In thinking about the possibility of a glorious winter week ahead, I thought I would look to find someone who was born in March and plumb the depths of their thought for inspiration.  It is often during these late winter days that we are able to see with a clarity seemingly not possible at other times.  “Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” – Frederic Chopin.  Wishing you a simple and unapologetically joyful week ahead…

Wednesday evening, I attended the 2023 Regional Scholastic Art Awards Ceremony at the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community College. Congratulations to the award-winning students who were selected from among 3,500 submissions! Thank you to our Fine Arts Team for serving as the regional affiliate for these awards for more than a quarter of a century – this work matters! Fine arts allow our students to express themselves, their cultures, their thoughts, and their feelings in a variety of ways. All of our fine arts also cultivate valuable skills from observation, problem-solving to innovation, critical thinking, collaboration, and it can even generate self-esteem and increase confidence.

I had a chance to display my music skills, or lack thereof ;>), at Thursday night’s Annandale Pyramid Parent Orchestra. If you aren’t following me on Instagram, you’ve missed your chance to watch me try to play along. Let’s just say, I have a lot to learn from the talented parents and students who come together to make music, and more importantly, connections. The parent orchestra started several years ago, and it has grown every year since. Annie Ray, one of the organizers, explained that parents join for a variety of reasons. Some parents are former musicians who want to start back up, some want to spend time with their children, and others want to learn the basics so they can help their child practice at home. For the new parents, Annie says it’s like watching them become kids again. She added, “It takes a lot of bravery to be vulnerable and learn something new and to not be good at it.” I can certainly attest to that! 😉

Thursday was Read Across America Day, and I celebrated by going to Fox Mill Elementary. Principal Brian Moose joined me as I read to Mr. Hong’s sixth grade class in the newly renovated school library.

I read “What the Road Said” by Cleo Wade, which encourages the reader to lead with kindness and curiosity, to believe that it's okay to be afraid or to sometimes wander down the wrong path, and to always remember that the most important thing we can do in life is to keep going! The importance of reading with your child cannot be underestimated, and I stress that in this short video, which includes me reading to the Fox Mill students. After finishing the book, they had lots of great questions, and reminded me that the future is bright with these young leaders!

I wasn’t the only one out in classrooms as part of Read Across America. Lewis High School football coach Larry Choates shared that some of his players visited Crestwood and Forestdale elementary schools on Monday. The photo above is from Tabatha Candelario’s classroom. Coach Choates said the players read to many classes and answered questions from the students. What a great way for our youngest learners to make connections with older students. Our students will continue to lead us!

Thursday evening, I met with school board member Tamara Derenak Kaufax, and executive team members from Junior Achievement of Greater Washington. This was an insightful discussion of the prosperous relationship that FCPS has had with Junior Achievement since the opening of Finance Park in 2010.

Finance Park is located next to Frost Middle School. Since opening, 14,000 eighth grade students have participated in the experience to learn more about financial literacy. They are given a persona and have to set a budget. Then, they prioritize expenses and walk through different “stores” to spend money. At the end, they reflect on what it means to be a good steward of their personal finances. I look forward to visiting one day soon!

We just marked the beginning of National Social Work Month at last week’s School Board meeting. The theme of “Social Work Breaks Barriers,” recognizes the critical work that our social worker do to empower students, families, communities, and our society to overcome obstacles that prevent social and emotional health. I was invited to speak Friday morning at the Social Work Impact Award Celebration. Our social workers’ expertise in mental health, human development, behavior, trauma, and family systems has always been critical – but even more so as we continue to work through the damage left by the global pandemic that claimed lives, closed schools, and cost so many their livelihood. 

We know that students need to come to school mentally and physically well in order to learn. You have shown your commitment to helping every child achieve, ensuring equitable access and opportunity, building relationships to strengthen student and family engagement, and supporting mental health wellness to help students succeed in school and in life. Know that the work you do, and maybe more importantly, how you do it – matters to so many. At the end of the day, it makes all the difference. 

Friday evening I joined Edu-Futuro’s 25th Anniversary Gala, where FCPS received recognition for our collaboration. Learning happens best in community and this partnership is an example of the amazing things that can happen when we put our children first. Edu-Futuro supports FCPS in many ways – from providing college and career mentoring, giving students hands-on experiences and job seeking skills, offering financial and scholarship support, providing family workshops and classes, to teaching leadership and self-advocacy skills. Together, we must prepare our students now for a future yet to be imagined. We look forward to creating and innovating together in new ways to do this work. We appreciate the work of empowering students, engaging parents, and transforming communities; together, all things are possible! 

Throughout the month of March, all FCPS employees will hear strategic plan updates from their principal or program manager and review the strategic plan draft goals and pillars. I look forward to seeing your feedback on the first draft, so we can incorporate them into our final plan. Please complete the exit ticket at the end of the “Reality Check” session to ensure your voice is heard. The Faith Team and Alignment Team also convened this week to solicit feedback and to explore strategies, partnerships, and collaborative opportunities that will help in accomplishing the goals. On March 6, parents, caregivers and community members will also be invited to provide feedback. Strategic planning materials continue to be updated on the Strategic Planning website. Three additional community forums are planned for this spring. We also welcome all parents, students, staff, and community members to provide input in the Let’s Talk Strategic Plan Feedback form here. Stay tuned for more information. 

Saturday morning, I had the great opportunity to join our students, staff, families, and community volunteers at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, where 750 students competed in the Technology Student Association (TSA) Northern Virginia Regional Fair. Throughout the day students competed in a variety of events ranging from Music Production to CAD Architecture to Debating Technological Issues. The Regional Council, composed of students from not only Fairfax, but also Loudoun county, worked tirelessly to ensure the event was run successfully and smoothly. Special shoutouts to the Regional President and Vice-President, Aashna Johri and Garv Jain, TJTSA advisor Monica Geiger, FCPS CTE specialist Rachel Domer, and Virginia TSA State advisor BJ Scott for playing integral roles in making this event a success. Congratulations to all the competitors, and we can’t wait to see what you all do at the State competition in May!  (credit to Aashna for report)

Later Saturday, I joined our HR staff and school based administrators at the Job Fair hosted at Oakton HS.  We had over 500 educator candidates and over 160 schools and centers represented.  It was a lively event!!  As the world is continuing to evolve around us, so too we are continuing to revise our hiring practices to ensure we are fully staffed with the most amazing educators for the coming academic year.  It is inspiring to see so many educators excited to become part of Team Fairfax!! We are indeed the premier division and lighthouse for educational innovation in our country; what we do matters. 

This evening I had the opportunity to join many in our community at the Northern Virginia Football Hall of Fame Dinner event.  It was inspiring to hear the stories of so many of our student athletes, their coaches, and those who have played, coached and supported our student athletes over time.  We also celebrated the two newest members of the Hall of Fame, Scott Norwood and Cliff Epperson – the Class of 2023 inductees.  It was a great evening celebrated by a full house.  Thank you to Bill Curran and the talented team of coaches and student athletes for making such a memorable experience for so many in our community; it matters.

As I think about all that we are currently asking of ourselves, our students, and one another, I am reminded of one of our curious thinkers and a quote that might be a bit provocative -- though likely timely… “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”   —  C.S. Lewis

Wishing each of you a simple and unapologetically joyful week ahead…

Michelle Reid, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Fairfax County Public Schools