Health & Wellness Therapy Dogs
Our therapy dog friends return TODAY, from 11:00am-1:30pm.
We are expecting five or six pups, some “old” familiar furry faces, and some “first-timers” dog visitors to MHS!
Our thanks to the PTSA Health & Wellness Committee for organizing!
Please contact health.wellness@mcleanptsa.org for more information.
February Friday Tea
Station SignUp
Let's show our appreciation and treat our wonderful teachers and staff to some breakfast treats!
Sign up to bring weekly Friday morning breakfast treats.
Sign up here for the week that best suits your schedule.
Thank you!
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PTSA Sponsored
Mock ACT/SAT Tests
EC Tutoring is offering mock ACT and SAT tests in January and February. These tests are available to students at area schools for $20.
*** Please remember to indicate your status as an MHS student on the registration form to ensure that the PTSA receives credit; the fees support our programs.
Mock SAT Test - February 5th, 9:00am-1:00pm Registration Form
Mock ACT Test - February 26nd, 9:00am-1:00pm Registration Form
These tests are available to students at area schools for $20.
*** Please remember to indicate your status as an MHS student on the registration form to ensure that the PTSA receives credit;
the fees support our programs.
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Local Restaurant Fundraisers
Show Highlander Spirit and Support Your Community
While Dining In or Carrying Out
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Silver Diner is Tomorrow!
February 3rd, 5:00pm - 8:00pm
8101 Fletcher Street
McLean, VA 22102
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Pie-tanza - 2nd Thursday of Month
February 10th, 11:30am - 9:30pm
Lee Harrison Center
2503B N. Harrison Street
Arlington, VA 22207
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Mark Your Calendar
Hidden in Plain Sight - March 1, 2022
Hidden in Plain Sight is a community awareness program to educate parents through a hands-on learning experience that covers current trends and signs of risky business. The program will outline alcohol use, marijuana, prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, illicit drugs, mental disorders, sexual behavior, and other risky business.
This program is open to adult audiences only. The program is designed to educate parents on recent trends and to assist their child in finding the proper help if a risky behavior is detected. The program is presented by the Fairfax County Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit.
The presentation will be held at McLean High School in the cafeteria starting at 7:00pm and ending at 8:30pm on March 1, 2022.
Masks will be required to be worn while in the building.
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Student Achievements
SO PROUD OF OUR MHS STUDENTS!
McLean HS Coat Drive Success
The McLean High School community was incredibly generous and donated many new and gently used coats to benefit Share McLean.
Our very own Olivia Zhang did an amazing job spearheading this drive.
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MHS December Students
of the Month!
Please join us in celebrating all of our December Students of the Month! These students are honored for their hard work, enthusiasm for learning, diligence, work ethic and willingness to help their fellow Highlanders.
Click HERE for the full list of winners!
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District Champions Swim & Dive
Congratulations to our Boys Swim & Dive Team who won the Liberty District Championship!
MHS Girls Swim & Dive Team finished in 2nd Place at the Liberty District Championship.
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Girls 200 Free Relay Winners
Congratulations to our Girls 200 Free Relay 1st Place winners:
Olivia Tennant
Emily Friedman
Lily Flint and
Catherine Hughes
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Girls Individual Medley Winner
Congratulations Catherine Hughes on your 1st Place Girls Individual Medley win!
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Congratulations to Nick
and Noah Wanzer!
Please join us in congratulating Nick and Noah Wanzer!
Nick finished first in the district and Noah finished in the top five in Swim and Dive for the Liberty District.
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PTSA Volunteer Openings
YOUR PTSA NEEDS YOU and appreciates all that you do!
PTSA Board Nominations for
2022-2023
Are you interested in being on our PTSA Board or do you know someone who would be great in a Board position next year?
Please take a quick look at the Board positions and their related job descriptions on our website and let us know who would fit any of these positions. If you know of someone who would generally be a great Board member, but you are not sure in which specific position, we also want to hear from you!
Starting in late January, the Nominating Committee will be collecting the names to slate for our 2022-2023 PTSA Board and we always want to get a diverse group of members from our broad community on the Board.
Please contact the Nominating Committee at nominate@mcleanptsa.org with names and referrals.
Thank you in advance.
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Support Your McLean High School PTSA
PTSA Funds Enhance Student Learning
Please consider making a tax-free donation to the PTSA.
Your contribution translates directly into academic enhancements, virtual programs, improved technology, and courtyard and facilities renovations.
Click here to donate.
Remember When Shopping to Activate the Rewards Programs
Earn rewards while you shop: Help Our Cause: Check out a one-stop-shop to earn rewards while shopping at 1000+ stores online or on your phone.
