Hello Team FCPS,

I trust this note finds each of you enjoying this beautiful summer season.  There are so many positive and inspiring opportunities to share with one another. 

This past Monday I had the opportunity to provide a keynote presentation at the Teacher Educators Association Summer Conference in Washington, D.C. The theme of the conference was “kuleana” – a Hawaiian word meaning “responsibility.” Throughout this week, I reflected on how this theme impacts not just our work, but our personal selves. We have a responsibility to our students and their families, to our co-workers and staff, and everyone in our community. But we also have a kuleana to ourselves – especially in these last few weeks before school starts – to take the time we need to reflect, recharge, and realign.  I wish each of you that gift of time…

Tuesday I attended the Summer Graduation at Marshall High School. Our summer graduates are students who often have had to overcame obstacles – typically language barriers, difficult living or family situations, or financial hardships – to graduate high school. 

Their diplomas are proof of their perseverance, but also of the steadfast support of all the teachers, administrators, counselors, family, and friends who have guided and supported them. Congratulations to these graduates! Each and every one of their futures are bright, and their tenacity is inspiring. This work matters!

It was a great day for deep learning at Wednesday’s 43rd annual Leadership Kick-off! School-based and central office leadership joined us at Hayfield High School for two sessions on transformation, trust, and watering our bamboo. I walked to my car feeling energized, inspired and affirmed that we will continue aligning our work in support of our strategic goals to ensure excellence, equity and opportunity for each and every student.

During the kick-off, we were treated to student performances and presentations by the Hayfield Secondary School Singers chorus, the South County High School Bollywood Dance Club, and the Hayfield Secondary School Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). It was truly a pleasure to see the talent and spirit of these students – and an inspiring reminder of the power of public education to nurture and foster lifelong passions in our learners!  A special thank you to everyone who helped this wonderful event come together, including FCPS’ Leadership Kick-off Team, our Office of Professional Growth and Career Development, and our Office of Communication.  It is a great reminder that when better is possible, good is no longer enough. Together, all things are possible!

I heard many great reports of the Region kick-offs this past week – you can definitely feel the excitement in the air! No matter if you’re a student, family member, or staff member, back to school season always brings a sense of anticipation and opportunity! 

Thursday, FCPS’s Department of Information Technology (DIT) held their 2023 kick-off conference. This annual conference never fails to inspire my imagination! I’m grateful for our DIT team and all they’re doing to support our division. The conference had the theme of "IGNITE" and brought together all of DIT's staff and other school-based instructional technology teams. The goal was to inform attendees about major technology initiatives and DIT's strategic technology roadmap. I shared a bit about the topics of trust and innovation. Gautam Sethi, the Chief Information Technology Officer for Fairfax County Public Schools, laid out the vision and roadmap for AI adoption in his keynote address.

The event also included a presentation from the Head of Responsible AI at Booz Allen Hamilton about the emerging landscape of responsible AI adoption at large institutions. Additionally, there were engaging panel discussions featuring student speakers and industry speakers from organizations like the FBI, CISA, Coursera, and Google. The 2023 DIT Ignite conference agenda reflected the range of technology topics relevant to K-12 education.  From building the data dashboards that will quantify our progress on our 2023-30 strategic plan, to shaping our policy around responsible AI, to safeguarding our digital infrastructure, their work is more important than ever in preparing our students for futures and jobs that don't yet exist! 

A big point of focus across our school division this year is building up our cybersecurity muscles so that we remain vigilant when it comes to keeping our digital infrastructure safe from attacks, including phishing. Like all organizations, we rely on our staff to help protect the digital safety and privacy of our whole community. This was the topic for a recent discussion I had with VJ Rao, FCPS’ director of cybersecurity. Standby for the big debut!

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to stop into talk with the Freshman Volleyball team at Hayfield Secondary and share my love for volleyball. The athletes were excited for their opportunity to be a part of the team and show their Hawk Pride. It was great to be in a gym with all the excitement of a new season and new school year upcoming…

Last month I was on Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill’s “Connect with County Leaders” podcast to talk about all things FCPS: our 2023-30 strategic plan, how we’re supporting the futures of our students and staff, and the importance of nurturing innovation. Watch on YouTube or listen on SoundCloud to catch our whole conversation.

