Annandale Community Insider - December 12

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Annandale Students, Parents and Community:

This past week, I had the opportunity to see and hear our Annandale students represent Atom Nation through performances and athletic events. On Tuesday, I attended the Orchestra concert. On Thursday, I watched the Boys Basketball team beat Wakefield on a buzzer beater by Andrew Nields with five seconds left in the game. And on Friday Night, my family and I went downtown to listen to the Annandale Singers at the Willard Hotel. 

There are multiple concerts and athletic events this upcoming week. If you have never done so, I encourage you to attend one of these events with friends or family. It is inspiring to see the ways our performing arts department and athletic teams give students opportunities to develop and showcase their talents! Check out the upcoming events on the Annandale Activities and Athletics website.   

At Annandale, collective problem solving is important to the way we collaborate and is how we continue to get better. Each year in November, we send out a Check-In Survey to our staff, asking what we as a building can celebrate as well as what we may need to problem solve. 

Overwhelmingly, our staff who responded named that having students back in the building and the level of our collaboration among our teams as our biggest celebrations, which are a testament to the incredible work we are doing for our students and each other. There were also lots of shout-outs celebrating our amazing staff members. 

A couple of other themes emerged that require some problem solving. One issue presented was around student cell phone use in class. We provided our staff some resources for how to talk with students when their cell phone use is interrupting their own or others’ learning. We will also be working with the student leadership team to develop W4 lessons about managing distractions and self regulation. We encourage you to have conversations with your student about this as well. 

Finally, I hope everyone has an opportunity to relax and recharge over Winter Break. To preserve this time for our staff and students, no homework, projects, or papers will be assigned over the break, and no major assessments or projects will be due on the first two days back. I want to wish you and your family a nice holiday. 

As always, reach out with questions or concerns. Go Atoms!

Shawn DeRose, Principal


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Important Dates

December 14 - Virtual Electives Fair in W4 

December 14 - Chorus Concert, 7pm

December 16 - Deck the Doors Competition Due 

December 16 - Band Concert, 7pm

December 20-31 - Winter Break

 

Ring out the bells

Annandale Choirs Concerts - December 14, 15: The choirs at Annandale have been busy preparing for a wonderful season of concerts throughout the next two weeks. If you are able, please come and celebrate the season with us!

Tuesday, December 14: Come Ring Out the Bells with the Annandale Singers, Atom Chorale, Men's Chorale, and the Women's Chamber Ensemble!, 7:00 p.m. - Watson Auditorium, Annandale High School

Wednesday, December 15: Annandale Singers and Women's Chamber Ensemble sing for the Noonday Noël at Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 12:05 p.m. - Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 323 South Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA

 

Virtual Elective Fair - December 14 during W4: On Tuesday this week, our W4 lesson will be dedicated to our Virtual Elective Fair. Students will be asked to go to our Academic Advising site to watch videos about electives of their choosing. We want to make sure students have an opportunity to explore their options before selecting courses. Please reach out to Cheryl Kim or Erik Healey if you have any questions.  

 

Deck the Doors Competition - Submissions Due December 16: Annandale’s Deck the Doors holiday contest submissions are due Thursday, December 16. Check out the holiday cheer that is spreading door-to-door on our Twitter page or search #AtomNation.

 

Band Concert - December 16, 7pm: The Annandale Band will be performing their winter concert this Thursday at 7:00pm in the Auditorium. The performance will be their first indoor concert in almost two years. 

 

Winter Break Building Hours: The building will be open from 9:00am-1:00pm over Winter Break.


Important Information

SIS Access Limited Over Winter Break: To support the SIS upgrade over Winter Break, SIS, ParentVUE, and StudentVUE will be unavailable for all users from Friday, December 17 at 5:00 p.m. until Wednesday, December 22 at 6:00 a.m. for system updates.

 

Lightspeed Parent Report on Student Device Activity: FCPS has new tools to help parents and guardians know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided by Lightspeed, our internet content filtering service, at no cost to families. You may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. If you want more detailed information, sign up for the Internet Use Parent portal and log-in anytime to see more detail about your child’s browsing and “pause” access to the internet during non-school hours. Find out more and sign up for these services on our website.

