From the Principal's Desk....

9th grade orientation

Welcome Freshman, New Students, and their parents!

Erin

Happy Friday, Family Fairfax,

We end the week on the highest of notes—with our New Student Orientation!  It was fun to greet our newest Pride members and to spend time with our parents and other family members.  It always feels like a reunion.

Many of our upperclassmen were issued parking passes this morning.  I had to go out and take a picture—I knew they were likely upset with me for reinstating assigned passes, and I wanted to see their frustration in full swing.  Instead, I saw smiling faces and many friendly waves.  Reversing back to assigned spaces was a decision I made for a variety of reasons, but mostly, it was to be as a safe a school as possible.  Assigned spots not only ensure that we can easily locate a student driver’s car if his or her whereabouts are a concern, but we are also still ensuring that only cars that are permitted to park on FHS property are parked here.  We have multiple visitors spots, all of which are under surveillance.  If your student driver’s spot is used, he or she will move to a visitor’s spot and let a member of our security team know.  We will then appropriately and promptly investigate.

I am looking forward to seeing you at Back to School Night.  Part of my welcome back video includes a quick introduction to our new PRIDE code.  PRIDE stands for Participation; Respect; Integrity; Determination, and Empathy.  We plan for this to be the anchor for all of Fairfax’s community moving forward. 

Many of you have reached out to me about laptops if your student was unable to attend one of the pick up days.  No worries, information about laptops is found below. 

Thank you City of Fairfax for installing a new BEAUTIFUL hardwood floor in our gym.  We are excited to unveil it in the coming weeks, but there is a slight delay.  Students in PE classes will report to the auditorium on Monday and Tuesday.  When weather permits, we will use our fields for PE for the first few weeks of school.  I appreciate the foresight of our amazing Student Activities Office—they had a plan in place for any potential delays. 

I am looking forward to kicking off the 2019-2020 school year on Monday—though we are not having a Welcome Back Assembly this year, many of our student leaders are working on a fun surprise in a couple of weeks.  I don’t want to give it away, but I am hoping it gets your student as excited to be a part of our family as we are!  Schedules are available in your student’s information system (SIS) account, so he or she should  report to first period on the first day.   If your student doesn’t have access to SIS, he or she should report to a counselor.   

In PRIDE,

Erin B. Lenart, Ed.D.

Principal, Fairfax High School

O:  (703) 219-2223

https://fairfaxhs.fcps.edu/

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orientation


REBELS NEED TO KNOW:



We start school on Monday! You should have already received your student’s bus information and his/her schedule is now live in SIS.  Students are encouraged to print out a copy of their schedule or take a screenshot on their phone for the first day of school so they are not delayed in getting to class. Should a student not have access; schedules will be available in Student Services.  All students should report to 1st period by 8:10am.

 



Computer Distribution During the First Week of School

Parents/Guardians of FHS Students.

As you may have heard, we have been distributing computers for the last few weeks.  If you were not able to come in on a distribution day, we have a plan to get your student a computer:

  • 9th or 10th  Graders will be distributed computers through PE on Monday and Tuesday.
  • 11th and 12th Graders will receive their computers on Tuesday during Lion Time.
  • We will also work with students, as they are identified by teachers, to receive a computer.

At any time during the year, students may speak with their teacher if they need to get assistance due to a technology problem.  Members of the FHS Technology Team will be working closely with teachers to ensure there is minimal loss of instructional time for challenges they may have. 

The FHS Technology Support Office is available Monday – Friday, on normal school day when students would be present, from 7:45 – 8:15 and 2:55 – 3:30 or by appointment, to support students with their FCPS issued computer.



Patriot District 2019 - Sportsmanship Video

https://youtu.be/9lAJWKHod0k



Emergency Care and Health Information:

We are committed to ensuring that Fairfax HS is safe and secure. In support of this goal, FCPS provides weCare@school, an emergency care information system, available to FCPS parents and guardians who have registered for their own Parent account. weCare@school helps manage emergency medical information by enabling parents to enter and update their children’s medical data at their convenience online. 

 All parents should take the time to verify and make any changes that are needed.  For information and step by step instructions on how to access weCare@school, visit https://www.fcps.edu/resources/parent-communication-overview/wecareschool



Student Lockers

Lockers will not be assigned to upper classmen (10th, 11th, and 12th) this year.  Any student who would like a locker needs to report to the subschool where they will be assigned a locker for the duration of their time at Fairfax High School.

Freshmen received their locker at orientation.  They will keep this same locker and combination for the next four years.



Back to School Night - Thursday, August 29

Parents, please join the faculty and staff for our exciting Back to School Night on Thursday, August 29, 2019.  This is a great opportunity to meet your student’s teachers. Class visitation will run from 6:30pm to 8:48 pm. You will also have an opportunity to get information regarding Fairfax High School clubs, sports, parent groups and other activities and resources in the Commons Area, from 6:00pm to 6:30pm and again from 8:48pm to 9:20pm.

