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

High School Summer School Plans Take Shape

As you may know, FCPS is redesigning the summer program, but the high school summer school program will remain similar to last year’s program.

Four central sites—Edison High, Lake Braddock Secondary, Oakton High, and Westfield High—will offer programs in course recovery, SOL remediation, ESOL elective credit, and acceleration classes. High School summer school will:

• Take place July 9 through August 7.
• Be from 7:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
• Offer Algebra 1-Part 1, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, English 9 (repeat only), English 10, English 11, English 12, Geometry, Geosystems, Physics, Va. And U.S. Government, Va. And U.S. History, World History and Geography 1, World History and Geography 2.

In addition:

• Special Education Content courses, Special Education ESY courses will be offered at Lake Braddock, July 9-August 7.
• SOL Remediation Session, English Writing will be offered at Edison and Oakton, June 26-July 17.
• SOL Remediation Nonwriting will be offered at Edison and Oakton, July 21-August 6.
• Test-only English Writing will be offered at Edison High, Lake Braddock Secondary, Oakton High, and Westfield High, July 14-17. This is for FCPS term graduates only.
• Test-only Nonwriting will be offered at Edison High, Lake Braddock Secondary, Oakton High, and Westfield High, August 5-6. This is for FCPS term graduates only.

Registration will be May 12-June 24 via fax and mail. There will be no late, first day, or walk-in registration and no audits.

Additional information will be in Encore 2008, the summer school booklet, which will be available in late spring, and at www.fcps.edu/news/summer.htm.

High School Summer Classes for Middle School Students

Students who have completed eighth grade and have met appropriate course requirements during the current school year can register for algebra and/or geometry courses offered in the high school summer school program.

The high school program will be held July 9 through August 7, 7:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., at Edison High, Lake Braddock Secondary, Oakton High, and Westfield High.

Tuition will be $700 with a sliding scale of $350 and $70. Registration will be May 12-June 24. Additional information is available in Encore 2008, the summer school booklet that will be available in late Spring at http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OACE/prek12.htm.

Register Now for the Institute for the Arts

Master the arts! Attend Institute for the Arts (IFTA) and create an artful summer. Now in its 21st year, IFTA provides an opportunity for students to hone their skills within one discipline or experience a variety of fine arts offerings. Select four 60-minute courses each day and create a summer to remember. Students should select courses that match the grade level they will enter in the fall of 2008. The tuition is $750 for Fairfax County residents and includes transportation.

The tuition for non-Fairfax County residents is $950 and does not include transportation. Reduced fee and tuition waivers are not available for this elective program. Registration for IFTA is on a first-come, first-served basis. Register now to ensure your space in this prestigious art enrichment program.

Details and registration information are available at http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OACE/prek12/ifta.htm.

2008-09 School Year Calendars and Registration Requirements Available

The calendars for the 2008-09 school year have been posted and are available online at http://www.fcps.edu/cal.htm. Registration requirements for 2008-09 are also available at http://www.fcps.edu/ss/StudentServices/StudentRegistration/stsvctr1.htm.






Kindergarten Orientation

Contact your child's school to make arrangements for 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 kindergaren 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 for any specific information about kindergarten in 2008-09.






Michelle Ohanian Named FCPS 2008 Teacher of the Year

Michelle Ohanian, an English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) teacher at Mountain View Alternative High School, has been named the Fairfax County Public Schools 2008 Teacher of the Year. Ohanian will represent FCPS in Virginia’s Teacher of the Year competition; the winner will be announced in fall 2008.

Ohanian 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 Ohanian will receive at a recognition ceremony in April.

“Learning how to teach ESOL from Michelle Ohanian is like learning to play basketball from Michael Jordan,” says Mountain View colleague Cesar Zuniga, who was mentored by Ohanian in his first year of teaching after switching careers. With Ohanian’s support, Zuniga presented a unit on classroom video production at a countywide in-service workshop and learned time management tips, classroom management routines, and strategies for student assessment to maximize his time and ultimately focus his efforts and energy on his students.

