Important Upcoming Events
April 26 - SOL Science test: Grade 8
May 3 - SOL Reading test: Grade 7
May 10 - SOL Grade 7 Math, 7 Honors Math, Grade 8 Math, Algebra II tests
May 17 - SOL Algebra, Geometry tests
May 24 - SOL Reading test: Grade 8
May 31 - Memorial Day Holiday - No School or Check-in
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Wear Purple on
Wednesday, April 21
April is Month of the Military Child. We’re asking the RCMS community to wear purple Wednesday to show support and thank our military connected youth for their strength and sacrifices.
Why Purple? Purple indicates that all branches of the military are supported. Send any photos of students wearing purple to ekdonlen@fcps.edu or tag the SCA on Instagram @RachelCarsonSCA.
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SOL Testing Information
All SOLs will be completed in person at Rachel Carson MS on the dates above. If you need to make any changes or updates to your testing intentions, please email our School Testing Coordinator, Lauren Ross (lmross@fcps.edu). The Google Form is officially closed and cannot receive any submissions.
From the PE Department
Human Growth and Development will be taught through PE classes the school week of April 27-30 through PE classes. If your child has opted out of all or some of these lessons, they will be instructed by their PE teacher on their alternative assignments. You may still choose to opt out your child of all or specific lessons no later than April 23rd. Please email the opt out form to your child’s PE teacher.
You can find the opt out form here: https://www.fcps.edu/node/31710 Please email your child’s PE teacher if you have any questions.
Grading Update from FCPS
2020-21 End of Year Grading Flexibility for Middle School Students
During the current 2020-21 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has adopted a grading policy change to provide flexibility for students in middle school to designate their current school year courses as “Pass” or “No Mark” status instead of a letter grade for their final mark.
As you review your middle school student’s third quarter report card, please consider the flexibility that will be applied to final marks:
- Students receiving a final mark of “D” or “D+” in any course will be automatically assigned a mark of “P” (pass) as the final mark at the end of the school year. ● Students receiving a final mark of “F” in any course will be automatically assigned a mark of “NM” (no mark) as the final mark at the end of the school year. ● Students may select a mark of “P” (pass) for any courses for which a passing grade is earned for the final mark.
○ Action Needed: Should you wish to designate one or more courses as Pass status for anticipated grades of “A” through “C-”, the Pass-No Mark Status Form linked here: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/se358.pdf must be submitted to your school counselor/Student Services by May 10, 2021.
- Students and families are encouraged to carefully consider the option to request a Pass instead of a passing letter grade or final mark. Additional information including considerations and frequently asked questions are available at the following link: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and reporting/secondary
An additional option is available for high school credit bearing classes taken in middle school. High school credit-bearing courses will be reflected on the middle and high school transcripts. In accordance with Virginia state regulations, FCPS Regulation 2408 permits parents of students who take a high school credit-bearing course in middle school to request that the grade be omitted from the student's high school transcript and the student not earn high school credit for the course. Parents must make this request no later than the end of the first nine weeks of the school year following completion of the course. The request to expunge as well as guidelines and the procedures for expunging grades for high school courses taken in middle school can be found at the following link: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/is104.pdf
Yearbook Update
Due to a shortage of photos, a yearbook will not be printed this year. The yearbook staff is working behind the scenes to assemble submitted photos and school portraits to create a PDF version of the yearbook that will be made available to all students, free of charge, at the end of the school year.
It is not to late to submit photos! Please consider submitting photos of your Carson student in their home office, with a pet, playing a sport, playing an instrument, doing chores, etc. to: Carsonmsyearbook@gmail.com Make sure to include the student’s legal name and grade, as well as a description of the activity in the photo in the email.
Were you unable to attend a school picture session? You can still be
included in the portrait section! The deadline to submit is April 30th.
Send a snapshot of your student to: Carsonmsyearbook@gmail.com PORTRAIT PHOTO CRITERIA- Only one RCMS student per photo, head and upper body only, solid background, no hand gestures. Make sure to include the student’s legal name and grade in the email.
The RCMS Book Fair is open!
Spring has sprung! Enjoy the outdoors with a good book.
We are excited to announce that the RCMS Book Fair is open! There are several new titles, including the Virginia Readers Choice Awards. Check it out here:
Bookworm Central
Your purchase helps the school. 15% of all orders are given to the RCMS PTA. Last year the RCMS library used this money to purchase over 150 electronic books for students to read during quarantine.
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Here Comes the Bus Mobile App
Know when your bus is approaching your stop! Here Comes the Bus® app is a school bus tracking app that can simplify morning and afternoon routines for parents and students by giving them real-time bus location and text or email notification alerts, helping them get to the bus stop on time. Here Comes the Bus® utilizes our GPS data and an easy to use customizable map that works on one or multiple devices, such as a tablet or smartphone.
