Justice Newsletter - April 4


A Note from Principal Eck


Dear Justice Families,  

Happy Sunday! This week marks the beginning of the 4th quarter, and as a reminder, tomorrow is a teacher workday with no asynchronous work for students.

 

On Wednesday, April 7, Superintendent Brabrand will be hosting a virtual Town Hall Meeting from 7-8 p.m. He will be sharing the latest information on the Return to School and End of the Year Activities. Please watch on Channel 99 or view the Livestream. Send your questions in advance to returntoschool@fcps.edu or call 1-800-231-6359 during the Town Hall.

 

In the upcoming weeks, many of our students will begin fasting in observance of the month of Ramadan. It is important for our students who are fasting to have a quiet, alternative location to go to during lunchtime. Therefore, the library will be open to students who prefer to go there during lunch rather than the cafeteria. This will begin on April 13 through May 12. If you have questions, please contact Jason Kagarise at jmkagarise@fcps.edu

 

Last, the return to in-person learning offers us an opportunity to engage and support all our students in new ways. If you would like your student to return to in-person instruction, please email your student’s administrator or call the main office at (703) 824-3900.    


Sick Student Notification and Permission to Return to School

Effective April 5, 2021, when a student remains home from in-person instruction due to COVID-Like Illness (CLI), the parent/guardian will NO LONGER need to provide the Sick Student Notification and Permission to Return to School/Child Care Form.

The Sick Student Notification and Permission to Return to School/Child Care Form will continue to be required for the following situations and must be completed prior to the students return to in-person instruction: 

  • Sent home due to COVID Like Illness (CLI)
  • Reports a positive COVID-19 test
  • Is instructed to quarantine by a medical provider or the FCHD

Additional acceptable documentation for student return to in-person following illness:

  • A health care practitioner note is also acceptable. The note is to be attached to the Return to School Form/Child Care and placed in the student’s cum folder.
  • If the student is returning from quarantine or isolation and has been under the advisement of the FCHD, a copy of the SARA alert form is also acceptable.

The forms and translations are located at http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/ssse/healthinfo/index.shtml under “Forms and Letters.”


Emergency Care Forms

This past week, students who returned to in-person learning received a copy of their Emergency Care Forms from their 4th period teacher.  Please review these forms.  If all of the information is correct, please sign the bottom of the form and have your child return it to their teacher when we return from Spring Break.  If there is any information that needs to be corrected, please make the correction directly on the form, sign it, and have your child return it to their 4th period teacher when we return from Spring Break.


Standards of Learning (SOL) End-of-Course (EOC) tests

Across Virginia this spring, high school students will be taking Standards of Learning (SOL) End-of-Course (EOC) tests. Federal and state education departments have decided not to cancel assessments. A Frequently Asked Questions webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/node/43148) provides more information about SOL EOC tests in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).  

In FCPS, high school non-writing SOL tests will be scheduled between April 12 and June 4, 2021. All SOL tests are taken in-person at school. SOL tests are not available for remote delivery from home. The Health and Safety Protocols for Assessments webpage gives information on how our school is preparing for safe testing and what you and your student can expect on the day of the test.

Justice HS will invite all students who need a verified credit for graduation or if they have not yet met the federal testing requirement to participate in the SOL. Our SOL schedule is listed below: 

 

Date SOL
Monday, May 3 Reading
Monday, May 10

Biology

Chemistry

Earth Science
Monday, May 17 Algebra I
Monday, May 24

Geometry

Algebra 2

Wednesday, May 26 Math & Science retakes
Friday, May 28

 

Reading retakes

 

FCPS has adopted flexibility from VDOE to use performance assessments in lieu of the SOL tests for High School Social Studies (World History/Geography 1/2  and US/VA History). Justice HS students enrolled in these courses will participate in this assessment.

For spring/summer of 2021, the Virginia Board of Education has implemented emergency guidelines for locally awarded verified credits due to Covid-19. A score of 400 is considered passing for a Virginia SOL test. For spring 2021, students currently enrolled in a course, who score between a 350-399 will earn verified credit towards meeting graduation requirements. Students who score in this range are not required to retest; however, parents/guardians may elect for their student to retest if desired. If you would like your student to retest please contact your student’s school counselor or Shelley Terry, Assessment Coach at Justice HS. More information about retakes can be found here: https://www.fcps.edu/node/43150.

If you do not want your student to take SOL tests at school this spring, you have the right to defer or refuse testing. However, any decision to defer or refuse SOL tests should be made in consultation with school staff to allow full consideration of any potential implications for on-time graduation. The Right to Refuse Assessments webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/node/34277) offers important information as you consider this decision. If you believe you may wish to defer or refuse one or more SOL tests this spring, please fill out this Google Form or contact our Assessment Coach, Shelley Terry, at sdterry@fcps.edu.


Student and Staff Recognition

Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 virtual Fairfax County regional science and engineering fair.

