Message from Dr. Smith
Hello Bruin Families,
This week has been a week of celebrations. We started this week with a Club Council, facilitated by Katelyn Touhey, who led our first annual Club Awards program! While we often hold athletic awards programs each season, I have never heard of, nor attended, an awards program for student clubs. Our Club Council, comprised of leaders of each of our student clubs, used their voice to recognize this need and Ms. Touhey helped to make the idea a reality! I’m proud of the work of our clubs, especially this year during the pandemic. It was truly amazing and it was a powerful example of the student leadership and supportive adults that we have at our school. What an incredible event that took time to showcase and recognize the spectacular work of our student clubs! This video provides a short glimpse of some of the work of our student clubs this year.
Senior parents and students will have a virtual meeting on Monday, May 24. Two identical sessions will be offered for students and parents to attend. The first session will run from 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm and the second session will run from 6:45 pm - 7:15 pm. All invitation links with preassigned sessions were emailed to Seniors and Senior parents on Thursday, May 20. If you have not received a link, please email Ms. Hampton at tlhampton@fcps.edu with an appropriate email address for an invitation link.
May 25 through May 28, most students will attend classes virtually to provide the ability to administer SOL exams. Students are expected to attend classes every day and every period next week. Our catch up days next week are on Wednesday, May 26, and Thursday, May 27. Students are expected to login to their classes on those days for attendance and to receive support from their teachers. One other virtual day for all students will be June 8 for elections that are taking place in our building.
Saturday, we will welcome students for Senior Prom on the LBSS campus. We are excited to celebrate with our students and we are appreciative to our staff, especially our administrators, who have made this special event possible.
As we get closer to the end of this school year, we are here to support your student. Reach out to our staff if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
United as Bruins,
Daniel W. Smith, Ed.D.
In this Issue
NEW Information
FCPS COVID Vaccination Clinics
Year End Events Calendar
Middle and High School Yearbook Pickup
LBSS Pyramid Art Show
LBSS Principal's Cabinet Year in Review
May Student of the Month Winners
Student Congratulations
SEPTA Awards Nominations
Important Testing Information
AP Exam Information
SOL Calendar, Refusals and Make-Ups
Exam Prep Strategy
Parent Volunteers Needed
From Our Activities Department
VHSL Physical Form
Important Reminders
4th Quarter Catch Up Days
LB Chorus Online Auction
Library Book Round Up
Monday Check-in Reminder
Early Releases
High School Information
Class of 2023 T-Shirts
High School Yearbook
Middle School Information
Rising 9th Grade Parent Night
Class of 2021 News
Senior Class / Senior Parent Meeting
Baccalaureate Celebration
Graduation Photographs
Parent Academy
See Website for Information
FCPS Information
ESSER III Funding: Community Feedback Wanted
Summer Practice Books
Fall 2021 In-Person and Virtual Resources
Important Immunization Requirements
Registration Opens for E-IFTA and IFTA
FCPS Tech Support
FCPS Mental Health Resources
Important LBSS Contact Information
Attendance Procedures
How to Stay In Touch
New Information
FCPS COVID Vaccination Clinics
Information regarding the FCPS COVID vaccination clinics has been sent directly to families from FCPS. Lake Braddock students who have registered to receive their vaccinations are scheduled for Wednesday, June 9 at West Springfield High School. If you have questions regarding the clinics, please visit this FCPS website.
Year End Events Calendar
The 2020-21 Year End Events Calendar has updated information regarding the last two weeks of school. This calendar includes Senior event information, final exam schedule and laptop collection.
All students will be asked to turn in their school issued laptop at the end of this year. This will allow the laptops to receive important updates and maintenance. Seniors will turn them in on June 4th, and 7th through 11th grade students will turn in their laptops on June 10th (virtual students) and 11th (in-person students).
Students who will be attending academic summer programs for FCPS will have the ability to receive a laptop back before those programs begin.
Middle and High School Yearbook Pickup
In-person students may pick up their yearbooks at school June 1-4 during lunches and lunch pick-up. Virtual students can pick up their books June 1-4 from 4:00-6:00 at Door 1 and on June 10-11 at their material and laptop drop-off site. Books can be purchased in-person during distribution. All sales end June 11.
LBSS Pyramid Art Show
The Lake Braddock Pyramid Art Show returns this year: Virtually!
This year’s theme was inspired by our very own Alexander Mather who named the NASA Mars Rover Perseverance. There will be a website of Individual student portfolios and class portfolios of artwork from all the schools in the Lake Braddock Pyramid.
