Dear Justice Families,
Happy Labor Day weekend! We hope that you are enjoying time with family and friends. We are at the start line – and Justice High School is ready. Over the last three weeks, our staff has worked around the clock to prepare for opening day. We also just welcomed our newest Wolves and introduced them to their student mentors. Our wolfpack welcome on Tuesday, September 1st went off without a hitch and our Student Services town hall was well attended.
We have some news to share. Chrissy Spaulding, Director of Student Services, has accepted the position of DSS at Fairfax County Adult High School. Chrissy has been part of the Justice Family for over five years. She has provided leadership on social and emotional learning, creative master schedules, alternative education paths, educational programming, On-Time Graduation and drop-out preventative practices. In her new role, Chrissy will continue to work with students for them to reach their college and career goals. Please join us in congratulating Chrissy in her new position and wishing her the best.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me or any member of our admin team if you have any questions.
Here are this week’s reminders and information:
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Please make sure your student checks his/her email! Links to each of the 7 class periods have been sent to school emails. To make it easier to find these emails the google account has an automatic folder collecting them on the left-hand column (Pictured below). If you have not received one or more, please feel free to reach out to the teacher and inquire. Our teachers have worked very hard to send all the invites but it’s possible there’s a few mistakes from schedule changes or updates.
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Student schedules. To date, many students have not logged into their accounts. Login to ParentVue or StudentVue.
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Laptop updates. This requires the computer to be plugged in, powered on, and connected to the internet. This is imperative prior to the first day of school.
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Tech Issues: If there are tech issues on Tuesday or any day thereafter, please visit the FCPS Site for Tech Support and see if a resolution is found, if not, the county has developed a Support Request Form that should go directly to individuals who can help at your child’s specific school. As always, please feel free to email your child’s administrator and we can work with you to find a solution as soon as possible – If we’re unable to solve an issue virtually or over the phone, we will be ready to assist at school (Coronavirus restrictions and social distancing guidelines will be in effect).
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School starts September 8th. Students should be in first period by 8:10. Below is our daily schedule.
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Textbook/supply drop off/pick up. During the week of September 14th, we will be distributing required materials for classes. Each grade level has a designated day and time. Please see below for details.
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Contingency plans. Though we are anticipating a smooth opening, we understand that even the best laid plans, when they rely on the internet, aren’t foolproof. Internet outages and server problems can and do happen. For the time being, our teachers have been asked to send an email to their students if there are connectivity or other issues and concerns.
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Substitutes. If a teacher has a sudden absence, he/she will have asynchronous learning available for students.
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Attendance. We have missed our students and are looking very forward to reconnecting with them! As a reminder if a student is not able to attend classes on a given day, parents should contact the attendance office. Parents may report absences by:
- Calling the Attendance Line at 703-824-3920 or en Español 703-824-8970.
- Parents have three days to excuse an absence.
- If you receive a call-out message, and believe it is in error, please have your student check with the classroom teacher for that period.
We understand that the plans for our distribution events aren’t ideal for many in our community. We are here to help all members of our community fully participate in these events.
For your convenience, administrator’s information is below:
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A-CH: Colleen Lally @ clally@fcps.edu
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Ci-Ha: Michelle Campiglia @ MRCampiglia@fcps.edu
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Hb-Moh: Katie Vandawalker @ kmvandawalke@fcps.edu
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Moi- Roj: Will Brooks @ wbrooks@fcps.edu
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Rok-Z: Jason Kagarise @ JMKagarise@fcps.edu
Our faculty and staff are excited to start the year. No matter what, we are all in this journey together, WE ARE ONE. Thank you again and have a wonderful rest of weekend. See you Tuesday!
Every Monday students will be meeting with their 4th period advisory teacher between 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM. In addition, teachers will collaborate and plan for the week and support students who may need additional assistance/enrichment opportunities through office hours. Students will be expected to complete asynchronous work for their classes on Mondays. Office hours will be provided once school starts for students to meet with teachers.
Every Tuesday and Thursday will be a Red Day and every Wednesday and Friday will be a Blue Day. Red Days will be Periods 1, 3, 5, and 7. Blue Days will look a little different this year. Blue Days will be 2, 4 (advisory/den time), 6, and 8. Fourth period Den Time will show up as a Learning Seminar 4 on your schedule. Den Time is a time for school-wide lessons to include SEL curriculum and intervention and extension.
Last week's families submitted the following questions. Thank you for your questions.
- Do you have any information about Senior Portrait pictures? Senior portraits have been scheduled for October. Information will be posted in next week's newsletter.