I am excited to share that 36 of our schools have been chosen to participate in the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment that measures what students across the country know and can do in subjects that include civics, math, reading and U.S. history. It is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education. Selected schools represent schools across the nation, and their participation provides an accurate picture of student performance.

The assessments will be held between January 29 and March 8, 2024. The assessments will take approximately 120 minutes. It is important to note that teachers do not need to prepare their students to take the assessment. More information can be found on the NAEP website. Data is important to collect because information can show us that if better is possible, good is no longer enough. Let’s embrace this opportunity!

Saturday afternoon, I was able to stop by and visit our Family and School Partnerships Team hard at work supporting our students and families at a MOMday Pop-Up Summer Family Market in Alexandria at the MASDC Community Center.  Learning happens best in community and our community remains strong and supportive; together all things are possible.   

During last month’s Leaders Need to Know, central office staff supported training around many important topics. One critically-important session was around discipline training for assistant principals. Baek Chong, coordinator of leadership development shared that the objectives for the session included:

• Exploring what we can do proactively to build structured and supportive environments.
• Reviewing strategies for managing behavior in the moment.
• Considering how to respond to and support students after a discipline incident occurs.
• Understanding new policies that affect discipline.

There are resources around this topic in the School Based Administrators handbook. A special shout out to the central office staff who supported this session:

• Karen Durocher, coordinator MTSS
• Lori Kraden, manager, behavior management
• Shannon Anderson, coordinator, equity and student conduct
• Solomon Melson, educational specialist, behavior intervention
• Kristen Haynor, educational specialist, neurodiversity
• Mark Holbrook, assistant administrative hearing officer
• Stefan Mascoll, coordinator, student safety and wellness
• Renee LaHuffman-Jackson, director, family and school partnerships

And another thank you to everyone who presented at Leaders Need to Know, a critical way that we prepare our school-based staff for the upcoming school year.

Thank to Mrs. Sulekha Subhash, a special education teacher at Luther Jackson Middle School, for sharing her summer adventure with me. What an amazing opportunity! Sulekha was a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classroom recipient who spent July 17- 31 in Colombia. As she shared:

“Let me begin by saying how grateful I am for what we, as American teachers, have as resources to teach our students in the USA. All 21 teacher participants who came from different parts of the United States noticed this, and we talked about it during our debriefing sessions. I was stationed in Bogota and others were placed in the following areas – Villaviencio, Armenia, Piedecuesta, Bucaramanga, Monteria and Dibulla. Our host teacher in Bogota was Silvia Pabon and she took us to her school, Jose Joaquin Castro Martinez. This school has a total of 700 students (primary, middle and high schools are located in one campus). Silvia teaches English to students in 9^th, 10th and 11^th grade. There are 19 students with special needs in the school and it is their first year of inclusive education with one Special Education teacher who serves all the students with special needs. Students in high school do sessions on conflict resolution with younger students which was very interesting to watch!  In terms of resources, the teachers have a white board in the classroom and have to buy their own supplies. Some students are able to print materials at home but mostly they do not have access to it. All students access computers once a day for an hour (they go to another room to do this). When I shared that each student gets a laptop in FCPS, they were so surprised! I have to tell you that the students’ intense desire to learn about American culture, students, and the school system is just amazing! They were so respectful and kind towards all of us. Many of them had prepared presentations for us about the different regions of Colombia and a couple of them actually prepared the foods typical of their region to share with us. We were touched! In high school, they have a religion course and their teacher asked me to talk to her students specifically about Hinduism and its philosophy. I am only sharing this because the high level of questions I got from these students made me realize that their curiosity to know and understand was immense.”

We often take for granted what a truly excellent public education that we have here in Fairfax County Public Schools.  “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” --- Nelson Mandela

 

Warmest regards,

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