Annandale Community Insider - January 23

Annandale Students, Parents and Community:

We have reached the end of the second quarter and are halfway through the school year. I continue to be amazed and inspired by the work of our staff, students and families during these unprecedented times. 

The social and emotional wellness of our students continue to be a priority at Annandale. Similar to last year, teachers will be conducting one-on-one check-ins with students in their advisory (W4) class beginning later this week. These conversations are another opportunity to build a caring and trusting environment for all students, cultivate positive relationships, and identify student needs. The W4 lesson on January 26 will ask students to reflect in order to prepare them for their check-in.

The faculty and staff recently came together to recognize the nominees for the FCPS Outstanding Awards, as well as announce our school level winners in the following categories: Outstanding Teacher, Outstanding New Teacher, Outstanding Operational Employee, Outstanding Professional Employee and Outstanding Leader. Thank you to those of you who nominated a staff member back in November/early December. Congratulations to the school level award winners:

• Outstanding Teacher - Tricia Kapuscinski, ESOL Teacher
• Outstanding New Teacher - Allyson Pak, Math Teacher
• Outstanding Professional Employee, Catie Bishop, Social Studies Teacher/Tech Specialist 
• Outstanding Leader - Erik Healey, Director of Student Services
• Outstanding Operational Employee - Jewad Abdulhadi, Office Assistant

Finally, I recognize that you may have questions about how the Governor’s Executive Order regarding masking will impact FCPS and Annandale High School. FCPS has released guidance around masking saying, “We believe strongly in a caring culture, respecting and understanding each other and how we can grow and thrive together in our school community. As COVID transmission rates remain high, we believe that in order to keep our schools safe for all children and staff, especially those who could be severely impacted by illness, that keeping our mask regulation in place is crucial. In accordance with state law, our regulation requiring universal masking remains in place until further notice.”

Superintendent Scott Brabrand will be hosting a virtual town hall on Zoom tomorrow, January 24, from 7:00-8:00pm to answer questions and share information. The event will also be streamed on Facebook Live. Please register to attend and know that FCPS and Annandale High School remain committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all of our students and staff.

As always, reach out with any questions you may have. 

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Important Dates

January 24 - Student Holiday (Professional Development Day)

January 24 - FCPS Virtual Town Hall w/ Superintendent Brabrand, 7pm

January 25 - Beginning of 3rd Quarter

January 26 - Check-ins in W4 Begin

January 29 - 2nd Quarter Report Cards Available in StudentVUE and ParentVUE

January 31-February 4 - Winter Spirit Week

February TBD - Rising 9th Grade Open House

February 1 - Lunar New Year

February 15 - PTSA Meeting, 7pm

February 21 - Spring Sports Begin

February 21 - Holiday (Washington’s Birthday and Presidents’ Day)

January 26 - Check-ins in W4 Begin: The social and emotional wellness of our students continue to be a priority at Annandale. Similar to last year, teachers will be conducting one-on-one check-ins with students in their advisory (W4) class beginning later this week. These conversations are another opportunity to build a caring and trusting environment for all students, cultivate positive relationships, and identify student needs. The W4 lesson on January 26 will ask students to reflect in order to prepare them for their check-in.

January 29 - 2nd Quarter Report Cards Available in StudentVUE and ParentVUE:  Students and parents will be able to access 2nd quarter report cards in StudentVUE and ParentVUE this Saturday, January 29 at 6:00am. FCPS Weekly Progress Reports will not be sent to parents through Thursday, January 27 during second quarter grading and report card generation.

February TBD - Rising 9th Grade Open House: We are in the process of rescheduling Rising 9th Grade Open House for students and parents. The event 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! Stay tuned for more information! If you have any questions, please contact Erik Healey.

Keeping Up With COVID

FCPS Policy on Masks: Last week, FCPS stated that it “requires everyone, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask inside our buildings and on our school buses, except when alone in a room. This includes staff, students, and visitors. Read the FCPS Mask Regulation for more details.” This mask requirement is in place because ”we are committed to providing all students safe in-person instruction and ensuring our schools remain open for five days of in-person instruction. Our layered prevention strategies, including universal mask wearing, help to keep COVID-19 transmission in our schools low and our classrooms open for learning. It is especially important to protect our most medically vulnerable students who deserve the same opportunity to safely access in-person instruction as their peers.”