Ten of Ohanian’s students wrote a letter in support of her nomination, praising her for using creative teaching techniques and for making learning fun. One student recalled a lesson in which Ohanian combined celebrating a student’s birthday with learning English, “Before we were able to eat the cake, we had to describe the cake. We were using descriptive language.” Others praise her for supporting them as they went from knowing little or no English to being able to read and write fluently in their second language. “I remember when I started her class, I did not know much English,” said one student. “My writing was horrible. My verbs, commas, and punctuation were not organized. Now I can write more than I used to. I feel proud of myself and happy to have Ms. Ohanian as my ESOL teacher.”

Students praise Ohanian for being patient, for encouraging them to persevere, and for helping them succeed by tailoring instruction to their needs, as well as for taking an interest in them outside the classroom. One student recalls that Ohanian held a classroom celebration in honor of the student obtaining U.S. citizenship; another remembers when Ohanian brought in a teddy bear for her sick brother.

Get more information at http://www.fcps.edu/suptapps/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=807.

Nancy Bowen, Thomas Reinsel Named FCPS 2008 Support Employees of the Year

Nancy Bowen, administrative assistant at Burke School, and Thomas Reinsel, coordinator for energy management in the Department of Facilities and Transportation Services, have been named Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) 2008 Support Employees of the Year. 

Bowen, a 15-year veteran of FCPS, was named school-based Support Employee of the Year. “Visitors, please sign in at the front office—or you will miss the chance to meet Nancy Bowen,” writes nominator Jacquie Naughton, a former teacher and counselor at Burke School. As one of the first people to greet visitors to Burke School, Bowen is praised by every nominator for her welcoming manner and for her kindness and generosity. 

“Imagine walking into a school any time of the day and the person who greets you makes you feel as if you are the most important person in the world,” says Burke School assistant principal Latif Abdulalim, who says that Bowen treats everyone, including staff members, students, parents, and visitors, in this way.

During a year when Burke School had several female students who needed extra support, Bowen developed and implemented a program offering students the opportunity to earn the privilege of becoming office helpers during the day. From this program evolved Girls’ Night, a monthly evening when former students and staff members convene at Bowen’s house to dine and share fellowship and advice.

“Nancy recognizes the importance of a positive school culture and high levels of morale,” says principal Jill Jakulski, who adds that Bowen serves as much more than an administrative assistant at Burke School. Bowen is a skilled multitasker who also serves as finance officer, community use coordinator, and substitute SASI officer; additionally she runs report cards, orders supplies, attends basketball games outside school hours, coordinates staff events, shares her knowledge of computers with colleagues, interprets FCPS policies and procedures, serves food in the cafeteria, sets up tables and chairs for special events, and buys clothing for students in need.

Reinsel, who has 19 years of full-time experience with FCPS and currently manages 220 computerized energy management systems in the Department of Facilities and Transportation Services, is the winner of the nonschool-based Support Employee of the Year award. 

Reinsel was nominated for the award by four parents who cited him for his work with eight student groups working on energy-related projects. “He enthusiastically supported each of the student groups, taking the time to compile consumption data for each individual project and to explain the many aspects of energy usage and design trade-offs inherent to the FCPS system,” says parent Sara Schneider, who adds that Reinsel took the students on tours of FCPS facilities and explained how the school system uses energy.

As a result of his support, one student group raised funds to support the installation of motion sensor light switches in their school classrooms; another organized a compact fluorescent light bulb give-away. “The students’ ability to conceive, design, and implement these programs was made possible by Mr. Reinsel’s willingness to work with the students and to educate them on the many aspects of energy systems and usage,” adds Schneider, who notes that much of his work with the student groups took place after business hours.

While working with a Girl Scout troop based at Haycock Elementary School, Reinsel talked about energy conservation while discussing the energy-saving equipment installed in the school and demonstrating how he could control the school’s energy use from his personal laptop computer. “Mr. Reinsel’s presentation amplified what the students had learned about greenhouse gases in their regular sixth grade curriculum,” says Girl Scout leader Sue Saarino.

