Carson MS Weekly Updates-February 16, 2021


RCMS Photo - New

Important Upcoming Events

Feburary 16 - NEW BELL SCHEDULE BEGINS

February 18 - PTA Meeting (Virtual), 6:00PM

February 22 - Parent Town Hall for In-Person Learning, 6:00PM

February 25 -  Asynchronous Day for All FCPS Students

February 26 - Asynchronous Day for All FCPS Students

February 26 - TJHSS&T Application Window Closes 4:00PM

March 5 - 2 Hour Early Release

March 8 - Staff Development Day - No School for Students


 

Check out the latest Principal's Message from Mr. Stokes here!

 


New Bell Schedule Begins February 16

New Bell Schedule Feb 16 Without Mondays

Important Update on Return to School Plan

In preparation for students’ return, schools have created staffing plans based on the number of students who selected in-person instruction earlier this school year. Students who have already selected to return to in-person instruction will be able to do so two days a week. Due to social distancing requirements, schools may not be able to accommodate additional students who wish to change their selection from virtual to in-person instruction.

For parents requesting changes from full-time virtual to in-person instruction, principals will do their best to accommodate the requests, however, it may not be possible to accommodate changes if classes are at capacity.


Return to the Building Timeline

We have a small number of students who returned to the building  in February.  Most of our students who selected in-person learning will return on the following dates: 

March  2 - Grade 8

March   9 - Grade 7

Students who selected to return to the building  will be in-person two days a week and virtual two days a week. Students who selected to be fully virtual for this school year will continue virtual instruction four days a week. Here is the schedule which is based on each student’s last name.

Daily Schedule

 

Important Note: Thursday, February 25 and Friday, February 26 have been identified as teacher preparation days. These days will be asynchronous days for students. All students will be assigned asynchronous work for each of their classes. 


Parent Health Commitment Form - New Details

Whether your student is returning in person or remaining virtual, FCPS requests all parents/guardians complete a Parent Health Commitment Form. While the form is required for in-person students, it is helpful for virtual students in the event they participate in athletics or co-curricular activities. 

There are two ways to provide the form:

Responding Electronically in ParentVUE:

  • All parents who have indicated their child will attend in-school instruction will have access to this information in ParentVUE. Parents/guardians may access the document in their preferred language and will receive reminders in ParentVUE until the form has been submitted.

Responding on a Paper Form:

  • If you do not have a ParentVUE account, you may provide your commitment on a hardcopy form. You will find the commitment form and all translated versions at Parent Health Commitment Form.

The deadline for submission of this form is Friday, February 19, 2021.


Parent Town Hall for Families of Students Returning to In-Person Learning

We will hold a virtual Parent Town Hall at 6:00PM on February 22.  This event is only for families who student(s) will begin to return to in-person learning on March 2.  More information will be provided in the near future to those families who have opted to have their child(ren) return to in-person instruction.  However, due to the limitations on capacity, we remind you that only one person per household should sign up for this event. This will allow all families who are interested in attending the opportunity to do so.


World Language Credit Exam Announcement

The 2021 Credit Exam for World Languages will take place in March 2021.  Students who take the credit exam have the opportunity to earn up to three (3) credits, based on demonstrated proficiency.

Thirty (30) languages will be assessed via the FCPS Credit Exam.  In order to offer the test in all languages while maintaining a safe testing environment, some languages will be tested online and some will be tested in person.

  • These languages will be tested online between March 2, 2021 and March 10, 2021:  Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
  • These languages will be tested in person on March 13, 2021 and March 20, 2021 (Saturdays):  Amharic, ASL, Bengali, Farsi, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Somali, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Tigrinya, Turkish, Twi, Urdu and Vietnamese.

Registration opens Monday, February 8, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26, 2021.  All students must register for the exam through their school counselor by February 26, 2021.   Late registrations will not be accepted.

To register for the World Language Credit Exam, please contact your school counselor prior to the February 26th deadline.


SOL Testing Update

The U.S. Education Department (USED) continues to require administration of state assessments, and Virginia has not waived SOL tests. Students in grades 3-12 will continue to test for federal participation. As you may be aware, the Grade 8 Writing SOL and Civics SOL have been replaced with Local Authentic Assessments through their English 8 and Civics classes. All students are required to take the Reading SOL (grades 7 & 8), Math SOL (grades 7 & 8), and Science 8 SOL. The spring SOL window is from April 26-June 4. All SOL testing will be done at Carson Middle School as there is no option for virtual testing. More information regarding testing schedule will be coming soon. If you have any questions regarding testing, please reach out to your child’s counselor or our School Testing Coordinator, Lauren Ross (lmross@fcps.edu).


Online Campus Summer School

The 2021 Online Campus Summer School Registration link is now available on the FCPS  Summer Learning website.


School Pictures

We are currently working to schedule school pictures for all students sometime in late March.  Times will be available for both in-person and virtual learning students.  As updates become available, we will notify you through our weekly News You Choose.


