 As part of #womenshistorymonth, these Lorton Station ES staff members celebrated three strong women for Read Across America week. (Photo: courtesy of Christine Berry)
Health and Safety Guidance: Response to a COVID Positive Case at a School
Based on recent additional collaboration with the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD), FCPS is making some adjustments to our COVID notification process for school-based incidents.
While the notification process will be generally the same as the one that was used in the fall, the FCHD will now determine which students and/or staff have potentially been exposed and need to return to a virtual setting until contact tracing is completed. Any students and/or staff directed by local health officials to quarantine will be asked to adhere to FCHD guidance.
As we have been welcoming new groups of students back to in-person instruction, we want to remind staff to review the five key mitigation strategies and the importance of following them every day to help keep everyone safe inside our school buildings. Get more information on the response to a COVID positive case at a school.
New Employee Website Launching Soon
The Department of Information Technology (IT) is excited to announce the April launch of a new employee website, the Employee Hub. The Employee Hub is a state-of-the-art website and a central place for staff to easily access the information needed to get work done and stay updated on what’s happening throughout FCPS. Watch this one-minute Hub intro video.
Students Relocating Within Virginia and Contiguous States May Remain Enrolled in FCPS
The Fairfax County School Board has voted to support an exception to Policy 2202, Section III. I. that allows families who are permanently relocating within Virginia or to states contiguous with Virginia to request their child remain enrolled in their current Fairfax County public school (either virtually or in-person) for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, effective immediately.
The temporary exception, which does not change the policy long-term, is to support students and families who may be relocating during the COVID-19 emergency for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
Central Office Staff Volunteering as Classroom Monitors
Thanks to 88 Central Office volunteers for helping to bring our students back to in-person learning this month! Curious about a day in the life of a classroom monitor? Watch this short video to meet Central Office employee Manuel Portillo and learn more. If you are interested in volunteering to support our schools as a temporary classroom monitor, please fill out this form.
2020 Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Claims Deadline is March 31
Mark your calendars. If you participated in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for 2020, the deadline to submit claims for all 2020 FSA expenses is Wednesday, March 31. File claims through the Optum Bank account. Visit the Benefits News and Updates webpage for details on filing a claim.
Recognizing FCPS Social Workers During SSW Week, March 7-13
This year’s National Association of Social Workers theme is “Social Workers are Essential.” School social workers are master's degree professionals who are trained to examine and address life’s challenges in a holistic way. FCPS social work staff have expertise in many areas including mental health, human development and behavior, trauma, and family systems. They increase student and family engagement by fostering positive relationships and creating hope and opportunity for youth and families in need. School social workers' support of students and families is particularly critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also facilitate skill building and strengthen support systems to help students cope, problem solve, overcome barriers, and access resources to support distance learning and the return to school buildings. Thank you to all of our school social workers.
Newsletter Feedback: We Hear You
The results are in! Thank you to everyone who took time to provide feedback. We heard you, and we will incorporate your suggestions with the following actions: Employee News will primarily focus on need-to know news and professional development. Starting on Tuesday, March 23, Employee News will begin distribution on Tuesday morning.
Keep sharing your ideas and suggestions by emailing us at employeenews@fcps.edu.
Photo of the Week
Annandale HS Principal Shawn DeRose is interviewed by NBC4 about students' return to in-person learning.
Women’s History Month Instruction Resources Available
March is Women’s History Month. FCPS staff seize this moment as an opportunity to honor and highlight meaningful contributions of brave, courageous, and diverse women and girls throughout history. FCPS Social Studies, in collaboration with a group of FCPS educators across subject areas, offices, and teams have developed a new Google site: Planning for Women’s History Month. This website brings together resources and guidance to support teachers and schools planning for Women's History Month. Staff will find ideas for classroom learning experiences across content areas and grade levels, as well as details on upcoming virtual events.
Teacher Grant Applications for 2021-22 Open March 22
The Foundation for FCPS invites teachers, counselors, and other school personnel to apply for its annual grant program for projects to be completed in the 2021-22 school year. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the grant priorities have been modified this year. The Foundation will provide up to $1,500 for classroom initiatives that focus on one of three areas: Continuity of learning, building or recovery of math and literacy skills, or social-emotional learning. Find grant guidelines and a link to the application.
The application period will be March 22 through April 23, and funding will be provided in August for the 2021-22 school year. Please contact the Foundation office with questions at foundation@fcps.edu or 571-423-1031.