Simply register once and use it often to get shopping discounts, travel rebates, discounted textbook purchases, electronics, vehicle donations, and much more.
Details about the program are found here.
Harris Teeter Together in Education: Visit this link to register your card or register with the cashier next time you shop at Harris Teeter. MHS Code: 5560; Phone: (800) 432-6111.
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Office Depot – MHS Code: 70104184
MHS receives 5% of your purchases.
Details about the program are here.
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Earn Money for the PTSA When You Purchase through our Amazon Link
Simply bookmark: Amazon
And use the link to access Amazon BEFORE you add items to your cart and check out promptly.
Items that are left in your cart for 24 hours or more do not qualify. To save items to purchase later, please use your Wish List.
Every Purchase Counts! Thank you!
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Stay in the Know!
Connecting Students with Industry Professionals Through Panel Discussions, Career Planning Support, and
Much More!
Join us for our upcoming regional career exploration event and participate in live virtual sessions held every night Monday, February 14 through Thursday, February 17th, 2022. This event was developed in conjunction with six neighboring school divisions in the Northern Virginia region.
High school students will learn about a wide variety of potential career paths and post-secondary options that will prepare them for the next chapter of their educational journey. This event will offer students a connection to more than 100 local industry professionals from in-demand career fields across the Northern Virginia region. Employers and industry experts will be represented from highly sought-after career clusters. This event will include synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) sessions.
High school students will be able to participate in the following ways:
- Connect to more than 100 local industry professionals from in-demand career fields across the region.
- Learn about work-based learning (WBL) opportunities.
- Attend industry panel discussions.
- Attend information sessions and career planning support sessions.
- Learn about postsecondary education, training, and apprenticeship opportunities.
Details and registration information are available online. Students can email workbasedlearning@fcps.edu with questions.
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For all high school students interested in a health career, George Washington University is now accepting applications for its Health Career Opportunity Program (HCOP). This program offers scholarships/stipends, mentors, and education/advisement as students embark on the journey of becoming health professionals. HCOP is a federally funded program by HRSA and its mission is to develop and guide individuals with disadvantaged backgrounds through the educational pipeline of a health profession.
If you have questions, email Dr. Jessica To-Alemanji at kto1@email.gwu.edu or GWHCOP@gwu.edu.
For more information about HCOP, visit http://smhs.gwu.edu/hcop.
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National PTA Listening Sessions for Parents and Educators
Fairfax County Special Education PTA (SEPTA) is hosting virtual focus groups to discuss National PTA's Standards for Family-School Partnerships. Share your experiences and your perspectives on family-school partnerships.
- How do you want to engage with your child’s school?
- What are the most important parts of a parent-educator relationship?
Your feedback will be used to make family-school partnerships more inclusive and impactful in FCPS. National PTA will also use your feedback to inform a set of National Standards for family-school partnerships nationwide.
For more information click here.
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COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing Available for All Students
All FCPS students and staff will have access to COVID-19 diagnostic testing. Diagnostic testing for those who are symptomatic, or have been in close contact with an individual with COVID-19, is an additional layered prevention strategy to support safe in-person learning.
Effective testing is essential in helping slow the spread of COVID-19 by identifying those who have the virus so they can receive treatment and isolate. Testing is also a step in the return to school or work process following illness or exposure.
COVID-19 diagnostic testing will be available at six drive-through sites throughout Fairfax County. A full list of locations and schedules is available on our website.
Appointments are not needed, but parents or guardians will need to provide their child’s information and consent for testing through FCPS’ secure online portal.
Staff will also need to register through the secure online portal to receive testing services.
Students or staff receiving diagnostic testing will be given a rapid antigen test and wait 15 minutes for the results. If the test is positive, a PCR test will be administered to confirm the positive result.
Any FCPS student or staff member who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or is identified as a close contact of someone who is COVID-19 positive may use the six drive-through diagnostic testing sites.
More information about FCPS’ COVID-19 testing program, including diagnostic testing, is available online.
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Free Home
COVID-19 Tests Available
Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests, completely free.
Visit covidtests.gov to order your free at-home tests and find free testing locations in your area.
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Free Student Bus Pass Program
Students can sign up for the Free Student Bus Pass Program at all FCPS high schools:
Visit the Fairfax Connector website for more information and to download the application.
