News You Need to Know

Delegate Mark Sickles to Host Town Hall with Edison Students

Edison has been offered a great opportunity to host a town hall meeting led by our state representative--Virginia Delegate Mark Sickles on August 10, 2020, at 11:00 AM. Delegate Sickles is a lawmaker and wants to hear from you--his constituents that he represents. He would like to know how students have been affected, and most importantly as a lawmaker in Virginia what would students like to see in place to ensure social justice and equity for all. Delegate Sickles has invited Lee District Supervisor, Rodney Lusk, and Fairfax County Chief of Police, Edwin Roessler, Jr., to join him as well.

This is an opportunity for the student voice to be heard beyond the school doors. You may not be able to vote yet, but you matter: your experiences, thoughts, and opinions matter as you are the future, and Delegate Sickles would like to hear from you--the student—young people soon to be leading our country.

Your student can join the town hall on Monday, August 11 at 11:00 AM by clicking this link on Facebook: Town Hall. One of the first posts at the top of the screen will be the Facebook Live Video; click the post with the live video and make sure to turn on the volume to watch. To submit a question, your student can type in the comment box underneath or next to the screen. This can be accessed from a mobile device or computer.

If you visit https://www.facebook.com/MarkSicklesVA/ ahead of 11:00 AM on Monday morning and "like" the page, you will automatically be notified by Facebook when the live video starts on Monday. You can then just click the notification and it will take you directly to the video.


Getting Ready for the First Day of School - September 8

Dr. Brabrand sent out a Return to School Update on August 4. For the next several weeks Dr. Brabrand will communicate updates to the whole FCPS community for clarity and consistency to reduce conflicting messages that might cause confusion. School adminstrators are to follow Dr. Brabrand’s lead and messaging, and then can follow up with their school communities with any additional details specific to their school. If you have not read Dr. Brabrand’s most recent update, please do so at this link: Message from the Superintendent

At Edison, work continues on the master schedule to place students in the courses that they have selected. We also continue to enroll new students over the summer. Sports conditioning with social distancing rules in effect occurs two days a week on the field, and we start our IB Bootcamp on Monday, August 10. Currently, we have 175 students signed up for the bootcamp. If you would still like for your student to participate, please contact Megan Garnett at megarnett@fcps.edu.

We will soon send dates and information about Freshmen Student and Parent Orientations, Class meetings, Back to School Night and general information about a great start to the school year at Edison. We are in the process of planning how to hold these activities in a virtual environment.

I am excited to share that students, parents, and teachers in our Thomas A. Edison school community will pilot Schoology (pronounced /SKOO-luh-jee/), FCPS’s new learning management system, to engage with learning materials and our school community during the 2020-21 school year.

Schoology is a learning space that enhances face-to-face and distance learning through communication, collaboration, and personalized learning. With Schoology, students can submit homework assignments online, review teacher feedback, participate in interactive discussions, read announcements, take tests, and more. As a parent, you will be able to view:

• your student’s class
• your student’s participation
• teacher comments, and
• feedback in Schoology

As a pilot school, we will be using Schoology for as many student assignments and communications as possible, including staff and classroom communication. Our teachers will be participating in professional development this summer so they can create an engaging, student-centered environment for your student. In late August, you and your student will be given login directions and information about how to use Schoology.

We look forward to using Schoology in our classrooms this fall to enhance connectivity and communication across our school.

If you have questions or feedback regarding Schoology, please visit Schoology or contact Mark Nocera, assistant principal, at menocera@fcps.edu.

Sincerely,

Pamela Ellison Brumfield, Principal


Computers for Freshmen and Students New to Edison High School

Freshman and New Student laptop and MiFi distribution will take place on Wednesday, August 19, Thursday, August 20, and Friday, August 21. (see schedule below) We will be using a drive-by system and only the student who is being assigned the laptop will exit their car and enter the building. Please bring your student ID if possible as this will speed up the process. In order to receive any new technology from Edison HS, all technology must be returned to the student’s previous school.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020
• 2:00 – 5:00 PM and 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Thursday, August 20, 2020
• 2:00 – 5:00 PM and 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Friday, August 21, 2020
• 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do I have to use a school issued laptop?
• It is not mandatory for a student to use a school issued laptop.

What are the advantages for using my own laptop?
• It will save you a $50 technology fee.

What are the advantages for using a school laptop?
• We deliver software via Virtualized Applications (AppV). This can only be done on school issued computers.
• We use Lightspeed Internet Content Filtering (ICF). This software keep students out of inappropriate content. This software is customized for high school students.
• The school issued laptop comes with a no fault insurance policy. As long as the damage is accidental, FCPS/Dell will repair or replace that device at no charge.

If you have further questions, please email Mark Nocera at menocera@fcps.edu.


For Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors with FCPS Computers

In order to receive the appropriate updates to your school issued computer, we are asking that you turn on your computer for 30 consecutive minutes each week until school begins on September 8, 2020.