At Providence Elementary, a group of sixth-grade students gather once a week to learn about a new topic related to wellness. This month, they are learning about growth mindsets versus fixed mindsets. With a growth mindset, the students are able to explore their own potential and envision their success. 

“Having a growth mindset is believing you can do anything or you have room to improve,” shared sixth-grader Amelie Holton. “Like saying I can't do this… yet! You can always add ‘yet’ to the end of a sentence.”

The Wellness Leaders at Providence ES is just one new group created under ESSER III funding that is already helping students bounce back after two years of learning in a pandemic. The group was highlighted Tuesday during a School Board work session focused on ESSER III funding. Last fall, FCPS received $188.8 million in federal money to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools, and address the impacts of COVID-19 on students. 

The FCPS ESSER III Spending Plan focuses largely on learning loss suffered during the pandemic, as well as student needs, both academic and social-emotional. Highlights of the plan include academic interventions, wellness programs, additional family liaison funding, summer learning programs, and a salary increase for Special Education teachers. The money is also being used to pay staff members who are putting in extra hours, working directly with students on individual needs. 

As part of the plan, FCPS is poised to offer free tutoring for all students. The school division is finalizing a contract that will give all students access to the learning support they may need to get back on track after the pandemic. Data from SY21-22, shows 42% of all FCPS students are in need of reading or mathematics support. This free tutoring will be individualized and directly tied to classroom content, substantially accelerating learning in both math and reading for students struggling the most. 

In addition, ESSER III funding is creating additional student learning opportunities to make up for lost time. This includes week-long acceleration academies staffed with highly effective teachers, and voluntary learning opportunities on Saturdays. The plan also creates more before and after school support to give students additional time for one-on-one instruction. 

Another major component of the plan addresses the anxiety and stress students have endured during the pandemic. A portion of the ESSER III funding will bolster programs to support the social-emotional needs of students. This includes small group counseling, meetings between staff and students to build relationships, and developing parent workshops. 

“It’s really important for us to make sure we’re addressing students’ social-emotional needs so they can be present for learning and make the academic progress that they need to make,” Chief Academic Officer Sloan Presidio said during Tuesday’s work session. “There is a strong correlation between a student’s social-emotional skills and their academic performance and achievement. So, if we want students to be able to catch up and recover from any lost learning, it’s very critical we attend to those social-emotional and wellness needs as well.”

Each school has created its own unique ESSER III spending plans based on student needs. Those plans will be posted on FCPS.edu by the end of February. Anyone can view how the money is being spent and what programs are being offered at each school. 

As we learned from the Wellness Leaders at Providence Elementary, there may be bumps in the road, but we have to keep our eyes on the future and believe we can succeed. We are not fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic… yet! But we will get there together. 

See how one middle school is spending its share of the federal relief funding to address the impacts of COVID-19 on students.

An online community feedback form about the ESSER III Spending Plan is now open through March 4, 2022.

A School Board ESSER III Public Hearing will be held in person on Thursday, February 24, at 6 p.m., at Jackson Middle School.