Message from Dr. Smith
Hello Bruin Families,
I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving break and had an opportunity to connect with friends and family. Making connections and engaging with others are key components in practicing self-care, building resilience, and maintaining positive relationships. Our teachers emphasize these essential skills weekly during our Advisory lessons, and I hope our students were able to utilize these skills during their break.
Our students were welcomed back to school with a few snowflakes indicating winter is near. As the winter season approaches, it will not only bring snowflakes but a flurry of winter sport competitions and winter performances. We encourage you to come out and cheer on our teams and marvel at our performing arts programs in the upcoming weeks.
Earlier this week, we engaged with our PTSA and many local stakeholders to conduct a walking audit as a part of our Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. We were able to collect lots of great information about how we can continually improve how our students arrive at school safely. This work will result in some recommendations and actions to move us forward. I look forward to sharing our findings in the upcoming weeks.
As we head into the last 2 weeks before winter break, we encourage you and your child to stay focused, enjoy each day, and make memories they will cherish forever. Thank you for your continual hard work to ensure that our students have an excellent learning experience every day.
United as Bruins,
Daniel W. Smith, Ed.D.
It is snow joke that Mother Nature can be snow flaky this time of year! While it wasn't quite this much snow, Lake Braddock Bruins, staff and students, were elated to see some snow flakes fall this past week during morning arrival (not actual Bruins pictured above)! Earlier this year, we announced that snow days will stay in 2021-22. There are several ways you can find out if inclement weather will affect the school or work day. The FCPS website is generally the first and fastest mode of communication during emergency weather closings.
In this Issue
NEW Information
LB Band Children's Holiday Concert & Open House December 11th
November Student of the Month Winners - Resilient
Student Pictures Available for Purchase
LB Athletic Department Seeks Students for Athletic Council
Home for the Holiday Food Drive
Canned Food Drive 2021 Results!
Cultural Observance Day: Bodhi Day December 8th
FCPS Celebrates National Inclusive Schools Week December 6-10
Computer Science Education Week December 6-12
High School Information
HS Counseling Update
ACT/SOS Presentation for 11th Graders
10th Grade Partners for Safe Teen Driving Course
High School Yearbooks are on Sale!
Class of 2022 Information
Class of 2022 Graduation Day Set
Class of 2022 Schoology Group
Middle School Information
Python and Java Coding Class Offered
Middle School Yearbooks are on Sale!
Important Reminders
Register Your Child for Optional COVID-19 Screening Testing
Join the Welcoming Atmosphere Walk-Through at Lake Braddock
Gift Card Drive for the Holidays
Burke School Cocoa Dash
PTSA Information
NovaStar Prep Winter Break SAT Bootcamp December 20-22
PTSA Seeking Your Input on In-Person VS Virtual SAT/ACT Practice Exams
FCPS Information
COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing Now Available
VaxUP FCPS!
Say YES to FCPS-Join Our Team
Important LBSS and FCPS Resources
How to Stay In Touch
LBSS Attendance Lines
Procedures for Picking Up a Student Early
Late Bus Information
Stay Informed with Lake Braddock Athletics!
Schoology
FCPS Technology Support for Families
FCPS Cares
FCPS Medical Resources for Families
FCPS Mental Health Resources
New Information
LB Band Children's Holiday Concert & Open House December 11th
Join the LB Band in a special Holiday Music Open House designed for young band students! Cider and hot chocolate will end your tour! Check out this preview video!
November Student of the Month Winners - Resilient
Each month, staff are able to recognize students who have demonstrated characteristics of our Shared Vision. The four main attributes of our theme #BruinsCARE are connected, adaptable, resilient, and engaged.
November Student of the Month Winners – Resilient:
- 7th- Renna Charles
- 8th- Joe McCarthy
- 9th- Darianny Boscan Anez
- 10th- Maddy Arca
- 11th- René Mejia Reyes
- 12th- Tiffany Lopez Martinez
December’s theme is Engaged.
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Student Pictures Available for Purchase
Student pictures are now available to view/purchase online- including those photographed at make-up sessions. It's not too late to order or re-order pictures.
Please visit the appropriate link:
Use your student's ID number when prompted for the online code.
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LB Athletic Department Seeks Students for Athletic Council
The LB Athletics Department is starting an Athletic Council of students to elevate our student-athletes’ voices to better our athletic programs. If your student is interested in joining the council please complete the application, which is located on Schoology. The deadline to submit the application is December 12th. If you would like more information, please tell your student to head down to the Activities Office by the Gym.
