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Dear Families and Staff,
I hope everyone enjoyed our first snow fall. Even though the first few weeks of 2021 have already shown a new set of challenges, there are many positive things to look forward to and reasons to celebrate. While we’ve seen a record number of Covid-19 cases in the country, and spikes throughout Virginia, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as we continue our vaccine distribution to our educators.
This has been a challenging time for students, parents and educators. I am so moved by those who have stepped up in the recent months to help others in the community in creative ways. I am also very appreciative of our educational professionals who go above and beyond to support our students and families.
I know many families and students were disappointed by another delay in returning to their beloved classrooms at the January work session. My primary concerns regarding the most recent proposal to return to school focused on the individual school approach which would have disproportionately impacted schools in Mount Vernon where we face both capacity and staffing constraints due to the number of educators with ADA accommodations and leaves of absence. Subsequent to the meeting, our facilities staff has worked with the local principals to address the capacity constraints. This, in addition to the recent announcements of vaccine distributions which were encouraged by the Board through a resolution I made and subsequent letters to the Governor, should provide the opportunity for more of our educators to return to our buildings. I am confident that the schedule put forth by the Superintendent will be approved this week and we will have our students begin coming back into our buildings this month with a hybrid learning model. I expect that with widespread availability of vaccines, the need for social distancing will be diminished and we will have all our students in school 5 days a week in the fall.
Thank you for your patience and continued support for FCPS. Please find below updates on important issues.
Karen
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has posted an update to their website calendar, https://www.fcps.edu/registration/thomas-jefferson-high-school-science-and-technology-admissions/freshman-winter announcing the Application Window for current 8th graders will begin on February 1st at 8:00 am and close on February 26th at 4:00 pm. For questions, contact the administrators at your local middle school.
2021-02-08 6pm Diversity in STEM Talks!
Monday, February 8, 2021, 6:00-6:45pm
Presented by The Diversity Committee of the Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology PTSA
For students grades 4-8 Guest speakers: Anthony Nunez, CEO INF Robotics Inc. and Carla Rodriguez, Head of Operations INF Robotics Inc.
Hear from people working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields! – What sparked their interest in STEM? – What did they study in school? – What is happening in the field of robotics? – How are robotics and technology used in health care? – What else would you like to know?
Register in advance for this meeting: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYuf-ytpzwvHNyTTjJUglp0PEiUOWVmfBrc
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
  Healthy Minds Fairfax
UVA, VDOE, and VECF want to learn about Virginia families’ experiences with the care and/or education for their young children (birth through kindergarten) this year. Help us get the word out to families! Share the flyer with families and/or take the Virginia Survey of Families with Young Children today!
Many students participate in summer learning opportunities to advance academically, to sharpen their skills, or to learn something new. This summer, FCPS will offer a variety of opportunities including Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance. Information regarding additional opportunities will be announced on the FCPS Summer Learning webpage as they become available.
Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance: Current grades 8-12
Dates:
Session 1: Monday, April 19-Friday, June 18
Session 2: Monday, June 28-Friday, July 30
This online course is for current FCPS students only and is pass/fail only. Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance requires students to complete work without direct teacher support. Students will access content for this course through an FCPS Canvas online environment. The course was updated in September 2020. The new course features include updated curriculum, interactive modules, and exit tickets. Students will read through 14 modules, complete 140 exit tickets, 14 module tests, and a final exam. This course does not meet face-to-face.
Registration:
Session 1: Monday, January 11-Friday, April 9
Session 2: Monday, January 11-Friday, June 11
SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO BUILD YOUR FUTURE WORKFORCE
2021 Virtual Career Exploration with APS & FCPS
Program Dates / Times: Various, April 19 - 30, 2021
Registration is open until February 26, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.
Share your availability here
Arlington (APS) and Fairfax County (FCPS) Public Schools are working together to facilitate a series of virtual career exploration events for students across our districts in grades 9-12 during the month of April. We are actively seeking volunteers from our business community who would be interested in participating in any of the following:
- Industry Panel Discussions
- Interviewing Tips and Tricks Workshop
- 5-10 minute Mock Interviewing Sessions
- Resume Writing Support Workshop
- Industry-specific Problem Solving Challenges
- Personal Statement Writing Support Workshop
- Soft Skills Training Scenarios
- Advertisement for Postsecondary Education and Training Opportunities
- Advertisement for Work-Based Learning (WBL) Opportunities - guest speakers, job shadowing, externships, internships, and more.
- Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) Information Sessions for Youth Registered and Registered Apprenticeships for Trades and Industries.
- Virtual Career Fair (share available job / educational / training opportunities with students)
What types of jobs are students interested in learning about?
Students in APS and FCPS have access to a variety of Career & Technical Education (CTE) courses across the 17 career clusters. Data from Naviance suggest that our students are especially interested in learning more about careers in the following fields:
- Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
- Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security
- Health Science
- Human Services
- Information Technology
Next Steps?
Dates, times, and scope of events will all be based on business partners / volunteer interest and availability. After you complete the Google form to share your availability, you will receive follow-up via email. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all events will be virtual.
Please note - once confirmed, you may need to complete additional virtual volunteer processes for either APS, FCPS, or both counties.
Questions? Please contact:
● Arlington Public Schools - Laura DiNardo laura.dinardo@apsva.us
● Fairfax County Public Schools - Matt Bechtel mhbechtel@fcps.edu
By donating your time and expertise, you will give the gift of career exposure into a student’s field of interest as well as helping to build your future workforce!
Please save the date for Alfred Street Baptist Church’s 19th Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Festival. This virtual event will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2021.We will share additional information about registration soon.
Please save the date for Edison’s 11th Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Fair. This virtual event will be held on Monday, February 22, 2021 from 9am -3:30pm
Colleges are still signing up, and some details are still being finalized. Please see https://sites.google.com/fcpsschools.net/ehshbcu2021/home for a running list of participants and more information. (Please note, you must be logged on to your FCPS Google Account to access the site.) Each college will present for 10 minutes on one main event link. More information will be posted soon.
We hope to “see” you there!
   The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© 2020 Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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