Justice Newsletter - April 5, 2020

"I dwell in possibility." ~ Emily Dickinson


A Note from Principal Eck


Dear Justice Families, 

      Happy Sunday! I am hopeful that you all are staying safe and doing well.  Last week was very busy for our Justice teachers and staff.  You should have started to hear from your child's teachers. You will likely hear from some over the next week. Please check your course Blackboard classroom pages for information. 

     Last Monday, our staff returned to a virtual setting to begin planning for distance learning. With an abundance of Blackboard Collaborate sessions and Google Meets and Hangouts, we are all anxiously and excitedly awaiting our launch date of April 14th.

      Below, there is lots of information regarding the FCPS and Justice Distance Learning Plan. I also made a short video to help facilitate the information. You may access it by clicking here.

Distance Learning

     The three prongs to the FCPS Distance Learning Plan include the following: (1) access to high-quality academic support; (2) social-emotional support; and (3)wellness support.

      Access to High-Quality Academic Support

     At Justice, our teachers worked and continue to work with their collaborative learning teams and departments to ensure that the learning opportunities we are presenting are equitable. Your child’s teachers will be able to give an overview during the first week of distance learning.  

Daily Schedule

     Learning will happen both synchronously and asynchronously. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, teachers will teach online with their respective classes, using Blackboard Collaborate (synchronously). These sessions will be recorded for students who cannot attend.

     On Wednesdays and Fridays, students will work independently on learning opportunities for each class, review videos and resources, and more (asynchronously). In addition, teachers and counselors will have office hours. Students may consult with their teachers during designated times. Counselors will  be available throughout the day so that students can connect with a counselor for social emotional support. We also identified additional instructional staff to be available for instructional student support. All teacher/counselor office hours will be posted on the student announcement page (only students can access) and on teacher specific Blackboard pages (parents can access) by 4/13.

     Students should plan on engaging in distance learning for approximately 3 hours/day.

     Our teachers are working collaboratively to plan lessons that reinforce essential skills, provide learning opportunities according to the Standards of Learning and content pacing for fourth quarter, and prepare students for the next level or subsequent course. Given the limited amount of time, it is very important that you remind your students to attend and participate fully.

      Our weekly schedule is as follows:

JHS Virtual Schedule

Grading

     Third quarter ended on March 13th and the 3rd quarter grading window to finalize grades has been extended to April 24th. If an assignment or assessment was completed prior to March 13th, but not yet entered into the gradebook, the teacher may enter the assignment and count it towards the 3rd quarter overall grade. Additionally, teachers may provide opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding of content taught to raise their third quarter grade. Teachers will be working with their students on any reassessment opportunities and missing assignments.

      FCPS is still working to finalize the plan for 4th quarter grading and reporting. The only certain guidance is that 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. Once FCPS finalizes a plan, I will share it with the community.

Student Technology Support

     Our Student Announcement Page  (students must be signed into their fcpsschools.net account) has been updated to include distance learning information. Students can access a Blackboard Collaborate Ultra tutorial and guides to FAQs. Also available is a student scheduling Google Doc: Students can make a copy and save it to their desktop. It gives our students a method of organizing Blackboard links by period and easily viewing office hours for our teachers. As the distance-learning needs of our students evolve, we will continue to develop this platform.  

Special Considerations

      For parents of students with IEPs and 504s who have meetings scheduled or upcoming due dates, we will work to convene meetings in the coming weeks using a conference line as quickly as possible.  

Social Emotional Support

        As we transition to this distance learning model of instruction, we are also focused on supporting the social and emotional needs of our students. Our Student Services team will be collaborating with our teachers during this transition, but please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s counselor if you need any assistance.

           FCPS 2020 Mental Wellness Consultations provide guidance for parents and support for students who may be experiencing difficulties with anxiety, mood, behavior, or peer or family interactions during this unprecedented and challenging time, and to connect parents and students with available community resources. The consultation can be for the parent or the student. Linked here is the scheduling form.

Wellness

      Staying connected, healthy, and active is important for our entire school community. Within the Middle and High School Resources tab under the Continuity of Learning section in Blackboard, there are multiple exercise schedules and ideas for students and families. Though we are practicing social distancing, many of the activity calendars provided can easily be done at home. There are also adapted exercises available to our students as well.

       Last, I want to address the families who have a senior this year. Our seniors have worked so hard to reach this point and we want them to be able to participate in all of the traditions they have anticipated. Unfortunately, world events have made our original plans impossible. Please be assured that the faculty and staff of Justice high school are working to incorporate as many traditions as feasible into our plans.  While many of these virtual events may not be ideal, we still want to help our students make these memories. We hope to create new and happy memories.

.      As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Distance Learning

3rd Quarter Driver Education Students

Following guidance from VDOE, FCPS has laid out a plan to ensure that students who were sitting in Drivers Education class during the 3rd quarter can still receive credit. The Code of Virginia requires a mandatory number of “seat hours” in order for students to receive credit towards licensing. In order to meet this requirement the following has been outlined by FCPS…

  • 30 hours of instruction is required for licensing.  Before schools were closed, 22.5 hours of instruction occurred. 
  • To complete driver education teachers must:
    • Provide an additional 7.5 hours of instruction 
    • Ensure all modules in the Curriculum & Administrative Guide for Driver Education are instructed
  • In addition to the 45-minute virtual class on Tuesday/Thursday an additional 90 minutes of instruction will need to be scheduled on Wednesday and Friday (180 minutes total).
  • Teachers will keep a record of attendance and completion of the 30 hours. 

