News Items for Use in School, Department, and Office Newsletters and Other FCPS Publications

These articles are provided as a service from the Department of Communications and Community Outreach (DCCO). They can be used in any FCPS or PTA publication. For more information or to suggest an article idea, contact the curator below. This page is updated monthly during the school year.

Note: If you would like to be notified when new content has been added to this page, sign up to receive information from the Keep in Touch (KIT) Plus system and select the PTA, PTSA, PTO option.

New Articles for May:

Recent Articles and Articles of Continuing Interest:

Articles of Year-Round Interest

 


Fairfax County School Board Shortens 2011-12 School Year for Students

The Fairfax County School Board has voted to change the last day of the current 2011-12 school year to Friday, June 15, which will be a full day. The School Board decided to release students from school on June 18 and 19 because Fairfax County Public Schools has only used one of three scheduled makeup days this year.

In the event that emergency closings are required before the end of the 2011-12 school year, all schools or individual schools may require additional makeup days.

As part of the revised calendar, Monday, June 18, and Tuesday, June 19, will be designated as teacher workdays instead of regular school days. These two additional workdays will give teachers an opportunity to complete end-of-year assignments, school improvement planning, teacher planning, and collaborative team planning, and any other workload relief that can be accomplished in the schools.

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Registration for FCPS Summer Courses Opens May 7

Registration for summer courses in Fairfax County Public Schools opens Monday, May 7. FCPS summer courses are for students who want to accelerate their course of study during the summer, need to recover a credit, or pass a Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) end-of-course test.

The Summer Online Campus is open to FCPS and non-FCPS students wanting to accelerate their academic program or for enrichment or credit recovery. Students must meet grade level, prerequisite, and technical requirements. In addition to academic courses, a new online enrichment offering, Technology Tools for Success for middle school students, will be available. New online high school enrichment courses include Creative Writing and three non-credit courses: Algebra 2 Head Start, College Essay Writing, and Rich Writing. Course dates vary.

The Term Graduate Academy is offered for current FCPS seniors who need to earn one standard credit in algebra 2, geometry, English 12, or Virginia-U.S. government in order to graduate by August 31. All Term Graduate Academy courses will be held at Lake Braddock Secondary School (LBSS) from July 9 to 27. Bus transportation from satellite sites will be available.

FCPS will also provide two sessions for students seeking SOL credit. An SOL writing test remediation session will be held July 9-20, and a nonwriting test session (algebra 1, geometry, biology, chemistry, world history-geography 1, world history-geography 2, and Virginia-U.S. History) will be held July 9-24  at LBSS.  

FCPS term graduates who passed an SOL course but failed the SOL end-of-course test will be able to retake a required test through the test-only program. The writing test will be administered July 16-20 at LBSS and nonwriting tests will be administered August 7 (and possibly August 8, if needed) at different locations in the county.

For more information about the instructional programs and all FCPS summer programs, visit http://www.fcps.edu/news/summer/index.shtml.

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FCPS Makes Recommended Family Life Education Instructional Materials Available for Community Review

Fairfax County Public Schools will make recommended Family Life Education (FLE) media, print, and special instructional materials available online for community review from Friday, April 20, through Monday, May 21.

Special instructional materials for use in lesson design for students with low incidence disabilities are being recommended for the grade 4 human growth and development unit. Media is being recommended for grades 5, 6, and 8 human growth and development. Print material is being recommended for the grade 8 emotional and social health unit. All instructional materials will be available online at http://www.fcps.edu/is/hpe/fle.shtml.

Reviewer comments may be e-mailed to FLEcomments@fcps.edu. All comments are shared with members of the Fairfax County School Board at the conclusion of the community review process. Community access to computers is available at public libraries and all FCPS school libraries during regular hours of operation. Community members wishing to use their local school’s computers are encouraged to make an appointment with the school’s librarian to ensure access to a computer. 

For more information, call the FCPS Office of Professional and Life Skills at 571-423-4550.

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FCPS Invites County Residents to Blog About Facilities Needs

The Fairfax County Public Schools Facilities Planning Advisory Council (FPAC) is hosting an interactive blog and invites all Fairfax County residents to join this online discussion about long-term goals for FCPS facilities. The blog will be available for citizens to post comments until the end of June.

FPAC, a citizens committee appointed by the Fairfax County School Board, created a draft of a strategic facilities plan that includes 25 proposed goals addressing capacity and space use, operations and maintenance, communication, and capital improvement funding and projects. The draft plan addresses the challenges facing FCPS as school enrollment swells, demand for space and services intensifies, and funding sources to meet maintenance, renovation, and construction needs are drained.

The blog, at http://fcpsfpac.wordpress.com, coincides with a series of community meetings FPAC is hosting. On Tuesday, May 22, two meetings will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at Whitman Middle School and Robinson Secondary School. Additional information can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/fpac/index.shtml.

The new strategic plan will provide a decision framework for facilities issues related to capital investments, program assignments, and boundary management, and will enable FCPS to more effectively anticipate, respond to, and manage change. FPAC will present the final plan to the School Board in the fall.

