Important Upcoming Dates

October 22 - Fall College Planning Night

November 1 - 1st quarter ends

November 4 & 5 - Student Holidays

November 11 - Parent Safe Teen Driving Presentation - 6:30 pm

November 27-29 - Thanksgiving - school closed

General Information

End of the First Quarter

First quarter ends November 1.  Students do not have school on November 4th and 5th.  Teachers will be working on grading and planning for the upcoming quarter.  Students and parents will not be able to access SIS Parent/StudentVue to check grades from Friday, November 1, at 4pm until Saturday, November 9, at 6am.

Impact Aid Forms

Beginning this week, FCPS will be asking all families to fill out a Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid. These forms will be distributed through all 3rd period classes on Tuesday October 22nd. Returning this form is important because information from this survey results in an anticipated $3 million dollars in grant funds each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers. For each school-aged child in your household, please complete, sign, date, and return the survey to your child's school. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the box in Section 3.  All forms must be signed, dated, and returned by October 30. All results are CONFIDENTIAL. 

Video link - https://youtu.be/uPqC3BLf3Ow

McLean's National Honor Society (NHS) officers indcuted 247 members.

Virginia Summer Residential Governor’s School Interest Meetings - Thursday, October 24; 3:00PM

This one-month summer program is for highly motivated 10th and 11th grade students seeking an intellectually challenging and enriching summer experience. Programs are offered in Visual and Performing Arts, World Languages, Agriculture, Humanities, Math/Science/Technology, Medicine/Health Science, Engineering, and Marine Science. The selection process is extremely competitive. Selected students usually rank in the top 10% of their class and have scored in the 90th percentile or above on standardized tests. Residential programs run from late June to late July. Only students who are available during that time frame and whose records match these criteria should apply.

Mr. Allman and Ms. Jablonski will hold an interest meeting for Academic Governors Schools in the Student Services Career Center at 3:00 on Thursday, October 24.

Ms. You will hold an interest meeting for Visual & Performing Arts Governors Schools in Room S121 at 3:00 on Thursday, October 24.

Ms. McNeill will hold an interest meeting for World Language Governors School Academies in Room S118 at 3:00 on Thursday, October 24.

Please bring your laptop.

For additional information please visit the VDOE and FCPS links below. Interested students will need to complete the Student Interest Form on the FCPS website by November 5, 2019.

VDOE website:

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/governors_school_programs/summer_residential/

FCPS website:

https://www.fcps.edu/node/32439

Fall College Planning Night, October 22 @ 6:30 PM in McLean HS Auditorium

On October 22nd, MHS is hosting a Fall College Planning Night. This is an event we are very excited about. Here at McLean, we want all of our students to adopt a “stress-less” approach to their post high school plans. Fall College Planning Night will help students embrace that approach.

 We recommend students (and their families) come and learn more about how to find the right college. This event will feature a panel of college admissions representatives focused on the idea of a best fit school. 9th and 10th graders will be inspired and will be excited to visit colleges and have a chance to refocus on what is truly important in this process – identifying a college where they will thrive. This will not cover the college application process, rather, Fall College Planning Night will set your family up for approaching college admissions in the best way possible.

Student Resource Site

Students - Want to know what’s going on at McLean? Need resources to help you succeed? Then check out the new Student Resources Site. It’s on your FCPSOn desktop. Look for the black laptop icon with the McLean logo, click on it, and browse the new site: https://sites.google.com/fcpsschools.net/mcleanstudentresources/home (Note that you will need to be logged onto your fcpsschools.net account to access the Google site.)

McLean's Orchestra held their Fall concert.

Weekly Progress Reports

All parents/guardians of Middle School and High School students who have registered for a SIS ParentVUE Account and have a primary email address recorded in SIS ParentVUE can receive Weekly Progress Reports via email. This report provides a summary of your student(s) grades for the current quarter. To activate the Weekly Progress Reports via email, login to your SIS ParentVUE Account and first verify that you have a primary email address within the system. It is listed under the “My Account” tab. If it is blank, enter the email address where you would like to receive the progress reports and click on update account. Once confirmed, parents/guardians are able to activate and select their preferences for receiving these reports within the SIS ParentVUE “My Account” tab.

Weekly progress reports for all of your Middle and High School students will be included in one email. For questions about a specific progress report or grade you can login into your SIS ParentVUE Account to find detailed grade book information. Additionally, your student’s teacher is always the best resource to answer any grade book questions that you may have.
Weekly Progress Report Parent Quick Reference Guide

Weekly Progress Reports will not be sent during these times:

FCPS Digital Citizenship Week 

Technology is an integral part of our daily lives and it is increasingly important to be mindful of how technology could be impacting our health and well-being.

FCPS is celebrating Digital Citizenship Week October 21-25, and this year’s theme is Media Balance and Well-Being: Developing a Healthy Relationship with Your Technology. Resources and activities for the week will focus on healthy practices to support purposeful, productive, balanced, and mindful use of technology at home and at school.

We have been emphasizing the importance of digital citizenship with mindful moments, discussion questions, and action items on achieving balance with technology. On Monday, October 21, all McLean students will participate in a county-directed lesson on digital citizenship.

FCPS offers many resources to support families all year long with Digital Citizenship on the FCPS Digital Citizenship Website. 

The Best Buddes Club attended the Friendship Walk and raised over $11,000 for the organization.

School Bond Referendum to be Held on November 5 Ballot

A school bond referendum will be on the general election ballot Tuesday, November 5. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents of Fairfax County may vote if they are 18 years or older on Election Day and have registered to vote 22 days prior to the election (on or before October 15, at 5 p.m.).