Apply for Summer Curriculum Development Starting March 15
The Summer Curriculum Development projects website from the Instructional Services Department and the Department of Special Services will be available on Monday, March 15. Projects will begin in the latter part of June and vary in length. Interested teachers are encouraged to apply online by April 2. Please email questions to SCD@fcps.edu. Summer Curriculum Development projects are contingent upon approval of the FY 2022 Advertised Budget.
OurFCPS Faces - Tara Hewan
Tara Hewan, educational specialist for the Equity and Culturally Responsiveness (ECR) team in the FCPS Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement (OPLFE), says this position is more than a career choice; it’s part of her identity. She explains, “My family and I are members of our local NAACP and I serve on the Loudoun County Public Schools Equity Ad Hoc Committee, and the Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee (MSAAC). I’m committed to serving my community and increasing equitable and culturally responsive practices in FCPS and beyond.”
Starting her career with FCPS almost 20 years ago as a teacher at Crossfield ES, she left after a few years, and returned to begin her work in ECR.
Tara explains her role as developing, organizing, and delivering equity and culturally responsive professional development and coaching support across FCPS and particularly in Region 1.
She stresses, “Our support ensures the implementation of equitable and culturally responsive practices for teaching and learning across our system, we also serve as a resource to our region leaders, and departmental staff.”
Tara enjoys the energy of being a part of the ECR Team community. She says, “This group of committed leaders serves our division with a spirit of excellence while working to collectively build equity literacy to those we serve.”
Tara believes that while the pandemic has shed a light on the inequities that exist within our systems, it’s important to fix the systems that cause the inequities rather than exerting energy on “fixing” students and families. She elaborates, “This is important because focusing on the policies and practices that cause inequities in our system will also help us to center the voices and the humanity of Black, Indigenous, people of color, and other communities who have been marginalized by systems of oppression.”
Supervisor Nina Thomas shares, “What's special about Tara is how her strong depth of knowledge is interwoven with grace, consciousness and humility which invites us into the work and into her realm of thinking. She authentically navigates the complexities of supporting leaders and teachers to understand what is necessary and true to support our system in making sure our students and families to thrive no matter the circumstances. She comes from a place of reality and reflection that makes the folks working with her want even more.”
Tara says, “I have the privilege of being a parent. My daughter is 20 and my son is 6, and he just entered the public school system this year. So, this work is extremely personal to me. What I want for my son is what I want for all students; an equitable, identity affirming and culturally responsive learning experience.”
Thank you, Tara, for your dedicated service to ensure equity in education for all FCPS students.
Boost Mental Fitness for Optimal Brain Power
Interested in optimizing your brain power? Engaging regularly in physical exercise, addressing mental health issues, meditation, and learning a new language or musical instrument, are proven ways to support “new wiring” and can make existing pathways in our brain stronger. Essentially, we can slow down or somewhat prevent cognitive decline by doing challenging mental exercises to keep our brains fit for optimal power. To learn more, register with the date and time below:
For additional information, visit our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Guidance Resources online, and use Web ID: FCPS, or call the EAP at 1-855-355-9097. Sign up for our EAP-Wellness Newsletter to get monthly updates and announcements of our Employee Wellness offerings.
Wellness On-Demand Platform Kicks Off April 5
Employee Wellness is launching a new, innovative wellbeing platform called Wellbeats on Monday, April 5. Wellbeats is an easy-to-use, on-demand fitness and wellbeing benefit that can help FCPS staff feel better and improve overall wellness. The platform has over 700 classes ranging from 1 to 60 minutes including yoga, HIIT, strength training, cycling, running/walking, mindfulness, office breaks, and nutrition. More information will be shared very soon.
Tips to Help Decompress and Practice Self-Care
Self-care makes a difference in personal well-being. The FCPS Employee Wellness Team is providing weekly well-being resources and this newsletter will highlight them each week. Some helpful tips include:
EAP also offers free and confidential resources for employees to manage work-life balance. Here is a two-minute video explaining the vast array of services available to FCPS employees.
School Board Ready to Sign Contracts for Solar Program
The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously to move forward with a solar program that will allow FCPS to purchase renewable energy with little or no upfront or operational costs. The Fairfax County Public Schools program will install solar panels on school buildings with the goal of reducing FCPS’ greenhouse gas emissions and electricity costs.
Staff Staples
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Please email EmployeeNews@fcps.edu with potential submissions or questions. Submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Thank you!
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