Carson MS Weekly Updates -Week of May 3rd


Carson Middle School

Important Upcoming Events

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


May 3-7 is Teacher Appreciation Week

This week, please join us in celebrating our teachers and instructional staff for their excellent work. We appreciate them for their commitment to our school community.


Check out the latest Principal's Message from Mr. Stokes here!


Update on Virtual and In-Person Learning

Dear RCMS Families,

This week marks a milestone as we enter our second 4-day week of in-person learning.  Throughout our last two months of concurrent instruction we have worked to provide our students with high-quality learning experiences for both our in-person and virtual students, and promoted continuity in a time of novelty and change.

At this time we’ve reached a point in our concurrent instruction where we are unable to change virtual or in-person preferences. We will not be able to honor additional requests to switch the status of your child from in-person to virtual, or from virtual to in-person learning. This decision supports our concurrent learning, and minimizes the disruptions to our daily schedules and instructional environments. 


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.


National Junior Honor Society Updates

National Junior Honor Society Updates

8th grade members: The service hour deadline is this Friday, May 7th at 2:15 p.m. Students’ Service Hour Reflection must be submitted in the NJHS Google Classroom by this time. For more information, students should see the documents posted in the NJHS Google Classroom.

7th grade students: Application invitations have been emailed to all 7th grade students with a third quarter GPA of at least 3.5. Applications are due Friday, May 14th at 5:00 p.m. Late applications will NOT be accepted for any reason.

Please direct any NJHS questions to Elizabeth Joyce (eajoyce@fcps.edu).


Tuesday, June 8th is Democratic Primary Election Day- All Students to be Virtual

Tuesday, June 8th, is the Democratic Primary Election. The Fairfax County Electoral Board and the City of Fairfax Electoral Board will be using 165 school facilities as polling locations, therefore all students will have a virtual synchronous learning day (no in-person classes) for students.

ALL students will login to classes and learn from home on this day - in-person students will NOT report to school.


Student Pictures- Pick Up

If you ordered Picture-Day pictures for your student, please see the information below.

  • In-Person Students: Pictures for in-person students were distributed through their Panther Time Connections class. If they did not receive it in their class, please have your student check in the main office.
  • Virtual-Only Students: If your virtual-only student took a picture and you ordered, you may pick up their packets from school. If you did not order, you may still pick up the proof and order through the information in the proof packet. Please come to Entrance #1, Monday-Friday 7:00a.m-3:00p.m. Please tell us your student's name and that you are picking up their pictures. A staff member will bring them out to you.

If you want to view your student’s picture proofs but do not want to come to school to pick them up, please contact LifeTouch customer Service at 1800-736-4753.

If you have any questions, please contact Assistant Principal Sybil Terry.


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.

book fair graphic

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. 


Credit Recovery

Credit Recovery is an opportunity for students to recover two high-school course credits. 

Each high school will offer credit recovery courses and select standardized test prep classes for its students during two sessions:

·         Session 1: June 28-July 16, 2021

·         Session 2: July 21-August 6, 2021.

Students can take one course or class per session. Students are eligible for credit recovery courses if they receive a “NM” at the end of the school year. Students who need to earn a verified credit are eligible for a test prep class.

View the Credit Recovery page for details.

Online Registration Dates:  Registration Link

Session 1: Monday, April 26, 2021 - Monday, June 21, 2021

Session 2: Monday, April 26, 2021 - Monday, July 12, 2021


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.


Grading Update From FCPS

2020-21 End of Year Grading Flexibility 

  • Use of NM (no mark) instead of F grade for final mark
  • Use of P (pass) instead of a final mark of D/D+ 
  • Final exams used only to raise student grades

Please review the voice-over video regarding the EOY grading flexibility and contact your child's counselor if you have any questions.

Also, students/families may request a mark of P (pass) instead of any passing letter grade as their final mark in any course.  If you want to make a request, the form is to be returned to school counselor by May 10, 2021. 


Daily Bell Schedule

Click here for our current bell schedule:

https://carsonms.fcps.edu/about/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:

  1. Use the link to our online attendance form (preferred) from the main page of the RCMS website:
  2. Send an email with full details to: CarsonMiddle.Attendance@fcps.edu, or
  3. 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!


After School Program Notes

Congratulations to the following Panthers in the Rachel Carson TSA (Technology Student Association) Chapter and our Coach, Sona Sharma-Chibber, on their success in the Technosphere state competition!

 Biotechnology-2nd Place

  • Varsha A., Arnav B., Hamsika I., Amogh K., Archi M., Sampriti M., Arjun P., Saakruthi P.

Career Prep

  • Varsha A.-3rd Place/Ishita T.-5th Place/Anthara K.-8th Place/Hamsika I.-10th Place

Challenging Technology Issues- 3rd Place

  • Abishek K. & Anthara K.

Cybersecurity Foundations-2nd Place

  • Winston W.

Digital Photography-1st Place

  • Hamsika I.

Essays on Technology

  • Archi M.-1st Place/Sampriti M.-5th Place/Adithiya B.-9th Place/Aarushi B.-10th Place

Forensic Technology

  • Hashmita N. & Manya Y.-2nd Place/Ananya K. & Ishita T.-5th Place/Aarushi B. & Archi M.-6th Place

Leadership Strategies-1st Place

  • Archi M./Veda M./Aashritha P.

Medical Technology Issues- 1st Place

  • Adithiya B./Aarushi B./Abishek K./Ananya K./Archi M./Veda M./Saakruthi P./Aashritha P.

Micro Controller Design-2nd Place

Ananya K./Hashmita N./Saakruthi P./Samanvi T./Manya Y.

Prepared Speech-4th Place

  • Sampriti M.

Promotional Marketing

  • Varsha A.-2nd Place/Ishita T.-7th Place/Parth D.-9th Place

STEM Animation

  • 4th Place- Adithiya B./Arbav B./Parth D./Arjun P./Tanish R./Winston W.
  • 7th Place-Varsha A./Aarushi B./Hamsika I./Archi M./Veda M./Saakruthi P.

System Control Technology

  • 1st Place-Hashmita N./Samanvi T./Manya Y.
  • 5th Place-Varsha A./Hamsika I./Ananya K.

Video Game Design-2nd Place

  • Arnav B./Abishek K./Amogh K./Sampriti M./Arjun P./Winston W.

Website Design- 2nd Place

  • Varsha A./Hamsika I./Archi M./Veda M./Sampriti M./Samanvi 

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 Rising 9th Grade students

You are invited to visit the school for an in-person mini orientation on May 24th from 1-3 P.M. At this event, future Bulldogs will have a tour of the building, learn how to join extracurricular activities, and meet current faculty and students. This will be a fun opportunity to ask questions and become familiar with the high school environment.

The event is free and transportation will be provided.  Busses will leave from each middle school at 12:45 and return at approximately 3:15.  All participants will be required to wear a mask at all times and due to social distancing requirements, the number of participants is limited to 225.  If you would like to attend, please fill out the form at this link: https://forms.gle/WDwTGrqCbgyNn5B47 

We are excited to meet our incoming 9th graders!  If you have any questions, please contact Sonya Williams at snwilliams1@fcps.edu.

Westfield High School Freshman Football 

Westfield High School Freshman Football Workouts will begin Monday, May 3 at Westfield High School from 3:30-4:30 PM and continue Wednesday and Thursday (5/5 & 5/6) at Stone Middle School from 3:30-4:30 PM.  We will continue this schedule each week and look to move all workouts to Westfield beginning in June.  No previous football experience is necessary to participate and we are excited to begin working with the class of 2025 Bulldogs.  If you or anyone you know is interested in joining the Westfield Football Family, please contact Coach Sachlis at 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.

Sport

Coach

Email Address

Cheerleading

Becky Slaight

RASlaight@fcps.edu

Cross Country

Joseph Schuler

JVSchuler@fcps.edu

Dance Team

Catherine McDermott

chmcdermott@fcps.edu

Field Hockey

Lisi Mueller

almueller@fcps.edu

Football

Jason Hescock

jrhescock@fcps.edu

Boys Golf

Kevin Anderson

Kanderson3@fcps.edu

Girls Golf

Olivia Dunheimer

odunheimer@fcps.edu

Girls Volleyball

Melinda Rocha

mrocha@fcps.edu