Principal Updates - Week of November 4

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 11/04/2019 05:30 PM EST

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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

November 4: School Planning Day - No School

November 5: Teacher Workday - No School

November 6: Winter Sports Registration Meeting

November 7-9: Fall Show, "Men On Boats" (7pm)

November 11: Winter Sports Tryouts Begin

November 18-19: Depression Screening (10th Grade)

November 25: Underclassmen Academic Awards (CT)

November 27-29: No School; Happy Thanksgiving

December 4: PSTD Night (see more information below)

December 11: Cougar Commendations (CT)

December 23-January 3: Winter Break

Renovation Update

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.

We have continued to have many parents trying to drop off and pick-up students at Doors 3/ 4 in the morning and on Wednesdays (Late Bus days). This has caused unsafe conditions for our students, both on campus and near the school. We have asked for assistance from FCPD to ensure our students safety as they arrive and leave school. Please make sure you are using the kiss-and-ride loop if you are dropping students off at school in the morning or picking them up in the afternoon.

Please keep in mind the following if you are picking up your student after school.

Students who take advantage of Wednesday Late Bus day must be picked up outside of Door #13 using the Kiss and Ride Loop.

The area in front of Door #4 is not a student pick up location and serves as our Bus Lane / Staging area for Late Bus Wednesday Pickups.

General Information

SIS ParentVue/StudentVue

FCPS Weekly Progress Reports will not be sent to parents Wednesday, Oct. 30 through Friday, Nov. 8 during first quarter grading and report card generation. Additionally, the Grade Book and Report Card modules in ParentVUE and StudentVUE will be closed Friday, Nov. 1, at 4 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 9, at 6 a.m.

If you have registered for SIS ParentVUE and have a primary email address recorded in ParentVUE, you can receive your student’s Weekly Progress Report 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 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 your email is confirmed, return to the “My Account” tab to activate and select your preferences for receiving these reports. Emails will be sent according to your selected preferences. Weekly Progress Reports for all of your middle and high school students will be included in one email. For additional help, refer to the quick reference guide for FCPS parents/guardians.

Depression Awareness Program and Screening- 10th Grade

The counseling department will conduct a depression awareness program and screening for our 10th grade students as part of our Oakton mental health initiatives. This program will take place through 10th grade History classes on November 18th and 19th. The goals of this program are to educate students on the signs and symptoms of depression, to let students know what to do if they have concerns about themselves or a peer, and to connect students who may need support with resources inside and outside of our school.

A letter with information about this program was mailed home to all sophomores earlier in the month. Included in this letter was an Opt-Out form. If you do not want your student to participate in the depression awareness program and screening, please return the opt-out form to Nancy Buscemi in the school counseling by Friday, November 8. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s counselor.

Outstanding Employee Awards Nomination

Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards! All awards categories can be found here on the Oakton website. To submit a nomination for an Oakton High School Outstanding Employee in one of the categories, please complete the nomination through this Google form link.

All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category.

College Essay Feedback Workshop

The College and Career Center-Trailer 35 will be hosting a College Essay “Feedback” Workshop on November 18,2019 from 3 to 4:30pm. We are excited to have four College Admissions Representatives participate in our workshop. Sign up is required through Mrs. Banbury, space is limited to the first thirty students. Please have your student stop by Trailer 35 in order to sign up or receive additional information. If you have questions, please reach out to Mrs. Banbury- dbbanbury@fcps.edu.

National Honor Society Acceptance Letters

The 2019 Letters of Acceptance for National Honor Society were mailed out on Tuesday October 29^th from Oakton High School. Students should begin to receive these letters in the mail starting November 1^st. If any student has not received a letter regarding their application by Wednesday November 6^th they are welcome to see Mrs. Manilli in the main office. Please read your letter carefully upon receipt regarding further steps with NHS at Oakton High School. Please contact the OHS NHS advisors with any questions or concerns.

College Board Accommodations- Deadline for AP Testing

Students who have an IEP or 504 do not automatically have College Board accommodations. Paperwork must be submitted to Oakton by December 20, 2019, to allow for processing prior to the College Board deadline; however, we encourage students to submit paperwork as early as possible. All paperwork is to be given to Chris Buckley, SSD Coordinator at Oakton High School. Each of the following must be completed:

College Board Consent Form

College Board Local Application Form

Paperwork should be delivered to Oakton High School, to the attention of Chris Buckley, or emailed to cjbuckley@fcps.edu.