 

COVID-19 Drive-Through Testing Available to All Students: All students now have access to COVID-19 drive-through diagnostic testing at locations across the county, including one in each of the FCPS school regions. Students who have COVID-19 symptoms or have been identified as a close contact to someone with COVID-19 are encouraged to test quickly to help reduce the spread of the virus. Testing is also a step in the return to school process following illness or exposure. A full list of locations and schedules is available on our website. Appointments are not required but families must register through the FCPS secure online portal before testing.

 

Inclement Weather Preparations: The first snowflakes of the season fell Tuesday morning and were a reminder to prepare for inclement weather. Earlier this year, FCPS announced that the first five inclement weather days will be traditional snow days. After those five days, FCPS will use the flexibility provided by the General Assembly to have unscheduled virtual learning days, whenever possible, to maintain the continuity of learning. 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. Other communication channels will be updated as quickly as possible including email, text, website, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.

 

Student Check Out Procedures: In an effort to ease the process of checking students out early, such as for scheduled appointments, please provide students with a note to bring to the Attendance Office in the morning so students can receive a pass and are ready to leave at pick up time. As a friendly reminder and for students’ safety, parents are asked to come to the Attendance Office to sign the student out when picking them up early.


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Donate Gift Cards for AHS Staff

At events throughout the year, we recognize staff who are going above and beyond with gift cards donated by a community member at the beginning of the year. It has been a huge hit and I am requesting your help again since we are not permitted to use any kind of FCPS funds, local or otherwise, for this purpose. It is amazing how much a $5 or $10 gift card is appreciated. If you are so inclined, please feel free to drop them off at the main office or place them in the mail. Attention: Shawn DeRose. It can be for any business you want to support, in any amount. Nothing is too small.


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Awesome Atoms!

Verified Credit Successes! Annandale Students are continuing to work hard to earn verified credits needed for graduation. Between November 30 and December 10, Annandale students have earned 153 verified credits needed for graduation.  These verified credits also represent the final VCs needed for graduation for at least 15 of our seniors.  A huge thank you and congrats to our English 12 team, ELD 4 team, English 11/12 Double block Duo, and our many teachers who stayed after school to provide remediation for these students!!  SOL testing will continue next week and will include opportunities to take the Algebra 1, Geometry, and Chemistry SOLs.

 

Grab-n-Go Holiday Snacks for Teachers: Shout-Out to the PTSA for hosting the grab-n-go holiday snacks on Thursday morning. Our PTSA has been incredibly supportive this year, and very generous in showing staff how much they are appreciated. Thank you to all the PTSA volunteers and members. If you haven’t joined yet, check out their membership page.


Opportunities

Winter Coat Drive - All Week: As the winter season approaches, our Parent Resource Center and My Friend's Closet will once again be hosting a winter coat drive. To donate, please bring any new or gently used winter coats of all sizes to the collection box at the main entrance. The coats will be distributed to families in need.

Class of 2024 Fundraiser - Now through December 14: Want to send a sweet treat to a friend? The Class of 2024 will be selling holiday treat packages during all lunches in the cafeteria from December 6 through December 14. They will hand-deliver the treats to the recipients during W4 and Pride Time on Thursday, December 16.

 

AWC Hosts Science Fair Workshop - Tomorrow, December 13: Need help preparing for the Science Fair? The final opportunity to attend the Atoms Writing Center's Science Fair workshop is after school in Room 274 on Monday, December 13.

 

Networking Opportunity for Future Teachers - December 14: FCPS high school juniors, seniors, graduates, and former Teachers for Tomorrow or Early Childhood Careers students can network with teachers, administrators, and professional groups in Fairfax County Public Schools during the Fourth Annual Back2Fairfax Teacher Seminar virtual event on Tuesday, December 14, from 5-8 p.m.

Breakout sessions will cover a variety of topics including developing a resume, preparing for an interview, applying for a license, finding the school that is the right fit, and teacher and administrator panels.

 

AWC Offers College Essay Workshop - December 15: The Atoms Writing Center will be holding its last College Essay Workshop of the year after school on Wednesday, December 15. If you want an AWC tutor to give you feedback on your college essay, bring your draft to Room 274 then or sign up for an in-person or online conference on our Schoology group or at https://bit.ly/AtomsWritingCenter.

