Student Holiday
Monday, October 12 is Indigenous People’s Day. There is no school for students and asynchronous activities will not be assigned. Monday is a School Planning Day for staff who will participate in Professional Development Activities.
Learning Seminar Overview - Week of October 12
Next week in Learning Seminar we will be discussing FAILURE. More specifically, we will discuss our response to failure - our ability to be resilient in the face of failure. Did you know, there once was a basketball player - get this, he has missed more than 9,000 shots in his life. 9000! He’s lost more than 300 games, and for 26 of those games he had the ball in his hands entrusted to make the final shot and he missed. This guy failed so he could learn to succeed. Your children might not have a full appreciation of this man, but you likely grew up watching him play. Of course, I’m talking about Michael Jordan. We’ll learn plenty about how resilience helps shape how we see an obstacle and how this is the crucial difference in seeing a roadblock and viewing it as something that prevents our path forward or merely presents a detour.
Conversation starter at home: Ask your child how they have shown resilience (we gave them examples like pushing through a difficult math problem or being kind to someone who may not deserve it).
Bonus conversation: Share a time that you have shown resilience. Trust me on this, taking the opportunity to be vulnerable in front of your kids is a gamechanger. It allows them to see you in a way they may not have in the past. It may even make them more open to share things that make them vulnerable. On Friday, our Student Services team will lead our school through a lesson anti-bullying specifically around “netiquette.” Students will discuss how they will react to scenarios that may present in a digital classroom. We hope to have some rich conversations.
PTA Fund Raising Event - Chipotle
One more week until our first Spirit Night out at Chipotle Kingstowne, Tuesday, October 13 from 4:00-8:00 pm! Celebrate the first month of school and bring the flyer or order online for pickup using code QZAQLJ4.
 
PTA Funding Raising Event - Spirit Wear
And only one more week (until 10/11) for the Free Shipping on orders over $30 through our Spirit Wear vendor on our Twain store using code SPOOKY2020-FS
at https://1stplacespiritwear.com/schools/VA/Alexandria/Mark+Twain+Middle+School
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Twain’s PTA is sponsoring a Pumpkin Carving Contest. All families are invited to participate. Submissions will be judged on Most Creative, Funniest and Scariest. Look for additional details in Schoology under the All Students Course. Deadline to submit entries is Monday, October 26. Get your pumpkins and get carving! Have fun!
Advanced Academics Program
In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), gifted services are available to students who exhibit exceptional performance capability in academic, intellectual, and creative endeavors through Advanced Academic Programs (AAP). When a student is screened for AAP, the school division considers a student’s performance in the four core academic subject areas of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. More information can be found online at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/advanced-academic-programs
If interested in applying, please take note of the following dates:
Thursday, November 12, 2020:
New Students to FCPS (Enrolled after January 2020) Level IV Referral Form and materials are due to Twain Student Services
Tuesday, December 1, 2020:
Current 7th Grade Students Level IV Referral Form and materials are due to Twain Student Services
Forms can be found online at https://www.fcps.edu/index.php/registration/advanced-academics-identification-and-placement/current-fcps-students
For additional questions, please contact:
Mrs. Flood-Wright, Twain School Counselor at 703-313-3741 or amfloodwrigh@fcps.edu
You can also contact the AAP Office at AAP@fcps.edu or 571-423-4740
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