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Fairfax County School Board Approves South County Middle School as Name for New School

The Fairfax County School Board voted to name the new middle school at the south county site South County Middle School. The school, which is adjacent to the current South County Secondary School, will open in September 2012. That school’s name will become South County High School.

“This name reflects the great pride that the South County community has for its schools and students,” said Janie Strauss, School Board chairman.

The name was approved after an extensive community engagement process including community meetings and two surveys. 

For more information on the new school, which is located at 8700 Laurel Crest Drive in Lorton, visit http://www.fcps.edu/clusters/c5/SouthCountyMS/index.html.

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Robyn Cochran Named 2012 FCPS Principal of the Year

Robyn Cochran, who has served as principal at Dogwood Elementary School since 2005 and has worked for Fairfax County Public Schools for 26 years, has been named the FCPS 2012 Principal of the Year and is the recipient of the Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award. Cochran is one of 21 principals–representing the public school systems in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and private schools–selected by the Washington Post for the award.
             
“As the principal of a school that was once under a high level of Virginia Department of Education sanctions, Robyn Cochran never wavered from her focus of best practices and doing the work that is best for students and student learning,” says Title I resource teacher Rebecca Forgy. “She truly believes that by staying true to this work at Dogwood, student learning will progress and meeting expected benchmarks and AYP will simply be the byproduct.”

Cochran began her tenure at the school by addressing disciplinary problems and establishing Dogwood Expectations, a program implemented to teach children respectful behavior and peaceful problem-solving skills. She relied on teacher leaders to teach and reinforce these skills, which resulted in a change in the atmosphere at the school. This program, along with the implementation of Responsive Classroom, provides students with consistent expectations and, if discipline needs do arise, a proactive response is instituted which is designed to prevent future or reoccurring incidents, resulting in a reduction in out-of-school suspension by more than 60 percent over the past five years.
           
“It was evident to us that Robyn’s strong leadership skills, ability to hire quality faculty and staff, and overall vision for Dogwood were responsible for the positive changes occurring at the school,” says parent liaison and PTA president Susan Livingood. Cochran has reached out to families, the school district, and community partners to bring additional support and resources to the school. She established Dogwood Connection, the school’s family resource center, which provides coffee talks, a lending library and literacy games, and computers for parent use. She also instituted Dogwood Visits, where staff members visit the home of each student to welcome them to the new school year.

Cochran is praised for fostering two-way communication between administrators and staff members, listening to opinions and feedback, and involving staff in the decision-making process, some of whom serve on the 20-member Dogwood Leadership Team, which guides the school improvement plan. She stays involved in quarterly data dialogue days—where instructional personnel study and discuss the use of data to help differentiate instruction—participates in collaborative learning team meetings, and regularly visits classrooms to stay in touch with what is happening in the classroom and to help determine strengths and needs. And her participation in the Southgate Initiative, which includes the Reston Interfaith Center, Fairfax County Department of Family Services, Fairfax County government, and local apartment complexes and community centers, “models her belief that we must all work together to support our students,” says Forgy.

“From an academic perspective, the gains in achievement made at Dogwood under Robyn’s leadership have been astonishing,” adds Livingood. “Moreover, the fact that Dogwood is no longer under VDOE sanctions has instilled a sense of pride that has not been felt around the school for many years.”

“Our goal has never been AYP or high test scores,” says Cochran. “It has consistently been to provide outstanding instruction to individual students regardless of their learning needs or challenges.”

Finalists for the 2012 FCPS Principal of the Year included Brian Butler, principal of the new Mason Crest Elementary School, and Jill Jakulski, principal of Burke School.

For more information, go to http://commweb.fcps.edu/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=1939.

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Charles Sabatier Named 2012 FCPS Teacher of the Year

Charles Sabatier, a physics teacher at Mount Vernon High School, has been named the Fairfax County Public Schools 2012 Teacher of the Year. Sabatier will represent FCPS in Virginia’s Teacher of the Year competition; the winner will be announced in fall 2012.

Sabatier, who serves as the science department chair at Mount Vernon, has also won the Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award for educational excellence, which is presented annually to a teacher from each school division in the Washington metropolitan area. The goals of the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Awards are to recognize excellence in teaching, to encourage creative and quality instruction, and to contribute in a substantive way to improving education in the Washington area. The award includes a $3,000 prize, which Sabatier will receive at a recognition ceremony in April.

“Be Respectful, Be Honest, and Be Incredible” read the rules posted on Sabatier’s desk. The 2012 Teacher of the Year says he realized early in his career that he was “a really good ‘edutainer’” and quickly learned to focus the fun on learning. He began to incorporate flying pigs and spinning buckets of water over his head into lessons when appropriate, and encouraged students to use new technologies like video analysis and wikis as part of their learning. Mount Vernon student E.J. Coleman, who is the current student representative to the Fairfax County School Board, says that when teaching students the game Whizz, Bang, Chazzum, “Mr. Sabatier always put emphasis on working together as a unit as opposed to just a random group of students…Under his direction, it always felt like a community and all of the students were neighbors.” During a project-based learning unit on sound, Sabatier had students build musical instruments and perform as part of a band before the Acoustical Society of America national conference in an effort to build self-esteem among members of the class.