Website Launch: May 27 at 5:00 pm
Contact Cynthia Gavin for questions: cfgavin@fcps.edu
LBSS Principal's Cabinet Year in Review
Our LBSS Principal's Cabinet finished their year this week. Please take some time to read about their accomplishments this school year on our website. We are so proud of each of these student-led groups and their work to make our school the very best it can be.
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May Student of the Month Winners - Engaged
Bruin Pride wants you to know that, despite our social distancing, we still want to celebrate and recognize our students and our staff. Each month, staff are able to recognize students who have demonstrated characteristics of our Shared Vision. The four main attributes of our theme #BruinsCARE are connected, adaptable, resilient, and engaged. Read more about them here.
May Student of the Month Winners – ENGAGED:
- 7th – Michael Samson
- 8th – Autumn Dunlop
- 9th – Amaar Mohammed
- 10th – Leah Stone
- 11th – Jay Wald
- 12th – Zachary Poche
Next month’s theme is representative of all our Bruin Care attributes. June winners will be announced near the end of next month.
Student Congratulations
Congratulations to 11th grader Vaishi Punaji has been selected for a 2021 Achievement Award in Writing, given by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Vaishi was one of our school winners submitted to this writing competition, seeking to honor the best writers from around the country. Each student submitted two pieces of writing. Two independent judges then scored each submission on expression of ideas, language use, and unique perspective and voice. Vaishi’s poetry submission earned her their highest designation – a Certificate of Superior Writing.
SEPTA Awards Nominations
Congratulations to LBSS Counselor, Margaret Veenstra, and HS Special Ed Teacher, Kayla Ibanez, on their nominations for a 2020-2021
Fairfax County Special Education PTA Award recognizing outstanding achievement in supporting students with disabilities and learning differences in FCPS.
Important Testing Information
AP Exam Information
If you are taking an AP exam this year (digital or in-person), please find updated information here regarding important policies and procedures during the AP Exam testing window: https://lakebraddockss.fcps.edu/advanced-placement.
Please contact the AP Testing Team with questions:
Lynn Carrera – LNCarrera@fcps.edu
Megan Cashman - MTCashman@fcps.edu
Jennifer Bury - JABury@fcps.edu
SOL Calendar, Refusals and Make-ups
The LBSS SOL testing schedule can be found HERE and a PDF calendar HERE. Students will receive an email to their Google account with their specific testing room assignment approximately one week before testing.
Please remember that all classes will be virtual the week of Tuesday, May 25 through Friday, May 28. Buses will run normally during the virtual school week so that students who require bus transportation for SOL testing Tuesday, May 25 through Friday, May 28 will be able to catch their regular bus at the normal time and bus stop. Only students who are taking an SOL test should come to school during the virtual school week. If a student is not testing, they should remain at home to learn virtually. Students will return home after completing testing and should rejoin their classes virtually. If students are waiting for a bus after testing, they will continue with their virtual classes in the Little Theatre until the busses take them home at the end of the school day.
Make-up testing will occur the week of Tuesday, June 1 (all Reading SOLs), Wednesday, June 2 (all Math SOLs) and Thursday, June 3 (all Science SOLs). Make-up testing will take place in the Lecture Hall at 8:15. Please note, if a student does not normally ride a bus on that make-up day, they will have to make alternate transportation arrangements. The testing office will handle attendance for students who show up for make-ups during that week. A student can decide to refuse rather than make-up a test and would follow the same 2 step procedures listed on our refusal website: https://lakebraddockss.fcps.edu/testing-refusal .
Please note, any student who has refused SOL testing after the April 30th deadline may receive a testing location assignment. If families refused after this date or intend to refuse, students can ignore the testing location assignment. After the day’s testing, the Testing Office will work to reconcile the list of students who did not show for testing (make-ups) and those that didn’t show because they refused testing after the deadline. Please be patient as we work through this lengthy process. The LBSS Testing Team is unable to handle individual inquiries for refusal status during testing.
Parent Volunteers Needed
Your help is needed to proctor in-person AP exams. No experience is necessary and you’ll be paired with an experienced staff member for support. Plus, you can get your steps in too! Choose as many time slots as you are able to assist with monitoring during student AP exams. Please note that you may not proctor an exam your student is taking but you don’t have to be the parent of an AP student to volunteer. Parents can sign up using this link to the parent volunteer signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0944a8ad2ca1fb6-lake3
From Our Activities Department
VHSL Physical Form *NEW VERSION* for 2021-2022
Please mark your calendars for our annual physical night, which will be hosted at West Springfield on Monday, July 19.
