FCPS This Week January 25

By Communication and Community Relations
For Parents
January 25, 2023

Students at Powell Elementary School dressed up Friday in hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, in celebration of Lunar New Year. View more photos. 

Student Mentors Share Their Love of Music

On Tuesdays after school, a group of middle and high school students volunteer their time and share their passion for classical music and art, while mentoring elementary students at Dogwood Elementary School. Learn how two sisters started the program with support and encouragement from teachers. 

January Is Mentoring Month

Are you interested in inspiring and guiding young people? Learn how adults can become mentors for FCPS students. 

We Want Your Feedback! Draft 2023-24 School Year Calendar Options

Your feedback is important! FCPS is seeking community feedback on the draft calendar options for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 school years. Please share your thoughts with us by filling out this form. The form will be available in other languages soon. 

School Board Meeting Thursday, January 26 

The draft calendars will be presented as “new business” in the Thursday, January 26, School Board meeting. Learn more about the development of the calendar.

How to Watch School Board Meetings

Meetings can be viewed live on FCPS Cable TV Channel 99 (Verizon Channel 11), the FCPS YouTube Channel, and on the FCPS website. Recordings of School Board meetings and work sessions can be viewed on the FCPS YouTube channel. To watch meetings dubbed in Spanish, you may visit the FCPS en Español YouTube channel.

If you need language interpretation or American Sign Language support for any School Board meeting, please contact the Board clerk.

Find your School Board member and how to contact them on the School Board Members webpage.

Dual Language Immersion Program Registration Is Open

Registration for the countywide lottery for Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs is now open. Programs are available in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Get more information on DLI programs and registration.

Text-to-Speech Available on FCPS Websites

FCPS is introducing an innovative way to address the diverse needs of the community. A new text-to-speech feature, available on the FCPS website and each school website, will read the words aloud from webpages.  

The feature will help those with accessibility needs, such as visual impairments, dyslexia, or other difficulty reading large amounts of online text. The text-to-speech feature is available for English, Spanish, and Korean. Learn more and try out the new feature.

View the 2023 FCPS Graduation Schedule

The Class of 2023 graduation schedule has been finalized! See graduation dates, time, and locations by school.

Summer Learning Programs Registration: Opening Soon! 

FCPS’ Career and Technical Education (CTE) camps and Institute for the Arts (IFTA/E-IFTA) camps will open for registration on Wednesday, February 1. 

Career and Technical Education

Tech Adventure Camp (TAC) is a week-long exploratory camp designed to give current K-6 students an opportunity to explore STEAM, culinary, health, trades, and business and marketing areas. Visit the TAC webpage to register. 

CTE Summer Academy (CSA) is a week-long enrichment program that allows students in grades 7-11 to dive deeper into CTE program areas, develop skills, and begin career exploration. Visit the CSA website to register. 

Institute for the Arts Camps

IFTA is a two- or four-week summer enrichment program for students currently in grades 6-11. Students select from nearly 90 classes in art, dance, health and physical education 9, music, self-directed economics and personal finance, and theater. Visit the IFTA website to register. 

E-IFTA is a weekly arts camp for students in grades 2-5 who love to sing, dance, act, perform, make, and create. Students take part in four classes every day related to dance, music, theater, and visual art. They work with FCPS fine arts teachers who create classes that are fun and engaging. Visit the E-IFTA website to register. 

Have Your Say in Our Future! 

Strategic planning Community Forums kick off on Monday, January 30, at 6:30 p.m., at Stone Middle School. Check out the schedule of Community Forums and register for one that is convenient for you. There will be one in-person event in each magisterial district and several virtual events. 

Participating in a strategic planning Community Forum will give employees, parents/caregivers, students, and community members a chance to help shape the school division’s future. At each event, participants will review student achievement, access, and perception data, and identify both strengths and challenges within the data. Input from the forums will be analyzed by our consultant, Performance Fact, Inc., and shared with the Core Planning Team for potential inclusion in FCPS’ new Strategic Plan. 

Childcare will be provided at in-person forums. Language interpretation will be provided, as available, at all events. Please register today.

Lettuce Rejoice! 

Students at London Towne Elementary School celebrated the return of the salad bar last week. Read more about their reactions. 

February Webinars and Events for Parents

FCPS’ Parent Resource Center (PRC) is dedicated to helping adults support the success of all students. The PRC will present the following webinars in February. Click on the title to register: 

Cats take a playful look at the world of autism, and these fun feline friends will strike a chord with all who are familiar with children on the Autism Spectrum. Join Kathy Hoopmann as she celebrates the diversity within this neurodiverse community by reading from her book and answering audience questions.

How can families partner with schools? Kristen Haynor, FCPS neurodiversity specialist, will discuss strategies to set your child up for success, how to advocate for your child, and tools for collaborating with your child's school.

Join Career and Transition Services (CTS) to learn about planning for life in and after high school. Parents will be able to meet and ask questions of representatives from CTS programs about services for students with disabilities. A student/parent panel is also part of the event.

This webinar is a two-part interactive session designed for parents, caregivers, and educators to discover how to incorporate more unstructured play and sensory foundational activities to support all young children’s development, including children with special needs and mental health concerns. 

A Jump Start to Careers for Students at Edison Academy  

FCPS high school academies will hold open houses for interested students beginning this month. Edison Academy, featured in this video, will have a virtual open house on Saturday, February 4. Learn more and find the calendar of all Academy Open Houses. View the YouTube playlist of academy videos. 

Interested in Being a Teacher?

Fairfax County Public Schools wants you to be a part of our team! We are searching for educators with a strong academic background and a passion to make a difference. 

To meet hiring needs in instructional areas, we are hosting a job fair on Saturday, February 11. The in-person fair will be held at Oakton High School from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. A virtual option will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Get more information on the job fair. Find out how to become a teacher and read teachers’ stories. 

Calendar Reminder: Quarter End

As a reminder, schools will be closed for students on Thursday, January 26, and Friday, January 27. See the complete 2022-23 School Year Calendar.


FCPS Weekly Progress Reports will not be sent to parents Monday, January 23, through Monday, February 6, during second quarter grading and report card generation. Additionally, the GradeBook and Report Card modules in ParentVUE and StudentVUE will be closed Wednesday, January 25, at 4 p.m. until Monday, February 6, at 6 a.m.