It’s the dedication he shows to the students, both in and out of class, that makes an impression on his colleagues: “Charley Sabatier is an inspirational teacher who challenges both students and colleagues to want to learn more and deepen understanding. His love of learning is infectious,” says one. A former student adds, “There is rarely a dull moment and between labs and experiments, Mr. Sabatier shares the passion that is all too often lost among teachers of crazy high school students.” 

English teacher Melinda Bloomquist explains that Sabatier created and organized the schoolwide Major Time Cup Competition to encourage school spirit and unity, foster team building and bonding between students and teachers, and improve the Mount Vernon experience. Major Time is a special period devoted to sustained silent reading activity and enrichment or remediation with classroom teachers. “His vision of a competition between Major Time classes and the work that he has done to make it reality has literally changed the culture at MVHS,” she states. “Students feel supported, teachers enjoy building meaningful relationships with their students, and everyone enjoys the break from academics.”

Sabatier currently serves as a co-sponsor of the engineering and robotics club, sponsor of the Student Government Association, and member of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) committee. In his spare time, he works with a member of the community to study an osprey that has a nest atop one of the lights in the Mount Vernon High stadium, and is part of an International Baccalaureate (IB) physics collaborative learning team with three other IB physics teachers in Northern Virginia, funded by a grant he received from the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. 

“I have never worked with or observed any teacher who excels in the classroom the way Mr. Sabatier does,” says Mount Vernon principal Nardos King, who points to his dynamic communication skills, leadership qualities, innovativeness, and work ethic as his major strengths. She adds, “Well known for his achievements and professionalism, he has won the respect of educators throughout Fairfax County Public Schools.

Finalists for the 2012 FCPS Teacher of the Year were Caryn Engel of Cameron Alternative Learning Center, Linda Martin of Dogwood Elementary School, Thomas Harlow of Falls Church High School, Meredith Corsino of Herndon High School, and Jeffrey Lonnett of Mosby Woods Elementary School.

For more information, go to http://commweb.fcps.edu/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=1940.

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Feedback Sought On FCPS Facilities, Meetings Continue in May

Parents are invited to provide input for a long-term strategic plan that will help Fairfax County Public Schools prepare for critical facilities issues facing the school system in the next decade, including increasing enrollment, the availability of space to meet needs, and adequate funding to meet maintenance, renovation, and construction needs. The School-Board appointed Facilities Planning Advisory Council (FPAC) is developing the new strategic plan and encourages parents and all residents to participate in community meetings on:

  • Tuesday, May 22, 7 to 9 p.m.: Whitman Middle School cafeteria, Alexandria.

  • Tuesday, May 22, 7 to 9 p.m.: Robinson Secondary School cafeteria, Fairfax.

The facilities strategic plan is driven by issues identified in FPAC's careful evaluation of the current conditions and input from residents at a series of listening tours FPAC held in spring and fall 2011: space utilization (enrollment, capacity, and programs), operations and maintenance, capital improvement, community use, and communications.

Those interested in attending any of the community sessions can register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FPACstrategicplancommunitymeetings.  

Additional information about the strategic plan will be available at http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/fpac/index.shtml.

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Forums on the College Drinking Culture to Be Held in May

Fairfax County Public Schools seniors and their parents are welcome to attend an upcoming program that deals with binge drinking on college campuses. The Perils of the College Drinking Culture will be presented by the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC), in collaboration with the Fairfax County Police Department.

The programs will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on:

  • Wednesday, May 16, at Mount Vernon High School.

  • Wednesday, May 23, at Northern Virginia Community College’s Ernst Community Cultural Center.

The event will feature a screening of the award-winning documentary, Haze, followed by a question-and-answer session with a panel including representatives from the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, an emergency physician, representatives from the Fairfax County Police Department, the parent of a student who died following drinking at a college party, and a graduate student.

The program is part of an ongoing effort by county leaders to address the significant health and legal risks associated with underage and binge drinking. The UPC has spearheaded the county’s Parents Who Host, Lose the Most public education campaign—now in its sixth year—that educates parents about Virginia’s underage drinking laws. This program is partially funded by a federal Drug Free Communities grant.

For more information, visit www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org or contact Lucy Caldwell at the Fairfax County Police Department at 703-246-3271.

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Register Now for Summer 2012 Adult and Community Education Classes

Registration is under way for summer 2012 classes offered by Adult and Community Education (ACE). Course offerings may be viewed at www.fcps.edu/is/ace, and classes may be registered for online. The course catalog, ACE Classes, has been mailed to residents and is also available at Fairfax County public libraries and at the Plum Center.

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Tip Sheet for Parents: Tried-and-True Tricks of the Trade for Dealing With Defiant Behavior

No matter how well they are brought up, it's natural for kids to argue and talk back to their parents and refuse to do as requested. It's their way of trying to prove they're capable and independent.

When a teenager says, “I hate you,” “Don't tell me what to do!” or rolls his or her eyes, it's also natural for parents to get angry. But that won't help matters. These approaches work better:

  • Make a list of acceptable behaviors. “In our house, we don't . . . .” (use bad words, call people names, leave a mess for someone else to pick up, borrow without asking, etc.).