If you have any questions regarding the process, you can contact your child’s case manager or counselor, or email Chris Buckley at cjbuckley@fcps.edu.

Full Frequently Asked Questions regarding AP exams are located on our website.

Parent Information

All Night Grad Party Tickets - Buy Now!

Oakton’s 2020 All Night Grad Party Tickets are now on sale. ANGP is June 4 starting at 10 pm. Oak Marr Rec Center will be transformed into a Teen Oasis of Fun. ANGP will be an over the top extravaganza featuring delicious catered food, casino games, fabulous prizes, mini golf, beach party, swimming, games, obstacle courses, spa treatments, live entertainment, gifts, sports and much more! Admission price is inclusive of all the food and fun.

Purchase your tickets now by c licking here!

Use this Coupon code at checkout GCGE29Q97APX to get $20 off. Code expires November 30.

Free or reduced price tickets are available to students with financial need. Please contact Jen Hogan at JLHogan@fcps.edu for assistance in obtaining a ticket. For other questions, please contact Cynthia Rutzick or Eli Rainhart at OaktonANGP@gmail.com.

Class of 2020 - Home of a Senior Sign

Signs that you have a Senior are all around. Celebrate your senior by purchasing a Senior Lawn Sign. BUY NOW . ANGP is offering FREE DELIVERY of your Sign ed to your door (or lawn). All proceeds benefit All Night Grad Party. For more information on ANGP or to buy a ticket, click here ANGP Ticket or Paper Form.

Class of 2020- Yearbook Baby Ads

Happy “Friendsgiving” to you! In order for us to give back to our senior parents,

we have extended our baby ads deadline to a Black Friday extreme! Go online and create your ad to send a tribute to your senior. But hurry, our deadline is November 28, and space is getting extremely limited! If you have any questions, please email Yearbook Adviser Jessica Suss or the Paragon Yearbook editorial staff at OHSParagon@gmail.com. Please see the attached flyer for details.

Public Comment on High School Science Basal Instructional Resources

Fairfax County's Instructional Services Department is soliciting public review and comment on basal instructional resources under consideration for High School Science. A basal resources review committee composed of community members, administrators, and teachers will meet in the fall of 2019 to review and recommend new High School Science instructional materials to the School Board. Educators and community members are encouraged to review materials under consideration and complete comment sheets or the online survey so that valuable feedback may be shared with the School Board and committee as part of the review process.

High School Science basal instructional resources may be accessed in person and online during October 14, 2019 through November 14, 2019. Digital materials for public review and comment will be available at the link https://www.fcps.edu/node/39027 beginning October 14, 2019. Hard copies of textbooks will also be available in the front lobby of Willow Oaks Administrative Center. Willow Oaks is open each business day from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and extended hours will be provided until 7:45 p.m. on October 28, 2019 and November 7, 2019.

PTSA Information

New Business:

ANGP Volunteer Interest Meeting - We are happy to announce that we have secured Oak Marr Rec Center as our location for the 2020 All Night Graduation Party. We are now eager to get all of the other details ironed out. All interested volunteers are invited to meet with the ANGP co-chairs on Thursday, November 7 at 7pm in the upper floor cafe seating at Wegmans in Fairfax. RSVP or join the interest list if you can’t make it!
Underclassman Awards (Volunteers Wanted) - On Monday, November 25, we are helping to support the Career Center with the Underclassman Academic Achievement Awards Ceremony - recognizing over 750 students! Sign Up here to learn more.
Mini Grants - Do you have a terrific idea to improve education at Oakton High School? The OHS PTSA wants to support you in its success! Click here to learn about upcoming grant requests.
November PTSA Meeting - Our next PTSA meeting is Tuesday, November 19 at 7pm in the Oakton HS Library (Door 5 entrance) RSVP here!

Old Business:

Mock SAT Test and Class - We had about 30 students join us for our Mock Test and class. Please look for our Spring offerings!
Angst Movie and Panel - A big thank you to our panel speakers, staff, families and friends of Oakton High School for coming out to view the Angst Movie and learn more about Teenagers and Anxiety. We had about 250 guests and look forward to seeing you at our next Parent Education event!
Treats for Teens - Thank you for all the families that donated candy for the Halloween Day treats!

