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For a translated version of this newsletter, please click HERE. Next click on the language icon in the upper left corner to choose your preferred language.
Para obtener una versión traducida de este mensaje, haga clic AQUÍ. Luego, haga clic en el icono IDIOMA en la esquina superior izquierda para elegir su idioma preferido.
A Note From Mr. Gates
It was great to "see" all the families who joined us this past Tuesday for our annual Back to School Night. Thank you to our teachers for all their work preparing for the event. For parents unable to attend, classroom teachers will share recordings of their BTSN session. Click here to see a recording of the "Beyond the Classroom Session" presented by our special area teachers, counselors, & librarian.
All grade level teachers will be contacting parents/guardians to schedule a first quarter conference. Conferences will be held virtually via Zoom between Oct. 4 and Nov. 5.
Always feel free to contact me directly at jmgates@fcps.edu. if you have any questions, concerns, or if there is anything our team can do to support you.
Thank you for your continued support.
Jon Gates, Principal
Lockdown Drill
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for all of us. We have a crisis management and emergency preparedness plan for our school that is reviewed and updated regularly. Our plan includes procedures on how to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Students and staff regularly practice these drills every school year. We also practice lockdown drills.
A new Virginia Law (22.1-137.2) requires schools to notify parents at least 24 hours before a school practices a lockdown drill. However, we are not required to share the exact date and time of the drill. We are required to practice lockdown drills two times a year. FCPS lockdown drills do not include any type of active shooter scenario training, they are instruction and classroom based.
We will conduct a lockdown drill at our school soon. Our pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students are exempt from mandatory participation in lockdown drills during the first 60 days of the school year. They will participate in our second and final drill later this school year.
Additional information on our lockdown drill program to include parent tips and FAQs can be found on the Emergency Planning and Crisis Response web page. After reviewing this content, you should discuss the value of these safety drills with your child.
Keeping our school safe and secure for all students and staff involves the participation of the entire school community, and we thank you for your help to keep our school safe.
Advanced Academic Program Information Sessions
AAP Overview of Services Virtual Parent Night*
Please join us on Wednesday, September 22nd at 6:30 pm for our Virtual AAP Overview of Services Parent Information Session. All families are invited to come and ask questions to learn more about the different levels of Advanced Academic Programming in FCPS. Please use the following Zoom link to attend: AAP Overview of Services Virtual Parent Night
Level IV Screening Information Virtual Parent Night*
A Virtual Level IV Screening Parent Information Night will be held on Monday, October 4th at 6pm. This is an opportunity for 2nd – 6th grade parents to learn more about our AAP Levels of Service & Referral/Screening Process. Please use the following Zoom link to attend: Level IV Screening Information Virtual Parent Night
*Spanish translation provided
Health Guidance for Parents
The health and safety of all students is paramount to everything we do. Here is some information from FCPS that gives tips on how to stop the spread, as well as explains the process we use when there is a positive case.
FCPS Health and Safety Guidance Webpage
Our Health and Safety Guidance Webpage has the most current information about our layered prevention strategies, what happens if your child becomes ill at school, and the process when there is a pause in instruction or activities after a positive COVID case.
Flow Chart for Notification of a Positive Case
We know the pause process can be confusing for families. The flowchart below is posted to the FCPS website and explains the exact process Daniels Run, FCPS, and the Fairfax County Health Department use to identify and notify close contacts after a positive case.
Flowchart outlining process for students identified as a close contact
COVID Dashboard
All FCPS COVID-19 cases are reported via a dashboard posted to the FCPS website and updated daily. While this does not outline the number of students quarantining, it has tabs showing total number of cases, cases by school and cases by date.
FCPS Covid-19 Dashboard
Safety Tools & Scenarios
Since the beginning of August, the majority of COVID-19 cases have been acquired through community spread, outside of school buildings.
FCPS’ layered prevention strategies are working to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our schools. Pausing, quarantining, and isolating are tools we use to keep schools safe when a positive COVID-19 case is reported. Understanding the difference between the three scenarios can help families be prepared.
Pause
A pause to in-person instruction is a short-term safety measure used by FCPS and the health department to allow time to investigate and determine the safest way to address a positive case within the school community.
To learn more about pausing in-person instruction, watch this video.
Close Contact
A close contact is any person, regardless of vaccination status, who is within 6 feet of a COVID-19 positive individual for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) K-12 Exception indicates that students will not be identified as close contacts if they are at least 3 feet apart and are consistently wearing masks in the classroom setting. Adults are not included in this exception.
To learn more about close contacts, watch this video.
Quarantine
When a student is identified as a close contact, there are two things that may occur as a result:
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Not fully vaccinated students who are identified as a close contact with someone with COVID-19 must remain home for 14 days after their last exposure. FCPS will notify a student of their return date.
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Fully vaccinated students must remain home until their vaccination status is verified. Upon verification of vaccination status by the FCHD, and if the student/staff is asymptomatic, they may return to in-person learning and activities once notified by FCPS of their return date.
To learn more about quarantines, watch this video.
Isolation
Isolation is the response when someone tests positive for COVID-19. Students who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, may not return until:
- It has been at least ten (10) days since the student first had symptoms AND
- The student must be fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication AND
- The student’s symptoms are getting better
To learn more about isolation, watch this video.
Outbreak
It is important to note that more than one case reported by a student, staff, or visitor to a particular school or building does not always mean there is an outbreak. An outbreak is defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with onset within a 14-day period who are epidemiologically linked (a case in which the person has been exposed to a confirmed case in a way that a known transmission can occur), do not share a household, and were not identified as close contacts of each other in a setting outside of school during the health department investigation.
To learn more about outbreaks, watch this video.
FCPS’ goal is to keep students learning in-person all year. We are doing our part by implementing layered prevention strategies and working with FCHD to address positive cases and potential exposures. Every FCPS student and family can do their part by wearing masks, getting vaccinated when they are eligible, practicing healthy hygiene, and staying home when sick.
FCPS Special Education Handbook Is Available to Families
The Special Education Handbook for Parents includes details of the special education process. This process occurs sequentially, over a period of time, with each step building upon the previous step(s).
It is important for families to understand how the special education process works, so they can effectively participate and collaborate with school staff members in making appropriate decisions regarding their child’s educational needs. Families are an integral part of the decision-making team.
Contact the Parent Resource Center (PRC) at 703-204-3941 or prc@fcps.edu with any questions including access to this document.
Boundary Policy Review
Provide Input on Boundary Policy Review at a Virtual Community Meeting
The Fairfax County School Board is in the process of reviewing Policy 8130, Facilities Planning, Local School Boundaries, Program Assignments, and School Closings.
In July 2019, the Board requested the Superintendent hire an outside consultant to work with the Board to identify best practices in boundary policy and engage the community in the discussion.
MGT Consulting Group (MGT), an education consulting firm, will be sharing information about the boundary policy review at three upcoming community meetings and seeking community input in a survey.
You are invited to attend a virtual community meeting on Monday, September 20, from 7 - 9 p.m. Each meeting will provide the same information and use the same format. No specific boundary changes will be discussed at the meetings.
Please register online to receive the meeting link and indicate if you need an interpreter.
MGT has sent enrolling parents an email with the survey link to collect input. The community meetings will not be discussing any boundary changes for any schools within FCPS. The information shared will focus on what factors should be considered when making boundary changes. Please take part in the FCPS Boundary Policy Review Community Survey. The survey closes on Friday, September 24.
More information about the Boundary Policy Review is available online.
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FCPS Cares
FCPS Cares is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can all acknowledge the good work of our Hollin Meadows staff members.
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Important Dates
September
22 AAP Overview Session, 6:30 p.m.
24 PTA Bingo Night, 6 p.m.
October
4 AAP Level IV Screening Info Session, 6 p.m.
6 International Walk/Bike to School Day
11 Indigenous People Day - Student Holiday
29 End of First Quarter
November
1 & 2 Student Holidays
4 Diwali
11 Veterans Day, Dismissal at 1:05 p.m.
See the complete 2021-22 school year caendar
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