FCPS Virtual Town Hall - January 24, 7pm: We recognize that you may have questions about how the Governor’s Executive Order regarding masking will impact FCPS and Annandale High School. Superintendent Scott Brabrand will be hosting a virtual town hall on Zoom tomorrow, January 24, from 7:00-8:00pm to answer questions and share information. The event will also be streamed on Facebook Live. Please register to attend and know that FCPS and Annandale High School remain committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all of our students and staff.

Direct Line at Annandale HS for COVID Communication: Annandale High School will now have a direct phone line and email for any COVID-related matters. If your student either has COVID or was in close contact with someone with COVID, or you have any questions or concerns about COVID-related policies and procedures, please email AHS COVID at ahscovid@fcps.edu or call 703-642-4363. Please leave a message if no one picks up and our COVID case manager, Nathan Park, will get back to you.

Important Information

Academic Advising Underway: Counselors continue to meet individually with students through English classes to discuss course selection for the 2022-23 school year. Our Academic Advising page has the grade level information presented by counselors, videos made by teachers describing our elective and IB options, and the course selection Google forms that must be completed by students. We encourage both students and parents to visit this site and discuss course selections for next year.

Students are asked to complete the appropriate grade-level course selection Google form prior to meeting with their counselor. All course selection forms are due no later than February 25. Please reach out to your student’s counselor, or Erik Healey, Director of Student Services, if you have any questions.

Student Leadership Interest Meeting: The Student Leadership Class is an elective with admission based on an application and interview process. Students in this class contribute to building the culture at AHS by helping plan events such as Homecoming, Spirit Weeks, Heritage Night, etc. We are striving for the class to be truly representative of our entire school population. The interest meeting will be held on January 25 from 3:45-4:15pm. This meeting will be virtual and the link can be accessed in the Schoology group.

Rising 9th Grade Course Selection Information: The transition from middle to high school can be difficult and stressful for some students. However, Annandale High School takes tremendous pride in ensuring the transition is as smooth as possible. This week Principal Shawn DeRose and Director of Student Services Erik Healey hosted “Virtual Course Information Night” for rising 9th grade students and parents. You can view a recording of the presentation and find more information about course selection on the Rising 9th Grade Course Selection page of our website.

WorkKeys Testing Information (Junior Parents): Earlier this week an eNotify was sent to junior parents regarding testing changes for writing verified credit. The state has allowed schools to offer the ACT WorkKeys Business Writing as an alternate assessment to the SOL Writing in order for students to earn their verified credit in Writing.  The WorkKeys writing assessment will be administered through English 11 classes between February 14 and February 18. Teachers will provide additional testing details as well as test preparation in class. Please visit our webpage to view additional information as well as access to the opt-out form.

Virginia Climate and Working Conditions Survey: Annandale students recently participated in the Virginia School Climate Survey. The purpose of this survey is to measure student support, student engagement, school discipline, and safety conditions in each school. This information will be used to guide educational practices that produce a safe and supportive school environment. Students who were absent or have not yet completed the survey can do so by going to the following website https://tinyurl.com/VASS22STU and entering this access code: ANN81S until Friday, February 4.

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 second 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.

Awesome Atoms!

Varsity Girls Basketball Earn First Win of Season: THe varsity girls basketball team earned their first victory of the season with a 33-27 win over Lewis on Senior Night! Congratulations to seniors Nyah Stallings, Katherine Vargas, Connie Shamdin and Holly Martindale.

Congratulations Mimi Merino! Mimi Merino, front office assistant, has been accepted at Old Dominion University where she will finish her degree and begin the process of becoming a Commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. While Mimi has only been at Annandale a short time, she has grown attached to the students and staff. In her farewell letter to staff, Mimi shared, “The world is tough, especially through everything happening with this pandemic but, always keep in mind the bigger picture of what it is that you are doing. You are all raising and helping our future and that in itself is something valiant and heroic you truly are appreciated.”

Annandale Baseball Host Weekly Winter Clinics: The Annandale Baseball program recently hosted their first of six winter clinic sessions. Each week, the camp focuses on fundamentals and is instructed by the coaching staff and players. The first three camps focus on defense/pitching. The next three will focus on hitting. The clinics cost $25 per session and are open to K-8th grade students. For more information contact Coach Bagot at 703-901-4954 or cabagot@fcps.edu. Online Registration: http://bit.ly/AHSCAMP.

Opportunities

Support the Class of 2022 by Purchasing a Winter Whiteout Shirt! Annandale Seniors will be selling white long sleeve Atom Nation shirts for Spirit Week. Make sure you purchase them before our Winter Whiteout spirit day on Friday, February 4! T-shirts will be sold in the cafeteria during A and C lunch now through February 3 (or until sold out). Shirts cost $10. 

