Before winter break, Fairfax Villa ES Principal Dave Gerstner, Administrative Assistant Lori DeSantes Waldak, and Assistant Principal Kyungjoo An whipped up waffles and pancakes for staff. (Photo: Fairfax Villa ES)
Dr. Brabrand will release FCPS' FY 2021 Proposed Budget (for the 2020-21 school year) at the School Board meeting on Thursday, January 9, at Jackson MS, at 7 p.m. We'll share more details in next week's issue of Employee News. Visit FCPS' 2020-21 Budget webpage.
FCPS released its proposed FY 2021-25 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), reflecting a five-year requirement of more than $1 billion. FCPS continues to experience uneven growth throughout the school division because of changes in population, new development, and net migration. In certain areas, membership is projected to exceed the ability to accommodate students within existing school buildings. Read the news release.
Photo of the Week
Gunston ES staff recently celebrated the 70th day of school in their 70's gear. Here's to more peace and love in 2020! (Photo: Gunston ES)
#NoVAedchat: Responding to Hate and Bias at School
The Equity and Cultural Responsiveness team would like to engage teachers and administrators in the first #NoVAedchat of the decade. The Twitter chat will be held on Wednesday, January 8, from 8-9 p.m. Prepare to share and reflect on our topic, Responding to Hate and Bias at School, as you consider ways to foster a welcoming and culturally responsive environment for students, families, and staff. Dr. Ebony Green, from the Institute for Student Achievement, a division of Educational Testing Service, will be the guest co-host.
If you are new to Twitter chats, please refer to these helpful tips. Register on MyPDE and receive one recertification hour for participation (ECR003-TW). Also, consider the Responding to Hate and Bias at School guide, from Teaching Tolerance, as a resource.
The Spring 2020 Academy Course Catalog will be available to view online Wednesday, January 8, in MyPDE. Registration will begin January 15, at 5 p.m. Please Note: Registration access for courses will be released in MyPDE gradually starting at 5 p.m. Users are encouraged to visit the Academy intranet page for more information on how to access the catalog and register for courses. Please email questions to Academy@fcps.edu.
Save the Date: 2020 Pathways to Leadership Conference
The 2020 Pathways to Leadership Conference for instructional employees will take place on Monday, February 10, 4:30-7 p.m., in Willow Oaks Rooms 1000A/B. Booths and breakout sessions will highlight instructional leadership opportunities. Registration and session information will be available by mid-January.
Applications for the 2020-21 Accelerated Certification Cohort (ACC) will go live Tuesday, February 11, via a Google form. The ACC is a partnership with the University of Virginia for FCPS employees to obtain the Virginia PreK-12 license in Administration and Supervision, in a one-year cohort setting. Get more information. Please contact Baek Chong with questions at bochong@fcps.edu or 571-423-1334.
#OurFCPS Faces: Jennifer Craft
Jennifer Craft is a home-grown product of Fairfax County Public Schools. She attended Bren Mar Park ES, Holmes MS, Annandale HS, and West Springfield HS. (She graduated from West Springfield.) Jennifer has been teaching at FCPS since 2005. After spending time at Centreville HS and Irving MS, Jennifer moved to her current school, Montrose Alternative Learning Center (ALC).
Jennifer is a special education teacher, who spends most of her time in math and English classes. As the "team teacher," she collects data, helps teach lessons, and assists students. Jennifer says, “I am a resource for and collaborate with everyone in our school. I work with teachers to make the curriculum engaging and available for different skill levels. I create lessons and games for the teachers to implement in our TEAM (Teach-Empower-Achieve-Motivate) classes during 7th period. These lessons focus on seven core executive functioning skills.” And that’s not all! Jennifer plans events to celebrate and motivate students in conjunction with the PBIS (positive behavior intervention system) and leads Montrose's Sunshine Club.
Colleague Jess Dove recently submitted an FCPS Cares on Jennifer's behalf. Here's an excerpt: “Mrs. Craft is one of the most caring, effective teachers I have worked with, in my 16 years of teaching in FCPS. She is our special education teacher, and she does so much more than teach. Mrs. Craft helps every teacher in our building find resources and strategies to work with every type of learner. She organizes and plans activities for our school's end of the day TEAM period, during which each teacher leads their class of students through interactive lessons that develop and hone executive functioning skills. [...] She makes each and every student and staff member in our building feel extremely special, confident, and loved, and we are so lucky to have such a passionate, thoughtful superwoman on our team."
What does Jennifer love most about her job? She can’t pick just one thing. She exclaims, “I love my co-workers at Montrose ALC! I like building strong relationships with our students. I love math and helping the kids who don’t 'get it.' I love it when students from the past email me or visit!”
Principal Erin Whatley says, “Jennifer Craft’s enthusiasm and genuine caring attitude contributes to the success of every student and staff member at Montrose Alternative Learning Center.”
In her free time, Jennifer enjoys music and concerts, gardening, camping, playing with her dog, traveling, hanging out with her kids, and friends. Jennifer adds, “Spending time with my husband is my favorite thing to do!” Jennifer is a huge fan of the the Dave Matthews Band. She admits, "My husband and I named our son after the drummer, Carter Beauford!!”
Jennifer, thank you for your positivity and for your commitment to meeting each student by name and by need.
Attend ERFC’s Annual Retirement Seminar
Attention: Full-time, Monthly-Paid Instructional, Administrative, and Educational Support Employees
Where can you go to learn everything you want to know about your retirement benefits? Attend the Educational Employees' Supplementary Retirement System of Fairfax County's (ERFC) popular Annual Retirement Seminar on Monday, January 27, 8 a.m.-noon, at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The seminar is open to all members and and will feature presentations from ERFC, Virginia Retirement System (VRS), FCPS' Office of Benefit Services, and the Social Security Administration. Please register via MyPDE. Visit ERFC's intranet site.
Did you know that FCPS Adult and Community Education (ACE) offers a huge variety of courses in professional development and personal enrichment? There is something for all interests and ages from students K-12 to adults. Whether you want to master Thai Cooking, take a CPR/First Aid class, learn Italian, or learn how to select a contractor, you can discover your passion in the new year!
The Winter 2020 course catalog, ACE Classes, is available online and has been mailed to Fairfax County residents. It can also be found at Fairfax County public libraries. Employees are eligible for a 25 percent tuition discount on most ACE classes. Use promo code FCPSACE201. Register now! Learn more about FCPS ACE.
As we write, the FCPS Instagram account has almost 8,500 followers. Are you one of them? If not, please follow us today! Our goal is to reach 10,000 followers before the end of January. Follow @fairfaxcountypublicschools now for gorgeous photos of our amazing students and staff, cool animations, and weekly features such as #FCPSTeacherTuesday.
Staff Staples
Note: Intranet access is required to open some of the links in this email. If you're using a mobile device or working remotely, you can connect to the intranet via the Pulse Secure VPN (Virtual Private Network). Email RequestIT@fcps.edu with questions.
Employee News is sent to all FCPS employees every Tuesday. Please email EmployeeNews@fcps.edu with potential submissions or questions. Submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Thank you!
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