Important Dates
- 10/13 - Senior Parent Night (7:00 pm, see announcement below)
- 10/14 - AP Testing Information Session (6:00 pm, see announcement below)
- 10/15 - Financial Aid Night (7:00 pm, see announcement below)
- 10/19 - Partners for Safe Teen Driving (6:30 pm, see announcement below)
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10/29 - PSAT for Juniors
- 10/30-10/31 - FCHS Spotlight Theater Company presents The Invisible Man (7:00 pm, see announcement below)
Kudos...
To Carolina Dotel, Todd Ridenour, Susie Lilburn, Kari Nieto and Yolanda Chanez-Dorado for being recognized as employees who show that FCPS Cares.
I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Carolina to support multiple families and students with chronic attendance concerns. In every interaction, I have been amazed at Carolina's commitment to the families of Falls Church High School, especially our families who are struggling with poverty and other socioemotional concerns. She is compassionate and supportive, with an focus on empathy, not charity. In particular, Carolina demonstrates an impressive knowledge of the services available in Fairfax County to our families and willingness to stand with them while they access valuable services. Carolina, you are an incredible asset to Falls Church High School. Thank you for your service!
I am highlighting the members of the Falls Church HS Attendance/OTG Team. Wow! I am so impressed at the organization and commitment of this new team at FCHS. Now that we are in a virtual learning environment, the work of this team is especially important. Since school started, this team has collaborated to address the multifaceted issues facing our students and families, including technology, housing, socioemotional issues, trauma, etc. In particular, I want to highlight the leadership of our co-chairs: Todd Ridenour (SOSA) and Susie Lilburn (Dean of Students). They are organizational rockstars with a deep commitment to promoting positive attendance throughout FCHS. Thanks for all your hard work!
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Attendance Matters
Attendance drives everything! It is tied to almost every aspect of school performance and future outcomes. Please visit the Falls Church High School website attendance page for updated policies and procedures.
The top 5 Reasons students miss school are:
- Their work is not completed, or they have anxiety about their work load.
- They are not interested in school or bored by their classes or teachers.
- There are things going on with family at home or the family is not supportive of school.
- The student has physical health issues that prevent them from coming to school.
- The student has some mental health issues getting in the way (#1 issue: anxiety).
It’s important to communicate these and other needs to our Dean, SOSA, administrators, counselors, & clinicians.
Senior Parent Night
Tuesday, October 13th @ 7:00pm
The Falls Church HS Student Services Team along with College Representatives are hosting a virtual session for senior parents.
Important topics that will be presented on:
¨ High school Graduation Requirements
¨ Post-secondary planning Tools
¨ College Application Process including Timelines, Letters of Recommendation and Transcript Requests
¨ College Representatives
¨ Financial aid and Scholarships
We are excited to be able to offer this program in both English and Spanish for our Falls Church HS Community. We are looking forward to having an informative evening! Please use the link to access the virtual event.
Confirmed Guest Speaker E-mails (Spanish Speaking)
- Guadalupe Sanchez, Radford University gsanchez4@radford.edu
- Viri Acosta, Northern Virginia Community College vacosta@nvcc.edu
- Francis Money, Associate Director of Admissions, George Mason University
Questions about the event can be directed to Jessica Grenfell, Director of Student Services Jmgrenfell@fcps.edu
AP Testing Information Session
Wednesday, October 14th at 6:00 pm (Virtual)
We will be hosting a virtual AP Testing Information Session on Wednesday, Oct 14th at 6:00pm. This is for parents/guardians of students taking one or more AP course in the 2020-2021 school year. Students are welcome to attend as well. It is the same information they are receiving from their AP teacher. This is the link to be able to log in to the session:
If you are unable to attend, the recording of the presentation will be posted on the FCHS Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors Courses webpage.
Additional information regarding testing can be found on the FCPS Testing webpage at https://www.fcps.edu/testfees.
Please contact our AP Coordinators, Katherine Vargas (kvargas1@fcps.edu) and Kirsten Wiley (knwiley@fcps.edu), if you have additional questions.
Partners for Safe Teen Driving (PSTD)
There will be a make-up opportunity for any junior or senior student who missed a PSTD Driver’s Ed Seminar from last year. This opportunity will be held 10/19/2020 at 6:30pm virtually through Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. The link to join will be sent out 24 hours before the seminar to the parent e-mail provided with sign-ups. This opportunity is for juniors and seniors ONLY.
Please click here to sign-up.
A Message from Our Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist (SAPS)
Did you know the Falls Church Pyramid has its own Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist to address substance abuse concerns among students?
My name is Anna Teeter and I am the Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist for the Falls Church Pyramid. If you need support for a student or have concerns you’d like to discuss, please feel free to reach out to me via email at amteeter@fcps.edu or call 571-402-2613.