By sharing technical information on energy consumption, alternative energy, energy efficient building design, and environmental impacts, he provided the students with the background to further explore the field of energy, say nominators. Since 2004, Reinsel has managed the upgrade and conversion of 134 energy management systems to a web-based graphics interface. He also manages the FCPS energy performance contract, a self-funding program of energy efficiency upgrades to 106 buildings that has resulted in an annual reduction of $2.4 million in energy costs, says William Mutscheller, director of the Office of Facilities Management.

For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/suptapps/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=821.

FCPS Recommended Family Life Education Objectives, Materials, and Media Available for Community Review

Fairfax County Public Schools recommended family life education (FLE) objectives, instructional materials proposal, and media will be available for community review from Tuesday, April 15, through Monday, May 19, at the Nancy F. Sprague Technology Center, 4414 Holborn Avenue in Annandale. New lesson objectives are being recommended for grade 9 biology and grade 10 health human sexuality units. New media are being recommended to support the new lesson objectives for grade 10, and a proposal for instructional materials and distribution of print materials for grade 10 students regarding self-examinations from the American Cancer Society is being recommended.

     Preview dates and times are as follows:
     Daytime:       School days April 15-May 19, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
                         (Contact Pepsi Vongprachanh at 703-503-7495 to schedule daytime appointments.)

     Evenings:      Tuesday, April 29, 6 to 8 p.m.      
                         Thursday, May 8, 6 to 8 p.m.       

Copyright permissions prohibit FCPS from airing the videotapes on Red Apple Channel 21; however, all media are available for review at the Sprague Technology Center.

Comments from the community review of lesson objectives, instructional materials, and media will be provided to School Board members. For more information, call the Office of Middle School Instruction at 703-846-8617.

Kinship Family Cookout Set for May 17

The Kinship Care Committee of Fairfax County is offering a cookout for kinship families—grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives who are raising children for other family members—on Saturday, May 17, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Food, fun, and games will be provided.

This free activity will be held at two locations:

• Gum Springs Community Center, 8100 Fordson Road, Alexandria.
• Southgate Community Center, 12125 Pinecrest Road, Reston.

Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, call 703-324-3517; TTY 703-222-9693.

This kinship respite activity is sponsored by Fairfax County Public Schools and Fairfax County’s Departments of Community and Recreation Services, Family Services, and Systems Management for Human Services.

2008 Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair Results

The 2008 Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair was held in March at Robinson Secondary School. A list of winners is available at http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/sciengfair/2008web.html.

Important Immunization Requirements

For Entry Into Sixth Grade

Effective July 1, 2006, the School Minimum Immunization Requirements for Virginia students changed to include:

• Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis): a booster dose is required for all students entering the sixth grade if at least five years have passed since the last dose of tetanus-containing vaccine was received.

Sixth graders cannot begin school in the fall without documentation of having had the Tdap booster or having had a tetanus-containing vac

cine within the past five years. Parents and guardians of current fifth graders should check their children’s immunization records and provide the school with proof of meeting the new requirement before the end of the school year.

If your child is 11 years old, he or she should get the Tdap immunization, and documentation should be provided to the school immediately. However, if your child is still 10 years old, he or she may receive the Tdap vaccine approved for 10-year-olds or wait until the 11th birthday to receive the vaccine approved for 11-year-olds. If the 11th birthday is after the first day of school, your child must have a medical exemption from the doctor stating when he or she will receive the Tdap in order to attend school.

Students can receive immunizations required for school at no charge at any Fairfax County Health Department walk-in immunization clinic. The school public health nurse may be contacted for more information.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Donaldson, health and home instruction specialist, Student Registration and Student Services, at 571-423-4402 or elizabeth.donaldson@fcps.edu.

2008 Virginia School Census—We’re Counting On You

The 2008 Virginia School Census began on March 1, and we are counting on you to bring our sales tax dollars home to our schools.

The commonwealth of Virginia requires each school division to conduct a census every three years as a means to distribute a portion of our state sales tax dollars to school divisions. Fairfax County Public Schools counts all persons residing in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax with birth dates on or between January 1, 1989, and December 31, 2007.

