This Week at Frost - January 15, 2021

This Week in Review

Greetings Frost Middle School Families,

We’ve had another busy week at Frost Middle School! Our Rising 7th grade Student Orientation was well received, our 8th grade students learned about their course offerings for high school, and our PTA had a fantastic guest speaker in Dr. Zabel, our school psychologist, to give parents helpful tools to support your students at home!

We also had a chance to take some candid pictures of a couple of our 2021 Frost MS Outstanding award winners and posted them on Twitter! We have a couple more to capture!

JBH2
AH

 

Please take a few minutes to review the updated schedule for next week. We want to ensure you know what is expected given to two student and staff holidays next week: Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day. We will have opportunities for students to catch up on missing assignments on Thursday and Friday. Students are to sign in to every class period on the catch up days for attendance purposes (even if they technically have no work to “catch up”).  The details can be found below. It is the last week of the second quarter and we want everyone to finish strong.

Thanks for your continued efforts to partner with us to support your student. The entire Frost MS staff is thankful!

As always, Work Hard. Be Nice. Widen your Circle. We are #ONEFrost!

 

Take good care,

 Anthony

Upcoming Dates - Mark Your Calendars

 

January 18                              Holiday – Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday

January 19                              Odd day schedule- synchronous instruction

January 20                              Holiday – Inauguration Day

January 21                              Odd day schedule-synchronous instruction- Catch Up Day

January 22                              End of Second Quarter – 2-hr Early Release-

 Even day Schedule- Catch Up Day                            

January 25                              Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)

  • The calendar will be updated with additional dates for parent/community events as they become available.

In Other News....

The Principal Chew and Frost 30

There a couple of new features being rolled out this year! Mr. Harris will have a daily spot on the Frost New Show called the Frost 30…..News and announcement in 30 seconds or less! I will try to communicate important things to remember or consider. I hope the kids like it! In addition, beginning February 4th, I will have weekly chat and chews each Thursday during lunch! Students can drop by to ask me questions about Frost, share their thoughts about things, or just hang out! Information has been shared in each of the grade level Google Classrooms!

 

Classroom Monitors Needed

Please reach out to Ms. Porter or Ms. Champ if you know anyone or if you are interested in interviewing for a possible classroom monitor position. To interview, you must apply through FCPS officially. You may contact us for more information.

 

Support for Parents Concerned About Their Child’s Mental Health

Ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and school closures continue to have a significant impact on children’s mental health. As an example, according to the CDC, from April to October 2020, the proportion of mental health-related emergency room visits for children aged 5-11 and 12-17 years increased approximately 24% and 31%, respectively, compared with 2019.

You or your staff may be hearing from parents who are concerned about their child’s emotional well-being. This one-pager (https://bit.ly/38k8Xyz) from Healthy Minds Fairfax provides easy-to-digest information and would be a valuable resource for your school community. Please consider sharing it with them in your next newsletter and/or during a virtual parent meeting. If you have questions or need additional resources, please let us know.

 

Health Commitment Form

Even though return to in-person instruction has been delayed, parents/caregivers are being asked to acknowledge a Health Screening Commitment form before their student(s) return to school buildings. This document confirms that a parent/caregiver/guardian will complete a daily health screening and will keep their students home when they are ill.

The Health Commitment form can be submitted electronically through in ParentVUE (PVUE) beginning January 4.  Or you may print the form, below, and scan and email it to Susan Morningstar at sjmorningsta@fcps.edu.  If you need a hard copy, please call the school at 703-426-5700.

https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/HealthScreeningCommitment.pdf

 

TJHSST Applications Opening February 1

Interested in applying to TJ? Read on for an important Admissions Update:

On January 7, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology  posted an update to their Freshman Application webpage, https://www.fcps.edu/node/42685, announcing the Application Window will begin on February 1 at 8:00 am and close on February 26 at 4:00 pm. It is anticipated that additional information will be posted beginning next week. Visit https://www.fcps.edu/node/42685 for up-to-date information. This information has been shared directly to Frost MS students as well through their grade level Google Classroom.

 

Save the Date!  Picture Day Make-up on February 16 – Sign-Up Open Now!

Picture Day Make-up is scheduled for February 16 from 2:30 – 6:30 pm.  Our first Picture Day was a great success, with 563 students moving safely and swiftly through the building.  We know this Picture Day will go as smoothly! 

If you were not able to attend the first picture day, please follow this link to sign-up for February 16.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945AFA62FABFC1-frost1

 

Frost Middle School 2020 – 2021 Yearbook

Have you asked yourself, “Is this happening this year?”  Of course, it is!  There’s never been a more interesting year to document than 2020 – 2021.  Make sure you reserve a copy of the Frost MS Yearbook today! 

Yearbook Flyer

 

Students Recognized by Teachers and Staff

Despite our virtual setting and physical distance, Frost teachers and staff still want to recognize the wonderful contributions our students are making to their classes. Monthly drawings will be made from the submitted names. Every student entered has a chance to win. We are ONEFrost! Keep up the great work – we appreciate every student!  https://frostms.fcps.edu/resources/students-being-recognized

 

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Summer Enrichment Program

CTE Summer Academy is a weekly enrichment program that allows students to dive deeper into CTE program areas and encourages skill development and career exploration. Students will be able to choose 4 classes related to CTE program areas and learn new content, discover interests, and build their skills. For more information on this enrichment program, please visit our website: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning-programs/camps-and-institutes-CTE-summer-academy.   More information is on this flyer:

CTE Summer Academy.pdf

 

Parent's Corner

Self-Care and Mental Health Resources for Students and Families

Student Services is sharing self-care tips and mental health resources with students prior to winter break. We were hoping you would include the message below in your weekly email to families:

Due to safety restrictions, we know this winter break will look and feel different for students and their families. To help support students’ wellness over the two-week break from school, we encourage students and their families to explore the mental health resources below:

Frost’s Student Services Site 

Frost Zen Garden 

FCPS Mental Health Resources

We wish you a safe and relaxing winter break and look forward to welcoming you back in 2021!

Please do not wait if you feel that your child is experiencing significant mental health difficulties. Please contact your child’s pediatrician or mental health provider to ask for more immediate assistance. 

Mental Health Resources