  • Give your teen appropriate words to express his or her feelings. Tell him you will tolerate his or her saying, “You hurt my feelings,” or “You're treating me like a baby." But he  or she can't say “Shut up," curse or call you names.

  • Never tolerate disrespect from your teen, regardless of how annoyed or troubled he or she is at the moment. Say, “No matter how irritated or how right you think you are, you do not have the right to be disrespectful to others.”

  • Use Grandma's Rule. This is basically an agreement that says, “When you have done what you are supposed to do, then you may do what you want to do.” Always phrase it positively: “You can talk on the phone when you finish your homework.”

  • Put a penalty on arguing. Make it a rule that the going rate of arguing time is one job per minute. Most kids come to realize that arguing isn't worth the cost.

  • Take control of resources. A teen who is “independently wealthy”—who has a big allowance and a room full of electronic equipment—is in a position to ignore his parents' demands. Reduce the allowance to zero and let him or her earn money by behaving responsibly.

  • Teach your teenager to negotiate for what he or she wants, instead of arguing. “I will do ______ if you let me do _______.”

  • Ask your teen to sit down and write four reasons why he or she thinks she it's necessary to be disrespectful to you. By reason number four, it's likely his or her anger will have waned. Then you can use the reasons as a springboard to talk about her frustrations and possible solutions.

  • If nothing seems to work, give this option: “Would you like to cool off by yourself for a while, or would you like a hug?” This can get you both out of a bad mood, so you can start afresh.

Note: Copyright 2012. Reprinted with permission from the Parent Institute. Additional tip sheets and other resources for parents and families can be found on the Family and School Partnerships website at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/fam/resources/publications/index.shtml.

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Fairfax County Executive Releases FY 2013 Advertised Budget

Anthony Griffin, Fairfax County executive, has proposed to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors a FY 2013 budget that includes a 4.5 percent increase in funding for the county transfer to the schools. This action leaves a gap of $63.3 million in the School Board’s advertised budget, prior to accounting for any changes resulting from the state budget.

Fairfax County residents have numerous opportunities to review the budget and provide feedback and comments on Fairfax County's FY 2013 Advertised Budget Plan before it is formally adopted by the Board of Supervisors on May 1 by going to http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb/.

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Register Now for Summer Arts Institutes and Tech Camps 

Openings are still available for students interested in the Institute for the Arts (IFTA); Elementary Institute for the Arts (E-IFTA); Tech Adventure Camp (TAC); Fashion Camp; and the new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Camp.

  • The arts institute programs provide enrichment in the visual and performing arts for students in grades 6 through 11 (IFTA) and grades 3 through 5 (E-IFTA) during the 2011-12 school year. For more information, call 571-423-4530.

  • Tech Adventure Camp gives students in grades 5 through 7 during the 2011-12 school year the opportunity to explore careers and technology as they rotate through eight areas over a two-week program. For more information, call 571-423-4502.

  • Fashion Camp is for students in kindergarten through grade 8 during the 2011-2012 school year. For more information, call 571-423-4599.

  • STEM Camp is designed to give students in grades 3 through 5 during the 2011-12 school year the opportunity to explore careers and technology as they rotate through different classes over a one week program.

IFTA, E-IFTA, STEM, and the TAC will be held at Lake Braddock Secondary School.

Registration information about these and summer programs offered by Adult and Community Education and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is available at http://www.fcps.edu/is/summer/index.shtml.

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Kindergarten Orientation and Registration

Will your child be five years old by September 2012? If so, contact your child's school to make arrangements for kindergarten enrollment. Most schools begin getting information together in late March or early April for parents of incoming kindergartners, and many host an orientation or open house. Please note that most kindergarten orientations are usually scheduled between mid-March and the end of June. It's best to check the school's web page or to contact the school directly for any specific information about kindergarten in 2012-13.

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New School at Lacey Site Named Mason Crest Elementary by School Board

At its February 23 regular business meeting, the School Board voted unanimously to name the new school located at the Lacey site Mason Crest Elementary School. Mason Crest will open in fall 2012. Get more information at http://www.fcps.edu/masoncrestes/.

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FCPS Website Receives Top Grade for Transparency from Sunshine Review

The Fairfax County Public Schools website (http://www.fcps.edu) has received a Sunny Award and an A+ transparency grade from the editors of Sunshine Review, a nonprofit organization that measures state and local government transparency. FCPS was one of five school districts in Virginia to receive the highest possible rating from the group.

FCPS received exemplary marks for providing information on its elected officials, public records, academics, meetings, administrative officials, and budget, among other topics.

For the 2012 awards, editors at Sunshine Review analyzed more than 6,000 government websites and graded each on a 10-point transparency checklist. Editors looked at content available on government websites against what should be provided. They sought information on items such as budgets, meetings, lobbying, financial audits, contracts, academic performance, public records, and taxes. The winners of the Sunny Award all received a grade of A during the extensive grading process.

Sunshine Review collaborates with individuals and organizations throughout America to further the cause of an informed citizenry and a transparent government. Since its inception in 2008, Sunshine Review has analyzed the websites of all 50 states and more than 6,000 state and local entities. Visit http://sunshinereview.org/core/home for additional information.