Each child counted in the 2008 census will bring approximately $3,000 back to Fairfax County Public Schools in tax dollars.

There are four ways to respond to the Census. The preferred method is via the web at www.fcps.edu/census. Each household also has the option of faxing or mailing the form, or responding via an Interactive Voice Response system at 703-752-0950. For questions or further information about the Census, please contact the Census office at 703-329-7765 or Census2008@fcps.edu. All responses are confidential and translation assistance is available.

Please respond to the census. Our kids are counting on you.

Register Now for Summer ACE Classes

Registration is in full swing for summer (May through August) classes offered by the Office of Adult and Community Education (ACE). Course offerings may be viewed at www.fcps.edu/aceclasses, and most 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 ACE registration centers. Look for the new lecture series, Everyday Green, that addresses the practical considerations consumers face on a daily basis in pursuing an environmentally sensitive lifestyle.

Coming Soon: New and Improved Keep in Touch System

Fairfax County Public Schools will soon be introducing a completely new and improved Keep in Touch (KIT) system. The goal is the same: to keep you informed about what is happening in FCPS, your school, and of course, emergencies (including delays and closings).

Along with a new vendor to provide improved services, some changes will be implemented based on past experiences, as well as the best practices already tried and tested by other large K-12 school systems.

Graduation Schedule Now Available

The 2008 high school graduation schedule, including post-graduation party locations, is now available at http://www.fcps.edu/news/grad.htm.

FCPS School Board Adopts FY 2009 Advertised Budget

The Fairfax County School Board voted on February 14 to adopt the FY 2009 advertised budget, which restored a number of programs originally identified for cuts and eliminated both the proposed athletic and activity fees for high school students and the proposed fees for Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and PSAT tests. Under the budget plan adopted on February 14, students and their families will not be asked to pay fees in order to participate in athletics or activities, or to take AP, IB, or PSAT tests.

Expansion of the Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) program to additional schools was reduced from 16 to 8 schools, and expansion of full-day kindergarten was reduced from 21 to 10 schools for the 2008-09 school year.

The School Board also voted to restore a number of programs, including:

• Transportation for students to gifted and talented (GT) centers and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and for administratively placed students.
• The College Partnership program.
• The Elementary School Focus program.
• The Middle School and High School Enhancement program.
• Proposed preschool special education cuts.
• Modified calendar schedule for three existing schools.
• Fifty-five general education Instructional Assistant positions.
• Funding support for National Board Certified Teachers and Applied Behavior Analysis.

The advertised budget continues to include a 3.0 percent cost of living adjustment for employees and an increase in the size of general education classes by .5 students.

For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2009.htm.

FCPS School Board Approves FY 2009-13 Capital Improvement Program

The Fairfax County School Board voted to approve the FY 2009-13 capital improvement program (CIP) at its January 24 business meeting. The CIP, which provides funds for renovations and new construction to support Fairfax County Public Schools, was amended by the Board to include planning funds for a proposed South County-area middle school and to explore approaches that would reduce the cost of and advance the time line for such a project.

Among the amendments approved by the School Board were:

1. Allocating $2 million in base realignment and closure (BRAC) planning funds to begin planning for a South County-area middle school.
2. Directing the Superintendent to explore Fairfax County funding contributions to provide school and county services at the new facility and to seek creative approaches to reduce project costs and address site constraints.  These findings are due to the Board in July.
3. Directing the Superintendent, once $10 million or its equivalent has been designated, to initiate a contract that will enable a South County-area middle school to be built as quickly as possible without displacing other projects planned for and funded by the CIP.
4. Initiating a study of projects that have not received planning funding and are not currently listed in the 2009-13 CIP, by reviewing enrollment, faculty, and capacity, and to include this information in the 2010-14 CIP to be presented to the School Board in December.
5. Directing the Superintendent to initiate research of the concept of a rolling renovation schedule for schools including West Springfield, Falls Church, Oakton, Herndon, and Langley High Schools, including a cost-benefit-risk analysis with the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to renovating schools.