Home for the Holiday Food Drive
LBSS PTSA and the counseling team are asking for community support to provide some of the most in-need families with items to support students with food for breakfast and lunch during the break. Families have been identified by school counselors and social workers in strict confidence. We really need your help to make this a success. The most important items we need will be those easy to heat and eat or prepare. Use the sign up genius link here to let us know what you will be able to provide.
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Canned Food Drive 2021 Results!
Congratulations to the following Advisory classes for contributing the most cans in their grade level! SGA will be treating these classes to a donut party next week:
Srta. Sohl – 12th grade
Sra. Fulfaro – 11th grade
Ms. Peters – 10th grade
Mr. Wickham – 9th grade
Mr. Johnson (Mrs. Hatch) – 8th grade
Ms. Rivera – 7th grade
Thank you to everyone for your support! Our school raised over 2,600 canned food items to help supply the Fairfax County Transportation food bank for our FCPS bus drivers. Way to go, LBSS!
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Cultural Observance Day: Bodhi Day December 8th
Bodhi Day (December 8) is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali. According to tradition, Siddhartha had recently forsaken years of extreme ascetic practices and resolved to sit under a peepal tree, also known as a Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa), and simply meditate until he found the root of suffering, and how to liberate oneself from it. FCPS has designated Bodhi as a religious and cultural observance day designed to allow students the opportunity to miss school for observances not already designated as school holidays.
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FCPS Celebrates National Inclusive Schools Week December 6-10
Inclusive Schools Week (ISW) is an annual event which is held each year during the first full week in December. Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population.
This year’s Inclusive Schools Week theme is Rebuilding our Inclusive Community Together. The theme for Inclusive Schools Week provides educators, students, parents, schools, agencies, and communities with the opportunity to think about our current philosophies and practices regarding inclusion and to plan for “next steps” in the process.
Learn more about Inclusive Education in FCPS
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Computer Science Education Week December 6-12
Computer Science is more than coding & programming: it's critical thinking and creating! For Computer Science Education Week, see the #compsci opportunities & resources available to FCPS students here.
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High School Information
HS Counseling Update
After working as a high school counselor at Lake Braddock for over 5 years, Mrs. Margaret Veenstra will be moving to a new position as the Project Opportunity Counselor at Bryant High School after winter break. Mrs. Veenstra leaves with mixed emotions as she has enjoyed working with the students, families and faculty of the Lake Braddock community. She will be replaced by Jennifer Jackson, who has prior experience as a high school counselor in Florida. We wish Mrs. Veenstra the best of luck in her position!
ACT/SOS Presentation for 11th Graders
On Friday, November 5, all 11th grade students were given a memo to bring home regarding a county-wide initiative to identify and help students who are struggling with depression and possible thoughts of suicide. During the week of December 6-10, all 11th grade students will participate in a presentation and survey about signs of depression in their Advisory class.
The Signs of Suicide (SOS) program consists of an informational video that describes the Acknowledge-Care-Tell (ACT) message, a brief paper survey, and follow-up discussion with LBSS teachers, counselors, and clinical staff (psychologists and social workers). Counselors and clinical staff will also meet individually with any students who score at risk for depression or suicide and notify those students’ parents.
Why is there a county-wide push for depression and suicide screening? According to the November 2019 Fairfax County Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 30% of students in grades 8, 10, and 12 experienced symptoms of depression in the past year. The rate of students considering suicide was 14.3%, while 6% reported they attempted suicide in the past year. In addition to events in recent years that have directly impacted communities within Fairfax County, we want to do our best to keep LBSS students from becoming part of these statistics.
The SOS video and survey have already been used by other FCPS middle and high schools and have been used at Lake Braddock for several years. Parents are invited to review the materials by accessing the SOS Parent Portal. This portal is designed to provide parents with information about suicide prevention efforts, view the SOS videos, and access educational materials which are helpful tools for supporting your child’s mental health wellness.
If you do NOT wish for your student to participate in the 11th grade presentation, please complete this Google Opt Out Form by December 1, 2021.
Please contact Ms. Ghafoori at 703-426-1064 or your child’s counselor if you have any questions.
10th Grade Partners for Safe Teen Driving Course
The 10th Grade Partners for Safe Teen Driving course is a 90-minute parent/teen traffic safety program. The Virginia juvenile licensing procedure requires that students completing classroom driver education attend this program with their parent/guardian. This program is free of charge to 10th graders. It is suggested that students attend a session during the quarter they have Driver's Ed.
DATE: Monday, December 6th
TIME: Cafeteria doors will open at 6:30pm. Presentation begins promptly at 7pm. Do not be late, as you will not be allowed into the presentation.
