FCPS This Week - June 15, 2023

By Office of Communication and Community Relations
For Parents
June 15, 2023

Congratulations Class of 2023! Watch this video celebrating our graduates. 🎉

SOL Scores Posted in SIS ParentVUE 

Families can see current and historical Standards of Learning (SOL) reports in the SIS ParentVUE Documents section. Log into your ParentVUE account to access the following reports, which should be available by the end of this week:

Visit FCPS’ website for additional information about assessment reporting practices and timelines.

Support Your Child’s Success

If you do not already have a SIS ParentVUE account, sign up now to monitor and support your child’s academic success. Through ParentVUE, you are able to view your student’s attendance, grades, and assignments at any time. You can also access special reports for your student such as progress reports and assessment score reports. 

Need help creating a SIS ParentVUE account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.

👩‍🎓 Teen Mom Graduates a Year Early, First in Her Family

Anyeli Salguero, a 16-year-old Bryant High School senior, received her high school diploma this week, a year ahead of schedule, with her 20-month-old daughter in her arms. In doing so, she made history in her family. Anyeli is the first to earn a high school diploma. She is a Honduran immigrant who moved to the U.S. at age 7 while speaking little English. Read more about her journey.

🏆 Four FCPS Students Named U.S. Presidential Scholars

Four Fairfax County Public Schools students have been named 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars by U. S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. They are part of a group of 161 students from around the country — and four of five Virginians — selected for the honor. Read more about our Presidential Scholars. 

🎖️ South County Middle School Students Honor Veterans on D-Day

On June 6, the 79th anniversary of D-Day, students from South County Middle School had the privilege of welcoming 95 Honor Flight veterans to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. They presented the veterans with personalized cards, signs, and blankets. Read more about the students’ year-long service project. 

🍎 Want to Be a Teacher? Be a Part of Our Team! 

Fairfax County Public Schools is searching for educators with a strong academic background and a passion for making a difference. A job fair will be hosted on Thursday, June 22, from 9 a.m. to noon. Networking and interviewing opportunities with representatives from various schools will be available. The fair will take place at Edison High School and online. Learn more about the instructional job fair and register. 

Herndon's Kiss Me, Kate: The Drama and Intrigue of a Soap Operetta

The Cappies is a program through which high school theater and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers. This review of Herndon High School's production of Kiss Me, Kate is written by Nhi Nguyen of Annandale High School.

🏆 Cappies Award Winners

The Cappies of the National Capital Area held its annual awards gala honoring excellence in high school theater on Monday, June 12, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Read about the awards brought home by FCPS students.

Do You Have a Student Entering Seventh or 12th Grade This Fall?

Immunizations are required for all students entering seventh and 12th grades. Visit this Immunization webpage to learn about the required vaccines.  

Caregivers should ask their private healthcare provider or the health department to review their student's immunization record to ensure that their student has received these required immunizations. It is important to schedule immunizations early in the summer, as seventh grade students cannot begin school in August without documentation of the Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines, and 12th grade students cannot begin school in August without documentation of the Meningococcal vaccine.

Get more information on all student immunization requirements. 

Strategic Plan Vote at June 15 School Board Meeting

Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid recently presented FCPS’ new Strategic Plan to the School Board. The board will vote on the plan at their meeting on Thursday, June 15. Find out how to watch and participate in the board meeting. See the complete agenda for the meeting. 

School Board to Vote on Equity Policy June 26

Following more than a year of work by FCPS staff and community members, the School Board will vote on the proposed Equity Policy on Monday, June 26. 

The FCPS Equity Policy makes commitments in six areas: Family and Community Partnerships, School Environment, School Funding, Student Agency, Teaching and Learning, and Workforce.

We will see the Equity Policy in action in the following ways:

  • Explicit opportunities for engagement of marginalized students in school and division decision-making.
  • Access to scaffolds and supports in Tier 1 instruction.
  • Universal accessibility for students with disabilities.
  • Access to information and personnel for multilingual families.
  • Continuous opportunities for professional growth for all staff.
  • Differentiated distribution of resources and access to facilities.

The Equity Policy was drafted through a collaborative effort including FCPS staff, association members, students, families, and community members. The School Board will review the draft policy at the Wednesday, June 21, work session. The policy will be implemented during the 2023-24 school year.

Coursera Career Academy Pilot Program in Fairfax County

An FCPS job certification student pilot program by the Department of Information Technology (DIT) and leading industry coursework provider Coursera will allow up to 1,000 high school students to access the full contents of the Coursera Career Academy. The academy program will allow students to:

  • Explore popular digital jobs and career paths, from marketing to data science.
  • Learn from experts at leading companies, including Google, Microsoft, and IBM.
  • Earn a valuable career micro-credential.
  • Access more than 27 professional certificates. 