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2012 Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair Results

The 2012 Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair was held March 16-18 at Robinson Secondary School. A list of winners is available at http://www.fcps.edu/is/science/sciencefair/winners.shtml.

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Student Recruitment for College Success Program Underway for 2012-13 School Year

The College Success Program is composed of five individual programs that provide additional support to middle and high school students who aspire to go to college after graduating from high school but are traditionally underrepresented on college and university campuses. Many College Success Program students will be the first in their families to attend college and do not have the financial means to attend without significant assistance. The five programs are:

  • AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination).
  • The College Partnership Program (CPP).
  • The Early Identification Program (EIP).
  • Pathway to the Baccalaureate (PtB).
  • Project Discovery.

Three of the five programs, AVID, the CPP and the EIP, are currently recruiting students for the 2012-13 school year. For information about the middle and high schools in FCPS that offer these programs, the steps that are necessary to apply, and the criteria that are used for selection, visit the College Success Program website at http://www.fcps.edu/is/schoolcounseling/collegesuccess/ or call the College Success Program at 571-423-4410. 

Application deadlines vary by program and school. Contact your student’s school counselor for more information.

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Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Catching On in FCPS

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is catching on in Fairfax County Public Schools. Many FCPS schools at all levels are allowing for and encouraging a BYOD program to support increased access to digital resources including the new online social studies textbooks and other instructional programs when deemed appropriate by the classroom teachers. Students can bring laptops, netbooks, tablets, e-readers and in some schools even Smart phones. Parents and students are required to complete a device use agreement permission form. Once completed, students can register their devices at their school where they will be approved for use on the FCPS secured wireless network. This ensures internet content is filtered for each student connected to the network while on school property. 

To get more information about the BYOD program at your school, contact your local school administrator.

Note: To learn about the BYOD program at Carson Middle School, take a look at this short video, found at http://dl.ebmcdn.net/fcps/mp4/schoolscene/2012/ss09_byod.mp4.

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2012 Graduation Schedule Now Available

The 2012 graduation schedule is now available online at http://www.fcps.edu/news/grad.shtml.

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FCPS Launches Living Fit in Fairfax Project

Fairfax County Public Schools has received a Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will fund the Living Fit in Fairfax project. This three-year grant project is designed to improve the health and fitness literacy of FCPS students by coordinating nutrition, fitness, and physical activity opportunities.

Living Fit in Fairfax is fitness-based and supports student achievement under the Virginia Standards of Learning for health and physical education. Goals of the project include:

  • Instruction for all students in grades K-12 in healthy eating habits, good nutrition, and concepts of fitness and health; promotion of strategies to increase student activity; and opportunities for students to develop positive social and cooperative skills while participating in physical activities.

  • Increasing students’ understanding of healthy nutritional habits and the relationship of nutrition to health, performance, and appearance.

  • Implementation of online, individualized nutrition and fitness planning for students to motivate them to manage and improve nutrition, fitness, activity, sleep, and hydration behaviors.

  • Upgrading and expanding online fitness, nutrition, and activity behaviors portfolios, as well as assessment software that will disaggregate, analyze, and report data to provide results to students, families, and administrators. Results will be provided on an immediate, intermediate, and long range basis. Students can track and report their progress and administrators can determine any needs for program change based on data.

  • Providing nutrition and fitness equipment to contribute to a comprehensive program that provides a natural school-to-life transition for students.

  • Building on current community collaboration and partnership opportunities to extend learning beyond the classroom.

Project assessments will include measures for daily physical activity, cardiovascular fitness levels, and nutrition. These measurements will be assessed through pedometer and activity logs, 20-meter shuttle (PACER), and nutrition logs for schools involved in each year of the grant. Additional data collection will include fitness measures, knowledge assessments, and surveys that may involve all students.

Involvement by community partners will also help increase student activity levels outside of the school day. Physical education programs, SACC, and Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services will provide fitness and nutrition activities for students in before- and after-school programs. 

Living Fit in Fairfax represents a turning point for physical education in providing health and fitness literacy and improved activity for all students. 

For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/is/hpe/livingfit.shtml.

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Keep Up-to-Date on FY 2013 Budget Information With The Bottom Line E-Newsletter

Fairfax County Public Schools is again publishing the Bottom Line e-newsletter, a publication that will be sent to all FCPS parents and employees every few weeks while the budget for the 2012-13 school year (FY 2013) is proposed, discussed, and approved (in May 2012). It contains the latest budget news, facts, dates, and rumor busters to help the FCPS community better understand the budget and the budget process. Links will also be posted on the FY 2013 budget web site at http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2013.shtml.

Please Note: All FCPS employees and all FCPS parents who have registered e-mail addresses with their children's schools get The Bottom Line automatically. If you are not a member of one of these groups and want to receive The Bottom Line, go to www.fcps.edu/kit, create a KIT Plus subscription, and sign up for one of the following:

  • Current Issues.
  • School Board News and Updates.

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Are You Interested in Becoming a Mentor?

Mentoring in Fairfax County Public Schools occurs throughout the entire school system and at all levels. According to data from the 2010-11 school year, a total of 172 mentoring programs are in place in FCPS: 118 elementary school programs, 21 middle school programs, and 33 high school programs. These data also indicated that approximately 5,500 students in FCPS were being mentored.