 

Class of 2024 Jersey Mike’s Fundraiser - Thursday, December 16, 2-8pm: Good goes beyond the sub! The Class of 2024 will be hosting a fundraiser on select Thursdays throughout the school year. Join us at the Jersey Mike’s location on Port Royal Road in Springfield VA, Thursday, December 16 from 2:00-8:00pm to support the class of 2024. The process is simple: Place an order online or in person, say that you are supporting the Class of 2024 at Annandale High School at checkout or in the notes section if you are ordering online, and Jersey Mike’s will donate 15% of sales for the evening to the Class of 2024. Eat a sub, and make a difference!

 

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Edison Academy Open House - January 8: Edison Academy invites you to attend their in-person Open House event on Saturday, January 8, 2022 from 10:00am-1:00pm. They are located at 5801 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA. The entrance is located at Door #13. You will have the opportunity to tour their state-of-the-art facilities, meet their instructors and current students, and learn more about our incredible courses!  Please feel free to contact Cassandra Deedy at (703) 924-8101 or cjdeedy@fcps.edu if you need any additional information.

 

Yearbook and Senior Tribute Ads: The 2022 Antenna Yearbook and Senior Tribute Ads can be purchased now www.yearbookforever.com. Buy your yearbook now! Prices are currently $85.


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News from the PTSA

PTSA Food Pantry Distribution: The PTSA sponsored AHS Pantry distributes food to AHS students and families in need. Distribution will take place on the second and fourth Fridays of each month from 3:15-4:15pm in Trailer 8 at the rear of the school. The pantry distribution schedule for the school year can be found here. Bags will contain several meals and fresh produce is also available and will be distributed first come, first served. There will also be a limited supply of household products (cleaning supplies, hygiene items, paper towels and toilet paper) available. Click here for additional food and community services. Contact Alissa Green, School Social Worker at adgreen@fcps.edu with questions related to resources. 

You can donate to the Pantry to help Atom families in need here. A back to school wish list of needed items can be found here. Also, please consider donating paper grocery bags (preferably with handles) to ease the distribution process. Paper bags and food donations for the Pantry can be dropped off in the main office. Contact Norma Foti, Pantry Coordinator at pantry@annandalehsptsa.org with questions . 

 

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.

Personal Hygiene

Items

Shampoo

Conditioner

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Razors

Deodorant

Body Wash

Hand Soap

Dental Floss

Chapstick

Food

White Rice

Breakfast Cereal

Tomato Sauce

Cooking Oil

Corn Flour

Sugar

Peanut Butter

Jelly

Crackers

Boxes of Granola Bars

Diced Tomatoes

 

Household Items

Tissues

Toilet Paper

Paper Towels

Dish Detergent

Dishwasher Detergent

Laundry Detergent

Cleaning Supplies

Sponges

Uber/Lift Gift Cards

 

 

 


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 Events:

Monday, December 13

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

Atoms Writing Center - Science Fair Workshop - 3:00 - 4:00pm - Room 274

Art Club - 3:00 - 4:00pm - Room 334

Girls Who Code - 3:15 - 4:15 - Room 223

F/JV Girls' Basketball at Justice - 5:00/6:15pm

Tuesday, December 14

Chorus - Winter Concert - Ring out the Bells - 7:00pm - Auditorium

JV/V Girls' Basketball at Lewis - 5:30/7:00pm

Boys' Basketball vs. Lewis - 4:30/5:45/7:30pm

     ***Dance team will perform!

Wednesday, December

AA LEAD - 3:00pm - Bistro

Atoms Writing Center - 3:00 - 4:00pm - Room 274

Atoms Writing Center - College Essay Workshop - 3:00 - 4:00pm - Room 274

Math Honor Society - Meeting - 3:00 - 4:00 - Lecture Hall

Yoga Club - 3:00 - 4:00 - Room 283

Gymnastics at South County - 6:00pm

Thursday, December 16

AVID - College Application Workshop - 3:00 - 4:00pm - Room 90

Technology Student Association - Mandatory meeting - 3:30pm - Room 346

JV Wrestling vs. Oakton, South Lakes, West Springfield - 6:00pm

Band - Winter Concert - 7:00pm - Auditorium

Friday, December 17

F/V Girls' Basketball vs. Hayfield - 5:30/7:00pm

Boys' Basketball at Hayfield - 4:30/5:45/7:30pm

Indoor Track at Thomas Jefferson Middle School - 5:30pm

Swim/Dive at Audrey Moore Rec Center vs. Justice - 6:00pm

Saturday, December 18

Varsity Wrestling - Cavalier Classic at Woodson - 9:30am

Indoor Track at VB Sports Center - Times TBA