Interested students should complete the Coursera Student Interest Form. The pilot program has a limited number of licenses available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once a student completes the interest form, DIT will contact a parent/caregiver for consent and enable access to the online coursework. 

Coursera courses are not Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)-recognized industry credentials and do not count toward high school graduation requirements. Please contact Scott Simmons in DIT with any questions. 

📝 Tutor.com — Online Tutoring Services During the Summer

FCPS students will continue to have unlimited access to 24/7, on-demand, online tutoring support services through Tutor.com during the summer. Students are able to use Tutor.com to review and/or practice in subject areas of interest or need. Students may also choose to access other tools and services such as practice quizzes in a variety of subject areas as well as self-paced study courses for SAT/ACT preparation. 

Details about how students can access Tutor.com via archived courses in Schoology are provided in the Tutor.com Summer Access webpage. 

🥁 Cooper Percussion Students Reach for the Stars with NASA

As a percussion student, it isn’t every day that one of your musical performances is described as literally “out of this world.” But for Cooper Middle School students, one special song caught the attention of NASA’s Artemis I mission. Cooper’s percussion students performed the intro music for the Artemis I launch broadcast video. In May, NASA scientists visited the school and presented them with a flag that flew on the mission. Read more about the visit. 

📚 Seeking Input on Elementary English Language Arts Instructional Resources

FCPS will adopt new Elementary School Language Arts Instructional Resources for the 2024-25 school year. A review committee composed of community members, administrators, and teachers will meet in July and August to review the instructional materials under consideration and community feedback. All community feedback will be shared with School Board members as well. 

Access materials from Saturday, July 1, to Monday, July 31. Visit the Community Review webpage for more information.

🏫 Have a Child Heading to Kindergarten?

Families play an important role in helping children to prepare for kindergarten and have a successful year. The following resources provide families with strategies to support their kindergartener:

It’s not too late! If your child has not been registered yet, check out this easy-to-follow process. 

🚌 Join the Driving Force in Education

Fairfax County Public Schools invites qualified individuals to join our transportation team. This is a great opportunity for stay-at-home parents, retirees, college students, or career switchers to earn income with benefits.

Hiring fairs will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 23, at Lorton Center, and Thursday, June 29, at Stonecroft Transportation Center. Visit the Bus Driver Employment webpage for more information on salary, benefits, and other hiring events. 

🎓 Calling All Alumni! 

We are thrilled to invite all FCPS graduates (of any year) to join our Alumni Network. You are an essential part of our effort to build a strong and interconnected community. By filling out this form, you will help us create a directory of our graduates, facilitating connections and providing opportunities for collaboration and engagement with FCPS. Thanks for your consideration!

🧠 Mental Wellness Summer Supports

The FCPS Office of Intervention and Prevention Services will offer virtual mental wellness consultations from Monday, June 26 to Friday, August 4. Caregivers and secondary students can schedule a 45-minute consultation with a school psychologist or school social worker by phone or online: 

  • Parents/caregivers of students in any grade level can receive information on community resources and/or guidance on how to support their child’s social, emotional, and academic success.
     
  • Students in middle or high school can receive guidance and support for concerns related to anxiety, mood, behavior, peer or family interactions, or school transitions and changes. Strategies and tools can also be provided to address academic challenges such as organization and time management.

All parents/caregivers and secondary students are encouraged to take advantage of this service. Request consultations online or call 703-503-2520 and leave a message.

💻 Hazel Health: Virtual Therapy Services for High School Students

Teletherapy services will continue to be available this summer for all FCPS high school students at no cost. Sessions can be scheduled Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hazel’s highly-qualified therapists specialize in speaking “teen.” Learn more on FCPS’ teletherapy webpage.

🗓️ Calendar Reminder: Juneteenth

Monday, June 19, is a holiday for FCPS employees. Schools and offices will be closed.

Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 that word of the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War finally reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, effectively marking the end of slavery in the United States. Learn more about Juneteenth.

Last Day of School/First Day of School 

The last day of the 2022-23 school year is Friday, June 16. Students will be dismissed early. The first day of the 2023-24 school year will be Monday, August 21. See the school year calendar.

FCPS This Week is Taking a Summer Break!

This is the last scheduled weekly issue of FCPS This Week. We will publish over the summer only as needed to share resources and information. Have a great summer!