- As a new student, how can I get access to the passwords of our emails and StudentVUE? Please email Jason Kagarise @ JMKagarise@fcps.edu.
Please continue to submit general questions. We will share answers in our upcoming News You Choose Newsletter. You can find the Google Form here. If you have student specific questions, please feel free to reach out to any of our administrators. We are happy to help
We understand how the beginning of the year can be overwhelming with forms. Here are some you can access now.
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Emergency Care Form required for all returning FCPS students to review and update if needed.
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Emergency Care Card required for students NEW to FCPS.
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FCPSOn Computer Opt Out Form: Only for students who are not planning to use a school laptop. We highly recommend you use the FCPS laptop because all software and other applications will be loaded and accessible. Software used by FCPS and Justice HS cannot be loaded on personal devices.
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Parental consent for digital resources.These are the apps and programs that our teachers will use to engage our students in the virtual world. Please go here for more information and follow the link to give your consent.
More information will be sent later for other forms such as parental signatures needed for the Students Rights and Responsibilities Form, Medical Needs, and Residency Verification.
During the week of September 14th, we will be distributing required materials for classes. Each grade level has a designated day and time:
 These materials will be distributed from outside of the main gym doors at the curb. Please stay in your car. Students (or parent/guardian) should hold up a piece of paper with the student’s complete name. A staff member will then retrieve the student’s schedule and bring the materials out to the curb. We ask that anyone coming to the school wear a mask.
*Please note: not all classes have items to be picked up. Teachers will let students know if their course has something to be picked up during the first week of school.
Before coming to the school, please ask yourself the health questions below. If you answer “yes” to any of the questions we will accommodate another way to get your materials.
- Do you have a cough and/or sore throat? (YES/NO)
- Have you had a fever in the last 72 hours (3 days)? (YES/NO)
- Do you have any shortness of breath or is it hard for you to breathe? (YES/NO)
- Is anyone in your home ill with a fever or a cough? (YES/NO)
- Have you had any contact with someone known to have or under investigation for Coronavirus in the last 14 days (2 weeks)? (YES/NO)
If you have textbooks or materials from the 2019-2020 school year, you should plan to return them during these evenings. Staff will take the books and materials from you at the curb.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Colleen Lally @ clally@fcps.edu
I am excited to introduce a new intervention/extension program called Exact Path. We are implementing Exact Path to provide additional support to our students as one way to address possible learning gaps from last spring due to COVID.
Exact Path is an adaptive computer program that assesses each student’s needs and then creates an individualized learning program. This data-driven program is focused on understanding where students are academically and then providing a personalized “learning path” that both builds on your child’s existing strengths and remediates missing knowledge and skills identified through the assessment.
Students who use Exact Path have consistently demonstrated positive, statistically significant growth. The program is supported by Virginia Department of Education and aligned with Virginia state standards.
Students will take Exact Path’s diagnostic test for reading on 9/21 and for math on 9/28. Results will be available for parents to review.
Once your child receives their personalized learning path, we expect every student to use the program a minimum of 30 minutes a week. Once your child receives their individualized learning path program, we will provide information about how you can follow your child’s progress.
We request your support at home to ensure your child takes advantage of this outstanding supplemental learning opportunity. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
We have implemented the JHS Wolf Pack mentoring program. The Wolf Pack program is a school-wide mentoring program where every freshman is supported by one of our junior or senior students. Our volunteer student mentors are referred to as Pack Leaders and our freshman are referred to as Wolves. About once per month throughout the year, mentors will meet with mentees in small groups. Each group focuses on an important skill or topic for our students, including communication, time management, getting involved in clubs & sports, leadership, school-life balance, etc.
This year, our mentor/mentee groups will meet virtually through Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. Our first meeting was held last Thursday. We are excited to implement this program to ensure our freshman students feel welcome, supported, and part of our school community. If you have any questions, please email Boutia Pourhashemi @ bpourhashemi@fcps.edu or Michelle Peters @ MSPeters@fcps.edu.
The state of Virginia requires students and their parents or legal guardian to attend ONE session of Partners for Safe Teen Driving in order to receive their Pink Card (DEC-8). The 90 minute session requires participants to be actively involved during the presentation. All session LINKS, additional information, & instructions will be posted on your teacher’s Google Classroom. All session will run from 6:30pm-8pm. Attendees must be logged into the entire session to receive credit. If you are a current 11th or 12th grade Justice HS student seeking to attend a PTSD session, please email Greg Weisbecker at gpweisbecker@fcps.edu for information.
Upcoming Dates – Sept. 23, Oct. 21, Nov. 18
At the beginning of the SAT School Day, students see a voluntary pre-survey that asks questions about a variety of topics. Parents/guardians may opt out of this pre-survey for their student. Parents/guardians may view the pre-survey questions and access further information about this option on the SAT and PSAT Pre-Survey Opt-Out Policy webpage at https://www.fcps.edu/node/36639.
If you choose to opt your student out of the pre-survey, please notify Shelley Terry, SAT Coordinator, by Friday, September 18, 2020 at sdterry@fcps.edu and include your child’s full legal name and FCPS ID number in the email. Please be sure your student knows they should not answer the pre-survey questions at the beginning of the test.
As a reminder, FCPS sites cannot accept walk-ins on the day of the exam due to health and safety protocols. If you have questions about the SAT School Day administration, please contact Shelley Terry at sdterry@fcps.edu.
On Monday, September 14th, 2020 at 9:45am, the Student Services department will provide a presentation to seniors on post-secondary options.
Seniors will learn about the various post-secondary options:
- 4 Year University/College
- Community College
- Apprenticeship/Training Programs
- Military
- Gap Year
Students will have an opportunity to meet with their counselor to review the following but not limited to:
- Senior packet- The senior packet is due on 9/11/20 and can be found on the student’s school counselor’s Google Classroom page.
- Diploma type & Transcript
- Senior contract
- Sign up for an individual meeting with their counselor and answer any questions they may have about their senior year.
Instructions on how to access the Senior Unit will be posted in the student’s school counselor’s Google classroom.
For more information, contact your child’s counselor or Alicia Grande, College & Career Specialist, at agrande@fcps.edu.
College Planning Night for the Class of 2021 will be held virtually on Thursday, September 17, 2020 from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Parents and students are invited to hear about key timelines, procedures, and resources to help support their children in the college application process. Registration is required by submitting the Justice HS College Planning Night RSVP form by 3:00 pm on Tuesday, September 15, 2020. Blackboard Collaborate details will be emailed to registered attendees 24 hours before the event. There is a limit of 500 attendees through Blackboard Collaborate and attendees will be registered on a first come, first served basis. We ask that only one attendee per household registers for this event. A recording of the session will be available for those who are not able to attend the live virtual session. For more information, contact your child’s counselor or Alicia Grande, College & Career Specialist, at agrande@fcps.edu.
The CAS component of the IB Diploma has been simplified for the Class of 2021.
Here are the changes:
- There will be NO formal Collaborative CAS Project.
- Students must complete 3 total reflections.
- The first reflection will be on the Creativity Strand.
- The second reflection will be the Activity Strand.
- The third reflection will be the Service Strand.
- A scheduled CAS meeting with all Class of 2021 Full Diploma Candidates will take place on Monday, September 28th. An invite will be sent to the students with the exact time.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Jason Vanderburgh (jvanderburgh@fcps.edu) Elizabeth Buffenbarger (eabuffenbarg@fcps.edu) or Jennifer Kresse Rodriguez (jakresserodr@fcps.edu).
The EE team knows that starting school in virtual environment will present some new challenges for everyone, so we are working to support you in our mutual goal of successfully completing the requirements for the IB Diploma.
We have updated and emailed our extended essay calendar and sample assignment tracker to all diploma candidates. Candidates will also notice that their personal assignment tracker has been updated in Google Classroom to include the rest of the steps in the EE process (through February!). This information, as well as support documents for the EE process, is also available on our Blackboard site.
The first fall EE deadline is now September 11th. Please note that all steps must be completed one-by-one and in this order. If candidates are still working through the spring steps, that’s okay! They should to catch up on those as soon as possible to join the rest of the fall schedule.
Please email Traci Rogers (tarogers@fcps.edu) if you have questions or concerns.
We invite you to participate in our Back-to-School Virtual Town Halls. To participate in any of these virtual sessions, please complete this form: Virtual Town Halls. Follow-up information about accessing the Blackboard Collaborate sessions will be sent to all registrants. If you have any questions, please email Michelle Campiglia, Assistant Principal, at mrcampiglia@fcps.edu.
9/9: Clubs, Sports, and Activities, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Brian Garvey, our Director of Student Activities, will provide updates and answer questions about clubs, activities, and sports. Information will also be provided about PTSA and Boosters.
September 8 - First Day of School (virtual)
September 9 - Clubs, Sports, and Activities Town Hall 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
September 17 - Class of 2021 College Planning Night @ 7:00-8:00 pm
September 22 - Back to School Night - 6PM
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