LOCATION: Lake Braddock Cafeteria--Enter the building through Door 15
Future dates for this presentation are 3/7/22 and 4/18/22.
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High School Yearbooks are on Sale!
High School yearbooks are now on sale for $65. Price with nameplate is $70. Please scan the QR code above or head here to order! Our school code is 5061. Senior parents, you can place a senior ad starting at $50!
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Class of 2022 Information
Class of 2022 Graduation Day Set
Graduation for our Class of 2022 will take place on Monday, June 6th at 9:30am at Eagle Bank Arena! Please stay tuned for upcoming announcements for the Senior Class.
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Class of 2022 Schoology Group
Have your senior join the class of 2022 Schoology group for all of the most up to date information! The group code is: WWFX-8766-FHNJ6
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Middle School Information
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Python and Java Coding Class Offered
Coding Lessons open to all Middle-School Students. $50 for 6 classes or $30 for 3 with curriculum designed specially for students in Grades 7 and 8! Event dates are December 3,4,10,11,17, and 18 from 5-6pm. A virtual link will be sent to the student once payments are made. Click here for the interest link. Click here for the payment link at MySchoolBucks.
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Middle School Yearbooks are on Sale!
Parents of Middle School Students! The yearbook is currently ON DISCOUNT! Don’t hesitate! Last year, dozens of disappointed students were unable to get a copy of the book, because they waited until books sold out. WE DO NOT ORDER ENOUGH BOOKS FOR ALL STUDENTS TO GET ONE, SO GET YOURS TODAY!
Middle School yearbooks can be PERSONALIZED and purchased here! Our school code is 13596.
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Important Reminders
Register Your Child for Optional COVID-19 Screening Testing
Parents and guardians can use the secure online portal to register their child(ren). If you do not want your child to participate, no action is required. You will have the option to update your child’s vaccination status and/or withdraw consent for testing anytime.
Student-athletes do not need to pre-register with the LTS online portal for screening testing, they will use a separate portal provided by their school’s student activities director.
For more information on student COVID-19 testing, visit the FCPS website.
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Join the Welcoming Atmosphere Walk-Through at Lake Braddock
Our school will be conducting a Welcoming Atmosphere Walk-Through, a process that will help us learn how we are currently helping families and others in our school community to feel comfortable, appreciated, and valued. The Walk-Through will take place on Friday, December 10th from 8:30am-9:45am.
We are inviting you to join other parents, staff members, and community representatives to help us look at different aspects of our school and share their perspective on how welcoming our school is.
As a participant in the Walk-Through, you will be asked to offer your perspectives on three aspects of a welcoming atmosphere: School Culture and Physical Environment, Family Engagement Practices and Policies, and Communication. You will take part in a discussion facilitated by staff from FCPS Family and School Partnerships. All you need to do is come ready to share your observations and opinions with the other participants!
The Walk-Through will take approximately three hours total. If a hybrid model is used, part of the time will be spent touring the building in person (Friday, December 10th - 8:30-9:45) and the rest will be spent in a virtual focus group (Tuesday, December 14th – 6:30-8:30 pm).
Please respond to Kristin Girardin at kegirardin@fcps.edu by December 6th to let us know if you are interested and available or if you have any questions.
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Gift Card Drive for the Holidays
You can help give back to the Lake Braddock community this holiday season! You can support your Bruin community by donating gift cards to give to families in need. We are looking for gift cards to Walmart and Target ranging in $25 to $50 to help our families have a joyful season. Gift cards allow families to purchase their preferred holiday cuisine and gifts for their families. Thank you for your support!
Drop off Locations & Contact information:
Nicole White 703-426-1039 (Middle School Student Services)
Anna Ghafoori 703-426-1064 (High School Student Services)
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PTSA
NovaStar Prep Winter Break SAT Bootcamp December 20-22
NovaStar Prep is partnering with the LBSS PTSA to offer a Winter Break Bootcamp comprised of a three-day 12-hour class from December 20-22. Ten percent of the registration fee by each LBSS student will be donated to the PTSA. To register, please visit: SAT Bootcamp – NovaStar| Tutoring (novastarprep.com) Registration Deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 15.
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PTSA Seeking Your Input on In-Person VS Virtual SAT/ACT Practice Exams
The LBSS PTSA is seeking your input in whether you prefer to participate in in-person, on-campus versus virtual, online practice SAT/ACT exams in Spring 2022. We welcome your thoughts as we look ahead at future offerings of practice SAT and ACT exams in the coming months for the remainder of the school year. Take the survey here!
