Newsletter
I am extremely honored for the opportunity to serve as your new representative on the Fairfax County School Board. I began my term on January 1, 2016, and have been elected to represent you for four years.
To share a little bit about myself—I was born in Argentina, I moved to Providence District with my family when I was six years old and I’m a proud graduate of Mantua Elementary School, Frost Middle School and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and French from Tufts University and am pursuing my Masters in Education in World Language Instruction.
I have taught Spanish, English, and French to students from Kindergarten to post-college, worked as a communications and media director in international development, and served as a community health educator and medical interpreter. On the weekends, you can catch me on the Shenandoah trails, gardening in Eakin Park, or cooking with family and friends.
My priorities for this year include community partnerships, 21st century learning, and a whole-child approach to education.
Monthly office hours
I would love to hear what’s on your mind or just get to know more about you and your family. Please drop by one of my office hours on the first Saturday of the month from 10 am-noon (March-June), at Panera in the Mosaic District. I am also available by appointment most days of the week: dapalchik@fcps.edu.
Budget
I began my term this January with one of our most important yearly duties, which is to help ensure that our schools have the funding they need from the state, local and federal governments to succeed. Over several years, the state and federal governments have greatly lagged in funding for education, with the majority of the burden placed on our local government. Now that the state economy has grown and the housing market is once again gaining ground, it is prudent for us to begin to reinvest in our economy, with education leading the way to help ensure continued growth and workforce development.
With that in mind, I have been meeting with citizens, staff, fellow school board members, state representatives, and members of the Board of Supervisors. Our goal is to help ensure that our schools are well managed and continue to receive the funding necessary to invest in our students and in our state’s and county’s future. As a proud graduate of our public schools, I know just how much our excellent system means to each and every one of our almost 190,000 students, and how critical it is for us to preserve our excellence and continue to improve.
To all who have sent their request for support of the budget and of funding our schools, I want you to know that I supported the superintendent’s budget and will continue to advocate for our schools, our students, and our teachers. You can join me in following the budget process as it goes to the Board of Supervisors and then returns back to the School Board for final changes and approval in May:
March 9th – Providence District Supervisor and School Board Joint Budget Presentation, 7 pm, Providence Community Center, 3001 Vaden Dr, Fairfax, VA 22031 (Hosted by the Providence District Council)
For the full Budget Calendar: http://www.fcps.edu/fs/budget/budgetcalendar.shtml
Update on Pre-Labor Day Start
At our work session on Monday, the School Board decided not to pursue the waiver to start the 2016-17 school year before Labor Day. Now that we have surpassed the average number of snow days needed to be eligible for a waiver to begin school before Labor Day, however, we are considering the option of an early start for school year 2017-18.
With the many benefits to starting the school year before Labor Day, and the fact that more than half of the school districts in Virginia now do so, we will finalize a plan for public engagement on this topic next month. If you do have thoughts in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me directly or attend one of my scheduled office hours (info above).
Calendar of Events:
Superintendent’s Listening Tour
Superintendent Karen Garza and the Regional Assistant Superintendents invite students, parents, employees, and community members to join them at an upcoming Listening Tour meeting. Dr.Garza and the Region Assistant Superintendents will provide updates on the latest happenings in Fairfax County schools and listen to ideas, comments, and questions from the audience.
Snow Date TBD Madison High School - Cafeteria
2500 James Madison Dr
Vienna, VA 22181
Wednesday, February 17
6:30 to 8 p.m. Annandale High School - Cafeteria
4700 Medford Dr
Annandale, VA 22003
Tuesday, February 23
6:30 to 8 p.m. South County High School - Cafeteria
8501 Silverbrook Road
Lorton, VA 22079
Monday, February 29
6:30 to 8 p.m. Chantilly High School - Cafeteria
4201 Stringfellow Road
Chantilly, VA 20151
February 23, 7:30-8:30 pm - “Imagine Their Future” tour @ the Children’s Science Center
We have a great new resource for families in our area with the new Children’s Science Center Lab at Fair Oaks Mall. Families can visit seven days a week for hands-on learning, fun exhibits, as well as enroll in workshops, classes, and camps at Northern Virginia’s first interactive museum for children! This non-profit organization is looking for volunteer help and wants to share their vision for the science center with the community; if you would like to learn more, please attend one of their after-hours “Imagine Their Future” tours at the Lab. Visit childsci.org for more information about visiting, volunteering with, or touring the Children’s Science Center Lab. Website: childsci.org/
March 9th - 24th Annual “Peace” it Together Summit, George Mason Univ. Johnson Center
9:30 am -2:00 pm (Must register by Feb 11th)
This summit is for elementary school students and staff members. It is a great way for students to learn new conflict resolution skills, build self-esteem, and collaborate with students from other schools within the county. Registration and summit information is available at: fcps.edu/dss/ips/ssaw/ConflictResolution/conferences.shtml.
March 12, 2016, 10 AM - 2 PM - Culinary Challenge and Wellness Expo – Robinson Secondary School
This year’s Culinary Challenge: leave it to the kids to create a flavorful and healthful breakfast, snack or lunch. Student teams from schools around the region ─ and who know their way around a kitchen ─ will prepare dishes they like and, as important, believe their fellow students will enjoy as well. Thanks to the talents of these young chefs, we will get an appetizing glimpse into the future of school food where kids can grab a quick breakfast or a satisfying snack on the go; a future where lunchtime favorites like chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburger, and mac ‘n’ cheese (to name a few) have been made over into the nutritious healthy lunches kids need. Come join us and be a part of this innovative, school-food-altering Culinary Challenge. Website: realfoodforkids.org/expo.html
June 8th - FCPS Honors
The FCPS Honors recognizes excellence in our school system, with awards for outstanding support employees, principals, teachers and business partners. The 2016 event will be held on June 8th at Mason's Center for the Arts at 6 p.m.
The Foundation for FCPS collaborates with FCPS on this event. They invite local businesses and corporations to support the great educational work in the county through purchase of an FCPS Honors sponsorship. For more information, please visit The Fairfax Foundation website.
Would you like to submit events to be considered for inclusion in future newsletters?
Send me an email with the date, time, contact information and details: dapalchik@fcps.edu.
Next Office Hours:
Saturday, March 5th, 10 am - 12 pm, Panera Bread, 8191 Strawberry Ln, Merrifield, VA 22042
Contact Information:
Email: dapalchik@fcps.edu
Mobile: 571-423-1084
Twitter @DaliaPalchik
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