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Upcoming Important Dates
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Change in Mondays: Due to the increase in planning time needed for concurrent instruction and to align with the school division’s expectations for Mondays, we are moving to a fully asynchronous Monday beginning on Monday, March 22. Students will only need to sign in for Check and Connect from 8:45-9:00 am, and the rest of the day will be asynchronous time for students to work on assignments.
Students in our Special Education Program, who have already scheduled service hours on Mondays, will continue to receive that support.
While we are making this transition, we are also building an intervention plan for students, by invitation, who may need additional support in Math and/or English. More information will be sent directly to specific families about this support opportunity.
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March 25 - Save the Date!
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Glory Days PTA Spirit Night
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March 26
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2-Hour Early Dismissal - end of the 3rd quarter
- Last day to submit a picture for the yearbook
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March 29 -
April 2
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Spring Break - Irving MS building and offices will be closed for the week.
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April 5
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Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)
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 The image above is linked to the yearbook order form. Please use Chrome to access the link.
School Picture Distribution
Ongoing portrait distribution:
- In-person students - packets were distributed through 1st period teachers this week. If your student had their picture taken but did not receive a packet, please call 703-912-4500.
- Virtual students - please pick up your portraits Monday - Friday, 7:30-1:30 at door 1. Just call when you get here and we will walk them out to you.
- Any unclaimed packets will be mailed home starting next Friday (3/26)
3rd & 4th Quarter Catch Up Days
To better meet the needs of students and content areas, we have decided to make a change to our Catch Days. Instead of them being held for an entire day, each content will designate their Catch Days for the 3rd and 4th quarter. This allows for a more natural work day for students in each class that aligns with where they are in regards to projects and assessments. Catch Day dates will be shared by teachers directly with students.
TJHSST Diversity in STEM Talk
The PTSA Diversity Committee of the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will hold its next Diversity in STEM Talk in April! This series is especially for elementary and middle school students in grades 4-8.
Join us Monday, April 12, at 6 p.m. to hear from Julie Ann Sosa, MD, Leon Goldman MD Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Sosa was born in Montreal and raised in upstate New York. She received her AB at Princeton, MA at Oxford, and MD at Johns Hopkins, where she also completed the Halsted residency in general surgery and a fellowship. She previously practiced medicine and taught at Duke University Medical School and Yale University Medical School. She is published in numerous medical journals and books. Dr. Sosa’s research interests include outcomes research, health care delivery, hyperparathyroidism, and thyroid cancer, with a focus on clinical trials. Join us to hear more about a career in medicine and her experience as a surgeon, professor, and now administrator in a large teaching hospital.
- What sparked her interest in medicine?
- What does she enjoy most about practicing medicine?
- What would she recommend to students who want to pursue a medical career?
- What else would you like to know?
Parents, register at this Zoom link*: http://bit.ly/TJStemTalk4
*To ensure you receive the Zoom link, do not use an FCPS schools student email account!
Submit questions in advance here: https://bit.ly/tjdiversitytalks
Information and recordings from past Diversity in STEM Talks can be found on the TJ PTSA Diversity Committee webpage: https://tjptsa.com/committees/diversity/
Library News
“Return to School” has a different meaning for us in the library! If you have a student who is now attending in-person in the school building, please make sure that you “Return to School” any FCPS library books that have been gathering dust on your shelves at home since last school year! While we’re mostly interested in getting our Irving MS library books back, we will accept ALL FCPS books (such as those from your elementary schools) and will make sure that they get delivered to their proper place.
Irving Middle School Library books are available to ALL STUDENTS in many different ways! Both in-person and virtual students have access to ebooks, audiobooks and actual print books!
- Curbside Pickup of books will continue, with students placing holds on print books in the library’s catalog and then picking them up on Mondays from noon until 3. Please email a librarian if this day/time does not work for your family. Here’s a HOW-TO VIDEO for Curbside Pickup.
- NEW!!! Students who are in the Irving school building can have books delivered to their 7th or 8th period classrooms by first reserving books through the library catalog and then informing librarians of their hold using a new Google Form. Here’s a HOW-TO VIDEO for Getting Library Books in School.
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Mackinvia.com is the interface through which our students can browse and borrow ebooks and audiobooks from home using their laptop, device or phone. Students log into Mackinvia.com, search for what they want and “checkout” ebooks or audiobooks. Mackinvia items are automatically “returned” for students after a three-week loan period.
Tech Tips
In-Person Technology Reminders:
- Bring your school-issued laptop. We cannot support or troubleshoot personal devices.
- Please shutdown and plug-in the laptop each night so that it is fully charged for the school day.
- Bring the laptop, laptop charger and headphones or earbuds to school each in-person day.
Digital Resource Parent Permission: Action Item
We are almost there!! Thanks to the many parents/guardians who have already given permission for their child to use digital resources at Irving. It is imperative that we have consent for all students. If you have not yet provided this consent, please use the first link below to provide your consent today and the second link if you wish to view the list of digital resources at Irving. Thank you!
Link to the Parent Permission Form ｜ Link to Irving MS Digital Resources
After School Program
Club Schedule
To view the weekly club schedule, click here.
If your child is interested in joining one of our clubs, please have them visit the After School Program Student Website in the All Students Course in Schoology. If your child needs help signing up for a club, check out this video tutorial! Tutorial for Accessing the Irving After School Program Student Website
Questions about After School? Please email Emily Geary (emgeary@fcps.edu)
News from your PTA
If you haven't joined the PTA yet, you can do that on our MemberHub site here
The SpiritWear shop is open again!!
You can place your order here. Orders close on March 21st and will be available starting April 9th.
We hope to see you online at the next PTA meeting on April 7th! We’ll find out how the return to school is going and hear about PTA Board nominees.
Thank you to all who attended the Rising 7th Grade parents night! In case you missed it, the recording is available here (Passcode: Horsem@n7)
Schoology Survey -Your Opportunity to provide Schoology Feedback!
FCPS is looking for feedback on this year's pilot of Schoology from the Irving Community!! They are hoping to understand how Irving parents/caregivers and students feel about Schoology. The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete and is anonymous, so please give your honest and candid feedback.Here's the link - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G3L3BTP. One PTA board member will attend a virtual session next week to share our Irving survey feedback with FCPS decision makers. Your input is critical.
Please help make Schoology the best it can be before the county-wide launch this fall!
Next year's PTA!
The PTA is looking for nominations for PTA Board members for next year!! Nominations are due no later than Friday 26 March 2021. The current Board positions are President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. ***NOTE: The nominating committee has a NEW email to send nominations to – please use irvingptanomcommittee@gmail.com .***
Please include:
- Nominee's name
- Nominee contact info (email or phone)
- Position being nominated for
The nominating committee will then announce the slated candidates during the April PTA meeting in preparation to vote during the May PTA meeting. If you would like to read more about the positions and their responsibilities you can see the details here - https://irvingms.memberhub.com/orgs/146343/libraryfiles - in Article 7 - Duties of Officers on p. 9 (p. 11 of the pdf). Don’t forget you must be a PTA Member to access MemberHub.
If you have any questions please contact the nominating committee at irvingptanomcommittee@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!!!
Upcoming PTA Dates
- March 25: Glory Days Spirit Night!
- March 26: PTA Nominations due for PTA Board 2021-2022
- April 7: PTA Meeting - nominations announcement
- April 28: Coal Fire Spirit Night!
- May 11 - PTA Meeting - Board Elections!
For any questions, comments or ideas, please contact us at IrvingMSPTA@gmail.com.
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