The 66th annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair virtually showcased over 200 high school science projects. Via recorded videos, 300 students presented their research projects in a wide variety of science and engineering fields. Projects were judged by over 150 STEM professionals and 50 professional organizations and businesses. 

 

Please join us in congratulating our students and their teachers on a successful science fair. The hard work and dedication all of you invested this year really paid off. For more information please click this link

 

 2021 Category Justice Award Winners:

2nd Place 

  • Sam Belmar (Chemistry) 

3rd Place 

  • Duaa Eldirdiri and Noreen Hossain (Earth and Environmental Sciences)

  • Emily Rutherford (Earth and Environmental Sciences)

  • Dola Hossain (Plant Sciences) 

Honorable Mentions

  • Lucy Ammon (Earth and Environmental Sciences)

  • Yabesra Ewnetu (Earth and Environmental Sciences)

  • Marley Thomas (Materials Science)

  • James Doan and Mohtashin Talukder (Mathematics)

  • Sabrina Ehmann-Jones (Microbiology)
  • Sam Belmar (The Effect of Household Materials on the Freezing Point of Water), Duaa Eldirdiri & Noreen Hossain (The Absorbency of Coconut Fiber and Sand on Oil and Water ), and Yabesra Ewnetu( Water Purification: What is the Most Cost Effective Method of Cleaning Lake Water? ) received additional recognition from the sponsoring organizations.


Sports Career Consulting’s Super Bowl LV

Congrats to David Vu for taking second place in Sports Career Consulting’s Super Bowl LV Promotions Competition!  In conjunction with Super Bowl LV, Sports Career Consulting hosted a national student competition with all marketing students nationwide with a focus on developing a fundamental understanding of the concept of promotion. Students were tasked with the development of a point of purchase display representing a consumer goods brand tied to Super Bowl LV. The contest drew over 100 entries in the U.S.  David’s entry was creative and offered a strategy that would most certainly lead to an increase in product sales.


Shout out to Coach Weisbecker

 

Coach Weisbecker was named the Washington Football Team and INOVA Health, High School Football Coach of the Week!! Each week for10 weeks INOVA Health will announce a high school coach of the week. Coach Weisbecker "is a relationship builder & born leader kids gravitate towards. He works tirelessly to care for them as students, players and human beings." Please join us in congratulating him.

 

https://twitter.com/WasNFLCommunity/status/1375467766027796481


Senior Parents: Yard Signs, Shirts, and Dues

yard sign

The senior yard signs are in and available for pick-up!  Virtual and in-person students may come by and pick-up their senior yard sign Monday through Friday, from 8am-3:30pm.  Please email Colleen Lally at clally@fcps.edu or call her at 703-824-3907 to let her know what day you’re coming by and we will have your sign ready in the main office.

 

Tshirts

The senior t-shirt is also available.  Senior shirts may be purchased on MySchoolBucks.com or may be purchased with cash at the school.  Shirts are $15.00. 

If purchased on MySchoolBucks.com, please email Colleen Lally to let her know what day you are coming by to pick up the shirt. 

 

Also on MySchoolBucks: senior dues. Senior dues are currently $50.00.   Payment may be made on MySchoolBucks.com.  Senior dues pay for the cap, gown, diploma, and diploma cover. 


Kiss and Ride: Door 13

Please use Door 13 in the back of the building to drop off or pick up your student. We appreciate your continued assistance with ensuring that we maintain a safe traffic flow. Email any questions to Luther Ivery, Safety and Security Specialist, at lkivery@fcps.edu.


Grading Policy Changes

In response to family feedback and student check-in results, FCPS will be seeking to lessen the stress and anxiety posed for some students who have been challenged by the virtual learning environment during the past (and ongoing) pandemic year. FCPS will provide three additional grading changes to support middle and high school students. More information on the grading policy changes is available online.  


New Multilingual Podcast Series Offers Message of Hope, Appreciation, and Readiness

We are so excited about FCPS’ new multilingual podcast series! Our Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement hosts the podcasts in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Korean. Families can expect timely and important information related to school news. Listen to the most recent podcast featuring Superintendent Brabrand. His message of hope, appreciation, and readiness is truly inspiring.


College and Career News


Class of 2022 Justice HS Student & Parent College Planning Night

 

Parents and students are invited to hear from College Admission Professionals about College Admission trends and resources to help prepare the Class of 2022. 

College Planning Night for the Class of 2022 will be held virtually on Thursday, April 15, 2021, from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm.

 

If you haven’t registered on the Class of 2022 Justice HS Student & Parent College Planning Night Info Sheet, please click here to register.    There is a limit of 500 attendees through Blackboard Collaborate and attendees will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. We ask that only one attendee per household registers for this event.

 

A recording of the session will be uploaded to YouTube and available for those who are not able to attend the live virtual session.  Closed Captions in multiple languages will also be available when the video is uploaded to YouTube.