Using the app is EASY! You will need the FCPS school district code 28982 and a SIS Parent Account (contact your child's school if you do not have an SIS Parent Account). Please be sure to follow the detailed instructions here to set up your account.
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Virtual CAD and Programming
for Young Scholars (MS)
The TJHSST's FTC Robotics team worked with middle schoolers last year on Saturdays to teach about robotics using LEGO robotics kits. Unfortunately, these in-person sessions were not possible to organize this year, so the team has been working on developing their own curriculum for a free, virtual, school-year camp for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. The only resource needed to access these camps are an FCPS laptop. The camp will be split into two curriculums: 1) classes on Computer Aided Design (CAD), for students to learn how to virtually design their own robots; and 2) robotics-related programming taught in the programming language Python.
Students may choose to participate in one or both classes. Each class will last for 6 weeks, making both a total of 12 weeks from March 27th to June 12th. These sessions will be on Saturdays and take place from 9:30AM to 11:00AM. Students will be emailed a Blackboard Collaborate link to join at these times, similar to how one would join a regular school-day class.
Although the CAD camp has already started, they have posted recordings of the sessions in their Google Classroom (this information will be sent in an email to those who sign up) so students can watch those if they wish to participate in the CAD classes now. They can also sign up for the Programming course, which will be starting on May 1st. More information can be found on the following website: https://www.robotuprising.org/camps/. You may also Register Here.
FCPS Cares Program
The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.
Watch this video to learn more
Course Requests for 2021-2022
Course Requests for Rising Seventh and Eighth Graders: To see the list of courses that your child selected for seventh or eighth grade, please log into your SIS ParentVUE account and click on the course requests tab. Directions for how to view your child’ 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. 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. Course requests are a firm commitment. Course request changes will not be accommodated after June 4.
Daily Bell Schedule
Reporting Absences
If a student needs to miss any class time at all, be it one period or a full day, parents or guardians should always report the details of the absence to the RCMS Attendance Office. Teachers do not have access to mark a student excused for an absence, which is why it is imperative that parents contact the attendance office (instead of, or in addition to, the teacher) when their child is absent so we can mark them correctly.
To report an absence, parents have these options:
- Use the link to our online attendance form (preferred) from the main page of the RCMS website:
- Send an email with full details to: CarsonMiddle.Attendance@fcps.edu, or
- Call the attendance line at 703-925-3636 being sure to include the spelling of your student’s last name and reason for the absence.
If your student is scheduled to be in the building that day but, instead, needs to attend classes virtually, it is very important to let us know!
Please contact the attendance office with the methods above so we don't worry why your student is not in the building. Parents will see the “SYC” code in ParentVUE when their student is absent on their assigned in-person day, but attends class online. FCPS eNotify messages will also go out to parents who have not reported their student's absence.
If your in-person student will be picked up early for an appointment, please send them to the front office in the morning with a note stating the time of the dismissal. Students participating virtually who will be missing class due to appointments or otherwise should have parents contact attendance with the times and the reason the student will be missing classes.
For more information on the attendance policies, please visit the RCMS Attendance page.
RCMS Library Curbside Checkout
At RCMS, outside Door #1
11AM-2PM every Monday (excluding holidays)
Books can also be returned at these times.
Curbside Library Book Checkout is now in operation. This service will be held every Monday, unless otherwise noted. Please check the Library page on our website for further details: RCMS Library
Students can reserve books ahead of time through the Destiny Discover online library catalog by placing them on hold, then pick them up at the next curbside checkout.
If you are cannot make it to the regularly scheduled curbside checkout time, please contact Mr. Treakle to make other arrangements.
Questions? Contact one of your librarians: Mr. Treakle or Ms. Donovan
We look forward to seeing you at curbside checkout!
Who to Contact
If you have a question or concern, please visit our website for a full listing of Who to Contact. This listing includes all of our administrators, our counselors, and who to speak to regarding a specific content area or class. Contact information for all staff members is listed on our website - just click on the name of the person you wish to contact to be redirected to their email address: RCMS Staff Directory.
Other Schools are Sharing....
Westfield High School - 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.
Westfield High School Freshman Football
Students attending Westfield HS in the Fall of 2021 and are interested in playing Football, please contact Coach Sachlis @ jason.sachlis@fcps.edu.
South Lakes High School - Fall Sports at South Lakes High Start on Monday August 2nd. (Boys and Girls golf will begin on July 29th) Please reach out to the coaches for more sport- specific information.
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