Details about the FY 2009-13 CIP can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/cip.htm. More information about the FY 2009-13 CIP is also available at http://www.fcps.edu/suptapps/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=755.

New Antivirus Software Available for FCPS Staff Members and Students' Home Use

FCPS recently adopted new software, McAfee VirusScan, to provide desktop and laptop computers with antivirus protection. As in the past, FCPS will offer the use of this product to employees and students for their home computers at no charge. Due to the licensing agreement with McAfee, all copies need to be accounted for. A student may check out a copy from his or her librarian.

Note: If you have PC-Cillin 2005 software on your home computer, acquired from FCPS, you will need to replace it with McAfee or another product by its expiration date, January 30, 2008, in order for your computer to remain protected.

Questions about the process should be directed to the IT Service Desk by e-mail at ITServiceDesk@fcps.edu, or by phone at 703-503-1600.

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. While no sources dealing with weather predictions can be infallible, decisions are made with one overriding consideration—the safety of the students who ride buses or 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 the school system), which are notified as soon as a decision is made.
• check www.fcps.edu.
• call the FCPS hot line at 800-839-FCPS (3277). Tip: Program this number into your phone’s speed dial.

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 e-mail notification system. Please Note: In the event of a weather emergency (e.g., a snowstorm), a Keep in Touch message may take as many as five hours to be delivered to some subscribers, while other subscribers will receive theirs fairly quickly. Because many subscribers will receive their e-mails quickly, FCPS has decided to continue using Keep in Touch while we are working to contract with a new vendor who will improve the service. E-mail should not be your first or only option for receiving emergency closing information.

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

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://www.fcps.edu/DIT/streaming/ss8_snowdaze.asx.

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 2005-06 school year, a total of 95 mentoring programs are in place in FCPS: 68 elementary school programs, 12 middle school programs, and 15 high school programs. These data also indicated that 3,933 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/ss/MentorWorks/index.htm.

Three FCPS High Schools Make Magazine’s Top 100 List of America’s Best High Schools

Three Fairfax County high schools have made U.S. News & World Report’s list of the top 100 high schools in the United States. This is the magazine’s first annual ranking of U.S. high schools. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was ranked as the best high school in the country. Langley High School was ranked 37th, and Oakton High was ranked 88th. The three Fairfax County public schools are the only Virginia high schools to make the list.

TJHSST is a Virginia Governor’s School, a magnet school with a focus on science, mathematics, and technology education. It was founded in 1985 and consistently ranks as the top school in the country for numbers of National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. Both Langley and Oakton are regular FCPS high schools that draw students from within their attendance boundaries. Madison, Robinson, Marshall, and Stuart were also honored by the magazine.

A complete list of the magazine’s ranked high schools, as well as background information on the methodology used to determine the rankings, is available at www.usnews.com/highschools.

Parent Resource Center Tutor and Speech Clinician List

The FCPS tutor list, which can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/ss/prc/tutors_spclinicians.htm, 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 list of 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 8:00 am-4:30 pm. 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/ss/prc/aboutprc.htm.

Parenting Tip Sheets Available Online

The Family Services and Involvement Section (FSIS) of Fairfax County Public Schools offers tip sheets for parents of students at the preschool, elementary, middle, and high school levels. The tip sheets can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OECFS/FLI/helping.htm, and are updated monthly.






FCPS Opens New Student Registration Center in Reston

FCPS has opened a new Student Registration office in the Lake Anne area of Reston. The new office is located at 11484 Washington Plaza West, suite 310. The phone number is 703-668-0690. A map for the site can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/maps/lakeannereg.html. The Reston office replaces the Herndon Student Registration office, which closed on Wednesday, November 28.





New FCPS Resource Available to Help High School Students With Postgraduation College and Career Planning

FCPS is pleased to announce a new resource for high school students and their families. Family Connection is a comprehensive web site that students and parents can use to help make decisions about postgraduation education and career choices.

Family Connection is linked to Counselor’s Office, an FCPS service for tracking and analyzing data about college and career plans that provides up-to-date information specific to each school.

