Annandale Community Insider - September 13

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 09/13/2020 10:02 AM EDT
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Annandale Community:

We had a wonderful start to the 2020-2021 school year! I had the opportunity to visit a few classrooms and it was fun to welcome students back and watch them get acclimated to their new schedule and routines in a virtual environment. It was also clear that the personal connections staff was able to make with students last week at our Virtual Opening played a large role in our success.

This week in Pride Time, students spent time getting to know each other and their teachers. Specifically, they learned how each person serves as a change agent in building a culture of respect at Annandale. It begins by understanding the importance of learning each other's names and their rich family and cultural history. 

On Monday from 9:10-9:40am is our first “W4 Care and Connect.” Students should login to their W4 class at this time. The purpose of this time is to take attendance, community building, check-in with students and support their transition to virtual learning. 

The remainder of the day, students should complete any work that was assigned the previous week. These assignments are posted on the “Virtual Learning Hub” for students to easily access. In addition, the site also includes a lesson grid with the daily learning target and evidence of learning for each class, which allows students to have an understanding of what they are learning and what they will need to turn in. We have created this video that includes step by step directions on how students can access the “Virtual Learning Hub.” 

Beginning this week, teachers are available to support students through Office Hours. Office Hours are on Mondays from 8:10-8:55am or 10:30-11:15am. In addition, teachers are available at least one day a week after school. Students should check out the course homepages for when teachers are available. The purpose of Office Hours is for students to meet with their teacher to discuss the material being presented in class or other related interests students may have. Course-related discussions include asking for extra help, seeking clarification of material presented in class and following up on aspects of the class students find compelling. 

Finally, our first PTSA meeting of the school year is this Tuesday, September 15 at 7:00pm. To join the PTSA meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone vist this link: https://www.gotomeet.me/NormaFoti or you can dial in using your phone: +1 (312) 757-3121, Access Code: 456-663-117.

Thank you for all you do in supporting your student at home. As always, please reach out with any questions.

Shawn DeRose, Principal

 

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

September 14 - W4 Care and Connect (9:10-9:40am

September 15 - PTSA Meeting

September 23 - Back to School Night

September 23 - SAT Day (Asynchronous Day for all students)

October 6 - College Boot Camp

 

PTSA Meeting: September 15 - Mark your calendar and please join us for the first PTSA meeting of the school year on Tuesday, September 15 at 7:00pm. To join the PTSA meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://www.gotomeet.me/NormaFoti or you can dial in using your phone: +1 (312) 757-3121, Access Code: 456-663-117  

 

Back to School Night: September 23 - Due to a conflict with one of our feeder elementary schools, we have moved out Back to School Night date to Wednesday, September 23.

 

SAT Day: September 23 - All FCPS students in grade 12 have the opportunity to participate in the SAT School Day exam on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at no cost at their school. This day will run asynchronously for all staff and students in high school.

 

College Boot Camp: October 6 - The PTSA is sponsoring “College Boot Camp” for seniors and their families on October 6 from 6:00-8:00.  Please virtually join Princess Brown, the AHS College & Career Specialist, as she talks about the nitty-gritty of applying to college. She will cover issues that are unique to this unprecedented year and there will be time for questions and answers. Great for seniors and any interested family members. The PTSA will send out information on how to access this webinar, so stay tuned!  

Important Information

We Need Your Consent for Select Digital Resources: At Annandale High School, our teachers will use a variety of powerful digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. Without consent, teachers will need to plan additional lessons or deviate from a useful application altogether. You can find our school’s list of the resources here: https://annandalehs.fcps.edu/adopteddigitalresources

Please follow this link to indicate whether or not your student is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. This page also provides more information about how FCPS carefully reviews digital resources for approval.

 

Technology Support for Parents and Students: The FCPS Parent Technology Resource page provides tip sheets and support in multiple languages. These tip sheets provide answers to basic questions about FCPS technologies. Often you can find the answer to your question in these resources. For technical support questions about your online parent accounts, your student’s FCPS laptop, or technology your student uses for online learning, contact the Parent Technology Help Desk (toll free) at 833-921-3277 or enter a support request ticket via the Parent and Student IT Portal.

The Parent Technology Help Desk will be answered 7:00am-11:00pm, seven days a week. Parents who need help in a language other than English should let help desk staff know, and an interpreter will join them on the line. (FCPS has Parent Information Phone Lines available in eight languages to assist with general questions about FCPS).

 

Schedule Change Requests: To begin the school year, schedule changes will be made for students with errors on their schedule. We will be communicating the process for elective schedule changes in the near future. Please keep in mind that space is extremely limited for electives and we are continuing to enroll new students.

