What another fantastic FCPS week. There continue to be so many exciting activities going on all across this amazing division. It reminds me to be so grateful for all that we have here and not to take for granted the special experience we have each and every day. It also reminds me to be mindful of so many places in the world today where education is not a basic human right.

I am so proud to serve alongside each of you as together, we continue our journey into the future.  “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” --- Malala Yousafzai.  Indeed, as we plan to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, we recognize that our teachers are changing the world, one classroom, one student, one future at a time.  I love that we are reimagining the possibilities...

Wednesday evening, I joined the “We Honor You” retirement celebration. Each spring, FCPS hosts a ceremony to commemorate the contributions that these employees have made, the lives they touched, and the legacy that they leave behind.

I hope that you also will take the time to recognize their dedication (some for as many as 46 years!) to our division in your own special way at your schools and buildings. Thank you to all of our retirees for your commitment to each and every student across FCPS. I’m certain that your legacy and your impact will touch the lives of our community members in immeasurable ways.   

Thursday afternoon I visited Parklawn Elementary School, alongside School Board member Dr. Ricardy Anderson. We were greeted by the school’s principal, Rebecca Forgy. Our first stop was to see the school’s salad bar. I could tell the kids were eager to choose their favorite items. Many thanks to our hard-working food service workers who prepare these delicious and nutritious meals for our students every day!

Our next stop was the music classroom of Kate Gibson. Students were using instruments with accommodations on them that make them easier to hold. Family liaisons Khalida Jawaid and Afifa Bolte, shared with me that the school has approximately 125 students who are Afghan refugees. Khalida and Afifa work hard to make sure that these students and their families learn about American culture and how to get the most out of their educational experiences. My last stop at Parklawn was in the STEAM lab of Steph Dean, where kindergarten students were using iPads to learn about coding. I learned a great deal about their exuberant interests ;>)

Next, we went to Bailey’s Elementary School, where Principal Satonya Dews and Assistant Principals Jillian Bell and Mirnaly Vega led our tour. In the pre-K classroom of Jasmine Salous and Nusaybah Abo-Issa, students were learning about the life cycle of caterpillars and butterflies. Jasmine showed the students some live caterpillars and asked them to create drawings of what they saw using iPads. 

In the creative movement class of Lorena Racanelli, first grade students were learning about explorers, and acted out what they learned. What a great way to integrate learning with physical fitness! 

In Michael Simons’ second grade classroom, students were highly engaged in their self-directed reading time. In the kindergarten class of Kathryn Flintoft and Diana Cabanillas, the students were participating in an exercise called Roll and Read where each student rolls a die and reads a word to their learning partner that corresponds to the number, then colors in the word on a chart. I saw many innovative learning strategies at Bailey’s Elementary!

Thank you to Colin Powell Elementary School principal Jamie Luerssen for sharing the above photo of Student Council Association representatives who took a Leadership Field Trip to the White House. The students attended the State Arrival Ceremony, hosted by President and Dr. Biden, honoring His Excellency Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, and Mrs. Kim Keon Hee.

Many of these students are also enrolled in the Korean Immersion Program available to students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Powell is a two-way immersion program where native speakers of English and native speakers of Korean learn both languages in the same classroom. Students spend approximately half of each day learning mathematics, science, and health in Korean. The other half of the day is spent learning social studies, language arts, and reading in English. Our immersion teachers team with the grade-level teachers to integrate the total FCPS curriculum. The goals of the FCPS immersion program are to foster grade level academic achievement and develop bilingualism and biliteracy, as well as intercultural competence.  Well done Pumas !!

Spring sports are still going strong and I look forward to many exciting regional contests to begin in a couple of weeks. Go FCPS! I want to give a shout out today to an emerging opportunity, the VHSL Esports league. During the 2022-23 school year, our high school students enthusiastically participated in the newly established VHSL Esports league. 

The program was made possible through the collaborative efforts of our athletics and information technology teams. In the fall of this school year, students competed in Rocket League, where Woodson High School claimed victory by winning the state championship. This spring season, students had the opportunity to participate in another game, League of Legends. Centreville High School emerged as the state champions earlier this month, defeating Justice High School. Woodson High School reached the championship in Rocket League again but was ultimately defeated by Osbourn Park. In our first official year participating in the VHSL Esports League 13 schools competed across two seasons. Thank you to all the coaches and FCPS staff who have supported this work to expand opportunities to students to access extracurricular activities that reflect their passions and bring them joy. This work matters!

Another shout out to 33 FCPS students from six of our high schools who earned DECA’s highest honors at the organization’s annual International Career Development Conference, held in Orlando, Florida, at the end of April. DECA is a career and technical student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs to be college- and career-ready. The competitions are designed to simulate real-life business scenarios and test students’ academic understanding and skills development. The full list of students is available on our website.

