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"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." ~ T.S. Eliot
Dear Justice Families,
What a surreal two months it’s been for our school community. It has been a challenge for all of us as we have been limiting contact with each other to “virtual” spaces rather than the face-to-face connection that we all so much prefer. We miss having students and staff in the building.
I wanted to take a moment and share how grateful I am for our faculty, staff and students. The Justice faculty has worked so hard to increase their skill and creativity in this new virtual environment. Their care for our students goes beyond academic learning. This week, our staff will participate in the Justice Pyramid Share Fair. During the Share Fair, teachers representing the pyramid schools will share their best strategies for synchronous and asynchronous teaching. This is so exciting for all us as we work under one pyramid umbrella to explore our instructional practices and enhance our virtual teaching “toolkit.” .
I cannot say enough about our students. Our students always display the best qualities of our community. Last week, staff met with our seniors to plan out virtual celebrations and photo opportunities. Our entire staff is working hard to support our seniors as they complete their final week of distance learning! We are also seeing lots of great participating during synchronous teaching as well as seeing students take advantage of Wellness Wednesdays, Future Fridays and 8th period yoga. Go Wolves!
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with questions or concerns.
As you know, the last day of distance learning for underclassmen is June 12. Before we begin summer break, we will be collecting and returning important items to students. Underclassmen will drop off/pick up items on the following dates:
Families with more than one Justice HS student will only need to come to the school on one date.
The Google Form for requesting locker items was due on Friday, May 22nd. If you have not done so, please complete ASAP.
This week (Week of May 25th), students will receive an email in their school Gmail account with their appointment time, a reminder of items to bring to school, and instructions with a schematic for the procedures that we will follow. It is important that students check their school email for this information. Please contact your grade level administrator, if you do not receive an email or have questions regarding this process.
Last Friday, staff met with the Class of 2020 about virtual graduation and celebration, student materials drop offs and pick ups, and the graduation photo opportunity. Though I know our Class of 2020 is eagerly awaiting the specific details, here are some highlights:
Phase 1 - Friday, May 29th & Monday, June 1st
- Pick up items
- Items left in locker
- Cap and Gown
- Return of the following items at different stations, if applicable:
- Laptop and charger
- Mifi Device
- Metro Bus Card
- Textbooks
- Library Books
- Music Instruments belonging to school
Phase 2 - Tues, June 16th - Thurs, June 18th
* Students will receive an email with appointment times and dates for both phases
Seniors should pay their dues through MySchoolBucks.com using a credit card or check. If you need to pay in cash, you can pay fees in person during your appointment.
During the meeting, students submitted questions. Please click here for answers. You must be logged into your fcpsschools.net account. You can also access the May 22nd power point here.
We are in the process of planning for our Justice HS Virtual Summer High School Credit Recovery classes which will be offered from July 6-24. The virtual program is designed to allow students to recover credit for a failed course or receive targeted intervention to support future success. The program will be free to all students. Counselors will reach out to students who need to recover a credit and will share registration information. Counselors and teachers will also be reaching out to invite students who did not fail a course but who may need extra support. Click here for more information about Virtual Credit Recovery classes. For more information on all available summer learning opportunities, please visit FCPS Summer Learning.
This week your Student Services team presents the “6 Habits of Highly Empathetic People” as the topic for Wellness Wednesday. Through this lesson, students can learn why people with empathy are some of the most successful leaders and role models in life, as well as how to build their own empathy skills. We hope you check it out and enjoy it! The Future Friday lesson for juniors will serve as a Question & Answer session where juniors can learn more about College Admission Do’s and Don’ts, Ethics and Integrity, and learn about Early Action/Early Decision. This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions to people who make admission decisions. We will also be holding a senior panel where students will hear from current Justice HS seniors about their process applying to 4-year schools, ways to avoid senioritis, and other important information regarding senior year. Students will need to register for our upcoming Future Friday Sessions through the Future Friday Registration Form. Registration will close at 5pm the day before the session. Links to the session will be sent to students the night before the session. More information and recent lessons can be found on the counselor’s Google Classroom page.
The Posse Scholarship Self Nomination Form is now open for students to submit (students must be logged into their fcpsschools.net account to access the form). We have a limited number of allotted nominations for this scholarship. Nominations close on Friday 06/05/20 @ 11:59pm. Criteria for Posse (includes excellence and leadership and academics) - https://www.possefoundation.org/. Each Posse Scholar receives a four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarship provided by college and university partners. (room and board is not included) Posse seeks students who are leaders in their high schools and communities, committed to their education and demonstrate academic potential, interested in teamwork and diversity, and positive, motivated, talented, ambitious young people.
Shawn Elliott wanted to provide you with this special message: With drug usage amongst youth steadily increasing, youth and young adults are not considering the internal impact. This short clip describes how the brain and other parts of the body are deeply compromised with the use of substances. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivzxGOK2nQ0
Flash Forward will provide students with IEPs and their parents an introduction to options after high school through virtual webinars. Link will be forwarded to registrants from Blackboard on May 26, 2020. Registration closes on May 25, 2020. Presented by FCPS Career and Transition Services. Register online at www.fcps.edu (search Parent Resource Center) or call 703-204-3941.
- May 27, 2020, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Register for Supported and Competitive Employment Options: For students planning to work after graduation.
May 28, 2020, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Register for Postsecondary Education Options: For students planning to continue their education at a 2- or 4- year college or specialized training program.
We had a great showing for our junior parent coffee on Friday, May 22, 2020. If you were not able to attend the meeting, the recording has been posted to the Class of 2021 Blackboard page. We will be sending out an updated FAQ document through Naviance next week. Also posted on the Class of 2021 Blackboard page is a link to the recordings for all of the Future Friday sessions that have been developed for juniors to help with their post high school planning.
Parent Resource Center (PRC)
The PRC has a “padlet” website for “Emotional and Mental Wellness Resources for Families.” https://padlet.com/valrieeisele/emotions. The PRC YouTube channel has new workshops added every month. Please check the FCPS Parent Resource Center website frequently as they will be adding new webinars.
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