Atoms Writing Center Offers Writing Support: With the start of 3rd quarter, the Atoms Writing Center has a new link to request tutoring help. Fill out this Cover Sheet to receive non-judgmental help from a peer on writing in any subject! If you haven’t already, students and teachers should also join the AWC’s Schoology Group for important updates, reminders, and announcements. You can join the Schoology group by clicking on “Groups,” then “My Groups” on the right, then click the blue “Join Group” button on the right and enter this join code: 9MSF-KSDM-B7HCP.

IB Historical Investigation Workshop: The Atoms Writing Center will be holding a workshop to help IB students write their Historical Investigation drafts. The workshop will be offered after school on Wednesday, January 26 in Room 274 and during PRIDE Time on February 3 in the Lecture Hall. There is limited space during PRIDE Time, so if you're interested, try to attend after school on the 26 or fill out this google form to request a pass during PRIDE Time. Contact your history teacher or Mrs. Hanson if you have any questions.

Boys and Girls State 2022 (Juniors): Virginia Boys State and Girls State are week-long studies of government and the operation, laws and procedures of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Annandale Student Services is currently identifying Juniors, who are interested in submitting applications for this summer enrichment opportunity. Candidates are evaluated on their leadership abilities, interest in government, service to others, and academics. 

• Boys State will be held at Radford University, the week of June 19-25, 2022. 
• Girls State will be held at Longwood University, the week of June 19-25, 2022. 

You must be able to attend the entire program. No exceptions.  If you are interested, please complete the Boys/Girls State 2022 Interest Form by Tuesday, February 1. Link: https://forms.gle/k4T6gdfAwfaDLt1T7. Contact Cheryl Kim with questions.

Support the Class of 2023 - Firepits and Firewood Needed: The Class of 2023 will be running concessions at the Bonfire event on Friday, February 4. They are in need of three (3) firepits and firewood for the event. Contributors will receive free hot chocolate and goodie bags at the event. Please contact Mr. Stevens via email (rstevens@fcps.edu) for more information.

News from the PTSA

PTSA Meeting Notes: This recently hosted their January meeting. Topics discussed were the upcoming Mulch Madness Sale, the pantry, All Night Grade Party, and Teacher Appreciation Week. You can check out the meeting agenda and notes on the PTSA website.  

PTSA Membership - Join Today! On behalf of the Annandale High School Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA), we would like to welcome you to the 2021–2022 school year. The key ingredient to our success is YOU. Please dare to make a difference, be better informed and join the PTSA today by filling out the online 2021–2022 Membership Form. For more information about membership, visit our Membership page.

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 3:00-4:00pm in Trailer 8 at the rear of the school. The pantry distribution schedule for the school year can be found here. 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 make a donation to the Pantry here. To ease the distribution process, we always need donations of both paper grocery bags (preferably with handles) and reusable grocery bags (for families and students who walk home).  Grocery 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 Is Always Restocking and Needs Your Help! The following items are always needed to restock. Items can be dropped off in the main office. All donations to the AHS PTSA Pantry are tax deductible.

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.

Limited In-Person Attendance at Athletic Events: Due to the continued high rate of COVID-19 transmission, we will continue to limit in-person attendance at athletic events to coaches, athletes, and the parents of both the home and visiting teams through Friday, January 28. However, you can watch FCPS high school sporting events online. Here’s how:

1. Go to www.NFHSnetwork.com.
2. Search for (school name) and go to its page.
3. Subscribe and follow.

This service is free for the rest of this school year. You do not need to purchase anything if you are watching FCPS hosted events.

This Week's Events:

Monday, January 24

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

Girls' Basketball at Hayfield - F - 5:45 / V - 7:30pm

Tuesday, January 25

No Events

Wednesday, January 26

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

District Indoor Track Championship at Edison - 12:00pm

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

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

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

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

JV and Varsity Wresting at Mt. Vernon - 6:00pm

Thursday, January 27

Dive District Championship at Lee District - Girls' - 10:30am / Boys' - 1:35pm

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

Gymnastics at Lake Braddock - 6:00pm (Senior Night)

Varsity Wrestling vs. Edison and Jefferson - 6:00pm (Senior Night)

Friday, January 28

District Indoor Track Championship at TJMS - 5:30pm

District Swim Championship at Audrey Moore Rec Center - 5:30pm

Saturday, January 29

JV Wrestling Championship of the World at Westfield - 9:00am

District Swim Championship at Audrey Moore Rec Center - 5:30pm