The VHSL has released their latest version of the VHSL Physical Form, which was revised in January 2021. This new model includes some additional medical history questions, combines previous medical history questions that collectively asked for the same information, provides more detailed descriptions of what the physician should be checking for in the exam portion of the physical, and even includes some changes to the format of each page, drawing attention and focus to required responses and signatures!
Due to the extensive amount of changes to this document, FCPS (Lake Braddock) will ONLY accept this new version of the VHSL physical form for athletic participation in 2021-2022. Any VHSL physical exam submitted for next school year must be dated on or after May 1, 2021 and be completed on the Revised January 2021 version. You can find the new form here VHSL PHYSICAL FORM 2021.
Important Reminders
4th Quarter Catch Up Days
In an effort to support students in this unprecedented year, Lake Braddock will have school wide Catch Up days on May 26 and 27. Catch Up days are synchronous. No new work will be assigned, however all students are expected to login to their classes at their regular times where teachers will take attendance. Students participating in the SOL on May 26 or 27 will have their attendance adjusted accordingly.
LB Chorus Online Auction
Bidding goes LIVE on Monday, May 17th!
Lake Braddock Chorus is finishing the year strong with a one-week online auction (in conjunction with a Spring virtual concert on May 20th) and our biggest fundraiser of the year! Check out the awesome items listed here! https://www.32auctions.com/LBVMBSpringAuction2021
Once the auction is "live", please share with local friends and family to help support the Lake Braddock Choral Department!
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The Great Library Book Round Up of 2021
It's time to return your LBSS library books.
- No fines, no fees, no financial obligations
Last day to check out books was May 10. The library is no longer circulating books.
Two ways to return books:
- Red book return cart inside Door #1 Main Entrance
- Return bin inside the library
Check your fcpsschools.net email account for books still checked out. Please enjoy this VIDEO about Library Book Round Up.
Thanks for your help!
The LBSS Librarians
Monday Check-in Reminder
Parents, please continue to remind your students to complete the Monday check-in form every Monday. Students should complete the form to be marked present for the day. The links to the Monday Check-In are provided below.
High School Monday Check-In
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXSZ4K4nvQOhvKWnf_ji7ErGPH3BXBak0TQLG3XbYFNO3rzg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Middle School Monday Check-In
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWHBCm-hBVSGNiGQn62wz8AHgD_JEl-gjEoR0ryQJ1tApQuQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
Early Releases
If you need to pick up your in-person student early, please send them in with a note first thing in the morning. Students can bring a note to the Subschool to receive a pass. The students will also sign out of the Subschool before leaving.
Unfortunately, if you have not sent in a note, we will not be able to pull students for early release after 2:00 pm to ensure our staff are focused on the safe dismissal for all our students.
We appreciate your assistance and cooperation in this process.
High School Information
Class of 2023 T-Shirts
Class of 2023 shirts are here!! These shirts were designed by our own students: Eleni Orphanos and Siobhan Thiede Our first round of ordering is now available. Shirts are $17 each. There are TWO parts in ordering:
- Pay on MySchoolBucks
- Fill in this form for quantity and sizing: https://forms.gle/jvYmgryMJXjaaZjr6
Ordering for this year only will end on June 29th, so please make sure to order before then!
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High School Yearbook
High school yearbooks are on sale through My School Bucks for $70.
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Middle School Information
Rising 9th Grade Parent Night
Come join the High School Student Services team on Wednesday, June 2 at 6:30 PM to learn more about how to help your student successfully transition to high school! This session will be virtual so don’t forget to register HERE! The BBCU links will be emailed the morning of June 2nd. CLICK HERE for additional information.
Class of 2021 News
Senior Class / Senior Parent Meeting
A virtual Senior Class / Senior Parent Meeting will be held on Monday, May 24 on BBCU. Two identical sessions will be offered for students and parents to attend. The first session will run from 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm and the second session will run from 6:45 pm - 7:15 pm. All invitation links with preassigned sessions were emailed to Seniors and Senior parents on Thursday, May 20. If you have not received a link, please email Ms. Hampton at tlhampton@fcps.edu with an appropriate email address for an invitation link.
If you are unable to attend the virtual meeting on Monday, May 24, a recording of the meeting will be posted to Lake Braddock Secondary School website on Tuesday, May 25.