If you are interested, consider several factors, including the age and number of young people you want to work with—elementary, middle, or high school-age children; one youth or several. (There is a difference between mentoring a child one on one versus coaching a group of young people). Also, consider the setting that you may want to mentor in, such as a school, the community, or a business.

For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/dss/ips/ssaw/mentorworks.

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New Management of Life-Threatening Allergies Handbook Now Available Online

A new handbook, Management of Life-Threatening Allergies, is now available online to assist schools to care for students with life-threatening allergic conditions and to provide parents guidance about how allergies are addressed in Fairfax County Public Schools. Topics includes allergies and anaphylaxis, prevention, emergency procedures, best practices, and emotional wellness. For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/dss/osp/healthservices/AllergyHandbook.pdf.

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Inclement Weather and Emergency Closing Plans

Due to inclement weather or other emergency situations, it may be necessary to close schools for the entire day, to open schools late, or to close early.

Parents are urged to make arrangements now for the care of their children when schedule changes are made (and to provide for the rare situation when it is necessary to close an individual school because of a power failure or other circumstances). Children should know where to go if a parent will not be home.

Decisions on schedule changes are made after careful study of the best information available from many sources including weather services, the highway department, the police, and FCPS transportation staff members who are out checking the roads. FCPS will make every effort to decide, before 4:30 a.m., whether to close or delay schools and will begin communicating the decision once it is made. The 4:30 a.m. decision time is a goal. Weather conditions can deteriorate after 4:30 a.m., which means that it may not be possible for FCPS to meet that goal. While no sources dealing with weather predictions can be infallible, decisions are made with one overriding consideration—the safety of all students—those who ride buses and those who walk to school each day.

FCPS has several schedules set up to deal with inclement weather; these are put into effect when conditions threaten the safety of children who are walking or riding school buses to schools. These schedules are:

(1) Keep schools closed. (2) Open two hours late. (3) Close two hours early.

In every case of a schedule change:

  • Tune in to local radio and television stations (including cable Channel 21, a channel programmed by FCPS), which are notified as soon as a decision is made.
  • Check www.fcps.edu.
  • Check Facebook (www.facebook.com/fcpsva) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/fcpsnews).

Do not phone the school or one of the stations for this information. To receive this information via e-mail, sign up for the FCPS Keep in Touch (KIT) e-mail notification system. (See article on how to subscribe and how to update your Keep in Touch information or go to www.fcps.edu/kit/.)

For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/news/weather.shtml.

If you want to learn more about how FCPS administrators decide to delay or close schools during inclement weather, you can check out a short video, which is available online by going to http://dl.ebmcdn.net/fcps/mp4/schoolscene/2012/ss08_snowdaze.mp4.

Please note: FCPS schools are open unless information is posted or sent that indicates schools are closed, opening late, or closing early. During an emergency closing situation in which other local school systems are closed or delayed and FCPS is open on time, the crawl for local TV stations WJLA (ABC 7) and NewsChannel 8 will indicate "No Report" for FCPS.

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2012-13 School Year Calendar Now Available Online

The Fairfax County School Board has approved the 2012-13 school calendar which sets Tuesday, September 4, 2012, as the first day of the school year and Tuesday, June 18, 2013, as the last day.

Teacher workdays are scheduled for November 5 and 6, 2012; January 28, 2013; and April 15, 2013. January 29, 2013, is a staff development day. Winter break is scheduled for December 24, 2012, through January 1, 2013, and spring break will be held March 25-29, 2013.

The 2012-13 school year calendar is available online at http://www.fcps.edu/about/12-13cal.shtml.

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New Videostream File Format Compatible With Mobile Devices

FCPS' online streaming of Fairfax County Public Schools news stories, otherwise known as videostreams, has been upgraded to a new file format. As a result, videostreams require either QuickTime (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/) or Windows Media Player (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/windows-media-player) for playback, depending on your computer settings. In addition, the new videostreams are compatible with mobile technology and can be viewed on many Blackberry, Droid, iPhone, and iPad devices.

More information is available at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/tv/index.shtml

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Keep Your Emergency Contact and Health Information Up-to-Date by Using weCare@school

Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to ensuring a safe and secure climate in all its facilities. FCPS is pleased to announce the continuation of the weCare@school (weCare) online emergency care information service for parents and guardians who have registered to access FCPS 24-7 Learning (Blackboard), available at http://www.fcps.edu/fcps247.shtml. Parents should use weCare to update their information annually at the start of school and thereafter whenever changes to the health or contact information occur during the course of the school year.

weCare allows parents to use a secure web-based option for keeping their child’s emergency care and health information current. For example, if a parent needs to change an emergency contact number or update his or her child’s medical condition(s), accessing weCare in FCPS 24-7 Learning provides a quick, easy, and secure method for doing so. Keeping emergency contact information current also ensures that FCPS will be able to contact you, in case of an emergency such as a school closing or delayed opening, through the Keep in Touch messaging system (go to http://www.fcps.edu/kit/).

