Annandale Students, Parents and Community:
We have much to be thankful for here at Annandale. I want to take the opportunity as I reflect on the first half of this school year to thank you for all of your support and help throughout. I particularly want to mention the wonderful support from our Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) whose mission enhances all areas of the school. The PTSA does an amazing job of not only supporting Annandale High School, but the entire Annanadle community. On Friday, the PTSA Pantry distributed food and toys to over 58 families. If you have not done so already, please consider joining the Annandale PTSA.
Winter break is an important time for all of us to rest, rejuvenate and reflect - students and staff alike. I hope you enjoy and cherish time with friends and family over the next two weeks.
On behalf of the entire Annandale staff, I wish you a safe and relaxing winter break. We look forward to welcoming back our students on January 3, 2022.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Shawn DeRose, Principal
Important Dates
December 20-31 - Winter Break
January 17 - Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday)
January 18 - Rising 9th Grade Open House, 6-8pm
January 20 - End of Second Quarter - 2-hour Early Release
January 21 - Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)
January 24 - Student Holiday (Professional Development Day)
Winter Break School Hours: The building will be open from 9:00am-1:00pm over Winter Break.
Rising 9th Grade Open House - January 18 from 6-8pm: Rising 9th grade students and parents are invited to Annandale High School on January 18 from 6-8pm for an Open House to learn more about what high school at Annandale is all about! We will offer short (optional) sessions on our various Annandale programs, and teachers will be in their classrooms throughout the evening to share all about our core and elective courses for 9th Graders. The goal is for students and parents to leave this event excited about all the opportunities students have as a Annandale Atom and prepared to complete their course request form! If you have any questions, please contact Erik Healey.
Breakout Sessions on the following topics will be offered throughout the evening: Welcome to Annandale, Course Request 101; IB/MYP Program; Activities and Athletics; English for Speakers of Other Languages Program; Special Education Office, and Student Life.
If you have specific questions that you would like addressed during this event, please submit your questions via this Google Form by Monday, January 13. Thank you in advance for your input and assistance in making this event a success!
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Awesome Atoms!
Annandale Key Club Provides Food for Homeless: On Friday, members of the Annandale’s Key Club distributed food to help those in need in the D.C. area. The program, called "The Sandwich Outreach," was created to help those in need in the D.C. area. According to the students, "the goal is to create snack packs to give out to people without homes in the area, as it is likely helpful to worry about one less meal while you’re trying to fight your own battles - especially in this December cold."
Advanced Programming Students Place in CMU CS Academy December Contest: Congratulations to Garvita Sachdeva, Jessup Gravitt, and Thanh Nguyen, Semir Ali, Bradley Khong, Jonathan Lee for placing third, second and first respectively in the CMU CS December Contest. CMU holds two contests throughout the year for student work. Annandale HS is represented with not one, not two, but THREE top 3 winners! Check out their projects here. (Search Annandale to find our 3 quickly). A huge shout out to teacher Mary Needham who supports the Programming classes!
Deck the Doors Competition Winners: Congratulations to the winners of the first annual Deck the Doors Competition sponsored by our Student Leadership Class. Ms. Greve’s class won second place for a tree adorned with the faces of each student, Ms. Pappas’ class earned first place for a 3D representation of Snoopy and Woodstock decorating the dog house, and Ms. Brunberg’s class won Most Creative for an interactive experience featuring the Gingerbread Man, the Grinch and Santa jumping down the chimney. All participants brought spirit and creativity to the hallways of the school.
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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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College Acceptance Spotlight
Dylan Mercado - Rice University: Congrats to Dylan Mercado who was recently accepted into Rice University in Houston Texas earning a full scholarship. Dylan has been a student at Annandale since his freshman year and is a part of the IB program. Dylan is a tutor for the writing center, a part of the Annandale Equity team, National English Honor Society, Math Honor Society and the National Honor Society, as well as a member of the Marching Band. Dylan plans to study Mechanical Engineering at Rice.
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Danielle Dean - University of Chicago: Danielle Dean was recently accepted into University of Chicago in Chicago Illinois earning a full scholarship. Danielle has been a student at Annandale since her Freshman year and is a part of the IB program. Danielle is a member of the marching band, Math, English, Science, Social Studies, French, and National Honor Societies, and is a member of the track and field team. Danielle plans to earn her BA in Economics and a minor in Data Science with the intention of transitioning into the accelerated MBA program in Accounting.
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Important Information
Assignments Over Winter Break: We hope you are able to spend the holiday resting and rejuvenating in your favorite ways. In support of this, teachers will not assign homework, projects, or papers over breaks, and refrain from assigning any major assessments or project due dates on the first two days back. If you have questions regarding specific assignments in a particular class, we always encourage students and families to reach out directly to their teachers for clarification and 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 now until Wednesday, December 22 at 6:00 a.m. for system updates.
PSAT Score Reports Released: Within the past couple of weeks, College Board released PSAT scores for the October exam. Students who completed the test should have received their score reports via the email address that they indicated on their PSAT answer sheet. Students should check their junk and spam folders for an email from College Board. During the winter break, students will also receive an email to the their school email account from Erik Healey, AHS Director of Student Services. This email will include test scores and an Access Code, which can be used to access the full score report on the College Board website. From this score report, students can utilize a free SAT prep course through Khan Academy, based on their individual PSAT scores.
Students Can Start Their College Courses Early at NOVA: The Early Online College program at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) allows FCPS juniors or seniors the opportunity to take up to two tuition-free college courses this spring. Textbook and other course materials purchases may be required. Early Online College courses begin on February 1, 2022, and end on April 25, 2022. Minimum qualifications apply. The deadline to submit a completed application is January 14, 2022. More information is available online.
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: 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.
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Opportunities
Spirit Week Gear Sale During All Lunches: The Class of 2022 will be selling white long sleeve Atom gear during all lunches beginning Monday, January 3 for $10. Make sure to grab yours in preparation for the Whiteout Spirit Day!
College Help Workshops – Thursdays After School: Students who need individual assistance with college applications, can attend the College Help Workshops from 3:00-4:00 in room 90 throughout the month of January. Students can ask questions about the Common Application, Transcript Request Forms, Scholarships, SAT/ACT exam registration, or anything else related to college.
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 Activities Office
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.
Events Over Winter Break:
Monday, December 20
JV/V Girls' Basketball at Park View - 5:45/7:15pm
Tuesday, December 21
F/JV/V Girls' Basketball vs. Yorktown - 4:30/5:45/7:30pm
F/JV/V Boys' Basketball at Yorktown - 4:30/5:45/7:30pm
Monday, December 27
Varsity Boys' Basketball at Wakefield - TBD
Tuesday, December 28
Varsity Boys' Basketball at Wakefield - TBD
Varsity Wrestling - Invitational at Woodbridge Senior HS - 9:00am
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