Accessed through student FCPS 24-7 Learning accounts, Family Connection allows students to:

• Get involved in the planning and advising process—Build a resumé, complete online planning surveys, and manage time lines and deadlines for making decisions about colleges and careers.
• Learn about student strengths and preferences—Explore ways to maximize individual educational performance and increase career awareness.
• Research colleges—Compare their own GPA and standardized test scores to their school’s data on students who have applied in the past.
• Develop postsecondary plans and interests—Update and share lists, notes, and documents with students, families, and counselors.
• Sign up for events—Find out which college, military, and career events are taking place at their school and sign up to attend those sessions.

Family Connection also allows counselors to share information with students about upcoming meetings and events, local scholarship opportunities, and other web resources for two- and four-year colleges, professional schools, and military and career information. Counselors and students will use e-mail to communicate through their Family Connection accounts.

Follow your student on the path to lifelong learning, goal setting, and achievement. For additional questions about Family Connection, please contact your school counselor or career center specialist.

To log in to FCPS 24-7 Learning, go to http://www.fcps.edu/fcps247.htm. For answers to many frequently asked questions, go to http://www.fcps.edu/news/fcps247home.pdf. Take a leap into Family Connection today!

FCPS Offering PTAs $1,000 for Bus Driver Referrals

FCPS is seeking partnerships with school PTAs to help resolve the bus driver shortage. Any FCPS affilitated schools that provide a referral that results in a permanent hiring will receive $1,000 from FCPS. FCPS invites other non-affiliated PTA units to spread the word on a great employment opportunity to the parents and families in their schools as a public service to FCPS families and for the greater community.

For more information, go to www.novadistrictpta.org.

Education for Independence Now Accepting Applications

Education for Independence, a job-training program for single parents administered through Fairfax County Public Schools Office of Adult and Community Education, is currently accepting applications.

The program offers free training and career assistance for Fairfax County residents who are single parents and meet income guidelines. For additional information on eligibility requirements, call 703-660-2015 or 703-227-2453.

School Assignment and Boundaries

Parents Can Now Manage Their Children's Medical Data Through weCare@school

Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to ensuring that the climate in all FCPS facilities is safe and secure. In support of this goal, FCPS is pleased to announce that the weCare@school (weCare) emergency care information system is now available to FCPS parents and guardians who have registered for their own FCPS 24-7 Learning account. 

weCare@school helps manage emergency medical information by enabling parents to enter and update their children’s medical data at their convenience. Before any data can be entered, parents must first validate their identity in person at their children’s school or schools, which can be done at times designated by individual schools.

Once the validation is complete, parents can log on to FCPS 24-7 Learning at http://fcps.blackboard.com and update their children’s medical information, contact information, and physician information at their convenience. The new technology will complement the current emergency care form that parents are asked to fill out at the start of each new school year.

One of the benefits of the new service is that it will enable first responders in schools—such as police officers, nurses, principals, and assistant principals—to securely access the most current emergency care and location information on students via wireless handheld devices and cell phones. The new technology will also allow school personnel to fax emergency care information from the handheld devices to hospital emergency rooms.

Once a parent updates his or her child’s information using weCare, the student information assistant at the school can review the submission and confirm the information before the student information database is updated.

Quick reference help information is available within FCPS 24-7: Parent View, and helpdesk support is accessible by phone at 1-866-434-8880. Each school will provide information to the parents of its community when it is opening the account registration process. For additional information about weCare, please visit http://www.fcps.edu/news/wecare.html.

School Board Directives No Longer Available on Paper

Effective July 1, 2007, the Code of Virginia no longer requires school libraries to maintain hard copies of notices, policies, and regulations (also known as directives). FCPS Regulation 1102.5, Procedures for Maintenance of Directives, has been revised to no longer require that policy manuals be maintained at schools and at administrative work sites.

Therefore, hard copies of directives will no longer be distributed. The most current version of the directive will be available on the FCPS web site at www.fcps.edu/Directives. Recent changes and additions to directives that have been made effective within the last 45 days can be found at www.fcps.edu/Directives/changes_1.html.

