Superintendent's Weekly Reflections
Hello Team FCPS,
Whew, it has been a hot couple of weeks for sure... I trust that each of you have been enjoying a fabulous summer season and have taken some time to be outside and connecting with our natural habitat. It is so reassuring to be a part of the rhythm of the seasons... It is also exciting to see so many of you as we begin to gather again.
Congratulations to Meredith Ayala, family partnerships specialist for military-connected youth and families, and the Military-Connected Youth Process Action Team, a partnership between FCPS, Fort Belvoir, and George Mason University! They were recognized as the Exemplary Community Partnership winner of the 2024 Pete Taylor Awards! I was honored to attend the award ceremony to help celebrate all the impactful work they’ve done to support our military-connected students and families. Go Team FCPS!!
Tuesday morning, the Office of Communications hosted their inaugural Comms Camp. More than 250 attendees gathered to learn the latest communication strategies and best practices for schools. School leaders, school-based technology specialists (SBTS), other school communicators as well as central office staff participated. I was thrilled to see how many different schools, offices, and roles were represented and to be able to share my thoughts on how crucial clear communication is for such a time as this in our journey as a school division and community.
Effective communication is critical, as we work to keep our families engaged and well-informed, our students heard and supported, and our staff aligned and connected! As I told conference attendees: There has never been a more important time than now to clearly communicate the benefit and power of public education. Each and every communication (whether a newsletter, social media post, or webpage) is an opportunity for us to build trust. What we say, do, and create must be aligned with our values and our mission. And it’s just as important for us to ensure our messages are being received, read, and understood by our families. After all, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it…or if a newsletter is sent and no one reads it… ;>)
While we’re on the topic of effective communication, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of our redesigned FCPS website! This nearly year-long effort continues to be a collaborative one. We truly appreciate the input from staff, families, and the community which helped inform the site’s new look, structure, and overall user experience. We will also be redesigning school sites, incorporating a new calendaring tool, and launching a community app, so there’s more to come! Big thanks to our Communications Team for all this hard work; it matters!!
Later on Tuesday, I visited the Madison Bridges Freshman Orientation Program at Madison High School. The program helps our learners experience a strong transition after middle school. I’m told that more than half the class of rising freshmen attend in order to build their skills and prepare for the rigors of high school.
I attended a session on time management taught by Spanish Teacher Emily Jensen. This is an important skill to have, and one that only becomes more critical as our students graduate and prepare for their postsecondary plans. We definitely had time to share ideas on how to best use our often limited time.
I also learned about a talented Madison alum, Greg Duncan, Class of 2017 (pictured above, second from the left and next to NBA star Steph Curry!). Greg represented the USA as part of the dive team in the Men's Synchronized 3m Springboard in this year’s Olympics! He was part of the Warhawk Swim & Dive Program all four years of high school and continued to dive in college, earning the title All-American four years in a row. Go Warhawks! For our young people, the sky — or should I say the sea ;>) — is the limit!!
Thursday was the first day of the annual FCPS Department of Information Technology conference, which took place at Oakton High School. The focus was on AI, and I’m excited for FCPS to continue exploring the possibilities as AI-infused technology solutions for education continue to grow at a rapid pace.
Some of AI’s greatest capabilities may be in meeting infrastructure, staffing, and resource challenges. In the near-term, some potential uses will be centered around our staff, giving our teachers tools to make routine tasks faster and personalize content more efficiently. Giving them back time and energy to teach and connect with students will be a huge win! I can’t wait to see the new heights that AI — when leveraged responsibility and ethically — may help our students reach! Please stay tuned as we continue to reimagine the possibilities…
On Thursday afternoon I stopped by the CS/STEAM Fair at Braddock Elementary School. Our young students were so enthusiastic! Their energy was matched only by that of the older student volunteers! Wow, was this ever an exciting afternoon!! There was such great energy all across the school. Joyce Matthews and her team continue to work their magic in recruiting high school students and county partners to support STEM education (more to come next week on our amazing high school students – over 40 who helped this summer).
