Annandale Community Insider - January 2

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Annandale Students, Parents and Community:

Happy New Year! I hope all is well with you as we wrap up the winter break and prepare for our return to school. I am sure that, like me, you have been following the uptick in COVID cases, reviewing updated CDC recommendations, and thinking about how all of this will impact your student.

As FCPS communicated on Friday, our intent is to remain open and in-person as we navigate this COVID spike. At Annandale, our approach moving forward will be to find ways to tighten and improve our mitigation as well as prepare for any shifts we may need to make. First, we will continue to hold students and staff accountable to our mitigation strategies. Most of our students have done a great job of wearing their masks and we will continue to enforce this policy for as long as necessary to keep everyone safe. We will also continue to offer outdoor lunch. While temperatures may be chilly, we encourage students to eat outside to support social distancing. In addition to the strategies we already have in place, we are temporarily suspending service of Second Chance Breakfast. In addition, Spirit Week activities, originally scheduled for January 10-14, have been postponed.

In the unlikely event that schools must shift temporarily to virtual instruction, we will ensure that we are prepared in order to ease the possible transition. This week during W4, staff and students will complete various tasks to ensure connectivity to Schoology, which provides access to Zoom and course assignments. 

Finally, it is clear we will continue to see higher COVID case numbers at least for the short term. Thanks to layered mitigation strategies and especially to vaccination, the likelihood of serious illness is significantly reduced as compared to last winter. However, we expect to experience some disruption to our teaching and learning routines. As a reminder, if students are not feeling well, they should stay home. In case your student is paused, they should access their assignments through Schoology for all of their classes. We also encourage students to reach out to teachers with any questions they may have.

As the landscape changes over the coming weeks, we will continue to reassess and keep you updated. As always, reach out with any questions you may have. 

Shawn DeRose, Principal


Important Dates

January 5 - IB Diploma Recognition Ceremony

January 6-7 - IB Extended Essay Writing Days

January 10-14 - POSTPONED Winter Spirit Week 

January 12 - POSTPONED Snowball Tournament

January 13 - POSTPONED Pep Rally

January 14 - POSTPONED Winter Bonfire and Whiteout Basketball Game

January 17 - Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday) 

January 18 - PTSA Meeting, 7pm

January 20 - End of Second Quarter - 2-hour Early Release

January 21 - Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)

January 24 - Student Holiday (Professional Development Day)

 

IB Diploma Recognition Ceremony - January 5 During W4/PRIDE Time: Our IB Graduates of 2021 will be returning on January 5 to share their post high school/college experiences as well as receive their IB certificates. The program will run from 10:00-11:00am (during W4/PT) in the auditorium and will follow up with cake/punch in Clausen Hall. J.J. York (retired IB History teacher) will be the guest speaker! IB juniors and seniors will be invited to attend.

 

IB Extended Essay Writing Days - January 6-7: Senior diploma candidates will have the final opportunity to finish writing their Extended Essay drafts in the library. These are optional library days and students will select in advance class periods they plan to attend. January 6 and 7 are cultural observance days.


Important Information

Second Chance Breakfast Canceled: It is clear that we will continue to see higher COVID case numbers at least for the short term. To better tighten our mitigation strategies, we have canceled 2nd chance breakfast. Students can still access a free breakfast before the start of school. As the landscape changes over the coming weeks, we will continue to reassess and update staff and students. We will continue to follow our current bell schedule moving forward.

 

Updates to Quarantine Guidance: FCPS is aware of the recent CDC announcement that changes the recommended quarantine and isolation period from 10 days to five days. We are working with the Fairfax County Health Department to determine how this impacts schools. As a reminder, if you are sick, please stay home until you are tested and/or feel better. For the time being, we are continuing to follow our existing guidelines regarding returning to school or work following an exposure.

 

Social Studies Verified Credits: The Virginia Department of Education (VDoE) approved the continued use of Performance Based Assessments (PBAs) in September as a replacement for the End of Course SOL Exam for students to earn locally awarded verified credit (LAVC) in Social Studies. This means that, instead of taking a traditional SOL test at the end of the year for this course, students will be completing performance based assessments throughout the remainder of the school year. These assessments will be part of students’ course grades as well as the means by which they earn verified credit. For questions, please reach out to Meg Anderson

 

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 also received an email to the their school email account from Erik Healey, AHS Director of Student Services. This email included 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 and end on April 25. Minimum qualifications apply. The deadline to submit a completed application is January 14. More information is available online.