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at (571) 423-4270.
A Dangerous Social Media Trend:
In recent years, we are seeing a misconception amongst young people that over-the- counter drugs are safe even in large quantities. On the social media platform, TikTok, teens are encouraging viewers to take large doses of the antihistamine Benadryl to induce hallucinations. In August, a 15-year-old reportedly died after doing the “Benadryl challenge” on the short-form video platform TikTok. TikTok is taking down these posts to discourage this dangerous behavior but the trend does still exist. Johnson & Johnson, the company that manufactures Benadryl, is posting warnings about this challenge. Please be aware of what your child is posting on social media and keep both prescription and over the counter medicine in a safe place that is not accessible to your children. Learn about the safe disposal of medication in Fairfax County: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/drug-disposal
Vaping and COVID-19:
On August 11th, Stanford University School of Medicine published a study online that examined the connections between vaping and COVID-19. They collected the data from young people in the United States. The study found that those who vaped were five to seven times more likely to be infected than those who did not use e-cigarettes. They also found that young people who had used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days were almost five times as likely to experience COVID-19 symptoms, such as coughing, fever, tiredness and difficulty breathing. Vaping not only can put you at a higher risk for more severe COVID symptoms but also can lead to other dangerous respiratory conditions. Please see some resources on helping to quit vaping:
You can also visit: https://truthinitiative.org/thisisquitting. In upcoming weeks, FCPS will be posting new information about the Truth Initiative This is Quitting program specifically tailored for Fairfax County adolescents and young adults and sponsored by the Health Department, FCPS, CSB and other community partners.
If you or someone you know is having a mental health crisis, please contact the Fairfax Community Service Board Emergency Team at (703) 573-5679
FCHS Spotlight Theatre Company presents
THE INVISIBLE MAN by John de Lancie
The following was written by Lilian Smith (grade 9)
Tune in to this immersive audio experience full of mystery and suspense!
October 30 & 31 at 7PM on the airwaves! The password protected audio link will be posted on our website www.fchsdrama.org
This story is great and appropriate for the Halloween season!
Starring: William Clock (12) as Dr. Kemp, Jack Child (12) as The Inspector, Laurel Gilbert (12) as Mrs.Hall, Trip Jones (12) as Teddy, Allison McCombs (12) as Rebecca, and Nico Andino (12) as Griffin
Due to COVID-19 our remarkable student Thespians are unable to perform on stage. However, we’ve found ways to work around all that. After all...THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
The Invisible Man is a story about a science experiment gone terribly wrong. In the story young scientist Griffin comes upon a formula that makes him invisible! Come to the show to hear what happens when Griffin risks everything to get the cure! Will Griffin do whatever it takes? Join us on the airwaves (www.fchsdrama.org) to find out. Experience “radio” as people once did around the 1930s. Full of music and sound effects, you’ll keep wondering what will happen next!
This is a two-nights-only engagement. All proceeds will go to support The Falls Church High School Theatre department. Thank you for your support!
Would you like some SNACKS the evening of the performance? FCHS Drama Boosters will sell on our website and deliver it (contact free) to your door! Please check out our website this coming week and order by October 24th for timely delivery!
Would you like to support our theatre department in other ways? Please send your email to our booster secretary, Angela Bandemehr (abandemehr@gmail.com) to get the link!
Our next booster meeting is THIS THURSDAY, October 15 at 6PM. Please join us!
Library Book Drop off
Drop off library books any day or time in the bin at Door #1, or hand them in when picking up new materials.
We will gladly accept middle school library books too.
2020 FCPS Virtual College Week
This year, FCPS will host a Virtual College Week from Monday, October 19 to Friday, October 23, 2020. This event will feature two live virtual sessions each evening starting at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. During these sessions, FCPS students and families will be provided an opportunity to meet virtually with subject-matter experts and ask questions about college admissions, standardized testing, financial aid, and postsecondary planning. Students and their families must register here to attend any of the sessions. The registration link is available on the FCPS Virtual College Week web page.
Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R)
Parent/Guardian Acknowledgement
Parents and guardians, please review the Student Rights and Responsibilities and related resources at www.fcps.edu/srr. After reviewing the information, please help us by filling out the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form. The form must be filled out one time per student.
Technology Help @ FCHS
In-person Help: Entrance #2
- Monday
- Tuesday thru Friday
All other requests, please use the Parent and Student Technology Support portal
Useful Links/Information
FCHS Return to School & Virtual Learning
FCPS Return to School
FCPS Technology Support for Families
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FCPS Cares
Do you know a Falls Church
HS or FCPS employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way or goes
beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to
share with everyone.
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