Partners for Safe Teen Driving

All students enrolled in Classroom Driver Education during the 2019-2020 school year must attend a 90-minute parent-teen traffic safety presentation (PSTD). The 90-minute presentation is connected to successful classroom instruction and must be completed to receive a DEC-District 8 card. The 90-minute parent-teen traffic safety presentation (PSTD) will be offered four times during the school year at Oakton. Students and their parent/guardian should plan to attend the presentation at Oakton during the quarter their student receives driver education.

PSTD meetings at Oakton during 2019/2020 school year:

Wed. December 4^th
Mon. February 24^th
Mon. April 20^th

All sessions will run from 7:00-8:30pm in the Oakton Auditorium.

Please bring a pen/pencil and arrive on time. Late arrivals will not be admitted once the presentation begins.

The meeting is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors that have not attended a PSTD night yet. The student and parent must attend one presentation as a part of the VA licensing requirements.

Juniors and seniors who wish to attend must pre-register online through the Adult and Community Education (ACE) office and pay a $30 fee - please see a Drivers Ed teacher for more details.

Sophomores DO NOT need to pre-register. This is not available to freshmen

The Pantry at OHS Need Restocking

The Pantry is running low and needs restocking! Please consider adding a few extra items to your shopping list or clicking on our Amazon Wish List link below to have items delivered directly to the school. We are most in need of food items at this time.

https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2PXP0VZH14Y/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1?_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist

Thank you for your continued support of The Pantry!

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

Family Engagement Resources

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.

Raising a Screen Smart Kid: Embrace the Good and Avoid the Bad in the Digital Age

For parents who didn't grow up with smartphones but can't let go of them now, expert advice on raising kids in our constantly connected world. This presentation will focus how to help kids navigate friendships, bullying, dating, self-esteem, and more online.

Using social media to enhance connection with friends and family, instead of following strangers and celebrities
Finding online support and community for conditions such as depression and eating disorders
Learning and developing life skills through technology--for example, by problem-solving in online games--while avoiding inappropriate content

Presented by Juliana Miner, public health expert and the creator of the popular blog Rants from Mommyland.

Thursday, November 7, 2019 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder: Beginning Your Journey

Attend this important workshop, presented by Julia Calhoun and Katie Boxer, FCPS Behavior Intervention Teachers to understand characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Does your child have a new diagnosis?
Do you suspect your child may have Autism?

Highlights will include:

Understanding the unique learning styles of students with Autism.
Effective strategies to use in the home and classroom.
Examine examples of resources.

Friday, November 8, 2019, 10 a.m.-noon.

Special Education: Understanding the Process and Collaborating with Your School

Topics Include:

What is Special Education?
How do children qualify for services?
What is Least Restrictive Environment?
What is the difference between accommodations and modifications?
What is an IEP?
What are the roles and responsibilities of IEP team members?
How can I work with the school team to develop an IEP?
How do I advocate for my child at school and in the IEP process?

Wednesday, November 13, 2019, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Building Success in Physical Education

Learn fun activities for the whole family to get your child moving while reinforcing a wide range of skills needed to participate in physical education.

You will learn how to:

Motivate your child to be physically active
Modify games to enhance success
Reinforce the adaptive skills students need to be successful in PE:
- Taking turns and following rules
- Participating in group games and interacting interact with peers

Presented by Phyllis Orner, FCPS Adapted PE Specialist, Manda Tirado and Christy Stone, FCPS Adapted PE Teachers

Friday, November 15, 2019, 10 a.m.-noon.

Parenting Through Challenging Times: Supporting Your Child Through Life’s Ups and Downs

Transform feelings of being overwhelmed, anxious and stressed to calm, confident and compassionate. Learn tools and techniques to navigate turbulent waters and times of change within your home and family life.

Major Life Changes can make you feel out of control:

A Job Change/Loss
A Move
Divorce/Separation
Addition of a family member or sibling to the home
Death
Mental/physical illness
Child leaving the home

Presented by Corinne Coppola, M.A., and Well-Being Professional.

Friday, November 22, 2019, 10 a.m.-noon.

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