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Dear Justice Families,
Our teachers and staff returned to the building last week and the energy and the buzz of Justice has returned. We are excited about the transition to the return to school and look forward to our in-person students returning beginning next week.
As we make the shift with our students to concurrent learning, last week we shared updates for in-person and virtual students in an e-notify to parents and an email to students. Here are the highlights:
Bell Schedule and Building Hours
- Our New Bell Schedule is effective Monday, March 1st.
- The building is open from 8:00 am to 3:15 pm Tuesday through Friday. Our school day begins at 8:20 a.m. and it is recommended that students arrive at school by no later than 8:15 a.m.
- To ensure social distancing, students will be asked to report directly to their classes or the cafeteria for breakfast.
- Just a reminder that breakfast is served up to 8:15 am.
Arrival and Transportation
Bus information can be found in ParentVue under Student Info.
As we continue to follow safety and mitigation strategies, we have some minor adjustments for our student arrival.
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Walkers and students who drive to school will enter through door 16. This is the main gym entrance that may be seen from the front parking lot.
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Bus Riders will enter through the main entrance, door 1, at the front of the school.
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Kiss-and-Ride students will enter at the same location as last year, around the back of the school at door 13
As a reminder, all students must have the Health Screening Commitment form completed prior to returning to school. Any student who does not have this completed (either through SIS or by turning in a paper copy) will be asked the daily health questions prior to entering the building.
We mailed parking passes to all juniors and seniors who applied. We still have spaces available. We will continue to accept applications on a first-come, first-served basis
Schedules
Last week, teachers informed students of classroom assignments. In addition, students should check their StudentVUE account to see room numbers and class assignments on Red and Blue Days.
We are looking forward to transition to this next phase of engaging with our students through concurrent learning. As questions arise, please don't hesitate to ask your child's teachers, counselors or administrators. We are all in this together and here to support one another.
Throughout the school we are practicing our social distancing to keep our students safe. This continues in the cafeteria for both breakfast and lunch. Students will see a large sticker on the seats they may use. They will also see a sign on the table at each seat which has a number and a QR code. When students sit down they will scan the QR code using their smartphone to check in. They may also use their laptop and the tiny URL listed on the sheet. The QR code (or tiny URL) will bring them to a Google Form where they will let us know what number seat they are using. Students will do this every time they are in the cafeteria.
This spring all Justice High School parents/guardians will be contacted through email with a link to the FCPS Principal Evaluation Parent/Guardian Feedback Form Online. This questionnaire is part of the Performance Evaluation Program and offers parents/guardians an opportunity to provide input about various topics related to our school. These topics include instructional leadership, school climate, human resources management, organizational management, communication and community relations and professionalism. Understanding that this has been an unusual year, the impacts of COVID-19 will be taken into consideration when reviewing the feedback.
The questionnaire will be collected online between March 8 and March 19. When you receive an email from FCPS Surveys, please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire. Your opinions matter!
The Student Peace Awards of Fairfax County were begun in 2006 to encourage people to think more about peace as both a means and an end and to recognize young people who work as peacemakers. Every year, the high schools in Fairfax County are asked to select one junior or senior, or a group of students, whose work has promoted peace. The project is organized by volunteers and funded by donations from 17 secular and religious sponsoring organizations.
Equity Team, Justice High School is the first Equity Team in FCPS to include both students and teachers and is now a model for the district. The Justice team sponsored an art show featuring work representing micro-aggressions the artists had experienced, and are devoted to educating the community on antiracism, inviting speakers to honor the school’s recent name-change, supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and sharing ideas of how to advance equity and antiracism. for more information, please click here.
Congratulations to the staff and students of the Justice Equity Team for all of your work you do for Justice HS!
The Justice Forensics & Debate Team placed 2nd overall in the VHSL Super Regional Tournament and has nine students advancing in the VHSL States Forensics Tournament in late March.
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First Place Winners: Xander Tilock and Sara Kaufman in Serious Duo, Eli Bardash in Extemp, and David Peterson in Humorous Solo
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Second Place Winners: Valeria Peterson in Storytelling
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Third Place Winners: Liam Fitzgerald and James Doan in Humorous Duo, Vianca Escobar in Serious Solo, Alessandra Simmons Robles in Poetry
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Fourth Place State Alternates: Richard Do in Prose, Diego Salazar Jara in Serious Solo, and Conner Aylward in Humorous Solo.
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Fifth Place Alternate: Noreen Hossain, Poetry
Congratulations to the Team and Coach Fontaine!
Paying for College
Join College Access Fairfax and the FCPS School Counseling Office for a free virtual presentation offering a 30,000-foot view of the financial aid process and procedures for funding post-secondary education and what families can do to be prepared.
