Annandale Community Insider - August 8

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/08/2021 08:36 AM EDT
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Annandale Community:

Something I learned very quickly when I joined Annandale is how connected the community is to our school. Every time I am out and about wearing my AHS spirit wear, someone stops me and is so happy to tell me how they know Annandale - they are alums themselves, or their family members attended. I’ve never experienced this sense of community at any other school I have worked at and I am proud to be a part of it.

I am excited to share that unlike many schools across our nation that saw a dip in enrollment because families sought other options during the pandemic, our enrollment is up at AHS. I reached out to some of our new families to welcome them to #AtomNation as well as learn more about why they have decided to join us. One father I spoke with said that they had heard about the way we handled schooling during the pandemic and believed we were serving students just as well as - if not better than - the private school his daughter had attended.

I have said over and over how proud I am of the accomplishments of our staff this past year. It is reassuring to see that our community is recognizing the impact of our hard work, our focus on high quality tasks and targets, and our commitment to collaboration.

This past week, FCPS held its annual Leadership Conference, where our very own Mario Villanueva Ramos - Annandale alum, classroom monitor, 2021 commencement speaker, and now an AHS instructional assistant - was invited to speak because he so closely represents many of the families we serve. Mr. Ramos shared his experiences attending the Transitional Program at Annandale after emigrating to the US from El Salvador when he was 22 years old. His message was that he was successful because of the strong relationships and sense of belonging the staff at AHS gave him. He said, “Our teachers weren’t just glad that students were at their desks. They were glad that those students were us.” Mr. Ramos closed with this important reminder: “We as educators are in a special position to be able to build foundations for so many students. We do this every day through the lessons we teach them. Not only the lessons of reading, writing, and arithmetic, but the lessons that affirm that they are a valued part of something bigger: that they belong.” 

At Annandale, nothing is more important to us this year than relationships and support, high quality instruction, and strong collaboration. We know that every child has been impacted by the pandemic and we will do everything we can to create that same sense of belonging for every student. 

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Important Dates

August 11 - Meet the Coach Night

August 13 - First Day for Teachers

August 19 - Grades 9 & 10 and New Student Orientation

August 19 - Open House

August 23 - First Day of School for Students

September 3-6 - Labor Day Holiday (No school on Friday, Sept. 3 or Monday, Sept. 6)

September 30 - Back to School Night 2021

October 4-8 - Homecoming Week

October 9 - Homecoming Dance

 

Meet the Coaches Night - August 11, 6:30pm: We are excited to welcome all of our parents of student-athletes at this fall sports event on Wednesday, August 11 at 6:30pm. The general session will be followed by individual team breakout sessions. Meet your student's coaches and learn about their sports program. Booster memberships and spirit wear will also be available!

 

Grades 9 & 10 and New Student Orientation - August 19: Annandale High School is excited to welcome rising freshmen and sophomores as well as new students to our school orientation on August 19 from 1:30-3:30pm. Students will meet administrators, counselors, teachers, and other essential school personnel and have an opportunity to explore the school building and learn more about student life at Annandale. Families are welcome to attend and learn more about AHS during the Family Coffee event that will be taking place simultaneously. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Sarah Eqab at seqab@fcps.edu.

 

Open House - August 19: We would like to invite all Annandale students and their families to our Open House on August 19 from 3:30-4:30pm. The Open House provides students an opportunity to walk through our halls and find their classes for next year. There is no formal program during this time, but rather an informal chance to get reacquainted with AHS. 

Important Information

Student Schedules Available in SIS - No Later Than August 19: Student schedules will go live in SIS ParentVUE and StudentVUE for all FCPS secondary students at 6:00am on August 19. To view your student’s class schedule when it becomes available, sign up for ParentVUE.

 

Share Your Stories: As part of our staff’s Return Week, we’d like to share some of your families’ stories from the past year. What went well? What was a challenge? What are you looking forward to in the coming year? Share your stories with us here.

