the audience. They are from left to right, Nairi, Haskew, and Hailey. Nicole Boghard, a history and social studies teacher, shared that the students said it was an amazing experience! Our students continue to show this nation that they are committed to being global and ethical citizens who will play an important role in shaping the future of our country! Way to go, Wolverines!
Speaking of student leaders, shout out to Kendyl and Cael from West Springfield High School who invited me to the Patriot Pact event Friday. Patriot Pact is a chance for students from West Springfield, Lake Braddock, Woodson, Fairfax, South County, West Potomac and Robinson high schools to collaborate, hear insightful conversations, get inspired, and connect with fellow student leaders. As marketing education leader Sam Jonsson shared, the event has been going on for the last 8-10 years. The most important thing in our schools is to not just hear the voices of our diverse and dynamic students, but to give our students the power to bring real change. Our students will continue to lead us!
Student voice has been critical to our strategic planning process. Since it began last Fall, we have heard from students through our student survey and student focus groups. The work continues as two surveys launched this week will obtain feedback from parents/ caregivers and community members on the draft goals and pillars. As shared last week, throughout the month of March, all FCPS employees will hear strategic plan updates from their principal/ program manager and review the strategic plan draft goals and pillars. Please complete the exit ticket at the end of the “Reality Check” session to ensure your voice is heard. Across all three stakeholder input opportunities, we’ve heard from over 10,000 stakeholders. The Instructional Focus Team convened this week to hear a high-level overview of the planning framework and engagement process, provide feedback on the draft goals and pillars, share and learn about existing bright spots within the division, and draft professional practices. Strategic planning materials continue to be updated on the Strategic Planning website. Three additional community forums are planned for this spring. We also welcome all parents, students, staff, and community members to provide input in the Let’s Talk Strategic Plan Feedback form here. Stay tuned for more information.
I was able to speak with our staff at the Equity Lead Institute this week. This year’s theme was Learn, Liberate and Lead. It is our intent to have our FCPS Equity Policy in place before the end of the current academic year. As I have shared many times, our responsibility is not only for the time our students are in the classroom, but to be able to lead and empower them for the rest of their lives. We need the best thinking of each of our staff members; it is not easy to lead in these challenging times. We need to speak with courage and act with compassion. I look forward to continuing to support this important work. It matters!
We must also commit to keeping our students safe in school. I hope you will join me Monday evening at Fairfax High School as we host a conversation around the dangers of opioid abuse, and the deadly danger of opioids laced with fentanyl. It’s time to get real and realize that this crisis is here, in our schools and communities. During Monday’s event, we will hear from individuals and family members affected by the opioid epidemic, medical experts, and law enforcement representatives. We will also have an opportunity to hear directly from Fairfax County Public Schools and the Fairfax County Police Department about local initiatives to address this issue. Register for the March 13 event. This is the first in our series of conversations in our #Fight Against Fentanyl.
Back in January, I shared the story of Courtney White, who is our coordinator of grants programs. Courtney is president of a nonprofit hazing prevention organization called the Love Like Adam Foundation. The foundation was established in honor of a recent hazing victim, Courtney’s cousin, Adam Oakes. The group’s mission is to educate high school and university students on hazing, its psychological and physical impacts, bystander intervention, and alcohol intoxication. I am excited to share that the Love Like Adam Foundation will be hosting the first session for students in FCPS at Annandale High School on March 27. I hope this will be the first of many opportunities and know that Courtney and the work she is leading will continue to make a difference.
Thursday afternoon, I participated in a panel as part of a Leadership Greater Washington (LGW) event. Dr. Monica Goldson, the CEO of Prince George’s County Public Schools joined me for a conversation around the impacts of the pandemic on learning, school safety, and the future of public education. Learning happens best in community so I am always grateful for the opportunity to share the challenges and triumphs that we experience every day as educators.
Thursday evening during the Academic Matters presentation at this week’s School Board meeting, I shared information on work-based learning experiences for students that help develop career readiness. Not all learning happens in the classroom. Job shadowing, career fairs, and exploration options such as internships and mentoring are all fabulous ways for our students to put their classroom learning to work in a real world setting.
In a Fairfax Inspires moment - congratulations to Toshieba Ragland, the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) advisor at Lake Braddock Secondary School. The Virginia Association of the FCCLA has honored Toshieba as the 2022-2023 Adviser Mentor Award! Having a trusted adult in a student’s life is critical to academic success, bolstered by social and emotional wellness. Thank you Toshieba and everyone across FCPS who make an indelible mark in the lives of each and every one of our students by providing them with a mountain top experience in our schools every day!
Friday evening, I had the great experience of watching our FCPS basketball teams compete for the state championship in both the girls and boys tournaments. The 6:00 pm game had our Madison HS girls team winning an exciting game in overtime. This was the fourth year in a row for the Madison HS girls’ basketball team to win the championship. Way to go Warhawks, the 2023 State Champions!!
Additionally, Friday night was an orange out on the campus of VCU for the Boys Basketball Championship game! Congratulations to the Hayfield Hawks for back-to-back State championship wins! This time over Patriot High School with a final score of 52-41. It was such a privilege to be there to celebrate these joyful moments! Well done Hawks, the 2023 State Champions!!
One final “note”! I neglected to share the kind invitation I received last month from Kim Andray, Band Director at Oak View, Bonnie Brae and Little Run elementary schools. She invited me to attend the 2023 Robinson Pyramid Concert featuring the Robinson Area Band directed by Kim and Randy Hamm and the Robinson Cadet Band directed by Judy Einuis. The Robinson Area Band showcased 93 members from Bonnie Brae, Fairview, Laurel Ridge, Oak View, and Terra Centre Elementary Schools. A few members of the Robinson High School Bands were mentors to these elementary students during the 14 week program. Many of the Cadet Band and the High School Band students were once part of the Robinson Area Band Program. Music makes connections, and it was so wonderful to see kids from different schools come together! Thank you to Kim, Randy and Judy for fostering these connections - This work matters and is core to a world class education!
Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to make the first move in several sections of a chess tournament held at McNair ES. The excitement and thoughtful planning was clearly evident as we got down to business beginning at 9:00 am. I learned that the likely first move is E-4. I am now planning to be ready for the next chess tournament ;>) as the excitement builds for our young chess competitors across the division. It is great to put our learning into action!!
As I close out this evening, I trust that I will see you Monday evening as we host our conversation around the dangers of opioid abuse, and the deadly danger of opioids laced with fentanyl. It is here in our community and in our schools and we must better understand the dangers so that we can better address prevention and mitigation, together all things are possible. As one of my favorite scientists shared, “Half the battle is just showing up.” -- Stephen Hawking
Wishing you and yours an abundantly joyful week ahead,
Michelle Reid, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Fairfax County Public Schools