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Awesome Atoms!

Building Improvements Over Winter Break: We are committed to keeping our campus updated with the latest technology and classroom furniture for our staff and students Over winter break, we received the last shipment of new student desks and chairs. Classrooms that still had old student desks and chairs have been furnished with new ones. In addition, we recently replaced over 40 teacher desks with the goal of replacing all teacher desks before the start of the next school year.

 

Holocaust Survivor Visit

Holocaust Survivor Visits Annandale Students: On December 15, sophomores in Mrs. Mathis’ and Mr. Bagot’s classes had the honor of hearing live from Holocaust Survivor Al Munzer. In collaboration with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, over 100 students had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Munzer’s story and engage in a Q&A session to support their reading of Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night. Mr. Munzer’s message for students: “We are all one big human family. Let us celebrate that common humanity.”

 

Annandale's Parent Liaisons Making a Difference in the Community: In her role as Parent Liaison at Annandale High School, Gisela Sanchez has many families confide in her about their needs when going through a hardship especially around the holidays. She saw this as an opportunity to embody the role of a community liaison.

The holiday gift drive initially started with the combined efforts of Gisela's family and friends. Later other donors joined, and this small idea snowballed into a great yearly program. It is one of her proudest accomplishments because Annandale HS can be present even around the holidays. This was her 8th year organizing this event and now our other Parent Liaison, Marleni Benitez has now joined Gisela organizing this program. The AHS community of parents, students, custodians, social workers, counselors, and staff also volunteer to make this happen. It takes a village to make a community.

 

Boys Basketball Wins George Long Holiday Tournament! Congratulations to the Boys Varsity Basketball team who defeated South County, Madison and Woodson to win the George Long Holiday Tournament at Wakefield High School. Andrew Nields and Leoule Yared were named to the All Tournament team and Max Lanham was named the Most Valuable Player! Check out the Washington Post article: "Amid a sparse holiday tournament landscape, Annandale basketball earns a trophy."

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Bottom photo: Washington Post


Inclement Weather Policy

There is a Winter Storm Watch late tonight through Monday afternoon with snow accumulations of 3-6 inches possible in the DC Metro area. Here is a link to the various Annandale High School Bell Schedules.

Earlier this year, FCPS announced that snow days will stay in 2021-22. The first five inclement weather days will be traditional inclement weather days. After those five days, we 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.


Opportunities

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 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

Next PTSA Meeting - January 18, 7pm: The Next Annandale PTSA meeting will be on Tuesday, January 18 at 7:00 p.m. PTSA meetings are bilingual and Spanish translation is provided. Las reuniones de PTSA son bilingües y se proporciona traducción al español. Here is a link to the meeting. See you there!

 

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

 

 

 


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Annandale guard Maxwell Lanham pushes the ball up the floor in the Atoms' win over W.T. Woodson in the final of the George Long Holiday Hoops tournament. (Al Drago/for The Washington Post)


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.

 

Limited Spectators at Athletic Events: Athletic contests will continue with limited spectators. There will be no general admission to any sports contests through Friday, January 14. Spectators will be limited to family members of both the home and visiting teams and select guests. If you have ay questions, please contact John Ellenberger at jellenberger@fcps.edu.

 

This Week's Events:

Monday, January 3

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

Key Club - 3:00 - 4:00 - Room 283

Boys' Basketball at Falls Church - 4:30/5:45/7:30

Girls' Basketball vs. Falls Church - 4:30/5:45/7:30

Tuesday, January 4

Freshmen Girls' at Justice - 4:30pm

Freshmen Boys' vs. Justice - 4:30pm

JV Girls' vs. Justice - 5:45pm

Varsity Girls' Basketball at Justice - 5:45pm

Varsity Boys' Basketball at Justice - 7:30pm

JV Boys' vs. Justice - 7:30pm

Wednesday, January 5

Fellowship of Christian Athletes - 7:15-8:00am - Upper Gym

AA LEAD - 3:00-5:00pm - Bistro

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

Atoms Writing Center - New Tutor Training - 3:30-4:30pm - Room 274

Coffee House - Tech Rehearsal - 3:00-4:45pm - Room 324

National English Honor Society - 3:15-4:15pm - Room 271A

Varsity Wrestling vs. Edison, Jefferson - 6:00pm

Thursday, January 6

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

Friday, January 7

No Events

Saturday, January 8

Indoor Track at Justice - 11:00am

Swim/Dive vs. Jefferson at Audrey Moore Rec Center - 8:30pm