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Family,
Today the news was delivered that schools will be closed for the remainder of the year. Out of a sense of duty to protect our community from the Corona virus, we are not going to be able to open the building for classroom learning. As a result, the Fourth Quarter this year will be delivered through distance learning. Fairfax County Public Schools is working on a plan to determine how to communicate Third Quarter grades.
Starting April 14, 2020, all students will be connected to their classroom teachers online. Students who do not have access to internet services are asked to contact their school counselor in order to receive a Mifi device, or internet support. The Virginia Governor and Fairfax County officials are working diligently to ensure that all students scheduled to graduate in June are afforded the opportunity to earn their diploma.
I will be sharing protocols around students returning to schools to pick up personal items and parents to retrieve medication will come out by the end of the week. Please look for that future communication.
Below are other updates that were shared with FCPS Principals:
AP Update:
Traditional face-to-face exam administrations will not take place.
Students will take a 45-minute online free-response exam at home.
For each AP subject, there will be 2 different testing dates.
College Board timeline for next steps:
March 23 – an update sent to students directly from the College Board.
March 25 – students will have access to College Board’s free, live AP review lessons, delivered by AP teachers from across the country. These optional, mobile-friendly classes are designed to be used alongside work that may be given by schools. Students can find the classes at youtube.com/advancedplacement
April 3 – the full exam schedule including the specific free-response question types that will comprise each AP exam will be published by the College Board.
- Resources to support continuity of learning are available on FCPS 24-7 (http://fcps.blackboard.com) and on the FCPS website
○ Resources are organized by grade level and require minimal preparation/supplies
○ Resource view totals: 784,663 for ES and 348,564 for MS/HS (as of 3/20)
- Parents/Guardians w/o FCPS 24-7 received account access via mail on 3/16
- Instructional video about accessing FCPS 24-7 is posted on FCPS website
- Instructions for families on how to use the resources are translated into top eight languages
Self-directed Economics and Personal Finance:
Beginning on Monday, March 30, 2020, those students who were registered for the self-directed Economics and Personal Finance course as of March 19, 2020 for either summer session 1 or summer session 2, will have the ability to begin the course online through Virtual Virginia.
Students who are currently registered for one of the summer courses will receive an email through the summer school registration system to their fcpsschools.net email address with the information about beginning the course.
All students, regardless of which summer session they registered for, will have until July 31, 2020 to complete the course.
Preparing for Distance Learning:
Instructional Services and Information Technology staff held web conferences with elementary and secondary principals on Friday, March 20 to communicate the plan for staff training and resuming instruction.
Details of the distance learning plan will be shared with parents this week.
Learning material packets will be mailed to all families of students in preschool through grade 8 beginning the week of March 30.
Technology distribution begins Wednesday, March 25
- Prioritizing Distribution
○ High School MiFi Devices
○ Middle School Laptops
○ Middle School MiFi Devices, If/When Available
○ Elementary School Laptops
- Students identified individually by school staff prior to arrival at school
○ Parent Permission Required (Forms have been translated)
- Schedules will be specific to each school
- New Health Department Requirements
○ Health pre-check survey must be conducted with each parent
SOLs
- VDOE is preparing an application for statewide testing waiver.
This is a very trying time Family. But we know as a Stallion Family, we can persevere anything. I am completely confident in what we will have in place for your child to allow them to continue their learning. Even though online learning is not face-to-face learning, our teachers are still equally anxious to reconnect with their students. Along with that I am equally confident that your children’s teachers are motivated to see every student through to a successful completion of the year and should be seen as another trusted adult throughout this process. I want every student to know that were are with them through this crisis, and as I shared, we can persevere anything.
And just when I got around to liking all of them…
….. I’m forced to miss them, and miss them I do.
Please take care of yourselves and your Families. Practice the recommended protocols around person health and safety to include consistent hand washing, proper coughing and sneezing, and practicing social distancing. Anything. Stay well Familiy. #OneStallion
Gary
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