If you do not have Internet access and would like a print copy of any policy or regulation, please direct your request to your child’s school principal. The School Board office, located at Gatehouse Administration Center I, 8115 Gatehouse Road in Falls Church, will continue to maintain the historical records of all directives. 

The School Bus: A Smart Choice, A Safe Choice

The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that the school bus is 60 times safer than all other passenger vehicles. School buses manufactured after January 1, 1977, must meet more federal motor vehicle safety standards than any other type of motor vehicle. Why? Because school buses are transporting our most valuable possessions—our children.

So, while your own car may seem to be the most convenient or quickest way for your child to get to school or while it may provide you additional time with your child, the familiar yellow school bus is still the smartest and safest transportation choice you can make for your child.

This year, help not only to get your child to school safely, but also to alleviate parking problems and traffic congestion by making the school bus your child’s first choice in transportation.

For more information on bus transportation, contact the Office of Transportation Services, Linda Farbry, director, by calling 703-446-2000, or by going to www.fcps.edu/fts/tran/index.htm.

Office of Transportation Services After-Hours Emergency Telephone Number

As a parent, we know that your number one concern is your child's safety. We also know that it is frustrating—or even frightening—when you need to call someone for information about your student’s whereabouts after school hours and the phones are not being answered. To help, if your child has not yet returned home on the expected bus and you can not get in touch with him or her, the FCPS school security office, at 703-764-2400, can be called to contact transportation staff members after 5 p.m., who will work to determine when your child should arrive at their bus stop. Before 5 p.m., please contact your child's school.

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 students. Drivers will return children to their schools:

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

Three Ways to Purchase School Meals: Online Payment, Check, or Cash

Fairfax County Public Schools is pleased to announce that it now offers three ways to pay for school meals:

• Online—Using www.myLunchMoney.com—The service is easy to use, convenient, private, and secure. There is a convenience fee of $1.95 per transaction. Once the account is open, parents may check the fund account at any time from computer or phone.
• Check—Write a check—made out to (School Name) Food and Nutrition Services—and bring the check to the food service manager’s office. A parent who wants his or her check payments to be for meals only (no a la carte items) should write it on the check or tell the manager.
• Cash—Cash may be brought to the food service manager’s office for deposit in student accounts, or students may pay cash for breakfast and lunch on a daily basis.
  

Parents—Please Note!

• Parents may ask for a printed summary of their child(ren)’s account at any time by contacting the food service manager (or by signing on with myLunchMoney.com). You don’t need to use the online account for this service.
• Parents are asked to remind their child(ren) not to share their personal identification number (PIN) with friends.
• A parent who wants his or her payments to be for meals only (no à la carte items or snacks) should tell the food service manager.

2007-08 School Meal Prices

The prices for school meals during the 2007-08 school year will be as follows:

School lunch menus, updated monthly, are available at http://www.fcps.edu/parents/schlunch.htm.

Online Nutrition Calculator

The Office of Food and Nutrition Services now offers an online nutrition calculator to help students, parents, and staff members evaluate their snacks at home. It is also a fun teaching tool for the classroom.

To learn more, go to http://www.fcps.edu/fsapps/fnscalculator/EZCalculator.cfm. A short video is also available by going to http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/streaming/ss9_healthysnacks.asx.

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 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.

A number of educational opportunities are available to students throughout the school year. Fairfax County Police Department School Education Officers are available to provide pedestrian safety instruction. Additionally, the Office of Safety and Security’s Safety Bus is available to provide pedestrian safety instruction along with other safety topics.

It is important to note that school system staff does 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.

FCPS Students Eligible for Discounts on Select Microsoft Products

Through a special agreement with Microsoft, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students and staff members can now purchase select Microsoft products for home and personal use at great discounts. In addition, Fairfax County Public Schools adult education students are also eligible to purchase through this program.

