Annandale Community Insider - July 13

Annandale Community:

There are many exciting things happening both inside Annandale High School, and in our community.

At the end of last year, teachers cleared their rooms making way for staff to work this summer to ensure the building will be ready to welcome our students back safely. Staff have been busy upgrading furniture, painting, and generally revitalizing our spaces. The building is looking great and we are looking forward to receiving those who elect to return in person in September.

Even over the summer, many of our teachers are beginning to think about the coming school year and have been preparing to deliver instruction either virtually or in person. Annandale has sent 31 teachers to a Summer Academy through ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). Twelve staff members have participated in the workshop “Designing Virtual Assessments, Tasks & Activities” offered by VASCD. Some teachers have become Google Certified Educators, and others have earned certificates in the learning tools we will be using in the Fall. I have enjoyed watching their learning journeys on Twitter and am looking forward to them sharing what they have learned with us when we return.

On Wednesday, I hosted a Parent Info Session to share the current guidance around FCPS’ plans to reopen schools in order to help families make appropriate enrollment decisions for their students. It was great to see so many of you there. You had many questions, and while we don’t have all of the answers, I am confident that we will be able to work through these challenges as a community. If you were unable to attend the information session, you can find a recording of it here. Additionally, the presentation is available here. We also hosted a session in Spanish. The Spanish recording can be found here.

It is important to know that that information is changing on a daily basis. A look at the most recent information shared at the School Board Round Table can be found here. The most notable change is the School Board’s approval of a September 8 start of school for students.

As always, thank you for your continued support. Please reach out with questions and feedback. 

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Contact Information:
Twitter: @ShawnDeRose
Website: https://annandalehs.fcps.edu/

Awesome Atoms

Annandale Seniors Featured on NBC News - Ali Vitali from MSNBC interviewed Annandale Students, Sophia Baraban, Lalain Imran, and Jimmy Lee, about the perspectives of our rising Seniors on the return to school. The interview aired live today around 11:00 am on MSNBC. Watch the full interview here. In addition, Ali and MSNBC, will be conducting live reporting throughout the day from the front of Annandale High School and will likely be featured tonight on Nightly News with Lester Holt. Be sure to check it out.

Two Annandale Students Selected to the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership - The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership has announced two Annandale Students as High School Leaders Class of 2020: Brooke Fikru and Sophia Baraban. Congrats to both students!

Summer Learning Opportunities

From now until Friday, July 31, Annandale students will have the opportunity to take advantage of the Continuity of Learning program which is a free summer program that offers students an opportunity to review concepts and skills using recommended self-directed digital materials. Materials will not be collected or graded.

The digital materials can be found on the Mathematics and English sites. Annandale teachers will be available each week through office hours to assist students with the digital materials or other learning goals that they may be working on throughout the summer. To take advantage of office hours, please register using the links below. There is no deadline for registration.

To register your student for office hours and receive a secure link, please click on the link for Continuity of Learning Support:

• English Summer Continuity of Learning Support
• English Language Development (ESOL) Summer Continuity of Learning Support
• Math Summer Continuity of Learning Support
• SPED Summer Continuity of Learning Support

Once registered, your child will receive log-in information through his or her FCPS Google email address prior to the first session. If you have any questions, contact Mr. Roberson at blroberson@fcps.edu. 

News from the PTSA

Join the Annandale PTSA! - Please consider joining as it is a great way to become actively involved in your student's education and the AHS community. Moreover, the PTSA works very hard to stay on top of critical activity and decisions being made by the school board, school system and local government. Click here to join today!