Baccalaureate Celebration
On Sunday, May 23 at 7:00 pm, the LBSS PTSA proudly honors the Class of 2021 with a Baccalaureate Celebration called "GRAD-itude." A link for this YouTube Premiere event will be provided on the Friday before the event on the PTSA Facebook site and in an email from the PTSA sent to PTSA members. The seniors will receive an email from the school with a link on Friday, May 21. The PTSA-sponsored Baccalaureate is an opportunity for our seniors and their families to pause and reflect on the blessings and good times at Lake Braddock Secondary School.
Graduation Photographs
Victor O'Neill Studios is proud to partner with Lake Braddock in providing photography coverage for Graduation.
Parent Academy
See our Website for more information about Parent Academy events.
FCPS Information
FCPS Receives ESSER III Funding; Community Feedback Wanted
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has received American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools. The funds also address the impact of COVID-19 on students by supporting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs, among others.
FCPS is seeking stakeholder input on how our community would like the grant to be used in support of students, staff, and school operations. The community is invited to speak at a Fairfax County School Board Public Hearing about the ESSER III grant on June 7, at 6 p.m. Sign up to speak. Members of the FCPS community can also submit their input using the FCPS Online Feedback Form. Find more information on the ESSR III grant.
Summer Practice Books in June
Check the mailbox for practice books delivered to homes of many FCPS students. The books provide suggested activities to support continued learning over the summer break. Families who have opted-out of paper mailings from the division will only receive a digital link.
Books will be mailed home to families in early June to arrive before the last day of school, June 11. If books do not arrive ahead of the last day of school, families are encouraged to reach out to their school and request print copies.
Students will receive the following books:
- Pre-kindergarten students will receive one interdisciplinary summer practice book.
- Students enrolled in grades K-8 in 2020-21 will receive one Language Arts practice book and one Math practice book by course enrollment. These books will also include information and guidance about digital tools that can be accessed by students and families to support learning throughout the summer.
- English learners and students receiving Special Education services may receive additional or customized books.
Please see the Summer Practice Books public webpage for more information and details about customized books for English learners and Special Education students
Fall 2021 In-Person and Virtual Resources
Important Immunization Requirement: Do You Have a Student Entering Seventh Grade or Twelfth Grade This Fall?
While the COVID-19 vaccination is NOT required by schools for the 2021-22 school year, many other vaccinations are.
Seventh-grade students need:
- One dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) given at age 7 or older.
- One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) given at age 10 or older.
Twelfth-grade students need:
- One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) given at age 16 or older.
More information on new immunization requirements is available online.
Registration Opens April 19 for Summer E-IFTA and IFTA Enrichment Programs
Registration begins April 19, at 8 a.m. for the Elementary Institute for the Arts (E-IFTA) and Institute for the Arts (IFTA) Summer enrichment programs. All students are eligible for these opportunities.
Elementary Institute for the Arts (for rising 3rd through 6th graders) and Institute for the Arts (for rising 7th through 12th graders) will both be held July 6-30 at Robinson Secondary from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students take part in classes every day related to dance, music, theater, and visual art. Both programs have fees, with waivers for students eligible for free and reduced meals. For more information or to register, visit the Summer Learning webpage.
FCPS Tech Support
If you find your student in need of tech support for their school-issued laptop, please to go FCPS Technology Support. There are a number of tips, suggestions, and links for assistance. If you are not able to solve the problem, please submit an IT request online. This request will be routed to Lake Braddock's IT team, who will get in contact with you and/or your student to solve the issue. Please do not submit multiple requests or call the school office directly.
Please keep a close eye on your email. This is how our IT department will communicate with you and your student. The email will come from FCPS and will have a subject line beginning with INC followed by a number. Please also give one to two school days for a response.
FCPS Mental Health Resources
- If you are depressed, in crisis, or just want to talk, please text NEEDHELP to 85511 or call 1-800-273-TALK. Someone will be there to listen.
- If you're going through a tough time, don't go it alone. Reach out to a parent, friend, or trusted adult. You can also text NEEDHELP to 85511 at any time–day or night.
Important LBSS Contact Information
How to Stay In Touch
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
Attendance Procedures
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Monday attendance form: Students must complete the required attendance form between 8:00 and 10:00 am each Monday to be counted as present. Students need to be signed in to their FCPS Google accounts to complete the form. Your child’s 4th period Advisory teachers will remind them and post the same link every week. Please encourage and remind your child to complete the form EVERY Monday morning.
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Reporting absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals: Use the following form to report absences, late arrivals and early dismissal: https://lakebraddockss.fcps.edu/about/attendance. You can also call the subschool attendance phone numbers shown below:
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