Annandale Community Insider - September 6

Annandale Students, Parents and Community:

I hope you had a restful extended Labor Day weekend. I spent the weekend doing yard work, going to Top Golf with my daughter and her friend, watching college football and hanging out with family and friends. 

Mitigation and contract tracing continue to be top of mind. We recently ordered additional outdoor seating for students to use during lunch. We have also created a system for tracking seating not only in classrooms but also during lunch. In addition, FCPS and the Health Department recently shared their plans to streamline asymptomatic, vaccinated students’ return to school when identified as a possible close contact, which should speed up the process for some students to return. 

At Annandale, we have been lucky enough so far that we have not yet had any cases that resulted in the identification of close contacts at school. Nevertheless, we are refining our structures to ensure students continue to have access to learning should they be identified as a possible close contact.

Finally, it is hard to believe that this week marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11. I vividly remember that day as a government teacher at Justice High School. For many of us, and our families, this day is significant. We will recognize the anniversary during the moment of silence on Friday, September 10, and through lessons in our Social Studies classes. 

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Employment Opportunities

Annandale High School is seeking candidates to support with classroom instruction, hallway/lunch supervision and after school academic/club support. For more information, please email their resume to Karen Bryan at kabryan@fcps.edu.

Important Dates

September 7 - SR&R Lessons (Part 2)

September 7 & 8 - Yearbook Pictures

September 9 - Parent Support for Lunch Applications and SIS Access

September 21 - First PTSA Meeting, 7:00pm

September 30 - Back to School Night 2021

October 4-8 - Homecoming Week

October 9 - Homecoming Dance

October 13 - PSAT/SAT Day (2 Hr Early Release)

SR&R Lessons in W4 - September 7: Tomorrow, students will participate in Part 2 of the SR&R lesson. The lesson will include a video presentation from Dr. Brabrand that all FCPS students must watch. Following the video students will take the SR&R test through Horizon.

The Student Rights and Responsibilities document (SR&R) explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable and supportive school environment. Changes to the 2021-22 S&R include:

• Edited language throughout the document to reflect gender neutrality. 
• A new section entitled Notable Changes for Students and Parents that highlights changes in the SR&R from last school year.
• Restructuring of the Rights and Responsibilities Chapter with student rights prominently featured.
• Language that further defines interaction of law enforcement and students. 
• Additional terms in the glossary to increase understanding.

The SR&R Parent/Guardian signature sheet is due by October 29. More information about the SR&R is available online.

Yearbook Pictures - September 7-8: Underclassmen pictures will take place on September 7 and 8 through English classes. Make up pictures will be offered October 18 and 19. Parents/guardians can use this Picture Day ID to order online at mylifetouch.com: EVTFHMDVM. In addition, Seniors who signed up for pictures on September 3 have been moved to September 7. 

Parent Support for Lunch Applications and SIS Access - September 9: Our parent liaisons will be supporting parents who need assistance with free and reduced lunch applications and SIS access. The event will take place in our newly renovated Parent Resource Center next Thursday, September 9 from 2:00-3:00pm. If you have any questions, please contact Marleni Benitez at mbenitez@fcps.edu. 

PSAT/NMSQT (10th and 11th Graders) - October 13: Annandale High School will host both the PSAT/NMSQT for all students in grades 10 & 11 on Wednesday, October 13. Students are automatically registered and no further action by families is needed. The test is offered at no cost to families. All FCPS students have access to Khan Academy’s free online test preparation, whether they are taking the PSAT for the first time or preparing for eleventh grade National Merit Scholarship Qualification. The Khan Academy online curriculum is customized for students based on any previous PSAT or SAT scores. In addition, the website offers general test preparation tips for students. Students will receive their testing locations in early October.

SAT School Day (12th Graders) - October 13: On Wednesday, October 13, Annandale High School 12th graders will have the opportunity to take the SAT School Day. FCPS will cover the cost for any twelfth grade student to take this test. To reserve a seat for your senior to take this exam, families are asked to complete the Annandale HS: SAT School Day Intent to Participate Form by Wednesday, September 8. 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. If you have questions about the SAT School Day administration at Annandale High School, please contact our Director of student Services, Erik Healey, at ehealey@fcps.edu.

Important Information

Student Parking Passes: Beginning tomorrow, September 7, students must have a parking pass to park in AHS student parking spaces. To secure a parking pass, students must complete both a “Parking Agreement” and “Parking Application form”, as well as pay the $200 parking fee. Students with obligations will not be issued a parking pass until the obligations have been cleared. Any students still interested in obtaining a parking pass can pick up the forms in the main office or room 114. If you have any questions, please email Phillip Taylor, Safety and Security Specialist, at pjtaylor1@fcps.edu. 

Safety Drills During the School Year: Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for all of us. Each school has an emergency preparedness plan to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills, each year. Schools are required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. However, schools are not required to give the specific date and time of the drill in advance. 

The first lockdown drill of the school year must take place within the first 20 days of school. Your student may come home and talk about their experience during the drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Here are some helpful tips for families to use to support their students before and after school lockdown drills. Working together, we create a safe, secure environment for students to learn and grow in our schools. 

