Weekly Update from Irving MS

*If your student does not attend either of these programs, students can pick up schedules in Student Services on the first day of school.. 

Greetings, Irving Families!

I hope you are having a safe and wonderful summer! We are busy at Irving cleaning up from construction throughout our building and planning for the start of the school year! We look forward to seeing our students on the first day of school – Monday, August 23. In this letter, you will find important dates, information, and links that will help make starting school a smooth process. Please continue to check our website for important updates and information as we will be continually updating it over the next few days.

As we all prepare for the start of the school year, please know that we want to be partners in reuniting as a school community. I will be hosting a Virtual Town Hall on Monday, August 16 at 7:00 pm to share the most up-to-date opening information and to answer your questions. I hope this time together will help you feel more prepared for the school year.

One of the most important upcoming dates is our Irving MS Open House on Thursday, August 19, from 1:00-6:00 p.m. At the Open House, parents will have the opportunity to complete/turn in the beginning of year required forms which will allow students to pick up their class schedule. Also during the Open House, families are able to purchase PE uniforms, walk through their class schedule and pop into classes to meet their teachers.  If families are unable to attend the Open House, students can pick up this information on the first day of school, Monday, August 23, 2021. So that families have a one stop shop, you will also be able to purchase lunch, a snack, or dinner at the Executive Orders (Mount Vernon) food truck that will be on site all day.

A couple of updates that we want to make sure you are aware of so you can prepare accordingly for the school year.

• Again this year, Irving MS will be an Away for the Day School – students will be required to turn phones/electronic devices off and keep them in their backpacks from 7:30-2:15.
•  Returning to school in the building provides an opportunity to reacclimate to school, peers, and communicating in person. We found students were more successful and focused in school with the implementation of Away from the Day two years ago and look forward to more success with this program again this year.
• Student lockers will be available by request only. We have seen lockers being used less and less due to our 1:1 computer availability and the limited school supplies students carry so we are only issuing lockers to students who request one.
• If you would like to request a locker, please complete this form.
• Students will still be assigned a PE locker and Band/Orchestra locker if applicable. 

If we can be of any assistance in preparation for the new school year, please do not hesitate to call the school, 703-912-4500. Our Parent Liaison, Sussy Tomer is also available beginning August 16, 2021, to assist parents and can be reached at 703-912-4691 or setomer@fcps.edu.

See you in a couple of weeks!

Sincerely, 

Cindy Conley

Principal

Open House Information

Thursday, August 19, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Food Truck available!

All required forms that need to be completed as well as optional forms you may need can be found HERE.

•  Please note that the Digital Resources Parent/Guardian Consent will not be available until August 11.
•  A parent/guardian must accompany their child and complete the required beginning of year forms to obtain the student schedule and locker assignment; we will be collecting these forms at the Open House.  

Supply Lists

7th and 8th Grade School Supply Lists

Schoology

Irving MS was a pilot school for Schoology during the 2020-2021 school year. The program is user friendly and provides parents/guardians the ability to keep up with students assignments and due dates. If you would like to get a head start in familiarizing yourself with Schoology, please take a look at these resources. 

Laptops for Irving Middle School Students

We are excited to share that every Irving Middle School student will be checked out a laptop to use throughout the 2021-2022 school year through the FCPSOn program. We will be sharing more information about the check out process later in the summer. During the checkout process, students will receive a laptop, charger, and computer sleeve that students will be able to take home with them each night. We look forward to being able to provide this resource for all of our students.

New Student Orientation (students only) - Friday, August 20

The Orientation for ALL seventh graders and eighth graders who were virtual for the entire 2020-2021 school year or new to Irving is Friday, August 20, 2021.  Bus transportation will be provided (for those who live outside the walking boundary) and bus schedules for the orientation will be posted in the Main Office windows the week of August 16. Students who walk to school should plan to arrive at Irving by 7:25 a.m. The orientation will begin at 7:30 a.m.  The program will end at 9:50 a.m. with bus departures by 10:00 a.m.   During this time, students will briefly rotate through each class, meeting their teams and teachers.  Students should bring their schedules with them to the orientation, but do not need any other school materials.  Students who did not pick up their schedules at the Open House should report to the Student Services Office to get their schedule.

Back to School Medication Drop-off

The Health Room will be open for drop-off of emergency and daily medications during Open House, 1-6PM.  If you have questions about the forms necessary for medication drop off (available here under the Optional forms section), please contact Diane Boltik at 703-912-4510 or drboltik@fcps.edu.

Regular Bus Schedules

Bus route and pickup times will be loaded into ParentVue. We will have additional copies of the bus route information in the Main Office for parents who require a paper copy of the bus schedule.  Please remember the first few weeks of school can be very hectic as morning routines are re-established, so students should allow adequate time to catch the bus.  Please have your child make every effort to arrive at the bus stop early the first few days.  Drivers will often need to get their routes down and make necessary adjustments to schedules to arrive at school on time, so students are encouraged to arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled arrival time.  This will help alleviate the stress of students missing the bus.

Kiss and Ride

We anticipate our Kiss and Ride loop will be busy in the morning and afternoon again this year. During the first week of school as families figure out the routine and timing of drop off and pick up, we will some time back up onto Old Keene Mill Road. To ensure a safe and smooth Kiss and Ride we ask you to do the following:

1. Follow the directions of our Crossing Guard and Staff in the parking lot.
2. Please ensure cell phones are put away while in our parking lot – we have staff and students walking through the lot and need to make sure everyone is paying attention.
3. Pack your patience – we have 1230 students and 130+ staff members who will arrive and leave around the same time by bus, car, bike, and walking. We will do the best we can to get everyone through the line as quickly as possible. 

Morning Announcements

We have found that our students are in their first period classes by 7:20 or earlier. To help maximize class time First Period, we will begin our morning announcements (which include the Moment of Silence and the Pledge of Allegiance) at 7:24 a.m. so class can begin promptly at 7:30 a.m. Our warning bell will now ring at 7:19 a.m. signifying students need to go to their First Period class.

8100 Old Keene Mill Springfield, VA 22152  | Main Office: 703-912-4500
Attendance: 703-912-4545 | Web | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube