Annandale Community Insider - October 4

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 10/04/2020 10:22 AM EDT
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Annandale Community:

I hope you enjoyed the lovely fall weather this weekend. Last week we celebrated Spirit Week! It was fun to see pictures on social media of the creative ways both teachers and students displayed their Atom Pride! 

It is hard to believe that the first quarter ends in less than a month. With that in mind, it is important to know that we are here to support students not only in class, but during Office Hours as well. Teachers are hosting Office Hours at least twice per week. The purpose of Office Hours is for students to meet with their teachers to discuss the material being presented in class or other related interests they 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 you find compelling. Here’s a quick tutorial on how students can join their teacher’s office hours.

In the coming weeks, small groups of students will be returning to school. While are working hard to finalize our logistics to ensure the safety of our students and staff, we are also very excited to serve our students with the greatest needs as well as those who are enrolled in Career and Technical Education courses where hands on learning is essential. Our first groups of students that we will host in-person on Monday’s include English Language Learners, Culinary Arts and Auto Tech students. Our Special Education CAT B program will be coming back full time Tuesdays thru Fridays.

In preparation for the return of these groups, the custodians are thoroughly cleaning every classroom and common area. John Ellenberger, Brian Molle and their team have been painting classrooms and replacing furniture. We have purchased hundreds of new classroom chairs and desks to replace those that were cracked and worn. In addition to upgrading the interior of the building, we have also continued to make improvements across the campus. This past week, all exterior entrances and railings were painted. 

Finally, I would like to share some wonderful news from the PTSA. Annandale High School Parent Teacher Student Association’s application for Safeway Nourishing Neighbors funding has been approved for a $5,000 grant! Our PTSA does a wonderful job of supporting our students, staff, and community. If you are not yet a member, I encourage you to join here.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Shawn

 

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

Congrats to Harun Ahmed, Khadija Ahmed, Eva Gomez, and Bennett Stenberg have been Commended in the 2021 National Merit Program. About 34,000 commended students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2021 competition by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). 
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Important Dates

October 5 - W4 Care and Connect (9:45-10:15am)

October 6 - College Boot Camp 

October 7 - Partners for Safe Teen Driving Presentation

October 12 - School Planning Day (No School for Students)  

October 29 - PSAT Day for Juniors

October 30 - End of the 1st Quarter

November 2 - School Planning Day (No School for Students)  

November 3 - Teacher Workday (No School for Students)  

 

College Boot Camp: October 6 - The PTSA is sponsoring “College Boot Camp” for seniors and their families on October 6 from 6:00-8:00pm.  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!  

 

Partners for Safe Teen Driving Presentation (PSTD): October 7 - The PSTD presentation is a required component of the Drivers Education classroom curriculum. Any student enrolled in Drivers Education this year OR any student who has completed Drivers Education but was unable to attend the 90-minute PSTD presentation last year due to the school shut down can sign up here to attend the presentation. Parents/guardians must attend the virtual presentation with their student. Presentations will start promptly at 6:30pm and are available for AHS students only. The meeting link will be emailed on the day of the presentation to students who sign up. Reach out to Lindsey Ottavio at leottavio@fcps.edu with any questions.

Join Us for Off Season Practices

It is really important to be mindful of the fact that our students are sitting and staring at a computer for the majority of the day. At Annandale, we want to strongly encourage you and your students to take advantage of the activities that are going on in the afternoons and evenings throughout the week. You don’t have to have a background in the sport to participate. Social distancing and CDC guidelines are enforced. 

The practice times fluctuate every week, so just check the athletic website for times.

All you need is a completed Physical Exam and a Emergency Care Form. If you have any questions, please contact John Ellenberger at jellenberger@fcps.edu.
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Important Information

Beginning of Year Forms: We understand how the beginning of the year can be overwhelming with forms. Here are some you can access now.

  • Emergency Care Form: Required for all returning FCPS students to review and update if needed.
  • Emergency Care Card: Required for students NEW to FCPS.
  • 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.
  • 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 Annandale HS cannot be loaded on personal devices.

 

Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) - Parents and guardians, please review the Students Rights and Responsibilities and related resources at www.fcps.edu/srr. After reviewing the information, fill out the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form using this link https://forms.gle/Pbz5C42jJPADQLyu5. The form must be filled out one time per student. 

 

IB Exams and Fees Covered by FCPS (up to 6 exams) - The May 2021 IB Exams will match the traditional published exam descriptions. The fees for the first six AP/IB tests taken for courses in which students are enrolled for high school credit will be paid for by FCPS. Beyond the first 6, FCPS will bill you $119 for an IB test or $95 for an AP test.

 

Student Weekly Progress Reports - Due to the delayed school opening and virtual start, weekly progress reports to parents are now set to begin on Monday, October 5, 2020.  Please note this is a change from the original start date of September 21, 2020.

If you have registered for SIS ParentVUE and have a primary email address recorded in ParentVUE, you can receive your student’s Weekly Progress Report via email. This report provides a summary of your student’s grades for the current quarter. To activate the Weekly Progress Reports via email, login to your SIS ParentVUE account and verify that you have a primary email address within the system. It is listed under the “My Account” tab. 

If it is blank, enter the email address where you would like to receive the progress reports, and click on “Update account.”  Once your email is confirmed, return to the “My Account” tab to activate and select your preferences for receiving these reports.  Emails will be sent according to your selected preferences.  Weekly Progress Reports for all of your middle and high school students will be included in one email.  For additional help, refer to the quick reference guide for FCPS parents/guardians.

Parents can also access student grades through ParentVUE via the Grade Book tab.

 

Rolling Gradebook: Given the uncertainty of schedules and virtual learning for all students during the 2020-21 school year, Annandale High School has decided that all teachers will use a rolling (cumulative) gradebook. A rolling gradebook allows for progress towards a final mark that captures the total picture of student grades, regardless of length of quarter or number of assignments in each quarter. 

In a rolling gradebook, the final grade is determined by a combination of all assignments and assessments given throughout the year (not an average of quarter marks). The grade posted at the end of each quarter will be a “snapshot” of students’ current progress in the course

To learn more details about a rolling gradebook to include how it will look in SIS Student/ParentVUE, please take time to review this following video. Teachers will communicate grading design and policies via the course syllabus. Students or parents are encouraged to reach out directly to the teacher with additional questions.
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News from the PTSA

Food Pantry Distribution: October 9 from 3:30-4:30pm - The PTSA sponsored AHS Pantry is restocking the shelves and preparing to distribute food to students and families in need. Distribution will take place on the second and fourth Fridays of each month starting Friday, October 9 from 3:30-4:30pm behind the modular buildings at the rear of the school.

Bags will contain several meals and will be distributed first come, first served. There will also be a limited supply of household products (cleaning supplies, hygiene items, paper towels and toilet paper) available. Click here for additional food and community services. Contact Alissa Green, School Social Worker at adgreen@fcps.edu with questions related to resources. 

You can donate to the Pantry to help Atom families in need here. Also, please consider donating paper grocery bags (preferably with handles) to ease the distribution process. Paper bags for the Pantry can be dropped off in the main office. Contact Norma Foti, PTSA President at pantry@annandalehsptsa.org with questions related to donations.

 

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: 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.
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