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April 6-10 SPRING BREAK
April 13 NO SCHOOL, Teacher Workday
April 14 Distance Learning Begins!
Principal's Desk
Teachers virtually reported back to work on Monday and used this week to collaborate and plan for distance learning. This is a complete shift in the way that we work as educators and the way your students work as learners. We want to ensure that we are thoughtful in our planning so that your student's online learning experience is clear and accessible. Just as many of us are learning how to work from home while our children are home with us right now, the same is true for our teachers. If you missed today’s Blackboard Collaborate Ultra information session for parents, you can view it here.
Beginning of this week, a grade-level packet was mailed to your home from FCPS' Instructional Services Department (ISD) for any students you have in kindergarten through 8th grade. The packet you will receive this week is an introduction and preparation to online learning from home, in addition to the review of grade-level content.
You will receive a packet like this each week in the mail through the end of the school year. The packets are available electronically in FCPS 24/7 Learning, if a parent prefer to print packets at home, opt out link to stop receiving the printed instructional packets in the mail. They will need your student's ID number and their email address to access the opt out system. Please note, it may take up to 1 week to process the request to opt out. Our teachers will refer to these packets during lessons with students.
NOTE: It is very important that we have your most updated home address, phone number(s), and email address(es). If you need to update yours, please email Ms. Holmes at aholmes@fcps.edu.
Online (or distance) learning classes will begin with teachers the week of April 13th. The schedule for middle school is pictured below:
 Currently at the middle school level, synchronous sessions will occur once a week in your student's Math, English, Science, History, and HS credit World Language classes. Electives and PE classes will provide activities for students to complete in the asynchronous (non-face to face) environment.
Students will follow an ODD Day schedule on Wednesdays and an Even Day schedule on Fridays. Students will use an online videoconference service called Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, and their teachers will send them a link for them to connect to the videoconference of the classes. Students should be checking the FCPS Gmail account (that ends in @fcpsschools.net) and their grade-level Google classrooms regularly. We have also asked teachers to post announcements on Blackboard and connect their Google classrooms to their Blackboard sites so that parents can view them. (In order to see the teachers' Google classrooms, please ask your child to log into Google with their fcpsschools.net account.) Teachers will also hold office hours for students during the week, and they will publish those office hours.
As a way to stay connected and start off Distance Learning, week of April 13-17th, will be LMS Virtual Spirit Week! See below for details.
Tammy Hanna
Principal, Lanier Middle School
https://lanierms.fcps.edu/
Was my communication helpful? FEEDBACK PLEASE
#LMSSoarToNewHeights
@DrTammyHanna
Important Information from LMS
FCPS 24-7 Learning: Parent View
All parents/guardians of middle 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. If you do not have a SIS ParentVUE account, or forgot your login information, please fill out this form. For more information about SIS ParentVUE and Parent Blackboard accounts, please visit this website.
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 Report Parent Quick Reference Guide.
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Lanier Library
Please enjoy your school library books at home. No books are overdue and they can be returned when school buildings re-open. Don’t forget to check Lanier's eBooks page for a list of available reading resources.
Happy reading!
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Grading Update
3rd Quarter Grading Update - The School Board was briefed that no student work assigned after March 13 will be graded, at the recommendation of VDOE; however, work assigned prior to March 13 will still be accepted up until April 24 in order to be applied in the calculation of students’ third quarter grades. Additionally, it is the intention of FCPS to use maximum flexibility in assessing and evaluating student learning for the remainder of the school year.
4th Quarter Grading Update - Middle school and high school students will be assigned a “no mark” for the fourth quarter, with assignments submitted being allowed to positively influence the student’s overall grade for the year based on mastery of learning concepts, in accordance with FCPS grading policy. Only final grades will be shown on transcripts; a “no mark” will not show on a student’s final transcript.
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FCPS Cable Channels
Learning activities are now available on FCPS cable channels. New instructional videos are currently being developed and recorded and will be added to the programming shortly. Channel 21 includes elementary school programming, Channel 25 includes middle school programming, and Channel 99 includes high school programming. This content will also be available online at www.fcps.edu.
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Free Internet Access
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Comcast and Cox are providing free or low cost internet to families in need. Click the links below to learn more: Comcast free internet and Cox free internet. |
FCPS Grab and Go Meal Service
FCPS offers grab and go food distribution sites at schools, pop-up sites in the community, curbside pickup, and meal delivery along some bus routes. Breakfast from 8-10:30AM and lunch from 10:30-2PM. All meals are available at no cost to children 18 years and under. Adult lunches are available for purchase for $2. Details on locations and time is available here.
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FCPS Mental Wellness Consultation Service
With the governor’s order that Virginia schools remain closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, FCPS has resources available to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of students.
Beginning Monday, March 30, 2020, any FCPS parent may schedule a 30-minute phone consultation with a school psychologist or school social worker, for either themselves or their middle or high school student. This consultation provides an opportunity for parents to receive guidance on how to support their student’s emotional well-being during their time away from school. Student consultations will provide support and strategies to students who may be experiencing difficulties with anxiety, mood, behavior, or peer or family interactions during this unprecedented and challenging time. Information about community resources will also be made available. To schedule a phone consultation, parents should click the following link: https://forms.gle/WKchwGnv4LkezQwG8.
This service is not intended for mental health emergencies. If an emergency is suspected or indicated, please call 911. Additionally, students and families can access mental health support if there is a crisis of emergency during the time of the closure.
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