Annandale Community Insider - September 19

Annandale Students, Parents and Community:

This past Friday, Annandale High School hosted Martha Raddatz and a crew from ABC’s weekly Sunday news program, “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” She interviewed Dr. Brabrand and me about COVID and the impact it has had on schools. We were so proud to be able to showcase Annandale and the work we have been doing to keep our staff and students safe. Check out the story, which aired this morning, here. The ABC news crew and the FCPS leaders who were there shared with me how impressed they were by what a great job our students were doing wearing their masks properly throughout the building, as well as how positively and frequently our staff interacted with students. Their comments were yet another reminder of what an incredible school community we have. Our focus on relationships and support goes a long way to ensuring our students feel care and belonging.

Another way we cultivate a feeling of belonging among our students is through involvement in our clubs and activities. This past Wednesday, we held our annual Activities Fair, where students learned about our many extracurricular activities. It was exciting to see students find ways to pursue their interests and connect with each other and with the school. As I shared over the summer, schools are an incredible opportunity for students to find connections and caring relationships. This year more than ever, I want to encourage students to participate in after school activities. Check out our complete list of sports, clubs, and organizations here or on our web page. Feel free to reach out to the coaches and sponsors with any questions.

Each year we connect with families of our students during Back to School Night (BTSN). This year, we will offer virtual and in-person opportunities for families to get to know their students’ teachers. Once again, families will be able to view pre-recorded videos introducing them to our teachers and their classes. In addition, on September 30, we will hold an outdoor in-person event to allow families an opportunity to meet their student’s teachers. More information about the event will be coming soon.

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

This Week - Late Buses Begin

September 21 - First PTSA Meeting, 7:00pm

September 23 - Senior College Night, 6:30pm (virtual)

September 30 - Back to School Night 2021, 6:00-8:00pm

October 4-8 - Homecoming Week

October 9 - Homecoming Dance

October 11 - School Planning Day

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

October 20 - SEL Screener

Late Buses Begin This Week: This year, late buses will be provided on Mondays and Wednesdays for students who stay after school beyond 3:10pm for additional support or participation in a club or activity. Buses will leave Annandale at 4:45pm. Students who would like to stay with a teacher or sponsor after school will need to make arrangements with that staff member. 

PTSA Meeting - September 21, 7:00pm: The first PTSA meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday, September 21 at 7:00pm in the Library. Participants can also join virtually using this link. Meetings are held in Spanish and English. Also, if you have not done so already, please consider joining the PTSA by filling out the online 2021–2022 Membership Form. For more information about membership, visit our Membership page.

Senior College Night (Virtual) - September 23, 6:30pm: Seniors and parents of Seniors, join us this Thursday for breakout sessions presented by special guests and AHS counselors. Participants will be able to attend two breakout sessions. Topics will include: NOVA; College Admissions Panel (representatives from JMU, George Mason and Radford); AHS College Application Process, Financial Aid and Military Service. This event will focus heavily on two and four-year college planning. We will offer future events to cover other post-secondary options. Students, check your fcpsschools.net email for the Zoom link.

Back to School Night - September 30, 6:00-8:00pm: This year, we will be hosting Back to School Night (BTSN) with virtual and in-person opportunities for families to get to know their students’ teachers. Once again, families will be able to view pre recorded videos introducing them to our teachers and their classes. In addition, on September 30, we will hold an outdoor in-person event to allow families an opportunity to meet their student’s teachers. More information about the event will be coming soon.

PSAT/NMSQT (10th and 11th Graders) - October 13: On Wednesday, October 13, Annandale High School will host both the PSAT/NMSQT for all students in grades 10 & 11. 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. 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 Mike Ward smward@fcps.edu. 

Important Information

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener: On October 20, Annandale will administer our first Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener during our W4 lesson. Annandale’s Student Support Team will use the screener to identify strengths and needs for our students related to SEL skills. SEL skills include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The screener will review these skills, as well as students’ relationships, feelings of belonging, feelings about their school environment, and mood. 

Learn more about the screener and review the questions here. To opt your student out of participating in the screener, please complete the opt-out form found here and return to your student's W4 teacher by October 8. 