Topics will include:
- cost of attendance
- types of financial aid
- commonly used terminology
- how to apply
- when to apply
This program is geared for students and families of current 9th,10th, and 11th-grade high school students. Register here:
Understanding Your Financial Aid Award Letter - Making a Wise Decision
Join us on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, at 7 pm.
Has your student been accepted to a university and received a financial award letter that details the amount of financial aid (grants, loans, scholarships, etc...) that the school is offering your student? How do you compare awards? What does everything mean? College Access Fairfax will provide answers to all these questions and any more you might have. The presentation will discuss the general concepts necessary to interpret and compare a variety of award letter forms. While this event is not intended as a personal award interpretation, there will be a Q&A position.
Register here: Copy and paste the following link: https://forms.gle/13L75FFrZdZhR9E69
Teen Job Fair
Every year the Springfield District hosts a job fair that also includes resume and career building information sessions. This year it will be held virtually on:
- Saturday, March 13 from 2-5pm
- Saturday, March 20 from 11am-2pm.
- Students and businesses may learn more and register here: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/springfield/teenjobfairs
“Advertisement of this opportunity does not constitute sponsorship or endorsement of the sponsoring organization or the enrichment opportunity by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, or a specific FCPS school. This opportunity may utilize Zoom, an online technology video and web conferencing tool that has not been approved for use in FCPS by the FCPS Department of Information Technology. Numerous outside organizations are utilizing Zoom to provide services and resources to students and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students should gain permission from their parent or guardian before engaging in any non-FCPS enrichment opportunity and families should review and agree to the Terms of Service and User Agreements for Zoom before participating.”
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) will be given at McLean High School on Monday, April 12 for seniors who attend Region 2 High Schools (Annandale HS, Falls Church HS, Justice HS, Marshall HS, McLean HS, and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology).
The ASVAB test will begin at 9:00am and will take approximately 3 hours. There is no fee to take this test. Students providing their own transportation should arrive at McLean High School by 8:30am. If you need transportation, there is a question on the Google Form for you to select "yes." Students will receive additional information a few days prior to the test date.
The ASVAB is only being offered to seniors who plan to enlist in the military after graduation and need to take this test for enlistment
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When: Monday, April 12, 2021
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Time: Must arrive at McLean HS no later than 8:30am – Test begins promptly at 9am. Late arrivals may not be allowed to test.
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All interested students must register: Registration Link – Registration is due no later than March 19, 2021
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Transportation: Transportation will be provided if you indicated that on the registration link.
The ASVAB is a requirement for military enlistment. (Please note that scores are good for 2 years.) For details visit www.asvabprogram.com
Online, free ASVAB sample questions for the paper and pencil test are available here and there is also free ASVAB test prep through your high school’s library database (FCPS student password is “fairfax”) > Testing & Education Reference Center (Gale) > Vocational Test Prep > Military (ASVAB and AFOQT) > Master the ASVAB and Practice Tests for the ASVAB.
I want to bring your attention to a dangerous trend that has increased over the Pandemic. Using the social media app Snapchat, teens and adolescents may be at risk of being exposed to individuals using the social media app to sell drugs and other illegal substances. One of the most prominent drugs being sold via the platform is THC vape cartridges, also known as dab carts. Other illicit substances like cocaine, MDMA, and Over the Counter pills like Xanax have also been advertised and sold through Snapchat; some of these drugs have been laced with Fentanyl and have led to fatal overdoses among adolescents. These sellers tend to target Snapchat users due to the app not allowing third-party apps to monitor the content being seen.
Additionally, Snapchat messages and pictures disappear after a specific period of time, further decreasing accountability. It is important that we remain mindful and attentive to the content our students are receiving and responding to. For more information regarding this trend, feel free to click on the following articles: https://tinyurl.com/tx7j6cd6 and https://tinyurl.com/v2n5k4jd
Remember, substance abuse doesn’t stop for COVID-19. If you need support with your child, please feel free to reach out to me at bvillalobos@fcps.edu and we can discuss options that may be of help to you and your family. Additionally, the Community Services Board (CSB) is still providing general mental health and substance abuse services. Their information can be found by clicking on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/3kn7e2m2
Mr. Villalobos Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Justice Pyramid bvillalobos@fcps.edu For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness: (571) 423-4270.
March 2 - Grades 9 and 12 in-person students Return to Justice
March 5 - 2 Hour Early Release
March 8 - Staff Development Day (Student Holiday)
March 9 - Grades 10 and 11 in-person students Return to Justice
March 26 - End of Quarter 3 - 2 Hour Early Release
March 29 - April 2 - Holiday (Spring Break)
April 5 - Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)
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