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Dear Justice Families,
I hope that you are enjoying your weekend.
Earlier this week, we received communication from Dr. Brabrand regarding the move to 3 feet of social distancing for all secondary students. We are working hard to transition students back to in-person instruction for those who are interested. Please note that we can only return students based on capacity and staff and that we will not be able to honor all requests. Please read below for important information on Justice’s move to four days of in-person instruction.
FCPS has also adopted a series of secondary grading policy changes to help our students achieve a strong finish to the school year. Please see the article below for detailed information.
We have several religious and cultural holidays occurring during the 4th quarter. Please note that our teachers have been asked to avoid new grade assignments, activities, tests and quizzes on the following dates:
- First Day of Ramadan -- April 13
- Theravada New Year -- April 27
- Orthodox Good Friday -- April 30
- Eid at Fitr -- May 13
I am excited to report that we have a final date for in-person graduation. We will celebrate our graduates in a ceremony at Fairfax High School on Monday, June 7th at 9AM.
I am looking forward to an exceptional 4th quarter at Justice and I appreciate your continued support of Justice staff, students and community.
As shared in an email from the Superintendent’s Office, FCPS has adopted a series of secondary grading policy changes to help our students achieve a strong finish to the school year.
FCPS is adjusting our grading policy for the 2020-21 school year to ensure students are not penalized by the challenges brought on by pandemic learning.
Key policy changes for high school students are listed below:
- Final Exam flexibility that ensures an exam can only serve to improve a student’s grade for the year. Teachers will apply this in their grading practices for each class.
- All final marks of “F” will automatically receive a “No Mark” (“NM”) with no action needed by student/family.
- A mark of “NM” earns no credit, does not allow a student to move to the next course level, and will not be averaged into the student’s grade-point average.
- High school students are given the option of opting to replace passing marks (“A” through “D”) in up to TWO courses with a mark of “P” (“Pass”) by completing the attached form and returning it to the student’s School Counselor or Student Services Department by May 10, 2021. There will be no extensions. For in-person students, in Student Services, there will be a designated place to drop-off forms. This decision may not be reversed.
- A mark of “P” shall be recorded on the final transcript. For weight courses, no additional weight will be applied to a grade-point average for “P”. For any Dual Enrollment course, this change only applies to the FCPS grade and not the college/university grade.
- NOTE: These two classes are allowable in addition to any course already designed as Pass/Fail via Regulation 2436.
Information concerning the pass-no mark option for 2020-21 is available to all parents on the following web site: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/
Starting Tuesday, 4/12, the Pass-No Mark Form will also be available in both Main Office, Student Services, and Justice’s Public Website. This form must be submitted in hard copy or via email to the student’s School. Students and families are encouraged to carefully consider the option for Pass-No Mark status.
Report Cards
- For all students, report cards are now available in ParentVUE/Student VUE
- For In-Person students, report cards will be distributed in 8th period on Wednesday, 4/13 and Friday, 4/15.
- For Virtual Students whose parents have not selected “go paperless” in ParentVUE will be mailed home a copy that should be received by the end of this week or early next week.
As FCPS communicated on Thursday, all FCPS middle and high schools will move to 3ft social distancing in all classrooms based on the updated CDC guidance. The ability to decrease social distancing from 6ft to 3ft means that middle and high schools will be expanding the number of students returning to four days of in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year.
While VDOE guidance still remains in place requiring proper physical distancing and other health and safety mitigations in schools, our staff is prepared to review each request and bring as many students back as possible. Please complete this form for your student to be placed on a waitlist to be considered for 4-days a week. You will be contacted if space becomes available. If you have more than one student at Justice, please complete this form for EACH student. **If you have already made a request and know that your student has been placed on the waitlist, you do not need to complete this form.
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
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| Wednesday, May 26 |
Math & Science retakes |
| Friday, May 28 |
Reading retakes
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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.
We will be offering optional vision and hearing screenings for all sophomores beginning this week. Any students who participate should wear their contacts or glasses if applicable.
Opt-In Procedures: If you would like your student to participate in the screening, please review the following details:
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In-Person Students – All in-person students will be screened in PE on April 13 and 14.
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Virtual Students – Virtual students who wish to participate in the screening need to complete the COVID-19 Health Screening Questionnaire and sign up through one of the following links:
Students should bring the COVID-19 Health Screening Questionnaire with them on the day of their screening and report to the clinic.