Records Request and Private School or Program Application Process

Rachel Carson Middle School requires important documents in order to effectively accommodate your private school/program recommendations and records requests in a timely manner. Click here to view the process and required forms. Please contact your student’s counselor if you have any questions.


After School Program

Congratulations to the RCMS Mathcounts Team on their success at the Chapter Level Competition!

  • 15 students represented RCMS at the Chapter Level Competition on Feb 5th/6th
  • The students ( Aastha D., Aryan R., Mahika B., Megan S., Olivia W., Ronav A., Ryan S., Tanish R., Veda R. ) have qualified for Chapter Invitational Tournament to be held on Feb 25th 
  • Congratulations and All the best for the Chapter Invitational Tournament for RCMS students

Congratulations to the following RCMS students for placing 7th in the nation in this year’s History Bowl!

The team consisted of the following students: Ameer S., Alan F., Jordan H., Jamal A., Filip G., Nathan C. and Sean L.  These students represented RCMS this year even though they have all moved on to high school, due to last year’s competition being cancelled. Again, congratulations to you all for a job well done!


Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship can be described as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior (and its positive and negative impact on self and others) with regard to technology use.  While teachers continue to promote digital citizenship in school, FCPS provides several resources to support family learning and conversations for you at home.   Please visit this site to access tip sheets, recorded videos and other helpful resources designed to support students with digital citizenship.


TJHSST – Application Window

The application window for Thomas Jefferson will began on February 1, 2021 at 8:00AM and will close on February 26, 2021 at 4:00PM. 

Please visit www.tjadmissions.org to submit your application and view the updated calendar. 

If you have any questions please reach out to Mrs. Ross at  lmross@fcps.edu


Mental Health and Wellness

Do you have concerns about your child’s mental health? Have a talk with your child to find out how they are doing. Give them your full attention. Listen carefully, repeat what you heard and ask if you got it right. When they feel heard and understood, they’re more likely to share with you. Notice what is going on with your child. You know your child best. The Carson MS Student Services Staff, including counselors and our clinical team are here to support families. Healthy Minds has also compiled resources to support families- click here to view their information regarding emotional wellness and crisis support.


Yearbook

Submit Your Photos for the Yearbook!

We need YOUR photos for this year's yearbook.  Click here for more information on how to submit:  Carson 2020-2021 Yearbook Photos


RCMS Library Curbside Checkout

At RCMS, outside Door #1, 11AM-2PM on the following Mondays:

January 25, February 1, 8, 22

Books can also be returned at these times.

Curbside Library Book Checkout is now in operation. This service will be held every Monday, unless otherwise noted.  Please check the Library page on our website for further details:  RCMS Library

Students can reserve books ahead of time through the Destiny Discover online library catalog by placing them on hold, then pick them up at the next curbside checkout.

There will be no curbside checkout on Monday, January 18 or February 15 due to these being school holidays.

Questions? Contact one of your librarians: Mr. Treakle or Ms. Donovan

We look forward to seeing you at curbside checkout!


Who to Contact

If you have a question or concern, please visit our website for a full listing of  Who to Contact.  This listing includes all of our administrators, our counselors, and who to speak to regarding a specific content area or class. Contact information for all staff members is listed on our website - just click on the name of the person you wish to contact  to be redirected to their email address: RCMS Staff Directory.


Other Schools are Sharing....

From Chantilly HS:  Let’s Talk College: for College Bound High School Freshmen, 8th graders and their Parents (open to all FCPS rising 9th graders). What should you know and be doing now if you have a college bound student? Are you anxious about the college application process? Do you worry that it is too competitive? Does your middle school/freshman student have a four-year plan for high school? Ms. Lady and Ms. Robertson will be joined by Mr. Derek Dubose, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Admission & Director of Admission at University of Denver for Chantilly High School’s annual Let’s Talk College program VIRTUALLY on Monday, February 22 at 7:00 PM – 8:30PM. Both students and parents are encouraged to attend (you do not have to be enrolled in Chantilly HS this fall to attend) Virtual LINK:

 https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/6d08c37fa9f549b893339506e85cc72c

From South Lakes HS:  South Lakes High School Choral Department presents: Broadway Night 2021: Screen and Stage Live Streaming February 27 at 7:00PM.  Tickets now on sale! https://southlakeschorus.org/tickets/  What do you do when you can’t have a live Broadway performance? You bring it to the screen of course! On February 27, South Lake Chorus will present a Broadway Show like no other in it's history. The 16th annual Broadway Night 2021: Screen and Stage will be a unique, virtual show – including pre-recorded virtual choir performances as well as live in-studio performances and narration. Don’t miss out on seeing the spirit and joy of our next generation Seahawk Chorus in their once in a lifetime virtual event!


Join the RCMS PTA today!  www.rcmspta.org