Student Select is part of Fairfax County Public Schools Technology@Home program. This program seeks to help students, faculty, and staff members with their home technology needs by enabling them to purchase directly from vendors at educational discount rates. With the latest technology, students, faculty, and staff members can make the best use of instructional and administrative resources from home.

For more information on available products, pricing, and how to order, go to
http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/techathome/studentselect.html.

Online Campus Offers Option for Gaining High School Credit

The FCPS Online Campus is a web-based high school course delivery program. FCPS Online Campus delivers courses identical in content to those offered in traditional classrooms and uses multimedia to teach students.

An FCPS Online Campus course is designed to deliver fully-aligned FCPS high school curriculum. In every face-to-face course, an average high school student will be engaged for 3.5-5 hours per week for the entire school year (36 weeks).

Some quick facts about learning time:

• Starting a class in September: An average student will need to work 4.25 hours per week to finish a full credit online course by June.
• Starting a class in January: An average student will need to work 8.5 hour per week to finish a full credit online course by June
• Starting a class in Summer School: A student will need to work 30 hours per week for the 5 week session!

All online campus courses require at least three face-to-face meetings that are held in the evenings. These are for orientation and assessment purposes.

More information is available by going to http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/onlinecampus/gen-info.htm.

Learning Through Experience: Volunteer Opportunities for High School Students

There are many ways that high school students can volunteer their time to help others. The FCPS Career Connections Volunteer Opportunities web site, found at www.fcps.edu/ss/CareerConnections/student/volunteer.htm, offers a list of organizations that have volunteer opportunities for young people, as well as tips on how to become involved in volunteer activities.

Parent Resources Available Online

A complete list of resources for parents can be found on the Fairfax County Public Schools web site. The Parent Resources page includes links to information on:

• Frequently called FCPS phone numbers.
• Athletics.
• Lunch payments.
• Fairfax County Public Library homework and student support.
• Policies, bylaws, and regulations.
• Netsmartz.
• Volunteering in FCPS.
• Parent education.

For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/parents.htm.

Donations to Fairfax County Public Schools

If you would like to donate furniture, technology equipment, cars, computers, office equipment, music equipment, photography equipment, or office supplies or make a financial donation, Fairfax County Public Schools always has needs in these areas. All donations are tax deductible. For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/supt/busindustrelations/donation_form.htm.

Watch TV That Counts! A Block of Shows All About FCPS

Fairfax County Public Schools operates two open cable TV channels—Red Apple 21 and Channel 25—to serve the community. Funded mostly by franchise funds from Cox Communications, with additional funds from Comcast Communications and Verizon, these channels provide residents with news and information. Red Apple 21's block of shows all about FCPS begins every day at 5:30 p.m.

Several FCPS-produced news and information and curriculum-based programs also air regionally in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area on broadcast television, Direct TV, and the Dish Network via the MHz Networks—an independent media group that has partnered with Fairfax County Public Schools.

In addition, many FCPS TV shows have been video streamed, or made available for viewing online throughout the FCPS web site.

For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/cable.htm.

Don't Miss Out! Post Your Event on the School Events Bulletin Board

The School Events Bulletin Board on the FCPS web site lists happenings in all Fairfax County public schools. Find out about student performances, fun fairs, special celebrations, and more by checking the board. Go to the school system home page, http://www.fcps.edu, and select "School Events" from the left side navigation bar. A form to list an event is also linked at the site.

Preschool Child Find Helps Children 20 Months to Five Years of Age

FamilyGram Available Online in Multiple Languages

Did you know that FamilyGram, a newsletter for parents of FCPS students, is available online as a PDF file? (The free software Adobe Reader is required to view the document.) It is also available in six languages:

• English
• Farsi
• Korean
• Spanish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese

To download or read FamilyGram online go to http://www.fcps.edu/mediapub.htm#fgm.

FCPS School Bus Driver Positions Available

Join the driving force in education! Be a school bus driver for Fairfax County Public Schools. For more information call 571-423-3000 or go to www.fcps.edu/fts/tran/opportunities/index.htm.

Last update: April 15, 2008
Curator: Andy Grunig, Andy.Grunig@fcps.edu