The building and renovation of schools is not financed through the school system’s operating funds, but through bonds. Similar to an individual or a family obtaining a mortgage on a residence to spread the cost of home buying over a number of years, bonds spread the cost of major capital improvements over a number of years. 

As long as debt service costs do not increase significantly as a percentage of combined general fund disbursements, the county’s bonded debt will not be a contributing factor to any increase in local taxes.

Get more information about the school bond referendum. 

AP Exam Opt-Out Reminder

AP Exam Opt-Out Forms and Fee Reminder

FCPS strongly encourages all students to take AP tests for courses in which they are enrolled, however, AP students have the opportunity to opt out of test(s) by submitting an opt-out form.  All AP students will receive an AP exam opt-out form from 3^rd period teachers by October 1^st. 

Please keep in mind that FCPS will pay the test fees for the first six AP tests taken for courses in which a student is currently enrolled for high school credit or auditing. Students choosing to take one or more AP tests beyond the six FCPS-funded tests will be charged a fee of $94 per AP test. For more information about the test fee process visit the FCPS website:  https://www.fcps.edu/testfees

No action is needed for students who wish to take all AP tests for the courses in which they are currently enrolled and have registered for their exams via College Board’s “MyAP” platform.    To opt-out of an AP test, students/parents must complete the AP opt-out form and return it to the Student Services office by Friday, October 25, 2019.  This deadline is much earlier than it has been in past years due to new College Board test ordering deadlines.  Students who do not submit the opt-out form by the deadline and later do not sit for an AP test for which they were registered will be charged a fee of $40.00 per unused AP test (or $94.00 if beyond the six FCPS-funded exam limit).

Note for students enrolled in AP Economics or AP US & Comparative Government: The curriculum for these two AP courses is assessed through two separate AP tests. The two tests for these courses will be considered as one test for the FCPS-funded test count and fees.

Note for students enrolled in AP Capstone courses (Seminar and Research):  The College Board exam fee for these courses is $142.00, however, FCPS students (beyond the six FCPS funded tests) will only incur a $94.00 fee.

Big Macs met with freshmen last week to discuss resiliency.

Credit Exam for World Languages

The 2019 Credit Exam for World Languages will be administered November 6 – 8, 2019. Students who take the credit exam will now have the opportunity to earn up to three credits, based on demonstrated proficiency.

Thirty (30) languages will be assessed via the FCPS Credit Exam, including:  American Sign Language, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali/Bangla, Chinese/Mandarin, Farsi/Persian, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Pashto, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit/Samskritam, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Tigrinya, Turkish, Twi, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Greek, Hebrew, Portuguese and Turkish languages will be tested using the Writing Proficiency Test (WPT), which is a timed test and has a format distinct from the FCPS World Languages Credit Exam.  More information on the WPT is available here: Writing Proficiency Test.

Registration opens Monday, September 9, 2019 at 8:00 a.m. and closes on Thursday, October 10, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.  Late registrations will not be accepted. Student should see their school counselors to register for the exam.

Parents Safe Teen Driving Presentation - 6:30pm

McLean High School will be hosting safe teen driving presentations on 

November 11 , February 3 , and April 20

All presentations start at 6:30 pm.

The state of Virginia requires all 10th grade students and their parent/guardian to attend a 90-minute traffic safety program as part of the classroom driver education instruction. This condition must be met before a student will receive a Driver Education Certificate of Completion (DEC-District 8 card). 

The Virginia Department of Education has said that students who complete classroom instruction in a public school must also complete PSTD at the public school. It is not acceptable for a student to complete PSTD at a commercial driving school and receive a DEC-District 8 card from FCPS.

No one will be admitted after the doors have been closed. You are strongly encouraged to attend the program at McLean. If you are unable to attend one of these dates, additional program dates and locations can be found on the Fairfax County Public Schools website at www.fcps.edu.

Wellness Wednesday Parent Coffee

Join us for our next formal parent coffee this Wednesday, October 23, at 8:30 am at The StudyPro in McLean. Nick Corsi will provide Sources of Strength training for parents. Please register here so we know you're coming. 

The mission of Sources of Strength is to spread hope, help, and strength into every corner of the school community. Sources of Strength is a student-led evidenced-based mental health program that has been shown to positively change school culture by training students to conduct strength-based messaging campaigns and activities. Specifically, these activities are designed to increase the acceptability of seeking help, improve communication, and develop healthy coping strategies. Below are two links that provide a closer look at the impact Sources of Strength is making at McLean High School:

High School Program Teaches Students How to Identify and Help With Mental Distress and Strength In Our Voices at McLean High School 

On the following Wednesday, October 30, join us for a parent coffee at 8:30 am at Simply Fresh, at 6811 Elm Street in McLean.

Senior Night at McLean

Volleyball Senior Night was held this week for these 7 fantastic Seniors. The volleyball team will play Thursday night in the first rounds of districts.

Highlander Recognition

Marching Band finished in 3rd place and Best General Effect at the VMBC Lee Davis! We are proud of our Marching Band!

McLean's cheerleaders competed last week at Districts and finished in 3rd place! Finals are this Wednesday at South Lakes beginning at 6:30. Come support your Highlanders!

Director of Student Activities, Greg Miller, recieved an Excellence Award from FCPS. Congratulations Mr. Miller!

FCPS Cares

Do you know a McLean 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.

My School Bucks

Learn more about this online payment portal for many school fees.  Parents can set up an account which they link their student(s) to so there is one account per family.  Course fees, lunch funds, some ticket events can be taken care of online. MySchoolBucks eliminates the need for students to carry cash to school and for multiple checks to be written. Learn more and sign up at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/login/getmain?requestAction=home

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