If you are parent of a 12th grader, please plan to attend the parent Senior Class Meeting from 5:15pm to 6:15pm in the auditorium.  A schedule for classroom visits is attached in the lower left-hand corner.

In addition, you are invited to attend an evening opportunity to preview the Family Life Education media and lessons and to talk with school staff about the program. The meeting will be held from 5:30pm-6:30pm in the school library. All program materials and media for all grade levels will be available for your review at this time.  Additional information can be found in the parent information letter attached in the lower left-hand corner of this email.  Translations of the letter are available on the FHS website.

For parents of students receiving special education services, there will be an information session regarding special education services from 5:15pm to 5:45pm in the Multi-Purpose room. Come to learn about the different courses we offer and meet our fantastic special education teachers.

Parking and shuttles will be available from Daniels Run Elementary, St Leo’s Church, and Home Depot parking lots. The shuttles will run from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. We hope to see you on Thursday, August 29, at 6:30pm.

The evening will begin with students’ Lion Time teachers. This is listed as 10th period Learning Seminar on student schedules.



Fairfax High School Attendance Procedures

Attendance Line: 703-219-2211                                Fax: 703-219-2397

All Day Absences

  • Must be excused by a parent or guardian by calling the Attendance Line at (703) 219-2211
  • Select option 1 or 2 based upon student’s last name
  • Select option 3 for Spanish-speaking families or
  • Use online Attendance Form to report the absence (https://fairfaxhs.fcps.edu/about/attendance)
  • All attendance errors must be corrected within 3 days of the absence
  • If you receive a call-out message, and believe it is in error, please have your student check with the classroom teacher for that period

Prearranged Absences – college visits, family travel, upcoming medical treatments, etc. -

  • Request for Prearranged Absence must be turned into Attendance Office L103 prior to absence for approval
  • Student must use FCPS Pre-arranged absence form available in the Attendance Office L103 or online at Fairfax HS under Attendance

Tardies (Unexcused) - student arriving after 8:10 AM for an unexcused reason (oversleeping, car trouble, traffic, power outages, or missing the bus), must:

  • First report to the Attendance Office L103 to obtain a tardy pass to class.

Tardies (Excused)Students who are late for an excused reason must:

  • Have parent or guardian call the Attendance Line (703) 219-2211 to inform the school about the late arrival, or
  • Bring in a note from a parent or guardian or a note from the appointment upon arrival to school
  • Check in at the Attendance Office L103, even during class passing times, to obtain a tardy pass to class

 Checking Out Early - we cannot accept phone calls for early dismissal

  • Planned Check Out – (medical appointment or other excused absence):
  • Send a note with your student to bring to the Attendance Office L103 upon arrival at school; student will receive a pink check-out pass
  • Students must sign out in the Attendance Office L103 before leaving school (parents do not need to come into the school)
  • If the student fails to sign out, the absence will not be excused
  • Students who become ill during the day, must go to the clinic to call home; they may ONLY sign out from the clinic
  • Unplanned Check Out
  • Fax a note to the school fax line (703) 219-2397; please let us know you have sent the note via fax
  • Check in with your photo ID in the Main Office; then proceed to the Attendance Office L103
  • We will send for your student while you write the dismissal note. If your student is in PE or lunch, there may be a delay in bringing the student to the office

 Student Responsibilities for Checking-out From School

  • Bring pink check-out pass to the Attendance Office L103 before leaving school
  • Sign out through the Google Form in the Attendance Office
  • If returning to school that same day, check into Attendance Office L103 before going back to class, even if it is between classes

Attendance Line: 703-219-2211   Fax: 703-219-2397

Last Name (A-Lee)              Press 1

Last Name (Lef-Z)                Press 2

Spanish Speaking                 Press 3



REBELS NICE TO KNOW:



Hello Fairfax Staff and Students,                

There will be a mural going up in the history wing of the school at the beginning of the school year. The mural will contain 10 figures, 7 have already been decided on and it is up to you to determine who else will be in the mural. Bellow is a link to a survey that will take no more than 5 minutes to fill out.   https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_nHaicWgyqw4lvSCTuSP9Ek3l1H5DwwO8kMHRhdwWSE (Don’t worry it’s anonymous) 

Please fill it out by this Saturday (8-24-19), as it will close Saturday at 11:59pm



Freddy's Challenge


Save the Date!

Fairfax High School - The Flavor of Fairfax - the kick-off event of the year!

Friday, September 6, 2019 - 4:00 pm to kick-off

Clubs, Music, Food and Fun!

Field House Parking Lot



orientation