But that’s not all. Parent online access is just one of three major weCare components. Once a parent updates his or her child’s information using weCare, the school’s student information assistant reviews the submission and confirms the information before the student information database is updated. Additionally, weCare has a mobile component that provides first responders with access to emergency care information via handheld wireless devices. 

For additional information about weCare, go to http://www.fcps.edu/news/wecare.shtml.

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Telephone Parent Information Line Available in Seven Languages

Parents who speak Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese can call a telephone information line to help them learn general information about FCPS and to receive support if they are having difficulty communicating with their children's schools due to a language barrier.

The Parent Information Line numbers are:

  • Arabic—571-423-4952
  • Chinese—571-423-4953
  • Farsi—571-423-4954
  • Korean—571-423-4951
  • Spanish—571-423-4950
  • Urdu—571-423-4955
  • Vietnamese—571-423-4956

A parent may call at any time, leave a message in his or her language, and receive a return phone call in that language from an FCPS staff member within 24 hours Monday through Friday.

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FCPS Expands Social Media Outreach

Fairfax County Public Schools has expanded its use of social media, adding Flickr and YouTube to its existing presence on Facebook and Twitter.

Parents, students, employees, and citizens can view videos featured on FCPS cable TV Channel Red Apple 21 on YouTube by going to http://www.youtube.com/user/FairfaxCountySchools; the site is updated periodically. 

The FCPS Flickr account features photos from the schools with a focus on events and activities featuring students. New photos are added to the Flickr page at the end of each month. To view the photos, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/55818873@N06/

FCPS has more than 20,000 followers on Facebook, where up-to-date news and information, including emergency school closing information, can be found. New entries are added to the Facebook page daily during the five-day work week. To follow FCPS on Facebook, visit http://www.facebook.com/fcpsva and select Like at the top of the page. 

Over 4,500 people follow FCPS on Twitter (@fcpsnews), where news briefs and helpful information for parents and citizens is posted. To follow FCPS on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/fcpsnews and click on Follow. 

Citizens can also receive FCPS news and information by subscribing to the school system’s Keep in Touch e-mail messaging system (http://www.fcps.edu/kit), or by subscribing to RSS (really simple syndication). To learn more about RSS, visit http://www.fcps.edu then click on the orange RSS logo on the right side of the page. Links to all of FCPS' social media sites can also be found on the FCPS home page.

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Using the Keep in Touch (KIT) Notification System

FCPS has an electronic notification system known as Keep in Touch (KIT). KIT has two services: KIT Basic (automatic enrollment) and KIT Plus (subscription).

KIT Basic has automatic enrollment because it draws contact information from the student information system (SASI) and the employee (Lawson) databases. Contact information for KIT Basic may be updated at the school or through weCare@School, a feature of FCPS 24-7 Learning (Blackboard) - http://www.fcps.edu/fcps247.shtml. FCPS central offices and schools use KIT Basic to provide families and employees with three types of messages—attendance (new this year), emergency, and outreach—via e-mails and phone calls.

KIT Plus is a subscription service for students, community members, and citizens interested in news, events, and updates from FCPS. Subscribers may select from the following topics: 

  • Adult and Community Education (ACE) classes and news.
  • Current issues (budget, boundary studies, summer programs).
  • Delayed openings and school closings.
  • FCPS job opportunities.
  • Magnet schools and advanced academic programs.
  • News releases and media tips.
  • PTA, PTSA, PTO information.
  • School Board news and updates.
  • Special education services.
  • Supergram (employee newsletter).
  • Volunteer opportunities.

In addition to these topics, KIT Plus subscribers may also receive announcements from up to five schools of their choice. KIT Plus is a self-subscribing, -updating, and -unsubscribing service. FCPS families and employees may receive announcements from both KIT Basic and KIT Plus.

For more information, or to subscribe, visit http://www.fcps.edu/kit.

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FCPS Invites Businesses, Community Organizations to Explore Five Ways to Partner With Schools

Fairfax County Public Schools is encouraging local businesses and community organizations to check out five ways to partner with the school system in an effort to support students individually and on a larger scale.

FCPS announces the Give Me Five! initiative, offering a number of ways for businesses, organizations, and individuals to benefit students and schools:

  • Mentor a child. Mentors commit to working with a student for one hour, once a week, throughout the school year and are placed with a student close to the mentors' homes or offices. Training and support is offered to all potential mentors.
  • Partner with a school. A business or organization can establish a partnership with one school and have the option to expand the relationship to mutually benefit both partners.  Some schools have had the same business partner for more than 20 years.
  • Serve as a systemwide partner. Partnering at the school system level can affect students throughout FCPS and often targets a specific curricular focus that can enhance a business’s workforce development.
  • Support an existing partnership. Individuals, companies, and organizations can donate items, volunteer, or provide funding to any number of existing partnerships and programs.
  • Develop or advance an educational initiative. Initiatives come from inside and outside the school system, support cutting-edge learning, and help develop future employees.

For additional information about partnering with FCPS, contact Jay Garant at 571-423-1209 or jpgarant@fcps.edu. For more information about serving as a mentor, contact Shelley Prince at 571-423-4403 or rrprince@fcps.edu. 

