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Be sure to follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/OaktonHS), Twitter (@OaktonHS), and Instagram @oaktonhs! Visit our Oakton Accolades page to see our latest student accomplishments.
Important Upcoming Dates
August 26: First day of School
August 30: No School
September 2: No School (Labor Day)
September 5: Back-to-School Open House (4-7pm)
September 9-10: Class Meetings (Cougar Time)
September 10-11: Underclassmen Pictures
September 12: Senior College Planning Parent Night
September 19: Senior Panoramic Picture (Cougar Time)
September 30-October 4: Homecoming Week
October 2-3: Senior Portrait Make-up
October 5: Homecoming Dance
October 14: School Planning Day - No School
October 16: PSAT Day; Candidates' Day; 2 Hr. Early Release
October 17: Underclassmen Picture Make-up
November 1: End of 1st Quarter
November 4: School Planning Day - No School
November 5 - Teacher Workday - No School
Welcome back! It was great to welcome all of our students back to school this morning. We are excited for the start of the 2019-2020 school year!
Renovation Update
Last week work was done to get the entire campus ready for the start of school. This included additional paving and opening of our new parking lots in the front of the building. The kiss-and-ride now features two lanes coming into campus which should alleviate some of the congestion from last year. There is also limited parking around the kiss-and-ride loop allowing for more space for those trying to enter and exit the campus. As a reminder, this is the only location designated as a kiss-and-ride. In our effort to be cognizant of our surrounding neighborhoods, nearby streets should not be used for kiss-and-ride drop off and pick up sites. This prevents residents from exiting and entering their homes in a timely fashion. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Please visit our website for more information on the scope of the renovation and the renderings of what the building will look like when completed.
FCPSOn - Laptop Distribution
Today we began laptop distribution during Advisory (Period 3) and will complete our distribution and on-boarding tomorrow. Please visit our FCPSOn at Oakton website for more information.
General Information
Safety Reminders - Arrival/Dismissal
Please remind your students to follow the walking routes designated for students and community. We have numerous crosswalks marked throughout the campus that will ensure they are crossing safely. Finally, it is always a nice reminder to have students take out their earbuds so they can hear surrounding sounds and look both ways before crossing the street.
Annual Safety Drills
All schools are required to perform a variety of safety drills each year. This will include:
- One fire drill per week for the first four weeks.
- After the first four weeks, we will hold one fire drill per month.
- We will hold four lockdown drills. The first two lockdown drills will be within the first 20 days of the start of school.
- One tornado drill will be held in the month of March.
For the first lockdown drill we will make you aware in advance of the drill. For each of the remaining drills we will send notification immediately before, during, or immediately after the conclusion of the drill.
You can assist by speaking to your student and sharing the importance of drills. These drills provide us all with the practice needed to respond appropriately in an emergency situation. We do not want students to be frightened or scared, but do want to reinforce that students should take drills seriously and follow the directions of staff.
Student Schedules
Our staffing decisions and the number of courses offered were based on the classes students selected during the registration period. To maintain the best possible program for our students and one that is most responsive to their educational needs, schedule changes will be limited to space available. Below is the timeline for schedule changes for this school year.
Timeline for Schedule Changes:
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August 26 - August 27: School Counselors will only correct schedules if there is an error in the schedule
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August 28 - September 16: School counselors will make schedule change requests based on space available
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September 17 - November 1 (end of 1st quarter): No schedule changes
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After November 6: Any student requesting a schedule change will need to fill out the schedule change request form, signed by parent, student, teacher, school counselor and administrator. If approved by the administration, schedule changes will only be processed if there is space available.
- There will not be any schedule changes, regardless of space available, after the end of the 3rd quarter.
For any questions you may have, contact your child’s counselor.
Senior College Planning - Parent Night
Senior Parents and Guardians please join us on Thursday, September 12th from 6:30-8:00 pm for Senior College Planning Parent Night. Counselors will be providing you with information on the college process and Oakton’s transcript request procedure. We look forward to seeing you.
Counselors will be presenting to seniors in their history classrooms September 3rd & 4th . Counselors will also be meeting with each Senior individually to discuss their own post-secondary plans, graduation requirements, transcripts and answer questions. Individual senior meetings with students will begin September 9th and run through September 20th.
College Board Account - AP Classes
This year all students will have to have a College Board account in order to access important classroom materials as well as register for SAT exams and view scores for SATs, PSATs, and APs. This needs to be an account that students are able to regularly view and should have access to by August 29. We recommend students use a personal email address and not their school email address, as the school email address will expire when they graduate.
Students will login here: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/ You can either log in to make sure you can access your account or create a new account there. This information was posted on Friday to the Oakton HS Blackboard account.
If you have issues accessing your College Board account, there are prompts on that page that can help you, or you can contact the College Board at 888-225-5427. Oakton High School is not able to help with College Board accounts.
Once students have a College Board account, what will they do? Each AP class will have a unique online code that you will need to sign up for through AP Classroom. Information on how to enroll can be found on the College Board website. This needs to be done early on in the year (in the first few weeks of class) so we can have a correct accounting of students in each class.