Recently, I visited Gunston Elementary School for an Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) Showcase. I visited classrooms, heard from teachers and counselors, and talked to students about how AVID helps them stay organized with binder and planner systems, take better notes in class and use them as study tools, and encourage their friends and peers to do their best in school. 

It was great to talk to one student in particular, Rajah, about how proud he was of his math work, his organized notebook, and his academic planner. You can hear from him directly in this short video. Principal Kristen Rucinski shared the story of Gunston’s AVID journey over the last four years, citing the connections between AVID, Portrait of a Graduate, and student success. The impact AVID has had on the school culture was highly evident as students celebrated one another and shared their hopes and dreams around college and careers. At Gunston – and in 30 schools across FCPS – the AVID college and career readiness system helps students realize their full potential! Thank you to Eric Kinne, AVID educational specialist, College Success Programs, for sharing more about this program with me! 

Friday evening, I had the opportunity to attend the South Lakes HS performance of Bright Star.  The performance was exemplary and the full house appreciated the thoughtful presentation.  The compelling story was well dramatized.  I continue to be so inspired by our students and staff as they produce and perform so many stories and performances we all enjoy. 

Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend several events.  I began my day with a visit to GMU and hearing a bit about our staff and how they are working on improved results for our students as a result of their work on integrated improvement science. I look forward to learning more about this work and how we might bring it to scale in FCPS. 

Next, I visited a Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association event.  The Regatta was held at Sandy Run Regional Park.  I had the opportunity to visit with the Justice HS crew team, the McLean HS crew team, as well as several other FCPS teams during the event.   Overall, there were 860 student competitors on Saturday while regattas can often go to up to 1050 rowers. In addition, there were about 150 volunteers including officials and River Rats.  I learned that the course is lined with steel cable buoys and other markers.  I appreciate all the volunteers that support this important sport.  All in all, 12,000 student athletes participate across the season.  I continue to be excited by the possibilities available to our student athletes. 

Later in the day I attended The Open Door Presbyterian Church (ODPC) International Festival which is an event that is held annually in Herndon to bring local communities together. It draws over 4,000 people throughout the day and serves the local communities by providing free health screenings, clinics, yard sales, marketplaces, food courts, live performances, concerts, and art competitions, as well as fundraising. All funds raised go to support ODPC's local and overseas missions.  As a way to bring the community back to life after a four-year hiatus due to the pandemic, this year's international festival theme was "Rejoice Together Again."

And the theme for this year's art contest, “Empathy,” was chosen specifically to underscore the notion of coming together after enduring the dark tunnel of the pandemic—The art competition wanted to encourage students to reflect on what empathy is and how they can become more empathetic.  A total of 115 K-12 students participated in the competition, and 40 students received awards.  It was a great way to build community and support our students and staff.

Later Saturday afternoon, I spent time at the track and field meet held at South Lakes HS.  So many athletes were present and giving their best in a variety of track and field events.  I was surprised that we do not throw the javelin in Virginia;>)  On the other hand, I appreciate all of the efforts that go into hosting the event and all of the athletes, coaches, and families that support the success of all involved.  There were many great events both on the track and in the field.  I was reminded of the importance of being active.

Saturday evening was a well-attended and inspiring event.  To that end, I want to recognize and thank our SEPTA advocacy group for recognizing staff and honoring the work staff have done on behalf of so many of our students.  The annual SEPTA awards ceremony was indeed an inspiring and thought provoking event.  Saturday evening was indeed a special night.

There is only a week or so left to provide feedback on the draft of our Strategic Plan goals, measures, and pillars. If you have not completed the survey, please take the survey today! Feedback will be reviewed by the School Board at their May 9 retreat. It will also be discussed at the May 25 Board meeting. The survey will close Wednesday, May 17. Next week, the School Board will participate in a work session to review interim results from the Final Feedback Survey, and review work to date. Please continue to stay up-to-date on this work by visiting the Strategic Planning website.

Monday evening at South Lakes High School, FCPS will host a community conversation to discuss our approach to safety and security, and the work we do every day to keep our schools safe. You can register for the Community Conversation on this Google form. FCPS staff and experts will review our risk assessment processes, the physical measures we already have in place to protect our students and staff, pilot programs to detect vaping, and how we communicate and collaborate with our partners when there is an incident at our schools.

In keeping with our positive thoughts this week; “The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty and truth.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Let's have a beautiful spring week ahead and take the time for connecting more deeply with ourselves and those around us; it matters.

Warmest regards,   

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