Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions:
Q- How will parents be kept informed of what is going on at school?
A - Every Monday an email titled “Principal Updates” will go out at approximately 5:30pm. This email provides information regarding upcoming dates and events that occur at Oakton High School and within FCPS. We also post a large amount of information on our school website. We try to highlight anything new in an announcement on the homepage. We also try to be very active on our social media accounts. If you are not already, please follow us on Twitter (@OaktonHS) and Instagram (oaktonhs).
Q - Who do I contact when I am concerned about a class or grade for my student?
A - At the high school level we encourage students to first speak with their teachers regarding any concerns in the classroom. However, if your son/daughter is not comfortable with that, we ask that the student seek assistance from their counselor or the Assistant Principal that supervises that department. The sooner a concern is brought to light, the sooner the concern can be addressed. If there are continued concerns or something a parent would like addressed, a parent should make contact with the teacher directly and/or request a conference. If a parent would like a conference with multiple teachers, it is easier to coordinate that through the counselor.
We also believe that parent concerns regarding a class or teacher should be directly addressed with the teacher first. However, if a parent is still concerned after that conversation, the best course of action is to reach out to the administrator that supervises that department. The department supervisors are listed below for your reference.
Ms. Mary Landis - English, Special Education Category B, Library
Mr. James Oberndorf - World Languages, Special Education Category A, AVID
Mr. Sal Olivo - Math, Fine Arts, ESOL
Ms. Martha Rodeheaver - Science, CTE, Performing Arts
Mr. Larry Stroud - Social Studies, Health and PE
Q - My son/daughter forgot their lunch/homework assignment. Where can I drop off items?
A– You come to the front office and drop it off on the designated counter.
Q - My son/daughter lost their wallet. Where should I go to see if it has been turned in?
A – You can come to the front office and we will direct you to lost and found in the Security office.
Q - Where is visitor parking located at if I have an appointment at the school during the day?
A - We have several designated visitor parking spots in Lot 1 (parking lot behind the school near Doors 5/ 6). If you are coming between 2:40pm and 3:10pm you will not be able to access the Lot 1 due to the buses lining up for dismissal. In that case, you can park in any of the open spaces near the Kiss-and-Ride. There are now three parking lots (2, 3, and 4) on that side of the building. Signs are coming to appropriately label each of the lots.
Q- If I drive my son/daughter to school, where is the kiss-and-ride?
A- The kiss-and-ride is located at the Country Creek and Sutton Road entrance to the school. Similar to last year, we will have a crossing guard and a police officer directing traffic. We ask that anyone who is waiting in line to drop off a student or exit the campus remembers a few points:
- 1) All cars must yield to buses as they exit the campus. Buses are on a tight timeframe and leave our bus runs to go pick up students for the elementary schools.
- 2) Please do not block the entrances to any of our parking lots while waiting. Students and staff park in the lots surrounding the kiss-and-ride.
Students will not be permitted to be dropped off in the front of the building (near Doors 3, 4, 5, or 6) as this would impede the ability for buses to arrive and exit quickly and efficiently.
Q- How will my son or daughter know where there classes are the first few days of school?
A - We will have multiple staff members throughout the entire building and Cougar Towne to assist students. It is helpful for students to remember that all classes that are in the 100 range are on the first floor of the building, with classes in the 200 range on the second floor. Any class that is labeled with a T- # is a classroom located in a trailer.
Q - Which classes meet on Burgundy Days vs. Gold Days?
A - Burgundy Days students will attend periods 1, Cougar Time/Advisory, 4, 5, 7. Gold Days students will attend periods 2, Cougar Time, 4, 6, 8. The bell schedule and calendar for the year can be found on our website.
Q- When is graduation for the Class of 2020?
A - We have been patiently awaiting the final approval of the graduation calendar. As soon as we have our graduation timeslot, we will publish it to our families and post the calendar for the month of June.
Q - What is the format for the Back to School Open House?
A - We have changed our traditional back to school night to an open house model. This allows us to be more flexible to parents in their ability to attend and allows us to have one event, as opposed to two. We will have our open house on Thursday September 5 from 4pm-7pm. Parents are invited to come and visit the classrooms and teachers at a time that works for them within the allotted window. We will also have a website of back-to-school videos from each member of our staff for any parent that is unable to attend. Detailed information will go out before the event to all parents. The purpose of this event has not changed, it is intended for parents to get a brief overview of their student’s teachers and general course information. Parents looking for individual parent conferences with an individual teacher should reach out to the teacher directly. Parents looking to coordinate a parent conference with multiple teachers should contact the students counselor.
ATTENDANCE
Q - What are the attendance procedures at Oakton High School ?
A - All attendance procedures for students can be found at:
https://oaktonhs.fcps.edu/about/attendance
If you have a question about your son/daughter’s tardiness or attendance in a specific class, please follow up with the teacher of the class period you have a question about.
RENOVATION
Q - How long is the renovation going to last?
A- The renovation is a four year project that began in June 2018 and is scheduled to end in June 2022.
Q - What is the scope of the project?
A - The project is divided into four phases which are outlined below. Phase 1 is the largest scope of work and is estimated to last approximately two years from June 2018. However, timelines for all the phases are fluid and overlapping at points due to the various factors that go into each. Currently, the renovation project is on schedule with all work.
Phase 1 Highlights:
The large addition onto the front of the building, which will include a new Main Office, Student Services Office, Security Office, Clinic, Library, Science Wing and more.
The addition of a new Dance Room, which will be used by Health and Physical Education classes, Dance, Cheerleading, and Gymnastics.
A newly renovated softball complex and Cougar Path.
*The cafeteria was completed this summer and ready for student use on Monday! Phase 1 should be completed by June 2020.
Phase 2 Highlights:
An addition of a Performing Arts Wing near old Door 7.
The renovation of several of our existing classrooms on both the first and second floors of the building.
Phase 3 Highlights:
An addition of six classrooms off of the back of the building in the old back parking lot.
Continued renovation of existing classrooms on the second floor.
Renovation of the theater and the start of extending the Main Gym.
Phase 4 Highlights:
Renovation of the remaining Art and CTE classrooms.
Completing the final additions on the back of the building, which will include the creation of a new courtyard and joining the addition with the existing building.
Summer Work
Over the summer, work will be done on essential areas of the building that we cannot lose during the school year. This includes renovations and updates to the Main/Auxiliary Gyms, Cafeteria, and Weight Room.
Q - Where can I find information about the renovation?
A - Renovation Updates will continue to be the first section of the Principal Updates. In addition, we will continue to use our social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) to show updates. Finally, you can look at our website for renovation information.
ACTIVITIES
Q- What paperwork does my son/daughter needs to turn into the Activities Office in order to participate in a sport?
A - All required forms can be found at:
https://oaktonathletics.org/main/filesLinks/
Q - Who would I contact with a question related to student activities (Athletics, Clubs, etc.)?
A - All contact information for the Activities Office can be found at:
https://oaktonhs.fcps.edu/index.php/student-life-activities/athletics
LIBRARY
Q - What are the Library hours? Who are the librarians?
A - Monday-Thursday: 7:45 – 3:30; Friday: 7:30 – 3:15
Librarians:
Karen Rowley: kmrowley@fcps.edu
Rebecca Newland: rnewland@fcps.edu.
Technology/Online Grades
Q - What is ParentVUE?
A- FCPS 24-7 Learning provides parents access to available courses the student is enrolled in, Family Connection to view College and Academic Career Planning (for Middle and High school students), weCare@school to view and update Emergency Care information, and Bus Stop Information via the Bus Stop module. The SIS Parent Account (Student Information System Parent Account) is the FCPS secure solution for accessing information about your child's attendance, class performance, demographic data, and links to FCPS 24-7 information. FCPS 24-7 Learning and ParentVue use the same log-on credentials.
Q - How do I get a ParentVUE account?
A- You will need an existing email address and an activation code. The activation codes have been mailed out several times but you can email Ms. Burke for an activation code (paburke@fcps.edu) The steps for registration can be found on this page (select the blue box, “Activate”)
Q - What is the link address for ParentVue?
A- The long URL link to log in to ParentVue is https://sisparent.fcps.edu/PVUE/login_parent_pxp_ovr2.aspx
Q - I am not sure if I created an account last year, how do I find out?
A- If you would like to verify that an account was created last year, please call Ms. Burke, administrative assistant at Oakton High School, at 703-319-2782.
Q - I forgot my password-what is the password reset link?
A - Click on the link, enter your username/email address and a reset link will be sent to the email address on file. FCPS Parent Forgot Password link Please click on the heading “Parents”
Q- I am not seeing all of my children in ParentVue and FCPS 24-7, how do I resolve the issue?
A - If you notice that one/more of your students (currently enrolled in the FCPS School System) are not listed on your ParentVue account, please click on this link to report the issue. (Link to Report Issues)
Q - How do I update information in we@Care such as the emergency contact information?
A - To update information, such as the Emergency contacts list and phone numbers, log in to FCPS 24-7 Learning using your ParentVue log-on credentials, locate the link for we@Care, click to open and then click on each student for which you’d like to change the information.
Q - What is FCPSOn?
This year all high school students throughout FCPS will be assigned a laptop to support student learning. Students will receive their device during Advisory on the first two days of school. To learn more about this initiative, please visit our website. Students are expected to bring their laptops, fully charged, to school daily. Students will not be able to access an extra charger or loaner laptop if they forget their laptop or charger at home. We do have additional laptops on hand to provide to students should their laptop have an issue that needs to be fixed.
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