Back-to-School Open House, September 5
This year we will be switching the model we use for Back-to-School Night. Based on parent and staff feedback, we found that the model that had been in use has not been highly effective. We will have an open-house style Back-to-School Night on Thursday September 5 from 4:00-7:00pm. Parents will be able to come at the time that best meets their schedule as we will not have designated times for each period to meet. More information on Back-to-School Night will be forthcoming.
Senior Parking
All senior students who applied for and were randomly selected for a parking permit, must pay for their permit by the end of the day on Tuesday September 3. Students should go to the Security Office to pay for their permit during the day, or go to the administrative table during all lunches. Any outstanding obligations to the school that a student may have must also be paid for prior to receiving their permit. Any permit that is not paid for by that time will be reassigned. A second lottery for student parking will occur in the first few weeks of school. If a student or parent has a question about senior parking they can reach out to Ms. Mary Landis, Assistant Principal at mflandis@fcps.edu.
Parent Information
The Pantry at Oakton High School
Did you know that Oakton High School has a pantry where students in need can pick up non-perishable food, personal hygiene products, household cleaning supplies, and paper goods? If you are in need, please contact anyone in the guidance office and they can offer you assistance.
The Pantry at OHS is supported by our wonderful Oakton community. Donations are always welcome and can be dropped off in the front office, at door 4.
We also have an Amazon Wish List that is updated for the new school year and kept current with The Pantry’s needs. Items purchased off the Wish List are shipped directly to the school! https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2PXP0VZH14Y/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1?_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist
Thanks so much for your generosity and support! The Pantry Team
PTSA Welcome Letter
Hello Oakton Families!
On behalf of the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), I would like to welcome all families to another school year at Oakton High School. We are very excited to share a NEW way to stay in the know on all things! You will need a PTBoard account to volunteer, check out and pay, view our online directory and view your student's class level group. It's very easy to sign up!
- Browse to “oaktonhsptsa.org”
- Click “Sign Up” in the top right corner and you will be prompted to create an account within PTBoard. Make sure your email is correct!! You will be sent a confirmation email to later verify your email.
- Enter school code 6EH8VK and hit Join.
- After signing in, go to your name (upper right hand corner) and click on “My Profile” and enter your contact information including adding your student(s).
- Browse around on the new site, purchase membership, make a donation or involved with a volunteer activity!
Our mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. Whether you are a new or returning OHS parent, please get involved in any way that works for you. Here are some quick links to get you started - make sure you set up your account first!
I look forward to working with our teachers, staff and families to provide a great school year for our students. I hope you will contact me with any questions, comments, or new ideas that will benefit our community!
Sincerely,
Monique Roberts-Rabil 2019-2020 Oakton PTSA President president@oaktonhsptsa.org
FCPS Cares
Do you know an Oakton High School or FCPS employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone.
Parent Resources - FCPS
In FCPS we recognize that when families are engaged in their children’s education, students achieve higher grades, attend school regularly, have better social skills, and go on to postsecondary education. We offer programs, services, and resources that engage families, schools and the community in support of student success.
Find out more here about programs and supports offered in FCPS to build stronger family-school partnerships and better engage families.
Upcoming Parent Resource Center Workshops: Power Struggles
Knowing When to Walk Away
Attend this important workshop, presented by Michele Tureaud and Lori Kraden, FCPS Behavior Intervention Teachers, to understand the characteristics of power struggles.
Highlights will include:
- Recognizing power struggles
- Identifying why power struggles occur
- Strategies for parents
Friday, September 6, 2019, 10 a.m.-noon
Register for Power Struggles: Knowing When to Walk Away
Getting Past Procrastination: How to Get Your Kids Organized, Focused, and Motivated...Without Being the Bad Guy
Like any parent, you want your child to succeed. The problem is, otherwise smart and capable kids frequently find themselves stuck in a tumultuous, never-ending struggle with procrastination, motivation, and organization.
Join us for this workshop to learn how to:
- Discover the hidden emotional causes of procrastination
- Put good behavior on autopilot using the power of habit
- Use “The Organizational Arsenal”: Tools and strategies to keep even the most scattered kids on track
- Use examples of scripts to spark motivation, address problems, and communicate with your child without being labeled the “Bad Guy.”
Presented by Ann Dolin, M.Ed., educational consultant and award-winning author. Ann is the President and Director of Educational Connections, Inc.
Friday, September 20, 2019, 10 a.m.-noon
This session is full. Waitlist for Getting Past Procrastination: How to Get Your Kids Organized, Focused, and Motivated...Without Being the Bad Guy
Voices from the IEP Table: Perspectives on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families
This workshop explores the individual perspectives of IEP meeting participants who work with students who are culturally and linguistically diverse.
Join us for this workshop to learn:
- Best practices for working with students with diverse backgrounds
- Practical suggestions for improving the experiences of teams serving students with diverse backgrounds. Including:
- Home-school communication
- IEP Meetings
- Cross-cultural interactions
Presented by Karrin Lukacs, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Shenandoah University and Sherry Steeley, PhD., Associate Professor at Georgetown University
Friday, September 27, 2019, 10 a.m.-noon
Register for Voices from the IEP Table: Perspectives on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families
How to Modify or Unsubscribe to the Newsletter
To modify your membership to our messages (or to add yourself to the Oakton Athletics list!) you can manage your subscription to Oakton HS messages online.
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