Justice Junction - Weekly News & Updates

August 22, 2021

Hello Justice HS Students, Families, and Community Members,

We will welcome over 2200 students back to in-person learning on Monday and I can’t be more anxious, excited, and ready to receive our students!  Seeing everyone connect/reconnect with each other as well at our events last week revealed to me what an awesome community we have at Justice HS. I know that no matter what challenges we may face, we are going to have an AMAZING school year.

We know that every one of our families have been impacted by COVID. We recognize that our students have faced challenges academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally over the last 18 months. At Justice HS, we are committed to supporting all our students in their academics, their actions, and their wellness.

When students arrive tomorrow, they will report directly to their 1^st period class.  Student schedules are also viewable in SIS ParentVUE and StudentVUE.  For more information about obtaining a ParentVue account, please click here to access support on the FCPS website.  Additionally, we will have tables stationed in the front of the school to issue hard copies of schedules to students who do not currently have access to the online portal.  

Keeping our vision to “Empower our school, embrace our community, and educate to build positive futures as global citizens together” at the forefront of our daily actions and interactions will have a lasting effect on overall student achievement at Justice HS.  Your input on this Justice HS 3-2-1 Survey will support our efforts in accomplishing these goals.  The purpose of this survey is to provide campus administration and I with information to increase student achievement and overall productivity guided by our vision. 

Finally, all subscribers will begin to receive our Justice HS News You Choose weekly on Sundays.  Please encourage everyone you know associated with Justice HS to subscribe to this platform.  This week’s edition will provide you with important information regarding our overall goals for the 2021-2022 school year, 1^st day of school procedures, helpful resources, announcements, and upcoming dates.  One of my goals as the principal of Justice HS is to continue to communicate to our students, families, and community more effectively and consistently.  Thank you for your patience as I navigate through this transition and implement systems to keep our communication efforts effective.  

Sincerely,

Tiffany I. Narcisse, Principal

 

2021-2022 Vision and Overall Goals

In conjunction with the FCPS vision to Affirm, Assess, and Advance our learners in all areas; we at Justice HS have set the following goals for the 2021-2022 school year:

• Academic Achievement through Critical Thinking Strategies
  • Improving teaching strategies to develop learner’s judgement, evaluation and problem-solving abilities
• Culturally Responsive Environment
  • Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students by building teacher awareness and knowledge, learning partnerships, and intellective capacities. (Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain, Zaretta Hammomd)
• On Time Graduation & Attendance
  • Increased emphasis on a caring culture with initiatives to support building positive relationships and overall effective Social Emotional Learning practices with a strategic focus on improving student achievement, by serving the whole child.

 

1st Week of School Logistics

Student Schedules: Student schedules are available for viewing in SIS ParentVUE and StudentVUE. In addition, students can receive a hard copy of their schedule when they arrive to school on Monday morning. If your student forgets or does not know their 1^st period class, staff members will be stationed in the hallways to assist students.

Note: We are continuing to update the master schedule and there is a possibility that a small number of student schedules may have changed since last week. Additionally, Christy Hanlon, our Director of Student Services recently sent an email about student schedules through eNotify (screenshot below).

 

If you have any questions about SIS ParentVUE, please email Madeline Orozco, Administrative Assistant at mlorozco@fcps.edu.

  

Finding Classes: Throughout the year, and especially during the first week of school, all staff members will be in the hallways helping students find their classes during each transition. We realize that a little extra time may be needed as many of our students have not been in school since March 2020. They will get the hang of their new routine sooner than they think and we are all here to help!

 

Schedule Change Requests: Our Student Services team is working hard to make sure our students have accurate schedules. We know some of our students will want to request schedule changes. In an effort to streamline and prioritize schedule change requests, we will be asking students to scan the QR code posted around campus if they would like to request changes to their course schedule. We will work on these changes over the course of the first week if space allows in the courses. Please reach out to your student’s counselor, if you have any questions.

 

Introducing Schoology - We are excited for Schoology, FCPS' new learning management system. Schoology is a learning space that enhances communication, collaboration, and personalized learning for students, teachers, and families.  Please follow this link for more information on how to access, use and get information about your child’s class through Schoology.  Please follow the links below for more information about this new resource.

                                Why Did We Switch to Schoology?

                                Additional Information and “How-To” Videos

 

Laptop Distribution – Students will be picking up their school laptops during the first two days of school.  9^th and 10^th grade classes will get them during their Health & PE class and 11^th and 12^th grade students will get them during their English class.  Students who did not return their laptop from last year will need to bring it to distribution to exchange for an updated laptop.