Visit http://www.fcps.edu/cco/bcp/index.shtml for more information about business and community partnerships in FCPS.

 

Alternate Transportation Plans

In case of emergencies such as road closures, accidents, or weather-related road problems, drivers may use safe transportation-approved alternate locations to pick up or drop off students. Drivers will return children to their schools:

  • If there is no safe transportation-approved alernative stop.
  • If the driver has any other concerns regarding the safety of releasing a student at a regular stop.
  • If a child expresses concern, for any reason, about getting off of the bus.

Walker Safety Tips

Parents should plan a walking route to school and choose the most direct way with the fewest street crossings. Parents are responsible for selecting their children’s walking routes to and from bus stops, schools, and home. Parents are also responsible for providing supervision that is appropriate for their child’s age, maturity, and conditions on the route. Parents should be encouraged to outfit their children with reflective clothing.

Students should cross streets at controlled intersections and in crosswalks where available. Students should not cross in the middle of a street unless the crossing is supervised by a crossing guard or a police officer. Before crossing, students should look both ways before stepping off the curb. Students should always pay attention for turning vehicles. Students should be encouraged to turn off personal stereos (iPods) while crossing intersections.

Students who walk to and from school should be encouraged to walk with other students. Walkers should go directly home after school and never take shortcuts. Elementary students should avoid parks, vacant lots, fields, and other places where there aren't many people, and, if they are unable to walk home safely, they should return to the school.

It is important to note that school system staff members do not assess all possible walking routes, supervise those routes, or guarantee the safety of any particular route. Staff members provide general safety information to school communities and respond to requests for specific information and advice when practicable. Staff members also assess routes for unusual hazards when concerns are brought to their attention.

 

Parents: Sign Up Now for FCPS 24-7 Learning

All parents, legal guardians, and foster parents of FCPS students are eligible to receive their own user accounts for FCPS 24-7 Learning (Blackboard). Since the program was made available to parents in March 2007, more than 29,000 parents have already signed up for their own accounts.

Registration provides several benefits. With their own accounts, parents no longer have to share account information with their children in order to visit their online class sites in FCPS 24-7. An account, which provides access to the Parent View page in FCPS 24-7, allows parents to directly access all their children’s class sites from this one location. This allows parents to view class announcements and materials shared with students and, in most cases, provides a direct link to each of their children’s teachers’ FCPS e-mail addresses for easy communication. Please Note: By updating your child's emergency contact information in FCPS 24-7 you are also updating your account information for messages from the Keep in Touch (KIT) Basic message system.

weCare@school and Family Connection Tools Included

Additionally, registration provides access to the weCare@school and Family Connection tools. weCare@school provides parents a secure capability to review and electronically update each child’s emergency data information. Parents who take advantage of this service can now only update those fields that require a change, such as contact phone information or home address, without manually completing a new form. This up-to-date information can be rapidly included in the FCPS student information system and allows each school’s first responders to electronically access this information should the need arise.

Family Connection, a planning tool for high school students, enables high school parents to:

  • View their students’ GPAs and SAT and ACT test scores.
  • View their students’ resumés and postgraduation plans.
  • Research colleges and view acceptance histories from their high schools.
  • View additional career and college counseling resources from their schools and FCPS.

Signing Up Is Easy

To sign up for an FCPS 24-7 Learning account, parents need only complete a simple two-step process. First, they register online through FCPS 24-7 Learning. The site can be accessed by either selecting the FCPS 24-7 Learning link on the FCPS public web site or by going directly to http://fcps.blackboard.com and entering parentreg as the username and newuser as the password.

This login provides access to step-by-step instructions, a toll-free number for assistance, and the online registration form. After completing the online registration, which requires school directory-type information and a valid e-mail address, parents receive a validation code that must be taken to one of their children’s schools in order to validate and enable the account.

Schools provide opportunities for both registration and validation at parent-oriented activities such as Back-to-School Nights, orientations, and other activities. They also have the ability to support walk-in validation requests. As a courtesy, it is best to call the school ahead of time for walk-in validation.

The registration and validation process is a one-time requirement. No annual update or other update or additional registration is required while parents have students enrolled in FCPS.

Parents are encouraged to contact their children’s schools to find out their plans for registration activities and validation opportunities over the coming months.

 

Parent Resource Center Tutor and Speech Clinician List

The FCPS tutor list, which can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/prc/resources/tutors.shtml, contains names of individuals who have contacted the Parent Resource Center (PRC) to offer services. The PRC in no way recommends or guarantees certification or costs of individual tutors. The list is a service provided by the PRC, but parents are responsible for contacting and working with the tutors. The listed FCPS speech clinicians are those who are licensed to provide services privately to clients. The PRC cannot make specific recommendations or guarantee certification, licensure, or costs.

If you have questions, call 703-204-3941 or visit the PRC at 2334 Gallows Road, room 224. Hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Satellite locations are open part-time at Aldrin and Hayfield Elementary Schools.

For more information about the Parent Resource Center, go to http://www.fcps.edu/cco/prc/about.shtml.

 

Newswire

Webpage Curator

Andy Grunig
Andy.Grunig@fcps.edu

Last Updated

April 27, 2012