|
"In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity." ~ Albert Einstein
Dear Justice Families,
We were thrilled to hold our virtual College Planning Night this past week. Students and parents signed into Blackboard to hear about the college admissions process from our very own Justice HS Student Services staff as well as college representatives and a financial aid expert. For those of you who were not able to attend, you may view the recorded session: College Planning Night (1 hour, 32 minutes). The responses to the compiled frequently asked questions will be sent to parents through Naviance. Kudos for a successful event!
Last week, you and your family received a message from FCPS sharing the following information:
- Blackboard was temporarily shut down for upgrades
- The goal is to have all of our students following their virtual schedule on Tuesday, April 21
- If it becomes clear that the upgrades did not fix the problem on Monday, teachers will be ready to teach our students asynchronously - meaning students will be able to access lessons through Google Classroom or some other means for the week while additional adjustments are made.
- For the best experience, please set Google Chrome as your default browser.
-
Here is a video on how to do that.
- Launch Chrome: If you don’t have the Google Chrome browser, download it from Google at: https://www.google.com/chrome/
- Paste the following into the URL window chrome://settings/defaultBrowser
- Click Make Default
- If prompted to choose an app, click Google Chrome and close the window
If you do not want to set Chrome as your default browser, you will need to launch Chrome and cut and paste any links for Blackboard Learn (fcps.blackboard.edu) or Blackboard Collaborate Ultra.
Our teachers at Justice High School are ready to engage with students and teach them all in a virtual environment. Teachers have been working hard to finish up third quarter grading and kick-off the 4th quarter. We look forward to seeing our students virtually on Tuesday.
I will update you on Monday should an alternative plan be needed.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.
The Student Services team held their first Future Friday session for juniors this past week. While the event could not be held live as initially planned, the recorded session was made available to juniors at the scheduled time through their counselor’s Google Classroom page. This session was geared towards our current juniors. However, the recording is available for all students to view: Future Friday Session #1 (37 minutes). Tune in every week for a new chapter of Future Friday Sessions.
The Student Services team is excited to offer wellness Wednesday activities starting this week. The focus for this week will be resilience. Students will have an opportunity to share how they are adapting to our new reality and will learn ways to build resilience in themselves. Activities will be available through their counselor’s Google Classroom page and on the Justice HS Student Announcements page.
Classroom driver education is included as part of grade 10 health and physical education and meets the requirement for juvenile licensing. As part of the licensing process, classroom driver education must provide 30 hours of face-to-face instruction. In third quarter, 15 class sessions were held before schools were closed. This is equal to 22.5 hours of instruction. For students to complete classroom driver education and have it meet the requirement for juvenile licensing, an additional 7.5 hours of instruction is required. This instruction will be delivered between April 14 and April 24. Meeting the 7.5 hours will require virtual instruction in addition to the 45-minute class sessions scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Students wishing to complete 3rd quarter classroom driver education for juvenile licensing will need to:
- Participate in scheduled 45-minute classes on either Tuesday or Thursday (April 14 and 21 OR April 16 and 23 with their regularly scheduled class)
-
Participate in 90-minute virtual classes on Wednesdays and Fridays (April 15, 20, 22, & 24)… PLEASE NOTE – April 20th (9am-10:30am) was added to make up for time missed on April 17th!
- Complete class assignments and assessments to demonstrate knowledge and skills
In addition to the 30 hours of classroom instruction, juvenile licensing requires attendance by the student and parent/guardian at the 90-minute parent-teen traffic safety presentation, Partner’s for Safe Teen Driving (PSTD).
PSTD has been offered for 3rd quarter students. A make-up session will be held virtually on WEDNESDAY evenings at 6:30pm. Sign-up information will be available on your child's physical education Blackboard class site. Both student and parent/guardian must be present for the entire 90-minutes and attendance will be taken.
Students will receive two grades for third quarter. The first grade will be a letter grade (A,B,C,D,F) included as part of the cumulative grade for health and physical education. Determination of the 3rd quarter grade will align to the guidelines for all classes. Only work and assessments assigned prior to March 13th will be included in the student’s grade and students will have the opportunity to make-up missing assignments and assessments from prior to March 13th. Assignments and assessments between April 14 and April 24 will not be graded. However, not completing the assignments/assessments may result in not completing the licensing requirements and not being eligible for a DEC-District 8 card.
The separate driver education grade is recorded as pass, fail, or incomplete. A pass will be recorded for students who successfully complete classroom driver education including 30 hours of instruction, mastery of content, and attendance at PSTD. An incomplete will be recorded for students who do not complete the 7.5 hours of virtual instruction, complete assignments between April 14 and April 24, and/or do not attend PSTD. A fail will be recorded for students who do not pass classroom driver education as indicated by the quarter health and physical education grade.
Due to FCPS buildings being closed and current safety concerns, DEC-District 8 cards will not be issued at the end of 3rd quarter. Information on distribution of cards will be provided when it becomes available. For more information, please contact Brian Garvey at BDGarvey@fcps.edu or your child's physical education teacher.
School Counselors, School Psychologists, and School Social Workers are available to support students, families and staff during distance learning. They are supporting students, families and staff in many of the same ways as they did prior to distance learning, but it may look different now. See below for more info. Parents are encouraged to share their ideas for keeping children active and engaged through the FCPS Healthy Minds blog
Service hours for seniors must be logged in x2VOL by April 24th to be eligible for the Service Learning Cord (40 hour requirement) or for the Board of Education's Excellence in Civics Education Seal (50 hour requirement, in addition to other criteria) on the diploma. Students may access their x2VOL account through their Naviance account (accessed through Blackboard). Once in Naviance, on the left side of the screen under resources, students can click “x2VOL” . The first time students use the program, they will need to complete their profile.
SCHEV has compiled some information to assist students, parents, colleges and universities navigate through these challenging times. Available on the Higher Ed and COVID-19 page, students and parents may view Virginia and national virtual college tours, guidance for student loans, and links to the COVID-specific websites of Virginia institutions.
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.
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.
The Parent Resource YouTube channel has new workshops being added every month. The check the Please check the FCPS Parent Resource Center website frequently as they will be adding new webinars.
- How to Keep Distracted Kids in “Study Mode” (Even if They Have ADHD): A Webinar for Parents, Friday, April 24, 2020, 10 a.m.-noon (register)
- Setting the Stage for Distance Learning Success: A Webinar for Parents, May 1, 2020, 10 a.m.-noon. (register)
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.
|