Digital Resources Consent Form: At Annandale High School, our teachers will use a variety of digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources students may use this year will require parental consent before they can be used. You can find our school’s list of the resources that require parental consent here: https://annandalehs.fcps.edu/adopteddigitalresources. Included on this page is also a link to a form where the enrolling parent or guardian will need to indicate whether or not their student is allowed to use the resources listed. This page also provides more information about how FCPS carefully reviews digital resources for approval. Please reach out to your child’s teacher or Jennifer Cory at jmcory@fcps.edu if you have questions or concerns about the digital resources we’ve chosen to use this year.

Beginning September 1, students who do not have a Digital Resource Consent Form on file will no longer have access to YouTube videos when logged in to their FCPS Google accounts. Many of our courses use YouTube videos for instructional purposes. To ensure uninterrupted access to classroom resources we ask that parents and guardians complete the Digital Resources Consent Form as soon as possible.

Student Lockers: Students lockers will be available by request only beginning on Tuesday, September 7. Students will receive instructions on how to request a locker in their W4 class. 

Updates from Student Services: There have been big changes in our Student Services department this week. We welcomed  two school counseling interns! Karrah Dane, will be working with Ms. Marville, and comes to us from William & Mary. While Annandale alum and current George Mason Patriot, Sumayah Osman, will be working with Mr. Vitelli. We welcome them both to Atom Nation!

This week we also said goodbye to counselor, Olivia Hess, as she is moving back to her hometown of Pittsburgh to pursue other opportunities. She has impacted the lives of many students in her five years at Annandale and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors. With her departure, we want to ensure students and families that our team will continue to support the students on her caseload. While we conduct our search for a new counselor, members of our Student Services staff will serve as temporary points of contact for students and families. Please see the point of contact below for each subset of the alphabet below.

Awesome Atoms!

AHS Students Featured in County-Wide In-service: Four Annandale High School Students were featured in the presentation given during return week to the division’s World Languages Teachers. The students discussed their reasons for learning a language and how earning the biliteracy seal will help them achieve their future goals. Check out the video here.

Annandale High School's ESOL Program Featured on Inside NoVa and WDMV

Inside NoVa profiled two of our Afghan students, Nooria and Samiullah “Sami” in this piece showcasing the hard work and support of our AHS ESOL teachers. In the article, Nooria and Sami’s father noted that not only are his children learning English, but they have enjoyed the experience because of the enthusiasm and compassion shown by teachers. Check out the story here. The story was also picked up by WDMV TV Watch It Here.

News from the Activities Office

Check out this week's Atoms Athletics and Activities newsletter. You can also check out important information from the Activities Office on the Annandale High School Athletics and Activities website or AHS Athletics Twitter page. Please email John Ellenberger at jellenberger@fcps.edu if you have any questions.

Get Involved, Join a Club or Sport! Here at Annandale, we value community and belonging. There is no better way to get involved than through our athletics & activities! Check out our complete list of sports, clubs, and organizations here. Feel free to reach out to the coaches and sponsors with any questions.

This Week's Game Schedule

Wednesday, September 8

Cross Country at Mason District Park - Boys - 5:00, Girls - 5:30pm

Field Hockey vs. Herndon - 6:15/7:30pm

Thursday, September 9

Golf vs. Mt. Vernon at Pinecrest Golf Course - 3:30pm (Senior Day)

Volleyball at Falls Church - 5:00/6:00/7:15pm

JV Football vs. Lewis - 5:30pm (No Freshmen Game)

Friday, September 10

Varsity Football at Lewis - 7:00pm - It's a USA Out!

Saturday, September 11

Cross Country Invitational at Oatlands - Girls - 10am, Boys - 10:30am

News from the PTSA

PTSA Membership: On behalf of the Annandale High School Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA), we would like to welcome you to the 2021–2022 school year. The key ingredient to our success is YOU. Please dare to make a difference, be better informed and join the PTSA today by filling out the online 2021–22 Membership Form. For more information about membership, visit our Membership page.

PTSA Meeting - September 21, 7:00pm: The first PTSA of the 2021-22 school year will be on Tuesday, September 21 at 7:00pm. PTSA meetings are bilingual and Spanish translation is provided. Las reuniones de PTSA son bilingües y se proporciona traducción al español. Join us in Clausen Hall or virtually! Visit the Annandale PTSA website for more information.

PTSA Pantry Distribution: The AHS PTSA pantry is available to students and families of Annandale High School. They can pick up a bag of food in the Annandale Neighborhood Center in trailer 10 in the back of the building. The next pantry pick-up is on Friday, September 10 and Friday, September 24. To learn more about the AHS PTSA Pantry please visit the pantry webpage located at www.annandalehsptsa.org or email pantry@annandalehsptsa.org.

PTSA Pantry Needs Your Help! The AHS PTSA pantry is seeking the following items below to restock their shelves. Items can be dropped off in the main office. All donations to the AHS PTSA Pantry are tax deductible.