 

For more information, contact your child’s counselor or Alicia Grande, College & Career Specialist, at agrande@fcps.edu


Northern Virginia Regional College Fair

Northern Virginia Regional College Fair, hosted by the Office of Admissions at George Mason University! Historically, the Northern Virginia Regional College Fair (NVRCF) helps more than 1,500 students from the Northern Virginia area make connections with institutions across the United States. This year we will have participating institutions from across the globe!

Students will have the opportunity to visit with over 200 colleges and universities in individual zoom rooms.

The Northern Virginia Regional College Fair Live Virtual Event | Thursday, April 8, 2021, 6 – 8 p.m. ET- Click here to register for more information and to register for the event.


2021 Virtual Career Exploration Fair Monday, April 19, 2021 – Friday, April 30, 2021

The event will be completely VIRTUAL with a combination of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) sessions and workshops. Arlington Public Schools (APS) and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) are teaming up to host a Virtual Career Exploration Fair. High school students will be able to connect with over 100 local industry professionals from in-demand career fields. Additionally, students can attend college and career-ready workshops and information sessions. High School Students can take part in the following ways: ▪ Learn about work-based learning (WBL) opportunities. ▪ Attend industry panel discussions. ▪ Take part in mock interviews. ▪ Attend resume workshops. ▪ Learn about postsecondary education, training, and apprenticeship opportunities.

 

Register for the Virtual Career Exploration Fair now! by visiting bit.ly/2021careerexp. You can email workbasedlearning@fcps.edu with any questions.


News from the Activities Office

Spring Sports are around the corner!

We are very much looking forward to the return of our Spring Athletic Programs... unfortunately, they were void of a season last year.

ALL SPRING SPORTS BEGIN APRIL 12th

B/G Soccer, B/G Lacrosse, B/G Tennis, B/G Track, B/G Crew, Baseball & Softball  

Please make sure that you are preparing your paperwork and get your physical in on file. Information on the new Student Athlete Registration site.

Please fill out (click) our google form so that coaches can add you to their contact list. 

INTEREST FORM -  Spring Sports 


Spring Season Parent/Athlete Information Night  Wednesday 4/7 @ 7pm

Meet and hear from the Athletic Dept. staff and individual sport coaches. General meeting followed by sport breakouts! More information, including virtual link to come!


Forensics Team competes at States!

The regional champion Justice H.S. Forensics team recently competed at the VA State meet. Congratulations to the following state medalists!!!

3rd Place- Valeria Paterson

3rd Place- Alessandra Simmons-Robles


Back Gate Access Policy

Due to safety and security concerns, Justice High School is locking the back gate located at the northwest corner of the building, from 11pm-6am on weekdays and all weekend. The fields and track will still be accessible during these times by using the front gate, located at the southeast corner of the building, next to our main gym. Thank you!


Field and Track Use

The Justice High School track and fields are open to public use when they are not in use by school programs or by permitted community use groups. We wanted to remind the community that the field and outdoor facilities are closed to the public during the regular school day from 8am-3pm.

In addition, our athletic teams are competing in VHSL athletic seasons. This includes offseason workouts that occur after school hours. Per, the policy above, the field and track are closed to public use during these times. Currently, our outdoor facilities are scheduled for SCHOOL USE from 3:30pm-7pm Monday – Friday. In addition, on many evenings, we have games scheduled which block the space for any public use. You can always check our game schedules on www.justicehssports.com .These dates and times are subject to change. In an effort to ensure the safety and health of our student athletes and coaches, we ask that any public use occur outside of these times. Thank you!


Parent Academy

FCPS Parent Resource Center Events

The FCPS Parent Resource Center (PRC) is offering four free parent webinars in April. They are:

  • Construyendo y manteniendo familias fuertes Un seminario web presentado en español (Building and Keeping Strong Families: A Webinar Presented in Spanish), on Tuesday, April 6, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
  • Skill, Not Will: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach Webinar for Families, on Friday, April 9, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
  • COVID-19 Vaccines and the Vaccination Process in Fairfax County: A Webinar for Families, on Tuesdays 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
  • Encouraging Positive Behaviors at Home Series: Minimizing Prompts and Maximizing Your Child’s Independence, on Thursday April 22, 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m.
  • More information on each session and how to register is available online.

Note: Previous webinars have been recorded and can be viewed on the PRC YouTube channel


2021 End-of-Year Ceremonies

Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to and planning to hold in-person graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021. While traditional venues will most likely not be available in June, we are actively exploring other venue options.

Governor Northam has updated guidance for in-person graduation ceremonies, indoor and outdoor social gatherings, and public health and space restrictions for certain outdoor sports and entertainment venues. We are currently working through these new guidelines to understand the health and safety requirements and laws for culminating events such as graduation: All Night Graduation parties, prom, and end- of-year celebrations for our elementary and secondary students.

We will promptly notify school staff, students, and parents as soon as we have the additional and plans. 


Important Dates

April 5 - Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)

May 31 - Holiday (Memorial Day)

June 7 - Graduation

June 11 - Last Day of School


Be Informed, Stay Involved @ Justice!