Our young Braddock ES Eagles should have been commissioned by the Paris Olympics Committee to review the water quality for the Seine ;>) as they were doing a great job of researching water quality in their laboratory this summer. There were several microscopic creatures they identified in the slides they were observing that even gave me pause ;>). Students were also launching rockets after designing them. Several variables were identified in the ability for the flight duration, notably fin design, clay nose weight, and angle of launch.
Another topic that caught my attention was one of our high school students teaching the principles of “Superposition with Thaumatropes” utilizing resources from the University of Chicago. The young Eagles were enthralled with this concept – and good thing as these principles and their connection to quantum computing might just change the world…. Perhaps solving previously insoluble challenges, how exciting !!
I’d also like to give a shoutout to Braddock Elementary’s custodial team, led by Building Supervisor Jonathan Espinoza Rauda and Assistant Building Supervisor Celsa Henriquez Orellana. Principal Keesha Jackson-Muir shares, “They have truly outdone themselves in preparing Braddock for the return of staff and students. This dedicated team has worked tirelessly to ensure that Braddock is not only sparkling clean but also a welcoming and inviting environment.” Thanks to all of our amazing custodians across FCPS for all their hard work in keeping our summer school programs clean and safe as well as getting our schools ready for the new year. This work matters!!
On Saturday I visited the Lorton Community Center for a back to school event hosted by our community partners, including Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, and the Lorton Community Action Center. It was an incredibly hot day with over 2,000 children and families attending. I so appreciate all the community groups and staff who took time to be a part of this incredible event. Learning happens best in community and our community is definitely strong!!
It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with our families while getting our students ready for a strong start to the school year with free school supplies and health screenings. I can’t wait to see those same bright student faces back in our classrooms in just a few short weeks!! This work matters.
Hughes Middle School held their first annual Broadway Summer performance of Grease – School Edition this past weekend. I had the privilege of attending Saturday afternoon’s show with Principal Mizell. Witnessing the energy and creativity of our young performers firsthand was such a joy! The event was part of a camp sponsored by the Langston Hughes Parents for Choral Arts and the Hughes Middle Choral Department.
With goals for recruitment, community building, and music education enrichment, the camp focuses on building music and vocal skills for the developing teen singer while enriching their music education over the summer. I joined Principal Mizell in cheering the strong performance, resulting from only one week of practices. Definitely applauding Hughes Choral Director Steven McBride for providing this experience for a cast of over 60 middle school student members and a crew of many more this summer. It is great to see our young people involved in this engaging forum; the fine and performing arts remain core to our world class FCPS education.
On Sunday evening, I attended the annual Kids Festival at West Springfield High School to commemorate Bolivia's 199th anniversary. It was such a treat to experience the traditional Bolivian dances and costumes and the vibrant energy in the sold out venue. I so love the richly diverse history that lives on from generation to generation here in Fairfax County!
For our coming week, I’d like to invite you to attend Our Voices, Our Future, a summit for multilingual learners and their families on Thursday, August 8, from 5-8:30 p.m., at Annandale High School. There will be refreshments and light food, and language and childcare services will be available.
The summit is primarily geared toward secondary multilingual learners, but all are welcome to attend! The goal of the summit is to foster an environment of empowerment where multilingual students and their families can establish meaningful connections, engage in active listening, and openly share their experiences; cultivating mutual support and a deeper understanding of educational pathways within FCPS.
A cornerstone of the summit is a showcase of the many opportunities available in FCPS as well as the wider community which support paths to graduation and future careers. Dr. Jose Luis Zelaya will deliver a keynote about the power of community and resilience, followed by a student panel. Registration is open for students, families, and staff. I hope to see you there!
Finally, as I think of the warmth and light of this season and our preparations for the coming year, I am reminded that; “Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us." — Samuel Smiles. Definitely looking forward to new beginnings…
Warmest regards,
Michelle Reid, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Fairfax County Public Schools