Homecoming Chaperones Needed! This year’s Homecoming will be held on Saturday, October 9 from 8:00-11:00pm. Because Homecoming is being hosted outside this year, we need more support than usual. We are currently seeking parents who would like to assist with this special event! Please complete this form to let Leadership know if you are able to help and email Annie Ray at amray@fcps.edu with any questions.

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.

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.

Awesome Atoms!

Activities Fair A Huge Success! Thank you to our Activities Office, coaches, sponsors and student leaders for making this year’s Activities Fair a huge success. One of our priorities this year is to ensure that every student is connected to our school community through our extracurricular and co-curricular activities. This event provided a strong start to meeting our goal. 

Annandale High School Featured on ABC News: On Friday, Annandale hosted Martha Raddatz and the crew from ABC’s weekly Sunday news program, “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” She interviewed Dr. Brabrand and Principal Shawn DeRose about COVID and its impact on schools. Check out the story, which aired this morning, here.

Opportunities

Atoms Writing Center College Essay Workshop - September 22: The Atoms Writing Center is officially open for the 2021-2022 school year! AWC tutors are Annandale students who have been trained to help with writing in any subject in a non-judgmental way. Students can get help from AWC tutors in person in Room 274 on Wednesdays after school or during Red Day lunches or online on weekdays. Visit the website to sign up for an online or in-person tutoring conference. (Note that you must be logged in to a personal gmail account to view our google site.) Students can also stop by Room 274 or follow the AWC on Twitter or Instagram @AtomsWC for more information. 

This Wednesday, September 22, the AWC will be holding a College Essay Workshop for seniors to learn tips about the college essay and to work one-on-one with an AWC tutor either brainstorming, drafting, or revising their college essays. We look forward to working with all of our students in the AWC this year and hope to see you soon!

National English Honor Society: National English Honor Society is seeking applicants for the 2021-2022 school year. Current juniors or seniors can apply by joining our NEHS application google classroom with the following code: Typkie2. The deadline to apply is Friday, September 24. We encourage all juniors or seniors who have an interest in English and meet the GPA requirement of 3.5 to apply! See Ms. Herman or Ms. Duran with any questions.

Science National Honor Society: Join Science NHS for an exciting, highly involved year. The honor society is open to interested and motivated Juniors and Seniors. Ask your science teacher, Ms. Camire or Ms. Saqib for more information. The deadline to apply is this Friday, September 24.

Math Honor Society: Students interested in joining the Math Honor Society can join the Math Honor Society Google Classroom with the code: 6qnchr5. There you will find a Google Form where they can submit their application. The deadline for the application is Wednesday, October 6. If you have any further questions, please contact Mr. Obando or Mr. Martins.

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.

This Week’s Game Schedule

Monday, September 20

Improv Club - 3:00 - 4:00pm - Room 324

Volleyball vs. Park View - 5:00/6:00/7:15pm

Field Hockey at Woodbridge - 5:30/7:00pm

Tuesday, September 21

Golf vs. Hayfield @ Pohick Bay Golf Club - 4:00pm

Volleyball at Thomas Jefferson - 5:00/6:00/7:15pm

Wednesday, September 22

Annandale Writing Center - College Applications - 3:00-4:00pm - Room 274

Just World and Art Club - Chalk for Peace - 3:00pm - Room 90

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

Flag Football Practice - 6:45pm - Stadium Field

Thursday, September 23

AVID Club - College Application Help - 3:00 - 4:00pm - Room 90

Golf vs. Edison @ Pinecrest Golf Course - 3:30pm

Volleyball vs. Mt. Vernon - 5:00/6:00/7:15pm

Freshmen/JV Football at Lake Braddock - 5:30/7:15pm

Varsity Field Hockey at Lewis - 6:30pm

Friday, September 24

Varsity Football vs. Lake Braddock - 7:00pm - Tropical Out!

*Dance Team and the Atoms Marching Band will perform Rocky at Halftime!

Saturday, September 25

Boys' Cross Country - RVA Invitational - Pole Green Park - 4:30pm

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 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 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.