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Online Campus & Self-Directed EPF Registration Opened on January 18th
Online Campus: Current grades 7-12
- Non-SOL courses: Tuesday, June 21-Wednesday, July 20
- SOL courses: Tuesday, June 21-Wednesday, July 21
- IFTA HPE 9: Tuesday, July 5-Tuesday, July 26
- HN Geometry: Tuesday, June 21 – Thursday, July 29
- Algebra 2 Head Start: Monday, July 18-Friday, July 22
Time: Synchronous lessons will be between 8 am – 2 pm and will last 60-90 minutes daily.
These courses provide opportunities for credit recovery and acceleration for eligible middle school and high school students.
Registration: Tuesday, January 18-Friday, June 10
Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance: Current grades 9-12
- Session 1: Monday, April 18-Friday, June 17
- Session 2: Monday, June 27-Friday, July 29
Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance requires students to complete work without direct teacher support. Students will access content for this course through FCPS Schoology. The course was updated in September 2020. The course features an updated curriculum, interactive modules, and exit tickets. Students will read through 14 modules, complete 140 exit tickets, 14 module tests, and a final exam. This is an online course and does not meet face-to-face. Students may only take this course as "Pass/Fail."
Registration:
Session 1: Tuesday, January 18-Friday, April 8
Session 2: Tuesday, January 18-Friday, June 3
Information about additional programs will be posted as it becomes available on the FCPS Summer Learning webpage.
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Student Contests, Programs,
Workshops, Selected Resources & Webinars
Submit a design to Google for a chance to have your artwork appear on millions of computer screens as the Google Logo.
For more information visit here.
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Vans High School Custom Culture was created to inspire and empower high school students to embrace their creativity through art and design and bring attention to diminishing arts education budgets. Vans believes everyone should be empowered to express themselves creatively and should be given the tools to do so.
Custom Culture High School is a national high school customization competition using blank Vans shoes to be customized around the specific themes, Hometown Pride and VanD(IY)oren Legacy.
In order to compete in our competition, an art teacher or school administrator needs to register the high school on vans.com/customculture between January 10, 2022-February 4, 2022.
See the contest rules for exact details.
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SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest
The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association (SPJ/JEA) want to increase high school students' knowledge and understanding of the importance of independent media to our lives.
Upload/received by deadline: February 19, 2022, 11:59 p.m. Central time/9:59 p.m. Pacific time.
Essays will be accepted beginning November 1, 2021.
For more information click here.
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For 2021, Cooper Hewitt’s Design Challenge is: What Would You Design to Create a Healthier World?
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum launched the National High School Design Competition in 2016. Every year, students around the country are challenged to design a solution to a unique scenario, inspired by Cooper Hewitt’s rich collection and stimulating exhibitions.
Awards: Membership to Cooper Hewitt and networking opportunities with designers / other experts in the field
Participants: Students ages 13 through 19 who are high school students in Grades 9 through 12, or who are homeschooled students working toward a high school degree anywhere in the United States.
You can enter as an individual or as a team of up to three people.
Registration opens: January 4, 2022
Deadline to submit: February 28, 2022
Registration Fee: FREE
Website: https://www.cooperhewitt.org/design-competition/
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2022 Student Creative Expressions Contest
Contest Extended to February 28, 2022
No matter who you are or what your background is,
you bring your own values and experiences to every situation.
High school students in Virginia are invited to honor outstanding African Americans by participating in Dominion Energy and the Library of Virginia’s Strong Men & Women in Virginia History student contest. This year’s contest is built around the inquiry process of project-based learning and is designed to hit grade-specific standards through a multidisciplinary approach. While analyzing historical and contemporary injustices, students will use and develop creative and critical thinking skills.
- Students are allowed to enter one submission during the contest period.
- Students should choose to compete in only one category.
- The performance or digital project entries must include a video piece with narration describing what your project is and how it addresses the prompt.
- The performance or documentary videos must run 5 minutes or under.
- Creative Writing entries are limited to 500 words and must include language that addresses the prompt.
Winners will receive an Apple MacBook Air and $1,000 for their schools. Four winning projects will be chosen, one project from each of four regions in the state.
The people honored as Strong Men and Women in Virginia History used their experiences to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Is there a past honoree who inspires you particularly? How do your values and experiences help you meet your goals and overcome obstacles in your personal life, at school or in your community?
For more information about the contest, please visit here.
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National Cyber Cup
A free, 100% online Jeopardy-style Capture the Flag competition for students in grades 4-12 to sharpen their problem-solving skills through cyber-based challenges.
For more information, please look here.
Registration opens on March 1, 2022.
