Annandale Community:
Happy New Year! I hope that you had a restful break - I know it was much needed! If Friday night’s Ohio State football game is any indication, 2021 is going to be a good (or at least better) year.
According to the current FCPS Return to School timeline, 9th and 12th grade students who have elected to return in person will return to the building on Tuesday, January 26. Our 10th and 11th graders will return February 2. Remember this is subject to change based on health and safety metrics. In order to prepare for the return of students, staff are scheduled to return to the building no later than Tuesday, January 19.
Over the next few weeks, I will do my best to keep you informed by sharing important information to help students and parents who selected in-person instruction prepare to return to the building. The focus of today’s Insider is to share important dates. Future newsletters will include information about health and safety, classrooms and hallways, logistics, transportation and schedules, and more.
January 4 and January 11 - Teacher Prep Days: The next two Mondays are designated “Teacher Prep Days” designed to support teachers preparation for the in-person return of students to school. Staff will come together on these days for professional development and meet with their teams/departments to prepare for this transition. Teachers will not be hosting office hours on these dates.
January 12 - Revised Bell Schedule Begins: FCPS recently announced that beginning on January 12, the bell schedules for all schools will be revised to address concerns regarding the proposed later bell schedules for elementary and proposed earlier start times for middle school. The revised bell schedule for high schools is 8:20am - 2:50pm. We will be discussing this topic at our next Instructional Council meeting on Wednesday, January 6. Stay tuned for more information in next week’s Insider.
January 14-15 - Catch Up Days: All FCPS middle and high schools will be scheduling two “catch up days” to address student stress/workload reduction. Annandale High School has designated January 14 and 15 as “catch up days.” According to FCPS, the intent of these days is to provide students the opportunity to complete previously assigned work including missed assignments/assessments and/or previously assigned longer term assignments that had not yet reached due dates. Catch up days are not intended for students to complete new assignments. Teachers will be available to assist students who have questions regarding their assignments during their regular bell schedule.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Shawn DeRose, Principal
Contact Information:
Twitter: @ShawnDeRose
Website: https://annandalehs.fcps.edu/
|
Important Dates
January 4 - Teacher Prep Day
January 11- Teacher Prep Day
January 12- Revised Bell Schedule Begins
January 14 - Rising 9th Grade Parent Information Night
January 14-15 - Catch-up Days
January 18 - No School - MLK Day
January 19 - Teacher Prep Day (*Tentative)
January 19 - PTSA Meeting, 7pm
January 20 - No School - Inauguration Day
January 21 - Teacher Prep Day (*Tentative)
January 22 - End of 2nd Quarter - Early Release
January 25 - Teacher Workday
January 26 - Grades 9 and 12 Return into the Building (*Tentative)
February 2 - Grades 10 and 11 Return into the Building (*Tentative)
Teacher Prep Days - January 4 and 11: FCPS recently announced that January 4 and January 11 will be "Teacher Prep Days'' to prepare for the in-person return of students to school. Staff will come together on these days for professional development and meet with their teams/departments to prepare for this transition. Teachers are not expected to host office hours on these dates.
Revised Bell Schedule Begins - January 12: FCPS recently announced that beginning on January 12, the bell schedules for all schools will be revised to address concerns regarding the proposed later bell schedules for elementary and proposed earlier start times for middle school. The revised bell schedule for high schools is 8:20am - 2:50pm. We will be discussing this topic at our next Instructional Council meeting on Wednesday, January 6. Stay tuned for more information in next week’s Insider.
Catch Up Days - January 14-15: All FCPS middle and high schools will be scheduling two “catch up days” to address student/stress/workload reduction. Annandale High School has designated January 14 and 15 as a “catch up day.” According to FCPS, the intent of these days is to provide students the opportunity to complete previously assigned work including missed assignments/assessments and/or previously assigned longer term assignments that had not yet reached due dates. Catch up days are not intended for students to complete new assignments. Teachers will be available to assist students who have questions regarding their assignments during their regular bell schedule.
Rising 9th Grade Parent Information Night - January 14: Annandale High School welcomes all rising 9th grade students and their families to join our high school information night on Thursday, January 14 from 7:00-8:30pm. The event will be held virtually using this Blackboard link. Students and their families will get an overview of 9th grade courses and programs from Annandale teachers and counselors, along with opportunities to attend breakout sessions with our staff. We look forward to meeting future members of the Atom Nation!
|
 Annandale's FCPS Outstanding Award Winners!
FCPS Outstanding Awards
Annandale faculty and staff came together before winter break to recognize the nominees for the FCPS Outstanding Awards, as well as announce our school level winners in the following categories: Outstanding Teacher, Outstanding New Teacher and Outstanding Support Employee. Below is a brief excerpt about our winners!
