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Good Afternoon Parents and Families:
This message is coming to you a day early as we wrap up the 3rd quarter with another successful week as students had the opportunity to catch up on any outstanding assignments the last two days. We received some great feedback from our staff, students, and parents/families reflecting on the last nine weeks and looking ahead. If you haven’t had a chance to do so, please consider taking our End-of-3rd-Quarter Survey here.
After Spring Break, I will send out a 4th quarter calendar at-a-glance for your planning purposes. We will have several upcoming events to honor and celebrate our students as we close out this school year. Please read below for important testing, SIS grading information, as well as overall scheduling guidance from our Student Services team.
In the meantime, I hope you and your families have a restful, relaxing, safe and healthy Spring Break.
Meredith Norris, Principal
Portrait of a Panther
As we closed out this last week of the 3rd quarter, our students continued to shine both in-person and at home. The students highlighted this week were very engaged in the chat, using the mic, asking questions and had some overall great collaboration with their peers. Please find our Portrait of a Panther winners for the week of March 22.
Stone MS Honors Women’s History Month
Our Panther News Team has done a news show feature each Wednesday and Friday of March to honor Women's History Month. Check them out here.
Upcoming SOL Testing Information
Across Virginia, students will be taking Standards of Learning (SOL) tests this spring.
- At Stone, SOL testing will begin the week of May 10th-May 28th.
- All SOL tests must be taken in-person at school.
- Students who attend school virtually will schedule testing appointments to complete their SOL assessments. Bus transportation will be provided for these appointments, as needed.
- If you do not wish for your student to take SOL tests at Stone MS this spring, you have the right to refuse testing.
- The Right to Refuse Assessments webpage offers information and considerations as you make this decision.
- As we prepare for these assessments, we need to collect any opt-out information for spring SOLs.
- Please complete this online Google intent form ONLY if you’d like to opt your student out of any Spring 2021 SOLs by March 31.
SOLs will be given in the following subject areas--
- Reading 7, Reading 8, Science 8, Math 7, Math 8, Algebra 1 (Verified Credit for HS)*, Geometry (Verified Credit for HS)*
Third Quarter Ends Friday, March 26 - Limited Parent and Student SIS Access
- Friday, March 26 is the last day of the 3rd quarter.
- Even with a rolling gradebook, students should be checking in with teachers to see what may need to be turned in by the end of the week.
- Grades in SIS StudentVUE and ParentVUE will not be available from Friday March 26, 2021 at 4:00PM until Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 6:00AM.
- Report cards will be mailed home the week of April 12th. If you have questions about your child’s grades, please reach out to their classroom teacher.
Course Requests for 2021-22 School Year
- Directions for how to view your child’s course requests online in ParentVUE can be accessed at the following link: Online Course Requests in ParentVue .
- Students can also view their list of courses on the course request tab in SIS StudentVUE.
- This list of courses is NOT a schedule, but a confirmation of the courses entered into the student information system.
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Elective choices are subject to change based on space, teacher availability, and schedule conflicts.
- Please review this preliminary list of courses and look for the following errors: Too few or too many classes, absence of a required course, inaccurate placement by grade or course level.
- Parents, please contact your child’s school counselor if you have questions or concerns about the selected courses.
Attention Parents of Rising 9th Graders: Westfield High School is planning to host a spring town hall meeting for parents of the Class of 2025.
- In order to prepare for this presentation, please complete this google form.
- This will help Westfield plan and prepare for your concerns, questions and interests.
Family Life Education Instructional Program Information
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms are available on line for Middle School (7-8) https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle-school-academics-7-8/family-life-education-fle.
Parents/guardians wishing to opt their child out of instruction may complete and return the opt-out form or scan and email a copy of the completed form. An opt-out request can also be made in an email which indicates the lesson(s) the child will be opted out of. The actual opt-out form is not required. Opt-out emails should be addressed to Mrs. Sibley-Oshlick at jnsibleyoshl@fcps.edu with the subject line FLE opt-out: Student last name. All opt out forms or emails need to be completed and return it to Stone Middle School on or before April 9, 2021. Family Life Education instruction is scheduled for April 20-23.
Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Middle School (7-8) grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in FCPS 24-7 Blackboard Parent View https://fcps.blackboard.com/. Please note: This is not yet available in Schoology and you will need to access them through FCPS 24-7 Blackboard.
Program questions may be addressed by contacting instructional Services at 571-423-4550 or by contacting Carrie Reynolds, Health and Physical Education Coordinator at cfreynolds@fcps.edu
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