Superintendent Brabrand and the Educational Support Advisory Council pose for a picture at their March meeting. (Photo: Sherri Burris, Office of Equity and Employee Relations)
The Technology@Home program offers FCPS staff and students an opportunity to purchase technology products at discounted rates. Most of the vendors allow one purchase each year per employee. You will also be required to verify your relationship with FCPS. Learn more about the Technology@Home program.
The deadline to submit applications for the Foundation for FCPS' teacher grant program is Friday, April 5. Grants are for the 2019-20 school year and are intended to support work-based learning opportunities for students at all levels. Teachers and principals can view brief descriptions of the grants that were selected last year and access the application on the Foundation’s website. Please call 571-423-1031 or email foundation@fcps.edu, if you have questions.
The annual retirement ceremony, We Honor You–Celebrating Your Service to FCPS, will be held on Tuesday, April 30, at 6 p.m., at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The evening will begin with an hors d’oeuvre reception for retirees and their family and friends. The reception will be followed by a recognition ceremony with Superintendent Brabrand, FCPS' Leadership Team, and the School Board.
Invitations have been sent to the homes of those who have retired since the May 2018 retirement ceremony and to those who have submitted their Notification of Resignation-Retirement form (HR-2) with a retirement date prior to December 31, 2019. The deadline to RSVP for this ceremony is Friday, March 29. Please email any questions to WeHonorYou@fcps.edu. Visit the retirement ceremony webpage for photos from previous ceremonies and other information.
Photo of the Week
This #OurFCPS moment is brought to you by Holmes MS Principal Margaret Barnes. Margaret tweeted:
"Life coming full circle: This former Spanish student of mine now teaches math in the school right next door to ! In the same classroom together almost 10 years ago as teacher and student and now colleagues in the same PD. This is why we do the work!"
Margaret's former student, KaRon Powell, is the math teacher at Montrose ALC.
The SSEAC election will be held April 9-11, to fill the following two-year term representative vacancies: Group 1 – Bus Drivers and Attendants; Group 3 – Food and Nutrition Services; Group 4 – Custodial and Plant Operations; Group 7 – Management and Administration; and, Group 8 – Educational Support.
Please go to SSEAC's webpage for a petition to nominate candidates. Interested candidates must submit a petition signed by 20 employees who work in their specific community-of-interest group. (For example, instructional assistants and public health assistants should sign for Group 8 candidates.) Candidates must also submit a statement of no more than 50 words describing why they would best serve in the position. Petitions and statements must be returned to Gatehouse Administration Center, Office of Equity and Employee Relations (EER), Suite 2517, by close of business today, Tuesday, March 26. If you have any questions, please contact EER at 571-423-3252.
#OurFCPS Faces: Susan Silva
Susan Silva's advanced photo students composed this photo during a field trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Oakton HS' Susan Silva was recently named 2019 Southeastern Region Secondary Art Educator by the National Art Education Association (NAEA). The award recognizes excellence in professional accomplishment, contributions, and service by a dedicated art educator.
Susan joined FCPS in 2008, after spending 12 years as a K-12 art specialist for Clark County Public Schools in Nevada. She taught at Herndon HS and Chantilly HS, before coming to Oakton. In addition to teaching art, Susan teaches photography and is the school's Fine Arts Department chair. She says, "I have many responsibilities such as creating meaningful learning opportunities for students, building relationships with the students, planning field trips, ordering supplies and materials, and maintaining a studio classroom as well as a darkroom. I am also a Secondary Fine Arts Great Beginnings coach and the Photo Collaborative Team Leader for FCPS' Fine Arts office. This creates opportunities to share ideas and work with other teachers, which is completely inspiring!”
Principal Jamie Lane adds, “Ms. Silva is an outstanding teacher and colleague. She works tirelessly to provide students with a variety of opportunities and challenges them to exceed expectations. [...] Ms. Silva takes it a step further and spends a lot of her personal time lending her incredible photography talents to capture Oakton’s special moments throughout the school year.”
The best part of Susan's job is that "every day is different!" She explains, "I get to teach knowing that there are so many right (and often unexpected) answers, and the students are constructing their learning individually and based on what is meaningful to them. That makes for a great learning environment where the students are consistently inspired by each other. We are continuously navigating our learning together.”
Outside of FCPS, Susan enjoys spending time with her family. She also likes "going into DC to take advantage of the incredible museums, artist talks, and workshops that are available." You can also find her in her darkroom, working on her own photography.
Thank you for being such a creative, dynamic, and engaging educator, Susan!
Be sure to use the hashtag #OurFCPS when sharing examples of innovation, inspiration, pride, and collaboration. Check out #OurFCPS on Twitter and Instagram.
Government Teachers Take Moot Court Teacher Training
Last Wednesday, high school advanced placement government teachers participated in a professional development (PD) session to learn moot court teaching strategy. Moot courts enable students to develop Portrait of a Graduate attributes including communication, collaboration, and global and ethical citizenship. The FCPS Advanced Academics Office, in cooperation with Street Law, provided the PD. Thanks to Rebecca Small, high school educational specialist, Advanced Academic Programs, for the photo and info!
FCPS Special Education Conference Is Saturday, April 6
Register now for the 2019 Special Education Conference! The event will be held Saturday, April 6, 7:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at Lake Braddock SS. The focus of this year’s conference is on building inclusive and postsecondary practices to
support the development of 21st century skills and Portrait of a Graduate attributes. Register now.
Staff Staples
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Employee News is sent to all FCPS employees every Tuesday. Please email EmployeeNews@fcps.edu with potential submissions or questions. Submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Thank you!
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