Opt-Out Procedures: There are three ways to opt your student out of the screening:
- Indicate your preference online through @wecare.
- Complete the opt-out form and email it to Ebony High at ephigh1@fcps.edu.
- Drop off the completed form in the Main Office.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Ebony High at ephight1@fcps.edu or (703) 824-3910.
Graduation - June 7 at 9:00am (June 8 Rain Date): We are excited to announce that this year’s graduation ceremony will be held on Monday, June 7th at 9:00am at Fairfax High School stadium field! Due to current guidance regarding capacity, students will be issued a limited number of tickets to the ceremony. We will be meeting with the graduation committee and senior class leaders in the near future to begin the planning process and will be sure to keep you posted as we receive additional information.
Senior Dues: Senior dues are now available through myschoolbucks.com and will be $50 this year. Senior dues pay for the cap, gown, diploma, and diploma cover.
2021 End of the Year Events: In addition to graduation, FCPS and Justice High School are committed to holding as many as possible traditional end of the year events. We are currently working through these new guidelines to understand the health and safety requirements and laws for culminating events such as prom, and other end- of-year celebrations. FCPS will promptly notify school staff, students, and parents as soon as they have the additional updates and plans.
Senior t-shirts: 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.
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.
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.
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.
Opportunities offered by organizations other than Fairfax County Public Schools are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, or a specific school.
JEI Mini-PhD Program: Learning the Scientific Method from Hypothesis to Publication (Rising 8th through 10th grade students)
The Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI) team at Harvard University is conducting a FREE Mini-PhD program (virtual) this summer. Review this website to learn more. Application deadline is May 1, 2021
NOVA Fab Lab Design Challenge (MS, HS)
NOVA Fab Lab Design Challenge is now open! Students are invited to invent and design a product(s) for eventual fabrication (using 3D-printing and/or laser cutting) transforming typical household items or materials into a toy or game. Application deadline is April 15th, 2021.
2021 CTE Summer Enrichment Camps (Grades 7 -11)
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) office is offering two enrichment programs this year - Tech Adventure Camp and CTE Summer Academy. Registration for both camps will begin in February. For more information, please visit CTE Summer Academy at bit.ly/FCPS_CSA
CCI NoVa Node internship
The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Northern Virginia Regional Node (CCI NoVa Node) offers rising high school seniors an internship experience. This opportunity includes a $2000 stipend provided by CCI NoVa Node for a 7-week program to include fundamental professional skills training and practice, and placement with a cyber related industry to gain understanding of cyber initiatives in Northern Virginia. Deadline is 5 p.m. on April 18th.Submit an application along with a resume and cover letter to internships@childsci.org
NOVA JumpStart Summer Program
This summer, Northern Virginia Community College will offer a selection of online, tuition-free classes to Northern Virginia high school graduating seniors. Students must meet placement requirements and understand there may be textbooks or other material fees associated with courses. Since these classes are all online, students will need access to a computer and the internet. Students may take a maximum of two JumpStart courses.
Important Dates:
- JumpStart applications will open April 5th and close April 30th.
- Classes will run from June 1, 2021 till August 9, 2021Details about the JumpStart Summer Program including placement requirements and material fees can be found Here and on the flyer here NOVA JumpStart Flyer
The FCPS Parent Resource Center (PRC) is offering four free parent webinars in April. They are:
Note: Previous webinars have been recorded and can be viewed on the PRC YouTube channel
COVID-19 Vaccines and the Vaccination Process in Fairfax County: A Webinar for Families
Join the Fairfax County Health Department and Fairfax County Public Schools Parent Resource Center for important updates about COVID-19 and the vaccines that have been developed to help prevent disease. Topics will include: COVID-19 impacts (health, economic, education), The Vaccine (Community Immunity, Different Types of Vaccines, and Safety of Vaccines), Vaccination Process (Eligibility and How to Register). Sessions are subject to change or cancellation based on number of registrations. Please RSVP for the session:
- Tuesday, 4/13 – Session in Spanish - RSVP
- Tuesday, 4/20 – Session in English - RSVP
- Tuesday, 5/4 – Session in Vietnamese - RSVP
- Tuesday, 5/11 – Session in Korean - RSVP
- Tuesday, 5/18 – Session in Arabic - RSVP
May 31 - Holiday (Memorial Day)
June 7 - Graduation
June 11 - Last Day of School
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