 

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 Justice HS and FCPS, this means that all students, regardless of their families’ incomes, will receive free breakfast and lunch through June 2022.

 

Bell Schedule: Students will report to their 1^st Period Class at 8:10 AM.  The 2021-2022 Bell Schedule is available on our Justice HS website at all times.

 

Transportation

Student Bus Route Assignments: FCPS Office of Transportation Services emailed student bus route assignments on Friday, August 20^th. Please note that the provided times are estimates and that buses may be delayed due to weather, traffic conditions, and a national and regional driver shortage.  Please check the Here Comes the Bus app or FCPS School Bus Delays website for potential delays. Students are expected to be at their bus stop at least five minutes before the scheduled pickup time. A double back route assignment may require your bus schedule to be adjusted earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon.

Please note that a national bus driver shortage is impacting FCPS and some routes may be longer or occasionally delayed as we work through the situation. Your patience and understanding as we make adjustments is appreciated. FCPS is working hard to address the need for drivers and plan for transportation in a way that has the least impact on students. Students should consider driving, walking, or biking to school while we work through the driver shortage and adjust routes. Carpools or group walks and bikes are also encouraged for those who are able to help relieve pressure on buses.

 

Kiss and Ride: Student drop off/pick up (aka Kiss and Ride) is conducted at the back entrance/parking lot. Parents should drop off their student(s) no earlier than 7:45am. Students are dismissed from school at 2:55pm. If you have any questions, please email Luther Ivery, Safety and Security Specialist, at lkivery@fcps.edu. 

 

Student Parking Information: At this time, we have sold out of all student parking passes. If you have any questions, please email Luther Ivery, Safety and Security Specialist, at lkivery@fcps.edu. 

 

Other Information

Student Attendance: In order for our students to get the most out of their education, students must be in school and on time to class every day. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school. If your student must be absent from school, you should always inform the school. The attendance line is 703-824-3920.

 

COVID Health Protocols: Health Screening Questionnaire All staff and students shall complete this questionnaire each day prior to coming to the school building.  If any of the answers are “yes” you should remain home.  You do not need to turn in this form, simply ask yourself these questions each day prior to coming to the school building.

 

Masks: All staff and students, whether vaccinated or not, are required to wear a mask while indoors.

 

HELPFUL RESOURCES

FCPS 2021-2022 Standard School Calendar

Map of Justice HS

 

FCPS Multilingual Family Podcasts: Listen and subscribe to a FCPS Multilingual Family Podcast to hear timely, important information related to school news. The podcasts are produced in conjunction with the Office for ESOL Services and the Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement. The goal of every podcast is to help families access key resources and understand how to best support their children’s education.  

Listen and Subscribe:

Spanish Podcast: https://anchor.fm/enpocaspalabrasfcps Arabic Podcast:  https://anchor.fm/inafewwordsarabicfcps Korean Podcast: https://anchor.fm/inafewwordskoreanfcps

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Support Justice High School Field Hockey

Justice Field Hockey is partnering with Glory Days in Barcroft Plaza for Dining for Dollars.  Glory Days will donate 10% of proceeds from submitted receipts from August 23-29.  Simply save your itemized receipt (not the credit card slip) and turn it in either in the basket at Glory Days, or the basket in the front office at Justice.  Dine in and take out orders count.  Contact Stef Vestal (slvestal@fcps.edu) with questions. Thank you for your support!  

 

UPCOMING DATES

Monday, August 23^rd

• First Day of School for all students (in-person)
• Senior Sunrise @ 6:30 AM

Wednesday, August 25^th

• Varsity Volleyball @ Lake Braddock HS | 7:00 PM

Friday, August 27^th

• Varsity Football @ Edison HS | 6:00 PM

Saturday, August 28^th

• SAT @ Justice HS

Wednesday, September 1^st

• PTSA Meeting | 7:00 PM
• Location/Virtual Access Information TBA

Friday, September 3^rd – Monday, September 6^th

• Labor Day Holiday – NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, September 22^nd

• Back to School Night 2021

October 4^th – 8^th

• Homecoming Week

Saturday, October 9^th

• Homecoming Dance

Wednesday, October 13^th

• PSAT/SAT Day
  • On Wednesday, October 13^th, all Justice High School 12^th graders will have the opportunity to take the SAT School Day.
  • FCPS will cover the cost for any 12^th grade student to take this test.
  • General information about the SAT School Day test format is available on the College Board webpage.
  • We will share exam day schedules and additional details in the coming weeks.