 

Attendance Matters: 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 703-642-4151 or en Español 703-642-4153.
  • 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.
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Bus Route Meal Service

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) buses are delivering grab and go meals along some bus routes. School buses will stop at designated intersections to deliver these meals. All FCPS students (regardless of age) are eligible for free grab and go breakfast and lunch, as well as other county children, under the age of 18. Adults picking up meals for children should let staff know how many children meals they need. Adults may pay $2 for the meals as well. Check out the current bus schedule.
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News from the PTSA

AHS PTSA Pantry Needs Your Help! -  The AHS PTSA Pantry is getting ready to reopen for the school year and while we are in a virtual school setting we plan to hold bi-monthly distributions. Our shelves are bare. Please Help us Stock Our Shelves (SOS)!   

There are four ways to donate to the pantry’s SOS Campaign

  • Monetary Donation through Pay Pal or check made payable to AHS PTSA. (Please write Food Pantry in the memo line and mail it to AHS PTSA 4700 Medford Drive, Annandale, VA 22003)
  • Pack a Bag ready for Distribution and deliver it to AHS during office hours
  • Donate through our Amazon Wish List for Delivery to the Pantry
  • Donate any of our Top Needed Items and deliver to AHS during office hours

 

PTSA Welcome! - On behalf of the PTSA, welcome to the start of the school year, this year is already been one for the records and since we are unable to welcome you in person we created a short video to welcome you. We wanted to tell you about our membership campaign, meeting times, accomplishments, goals and mission of the PTSA.

Below are a couple of links of ways you can get involved and support our work through membership, no additional cost to you fundraising efforts. We also included a couple resources we hope you find helpful the link to our website for information, and a one-page printable calendar with all the school breaks and early release dates as well as additional useful contact phone numbers, websites and how to sign up for News You Choose. Again, welcome to Atom Nation!

Important Links:

AHS PTSA Website

Membership

No Additional Cost to You Fundraising - we earn when you shop

One-page Printable Calendar

 

AHS PTSA Membership Drive 2020: Join the PTSA before our first meeting on September 15 to be entered into our membership raffle. Winners will be drawn and announced during the PTSA meeting! Below are the prizes: 

  • Parent/Community Member prize - $25 Glory Days Grill gift card!
  • Student Member prize - $25 Paisano’s gift card!
  • Staff Member prize - $25 Amazon gift card

 

Top Reasons to Join the PTSA - Please consider joining the PTSA as it is a great way to become actively involved in your student's education and the AHS community.

In addition, the PTSA 1) provides resources and support to help ALL Annandale HS students, teachers and staff succeed. 2) PTSA educates members on issues and decisions impacting Annandale HS and FCPS. 3) Studies show active PTSAs improve overall student. Click here to join today!

 

PTSA Meeting - Dates and Times: Mark your calendar for monthly PTSA meetings which are held the 3rd Tuesday at 7:00pm. We will start the school year with virtual meetings and details will follow on how to join us. These dates include: September 15, October 20, November 17, December 15, January 19, February 16, March 16,  April 20, May 18, June 8.

 

Stay Connected - “Visit”, “Like” and “Follow” - Our e-newsletter, ATOMail, is sent the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month and highlights PTSA programs and opportunities to support our students, teachers, and staff. To receive ATOMail, please sign up and set your preferences on the FCPS "News You Choose" webpage. Select “Annandale High School” and check the box for “Annandale HS PTSA”. You can also stay up-to-date on our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

News from the Yearbook Staff

Yearbook Photos Needed! - Have pictures of your student working on distance learning or taking some time to do something fun? Help the yearbook staff document this unique school year! Photos can be sent to jehanneman@fcps.edu or jehanneman@fcpsschools.net.

 

Senior Pictures - Senior pictures are still happening! Seniors should have received information in the mail from Lifetouch Prestige that tells them how to sign up for a date and time for their pictures. Pictures will be taken in the main gym, following social distancing guidelines, on September 14-18 and September 23-25. Seniors must have signed up for a time; walk-ins will not be welcomed.

If students did not receive information, they can still sign up by going to www.prestigeportraits.com. If you have any other questions or difficulty signing up, they can call Lifetouch Prestige at 410-644-7700. Because sharing clothing items is not permitted, seniors are asked to dress nicely and wear solid colors.

 

Buy a yearbook! - While it will certainly look different, the yearbook staff is working hard on planning and creating a yearbook for the 2020-2021 school year! Pre-order your copy now at www.yearbookforever.com before prices go up! 

 

Buy a senior ad! - With so many changes this year, buying a senior tribute ad is a great way to celebrate your senior year (or team or group of senior friends)! Prices have been reduced this year - for more information and pricing, go to www.yearbookforever.com