Outstanding Teacher - Jessica Klein, Math Teacher: Jessica Klein has continuously combined excellence in teaching with reflective practice in her work. She brings the concept of “student voice” to life through her lesson delivery, her leverage of the various digital learning platforms to provide meaningful differentiation within her classes, and her willingness and intentionality around receiving authentic feedback from students about her own practice. These, combined with her passion for students (inside and outside the classroom) and her willingness to be a servant leader to all faculty in the building, allow her to make a unique impact on the culture of Annandale High School. This has only become more apparent during the school’s transition to—and growth during—virtual learning.
Outstanding New Teacher - Nicole Ferree, Math Teacher: Nicole Ferree is purposeful in the way she builds relationships with her students. This year, knowing that building relationships would be a challenge in a virtual environment, she mailed hand-written welcome letters to each of her new students. But the relationships don’t end with the school year. Recently, Nicole invited all of her former students to a google classroom to have lunch together. On the first day more than 60 students joined. Her students chose to spend their lunch with her because of the caring relationships she has built with them. In her classroom, Nicole fosters a caring culture where the diversity of her students is valued and appreciated. When you observe her classes you cannot miss the many ways she creates a safe environment of inclusion; whether it is including cultural references, targeted questions and videos to support her large population of English Language Learners, or the care she takes in addressing students. Nicole goes above and beyond to help all students feel relevant.
Outstanding Professional Employee - Jen Cory, School Based Technology Specialist: Jen exemplifies the collaborative leadership qualities that Annandale strives to achieve. Jen is more than our SBTS. She has stepped up to a leadership role in an unprecedented year and has done an exceptional job supporting students, parents, teachers, and administration. Her skill set, personality, and empathy has led her to success as our Academic Dean. No matter how stressful the situation, Jen remains calm and collected and is able to quickly solve tough challenges. She is always willing to lend a helping hand and make time for staff. Whether it is instructional questions, help with technology, or just needing someone to bounce ideas off, she is often the person teachers and staff turn to. She is truly an asset to Annandale and has been described as “the glue that holds our school together”.
Outstanding Support Employee - Michael Elion, Technology Support Specialist: Mike is always responsive to tech concerns and patient with teachers and students who are navigating new technology. He uses humor and friendliness to put teachers and students at ease, and always takes time to listen to the various technology related issues that inevitably come up everyday. Mike is a true expert at his job, and never fails to help staff and students find solutions. He brings a pro-active and solution based approach to each situation, which immediately brings about a sense of ease for everyone he helps. Through his constant willingness to help, Mike has built positive relationships with staff, students and the larger community, During this time of virtual learning, his patience and technical knowledge have been essential to the success of the entire school community. He is a crucial and outstanding member of the operational staff at Annandale high school.
Thank you to those of you who nominated a staff member back in November/early December. Here were the nominees:
Outstanding Operational Employee - Jewad Abdulhadi, Maro Moussessian, Mike Elion, Elizabeth Soteriou
Outstanding Professional Employee - Jen Brown, Jen Cory, Jack Jennison, Kristin Lillis, Brent Roberson
Outstanding New Teacher - Laura Bolger, Jen Kirk, Nicole Ferree, Kai Pollock, Devin Harding, Mary Needham
Outstanding Teacher - Nancy Kaegi, Kathleen Mathis, Jessica Mathis, Ducchi Quan, Kim Kolarik, Stratton Shartel, Jae Lee, Jeff Smith
|
   Just some of Annandale's FCPS Outstanding Award Nominees
Important Information
Atoms Social Media Accounts - Want the latest news from around Atom Nation? Follow our Social Media Accounts!
National Honor Society Interest Meeting -National Honor Society will be holding an interest meeting on January 5 at 3:15pm. The purpose of the meeting will be reviewing the application process and answering any questions students may have about the process. Students who cannot attend the meeting or have any other questions can email John Ellenberger at jellenberger@fcps.edu. Google Meet link: https://meet.google.com/lookup/gxhvbqwivu?authuser=0&hs=179
FCPS Revised Grading Policy - Dr. Brabrand sent out an email to FCPS staff with details of the revised grading policies that will take effect January 4, 2021. While we anticipate our school’s current grading practices and our early conversations on mastery grading as an IB school means we will not likely need to make many changes, we will be working through these new policies at our next Instructional Council meeting to ensure our practices indeed align. In addition, the division is also continuing to advocate International Baccalaureate and the Virginia Department of Education to adjust curriculum, testing expectations, requirements, and alternative assessment strategies.