 

Student Parking Information: We will again provide student's the opportunity to purchase student parking permits for the 2021-2022 school year. Information about how to purchase a parking permit will be shared soon after the school year begins. In the meantime, students can drive and park in any open reserved students space until parking permits are issued. Stay tuned for more information!

 

Free Breakfast & Lunch for All FCPS Students: The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended schools’ abilities to provide the meals, by giving special exemptions last year when schools were shut down due to COVID-19. This exemption has been extended for the 2021-22 school year. For FCPS, this means that all students, regardless of their families’ incomes, will receive free breakfast and lunch through June 2022.

 

Meningococcal Vaccine Requirement for Rising Seniors: Effective July 1, rising seniors are required to have one dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo). Parents or guardians should ask their private healthcare provider, or the health department, to review their student's immunization record to ensure that their student has received these required immunizations. More information on new immunization requirements is available here. Rising seniors cannot begin school in August without documentation of the Meningococcal vaccine with one dose given at age 16 or older. 

 

COVID Vaccine Available for All Ages 12 & Up: All individuals in Fairfax County who are 12 or older are eligible to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine. To schedule an appointment at a Fairfax County Health Department clinic, the Tysons Community Vaccination Center, or the George Mason University clinic, use the scheduling system: Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS). If you need assistance in another language or have difficulty scheduling your appointment, please call 703-324-7404.
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Awesome Atoms!

Mario Villanueva Ramos, AHS Instructional Assistant, Keynotes FCPS Region 2 Leadership Conference: Mario Villanueva Ramos, a former Annandale Transitional High School alum, classroom monitor, and new full-time Instructional Assistant here at AHS, delivered the keynote address at the Region 2 Kick Off. You may remember, Mario was asked by the Class of 2021 to deliver the commencement address. Dr. Zuluaga was so impressed by his remarks that he invited Mario to speak to Region 2 School Leaders. Mario shared his experience of the impact his teachers had on building a strong foundation that supported him in the face of adversity. When speaking about the sense of belonging his teachers developed, Mario said, “They weren’t just glad to have students at their desks, they were glad that the students at those desks were us. We could count on them for support and care, and they were counting on us to finish our education and to reach our goals.”

 

Counselors Return! Although counselors have been in and out all summer registering students and planning for the upcoming school year, our counseling team returned in full force on August 5. During day one of our counselor retreat, our team brainstormed and collaborated on ways to support students returning to school to ensure our students feel a sense of belonging here at Annandale. Over the next couple of weeks our team will be working on connecting with students about their schedules, registering new families, and continuing the conversations around systems of support for our students.  

 

Annandale Alum, Michael Astudillo Named Columbia Elementary Principal! Congratulations to Michael Astudillo, who was recently named Principal at Columbia Elementary and featured on NBC4 Washington. Mr. Astudillo moved to Annandale in 1982. His parents arrived in the US from Colombia, South America in the 1970s and chose to raise their two children in Annandale, enrolling Michael in kindergarten at Columbia Elementary. He threw himself into life at the school and in fifth grade, became the student council vice president before he went on to attend Holmes Middle School, graduating from Annandale High School in 1995. After college, Astudillo worked briefly in the private sector before he moved into the teaching profession and has now worked for Fairfax County Public Schools for 17 years. Welcome home Mr. Astudillo!
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News from the Activities Office

Check out important information from the Activities Office in their latest newsletter. In addition, you can visit the Annandale High School Athletics and Activities website and the AHS Athletics Twitter page. Please email John Ellenberger at jellenberger@fcps.edu if you have any questions.

 

Play a Fall Sport! Last week we welcomed back student athletes from Football, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Golf, Cross Country, Cheerleading, Dance, and Band. It was great to see so many familiar and new faces in the gym and on the fields. 

If you weren’t able to make it to our first week of Fall Sports tryouts and practices, there is still time to join! The following teams are still open to new athletes coming out and no experience is necessary:
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Yearbooks have arrived!

Yearbooks have arrived and can be purchased at online at www.yearbookforever.com for only $85 while supplies last! If you have any questions, please email Ms. Hanneman at jehanneman@fcps.edu. Don’t miss out on preserving the memories of this unique past school year!