FCPS Information
COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing Now Available
Starting this week, students may obtain COVID-19 diagnostic testing at six drive-through sites in Fairfax County. Diagnostic testing is provided for anyone who has symptoms or is identified as a close contact of someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
COVID-19 testing helps us reduce the virus’ spread and keep our schools safe places for all students to learn. I encourage you to utilize our new diagnostic testing services as needed.
Appointments are not required for diagnostic testing but families must register in the secure online portal. When you register and provide consent for your child to be tested, they will also be added to [SCHOOL’S] screening testing pool. If you do not wish for them to be part of the weekly screening testing pool, simply log back into the online portal after your child’s test is complete and withdraw consent.
More information about diagnostic and screening testing, including site locations and schedules, is available on our website.
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VaxUP FCPS!
More than 33% of children ages 5-11 in Fairfax County have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There are school-located vaccine clinics for children ages 5-11 every day next week and two on Saturday, December 11. Find out where the next pop-up clinic will be or look for other local vaccination opportunities on the health department’s website.
Children do not need to be an FCPS student to attend the school-located clinics. Vaccines will not be available for those 12 years and older. Children must be accompanied by a parent or another responsible adult at all community vaccination sites.
Say YES to FCPS-Join Our Team
Make a difference in a child’s life—find your next job with FCPS. We have openings for bus drivers, substitute teachers, COVID case managers, and school health aides (who are employed by Fairfax County Government but work in schools).
More information and applications are available online:
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Important LBSS and FCPS Resources
How to Stay In Touch
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
Attendance Lines
MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS:
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS:
Procedures for Picking Up a Student Early
- Prior to 8:00 a.m., the student must present a note from the parent to their subschool office. Notes must include time of dismissal, reason for leaving, and a contact number. Parents of middle school students must also include the name of the person picking the student up. Please note that this person must be listed as an emergency contact. At the time of early check-out, middle school parents must come in Entrance 1 and meet their student at the security desk. Anyone picking up a middle school student must bring a photo ID with them. High school parents may pick up students outside Entrance 1.
- Notes are strongly preferred for early check-out, but if a parent is unable to send a note with the student, the parent should call the subschool office as early as possible. All calls will be confirmed by callback to a phone number on the emergency care card. Regrettably, if the parent did not send a note with the student, the parent will be required to park, come into the school to furnish a note, and pick up the student. Without advance notice provided by a note, there may be a wait until our staff is able to locate the student, particularly if the student is at lunch or in a physical education class. We further regret that without advance notice, we are unable to accommodate requests for early dismissal after 2:15 pm.
- In either case, students must check out at the subschool office when leaving school and check in with the security desk upon return. Students who leave school without checking out properly will be marked unexcused and may face disciplinary action (if returning to school, students are also subject to search). Students must contact all teachers of any class to be missed.
Read our full Attendance procedures at our website.
Late Bus Information
Late bus days are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Buses will pick up students in the front of the building with a departure time of approximately 4:45 pm. Please check StudentVue and ParentVue for your student's late bus number and stop. If you have any questions, please contact your student's appropriate subschool.
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Stay Informed with Lake Braddock Athletics!
Want the latest information on anything Lake Braddock athletic events or announcements? Check out our Lake Braddock Athletic Information webpage! Here you can find ticket information, team schedules, scores, forms needed and more! The most up-to-date Athletics and Activities News You Choose for Lake Braddock can be found in the top banner as well.
Schoology
Students, families, and staff throughout FCPS and in our school community will use Schoology (pronounced /SKOO-luh-jee/) as our learning management system.
Here is what you need to know now:
FCPS Technology Support for Families
The Parent Technology Help Desk is available to support parents and students through this new school year. Parents and students can visit the Parent and Student IT Support Portal to find self-help resources or submit a tech support request ticket.
Telephone Parent Information Line Available in Eight Languages
Parents who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese can call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS and to receive support if they are having difficulty communicating with their children's schools due to a language barrier.
FCPS Cares
We invite you to share and submit your story about a Lake Braddock staff member who has gone above and beyond for your child this year. Share the positivity, dedication and commitment that occurs here each and every day. Click this link.
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FCPS Medical Care Resources for Families
Whether your family needs medical care for a COVID-related issue, seasonal cold or allergies, injuries, routine exams, or mental health and wellness, our community has a number of resources for you. Visit the Mental and Physical Health and Community Resources webpage for a full list of organizations that can provide support and care.
FCPS Mental Health Resources
- If you are depressed, in crisis, or just want to talk, please text NEEDHELP to 85511 or call 1-800-273-TALK. Someone will be there to listen.
- If you're going through a tough time, don't go it alone. Reach out to a parent, friend, or trusted adult. You can also text NEEDHELP to 85511 at any time–day or night.
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