Family Guide for Return to School - Fairfax County Public Schools is partnering with families to ensure we keep students and staff safe and healthy as we return to school buildings for learning. Working together, we will follow recommended health guidance that focuses on student and staff health, safety, and emotional well-being. The FCPS Family Guide for Return to School has a wealth of information on topics like concurrent instruction, lunch, the mandatory mask policy, recess, laptops, health protocols, and more.
|
Awesome Atoms!
FCPS News Features Annie Ray and the Parent Orchestra - Annandale High School continues to make news. Over winter break, Annie Ray, Annandale’s orchestra teacher, and the Parent Orchestra program was featured on FCPS News. The Parent Orchestra program provides parents of the students in orchestras, ranging from 4th grade to senior year in high school across Fairfax County, learn how to play a string instrument for the first time or learn tips on how to practice an instrument they already know how to play.
The group has grown to over 150 parents who signed up across FCPS and have formed their own community outside of classes where they get together on their own outside to practice, exchange practice tips and tricks on assignments, and support the fine arts programs their children are a part of. Check out Annie Ray in the following YouTube video.
Chairman McKay's Video Features Annandale HS Choir - Annandale High School’s Choir was featured in Fairfax County Chairman Jeff McKay’s end of year video which highlights the amazing and diverse arts Fairfax County has to offer. With the help of ArtsFairfax and Channel 16, he put together a compilation video that features the Annandale High School Choir. Check it out here.
|
News from the Activities Office
Check out the Annandale Activities Office Weekly Newsletter - "Atoms Athletics and Activities."
Winter Sports Update - We are excited to announce that starting on Monday, January 4, fans will be allowed to attend our varsity home basketball games and wrestling meets. The following week, fans will be able to attend home events at all levels. Each game will have a maximum of 25 fans in attendance. Each athlete will receive 1-2 tickets for their family or friends to attend. You must have a ticket to attend. There is no entrance fee for these events. If you do not have a ticket to the event, you can watch the contest Live Stream on our YouTube channel. For our away games, you can watch the other schools Live Stream. Check the Athletics and Activities email every Saturday for those links or visit https://annandaleatoms.net/.
Live Stream Annandale HS Sports! - If you do not have a ticket to an upcoming athletic event, you can watch home games Live Stream on our YouTube channel. See below for more information.
Monday, January 4:
Boys' Basketball vs. Fairfax - 5:45/7:30pm Live Stream
Girls' Basketball @ Fairfax - 5:45/7:30pm Live Stream
Wednesday, January 6:
JV/Varsity Wrestling vs. Mt. Vernon & Hayfield - 6:00pm Live Stream
Thursday, January 7:
Boys' Basketball vs. Westfield - 5:45/7:30pm Live Stream
Girls' Basketball @ Westfield - 5:45/7:30pm Live Stream
Gymnastics @ South Lakes - 6:00pm Live Stream
Friday, January 7:
JV/Varsity Wrestling @ Lewis - 6:00pm Live Stream
Saturday, January 8:
Gymnastics @ Lake Braddock - 10:00am Live Stream
Boys' Basketball @ Hayfield - 12:00/1:30/3:15pm Live Stream
Girls' Basketball vs. Hayfield (Varsity Only) 1:00pm Live Stream
NEW! FCPS Athletics Online Registration - FCPS activities and athletic programs has transitioned to a new online student registration system. To participate, you MUST register. You will need your student’s school ID number, emergency contact info, health insurance card and emergency contact info. This new system offers a host of benefits for schools and community members including:
- One stop shop for registering your student for athletic programs and many common activities occurring throughout the school year.
- Electronic submission of the emergency care card and weight room waiver- only have to fill these out once!
- A new home for the state-mandated concussion education program. If you already submitted the form to the office, you still need to complete the concussion education portion online. Sorry for the inconvenience.
-
VHSL Physical form will need to be turned into the Activities Office before participating.
If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Hughes, Athletic Trainer Certified at rhughes@fcps.edu or Patrick Pacak, Administrative Assistant at pmpacak@fcps.edu.
|
News from the PTSA
PTSA Spirit Wear Masks - Breathable Atoms Face Mask! The @AtomsPTSA and AHS Athletic Boosters have joined together to bring you this limited edition mask featuring the Atoms logo! Pay $12 online and pick up at AHS. Details here: bit.ly/AtomsMask
Upcoming PTSA Meetings - 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: January 19, February 16, March 16, April 20, May 18, June 8.
Mental Health Resources: Mental health is always important and especially now. If you or anyone you know is in need of help. Please seek it out. Refer to the PTSA Mental Health and Wellness page on our website for resources in our area.
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.
|
|