Ms. Burgess (Ms. White’s base students) and Mr. McAvoy (Ms. Coleman’s base students) were the instructors for drivers education during 3rd Quarter. They will continue the third quarter Driver Education instruction starting April 14th. Students should be receiving an email through their FCPS account from their teacher and will be instructed at that time of what their schedule will be like to ensure that they meet the 30 hour requirement. Driver education students can expect to have synchronous learning sessions Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the weeks of 4/14 and 4/24. The Wednesday and Friday sessions will be combined with both Burgess and McAvoy’s classes.


Students! Check Your Email!

Students: We have been sending important information to you through your @fcpsschools.net email address. Please make sure that you are checking your @fcpsschools.net email on a regular basis so that you can stay up to date with recent news from the school, your teachers, and counselors.


Partners for Safe Teen Driving

Virginia juvenile licensing procedure requires that students completing classroom driver education attend a 90-minute parent/teen traffic safety program with their parent or guardian. To fulfill this requirement, Fairfax County Public Schools offers Partners for Safe Teen Driving. Due to the school closures, FCPS is unable to offer the traditional on site PSTD sessions. Justice High School will begin offering these virtually on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm. More information will be forthcoming from teachers with links and specifics.


Students! Check your Blackboard Account

Teachers are sending important information via Blackboard. Students, please be sure that your Blackboard account is associated with your fcspsschools.net account or an account you check regularly. Please follow these steps to check your account status.

  1. Log into Blackboard. 
  2. Under “Tools,” click on “Personal Information.”
  3. Make sure the email address is for the email account (personal or school) you use most.
  4. Click the Submit button in the lower right.

Virtual College Planning Night

College Planning Night is back on and will be held virtually on Thursday, April 16th from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Sign up information and details will be coming next week. Parents are invited to hear about key timelines, procedures, and resources to help support their students in the college process. For more information, contact your child’s counselor or Alicia Grande, Career Center Specialist, at agrande@fcps.edu


Future Friday Lessons

Beginning on Friday, April 17th, on Fridays at 10:00 am the Student Services department will be offering Future Friday lessons for juniors to help prepare students for life after high school. The first session will focus on counselor supports and Justice HS resources. These synchronous virtual sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend. More information will be available through the Justice HS Announcements page that students access through their @fcpsschools.net email address. 


Wellness Wednesday Lessons

Beginning Wednesday, April 22nd, the Student Services department will be offering Wellness Wednesday lessons for all students. These lessons will help students manage their emotions and feelings during these uncertain times. These virtual lessons will be recorded for students to access at any time. More information will be available through the Justice HS Announcements page that students access through their @fcpsschools.net email address. 


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. Find out what is available online at What's On


Order Your Yearbook Today!

Even though school is paused, the yearbook has not! Books will still be printed and distributed for the 2019-2020 school year. Help preserve your child’s memory of the year by purchasing a yearbook! You can do so by going to www.yearbookordercenter.com, school code #4118. Please email Danielle Pierce at dpierce@fcps.edu with any questions.


Scholarship Deadlines & Transcripts

Students are encouraged to reach out directly to scholarship sponsors and/or check the scholarship webpage(s) to inquire about any potential deadline extensions, as necessary. Please contact your school counselor if you need assistance sending a transcript to a scholarship sponsor. Due to the impact of the coronavirus on students and school attendance, the Justice High School Scholarship Fund has extended the deadline for scholarship applications by six days. The new deadline to submit applications is midnight on Monday, April 13, 2020. https://www.jhsscholars.org/.


Coronavirus Updates

For consistency and clarity in messaging, we will stay focused on what FCPS sends to families. This will eliminate multiple messages and will decrease chances of error or confusion. If there is information particularly unique to the entire the Justice community, I will be sure to keep you informed.

For information please go to the coronavirus webpage


Mental Health Resources

During these uncertain times, students and families may be feeling anxious. Mental Health Resources and 24/7 Emergency Numbers are available on the Justice HS website. Below are some additional resources to help guide families. 


Food Distribution

Fairfax County Public Schools is providing "grab and go" breakfasts and lunches at no cost for students at multiple sites to students, with breakfast from 8:00-10:30am and lunch from 10:30am to 2:00pm. Below are the nearest locations to Justice: 

  • Annandale Terrace, 7604 Herald St., Annandale
  • Braddock Elementary,  7825 Heritage Dr., Annandale
  • Bailey’s Elementary School, 6111 Knollwood Dr., Falls Church
  • Crestwood ES, 6010 Hanover Ave., Springfield
  • Graham Road Elementary School, 2831 Graham Rd., Falls Church
  • Weyanoke Elementary School, 6520 Braddock Rd., Alexandria

All meals are available at no cost to children 18 years and under. Adult meals are available for purchase for $2. Check out the "Coronavirus Update - Food Resources for Families" for the latest information and other "pop-up" and grab and go locations.


Be Informed, Stay Involved @ Justice!


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