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Applications Are Now Open for the
2022 AFSA National High School Essay Contest
Apply at https://afsascholarships.communityforce.com
The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 4, 2022
Envirothon Competition for
High School Students
As we determine best practices for reaching Zero Waste goals in Fairfax County, let's engage our high school students' voices! This year’s Envirothon Special Interest topic is “Waste to Resources” and the Oral Presentation question has just been announced! Visit the VA Soil and Water Conservation District’s Envirothon competition page to explore resources on waste and other competition topics and to learn how to participate in the Envirothon competition.
Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) provides training trunks on aquatics, forestry, soils, and wildlife available teachers to borrow. Each trunk is full of dozens of valuable resources like guides, hands-on tools and equipment, and specimen samples. NVSWCD will also be hosting local training and will be providing more details soon.
Contact Ashley Palmer to learn more.
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Scholarship Information
You can access here a comprehensive list of scholarships for high school students to help pay for school their freshman year of college and beyond.
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Competitions and Contests that Boost Your
Admission Prospects
A list of 70 academic competitions and contests selected by the College Transitions.
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Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is Open?
Parents of high school seniors are encouraged to work with their students to complete the FAFSA as early as possible, but before March 1st, as you prepare for your child to begin college in the fall of 2022.
Parents and students should start by creating an FSA ID and then begin the FAFSA.
College Access Fairfax, an FCPS partner, will be offering sveral webinars on completing the FAFSA and finding and applying for scholarships on January 8th. Information on these programs and how to access them can be found at the College Access Fairfax website.
In addition, College Access Fairfax staff are available for virtual one-on-one help sessions to complete the FAFSA. Interested families should email appointments@collegeaccessfairfax.org to request an appointment.
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Parents and Students, Did You Know?
Weather Cancellation Procedures
Be informed in the case of inclement weather or other emergency situations.
Visit this site for more information.
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School Safety & Threat Assessment
Parents and Students: View training modules on threat assessment and learn about FCPS' anonymous Tip Line
Fairfax County Public Schools has a well-established policy and protocol for responding to threats of violence in our schools. We have collaborated with the Youth Violence Project of the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education as part of our efforts to educate parents and students on how to help reduce threats and increase safety in our schools.
We invite parents and students (12 and older) to view the training modules on threat assessment here. These brief modules will help you understand the threat assessment process used in our schools and how it can help prevent violence.
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Universal Mask Wearing Remains a Critical Layered Prevention Strategy
FCPS continues to require universal mask wearing in alignment with CDC guidance. As they said "their layered prevention strategies have proven effective in keeping transmission rates low in our schools. We know our students are best served by in-person instruction. Adhering to our layered prevention strategies, especially universal masking, keeps our schools open and safe places for students to learn."
Read more on the FCPS website.
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Substance Abuse Prevention Support at McLean High School McLean High School has a Full-Time Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist
Kelly Rankin serves as a resource for students and parents interested in finding out more information on substance use or discussing concerns of use and addiction.
If you need more information, take a look at this flyer.
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Calendar Reminders |
Upcoming Important Dates |
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February 2 - Health & Wellness Program - Therapy Dogs at MHS
February 3 - Silver Diner Tysons Fundraiser
February 5 - Mock SAT Test - Registration Form
February 10 - Pie-tanza Fundraiser
February 21 - Presidents Day
February 26 - Mock ACT Test - Registration Form
March 1 - Hidden In Plain Sight - Community Awareness Program
March 3 - 2-hour Early Release
March 4 - Student Holiday
March 16 - PTSA General Meeting
March 31 - End of Third Quarter - 2-hour Early Release
April 1 - Student Holiday
April 4-8 - Spring Break
June 1 - Graduation at 2:30pm at Constitution Hall
Helpful Links
Fairtest.org - Resource to find out which colleges will be test-optional next year.
FCPS Support for Parents & Families
FCPS Parent Resource Center Workshops
The FCPS Parent Resource Center is offering workshops, information and resources to support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities.
For a list of upcoming events click here.
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Guidelines for School Visitors, Volunteers and Guests
FCPS asks guests to follow a few guidelines to help keep our schools safe and healthy. If you are visiting, please review the health and safety guidelines for visitors in advance to prepare.
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Multilingual Parent Podcast
Listen and subscribe to an FCPS multilingual family podcast to hear timely, important information related to school news. The podcasts are produced in conjunction with the Office for English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Services and the Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement.
Listen and subscribe: https://www.fcps.edu/blog/multilingual-family-podcast-arabic-korean-spanish
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Get Your Child’s Online
Activity Report
FCPS has tools to help parents and guardians know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided by Lightspeed, their 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 details 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 the FCPS website.
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Thank you to our Business Sponsors
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