This Week at Frost

Greetings Frost Middle School!

I hope everyone has enjoyed their week and things are going well with your family personally and professionally. Things are going well overall at Frost MS. I did however have to address faculty, staff and students about recent comments between students that are pejorative, insensitive, and in some cases racist. I reminded students that we are #ONEFrost and that we are to treat one another with respect and dignity every day. There is no such thing as “just playing around” when it comes to statements, comments, etc… that are racist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic. These comments will not be tolerated at Frost Middle School. In most cases, this is an opportunity to educate and enlighten as we seek to become global citizens and operate in a caring culture at Frost. This is an opportunity for us as parents to educate our children about how words can hurt, especially as our students may be exposed to more and more incendiary language via social media and media in general these days.

In other news, students and staff are buckling down as we make our spring towards Spring Break. The level of instruction and engagement are extremely high as I have visited classrooms over the past two weeks! I have asked staff to emphasize the “why” behind our students’ learning in addition to the “what”. This practice makes for deeper learning and more involved questions and discussions for all. On the safety and security front, today we had a successful tornado drill. Students were attentive and responsive to staff directives which, as we all know, is key in the case of an emergency. Great job Falcons!

Personally, I have recently become a member of the prestigious Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated! This has been a goal of mine for quite some time now and I was able to accomplish it while I am a bit long in the tooth! It is a tangible example that I can use to help our students understand the tenets of #ONEFrost: Work Hard. Be Nice. Widen Your Circle.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

As always, we are #ONEFrost!  

All the best! 

Anthony

Upcoming Dates - Mark Your Calendars

March 28 – 30             Spirit Week!  Details below!

March 31                     2 Hour Early Release, End of 3^rd Quarter/NO AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM

March 29-30                Spring Picture Days – Held during PE classes

April 1                          Teacher Workday/Student Holiday

April 4 – 8                    Spring Break

April 15                        Good Friday

April 21                        PTA Bingo Night

April 22                        Orthodox Good Friday

April 28- 30                 Spring Musical – Shrek, The Musical

May 2                          Eid al Fitr

May 12                        SOL Test - 8^th Grade Science

May 17                        7^th and 8^th Grade Reading

May 19                        7^th and 8^th Grade Math (including Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2)

New This Week

Spirit Week Next Week!

The Frost SGA is sponsoring a Spirit Week from Monday, March 28 through Thursday, March 30.  Join in the fun and show your Frost spirit!

April is Month of the Military Child

Frost is proud to have over 130 military connected students – this is over 10% of our population! We invite our community to help us celebrate our students in April.

• March 31 - We are asking our military connected students/families, and staff, to fill out this Padlet Map to help provide a visual of where our students have lived all around the world. Please only include a location, and student first name (if desired). Please do not list last names so we can share with our community safely. You may share anonymously if you prefer. Please complete by March 31.
• April 20 – Purple UP Day! Purple is the color that represents military students. We ask all Frost students and staff to join us in wearing purple on Wednesday, April 20. If students don’t have purple, wear Frost colors!
• April 28 – We will host a military student celebration during Falcon Focus. More information will be sent directly to students and families in the coming weeks.

Student Intentions for Next School Year

For students who will NOT be attending Frost, Woodson, or a boundary FCPS high school next year, please complete the Student Intention for the Next School Year form, https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/it110.pdf,  and return it to Emily Cheng in the Frost Student Services office, or via email ECheng@fcps.edu.

This includes students who are transferring to:

• Another FCPS school other than Frost or Woodson or boundary HS
• A private school in Virginia or out of Virginia
• Another Virginia public school division outside FCPS
• Another state public school outside of Virginia
• A school outside of the United States

ESSER at Frost

The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) is a federal grant which requires that spending be used in specific areas.  Part of the Fairfax County Public Schools spending plan identifies funding to be used for Unfinished Learning and Student Academic and Social, Emotional, Mental Health (Wellness) Needs.  Schools have been given funding allocations to support the academic and wellness needs of students.  Schools are required to create plans in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Wellness highlighting the strategies they will use to support these areas using their ESSER III funding.  These strategies are shown on the following website: https://frostms.fcps.edu/about/school-improvement-plan

In Other News....

Free Online Tutoring Services for All Students Coming Soon!

All FCPS students will soon have unlimited access to online tutoring support services through Tutor.com at no cost. Funds to support Tutor.com for school year 2022-23 and 2023-24 will come from an ESSER III Unfinished Learning Grant. 

Students can connect online any time, and in most subjects for as long as they need. Tutoring is focused instruction provided to students in a one-on-one format through voice or text chat. Tutors will focus on developing student’s strengths and capabilities in reading, mathematics, or other specified subjects. Tutoring services may be accessed before, during, or after school hours and/or on weekends through a link in Schoology. 

All tutors must pass a rigorous application process including an extensive background check. No personal information is shared between a student and tutor. All sessions are recorded and transcripts are available for review by teachers and parents/guardians. 

Students will automatically have access to the Tutor.com tutoring service unless a parent/guardian submits an opt-out request. All FCPS families will soon receive an email including an online tutoring services notice and opt-out information. Additionally, a hard copy form will be sent home with every student. 

For additional information, visit our online tutoring services website

School Picture Days

Lifetouch will be taking spring pictures on Tuesday, March 29 and Wednesday, March 30, during PE classes.  Picture envelopes went home with your student this week. Additional envelopes are available in the main office.

Your student may return the envelopes on Picture Day or you can order pictures online by going to:  https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/ and using your student’s ID number or the Picture Day ID EVTKZC2W6.

Family Engagement Survey

Our Family Engagement Survey is coming to your email the afternoon of Sunday, March 13. Please participate—your feedback is critical in helping to inform and improve FCPS’ practices to best support our students.

Taking this survey will also help strengthen the partnership between your family and your school. When that partnership is strong, students can experience a range of benefits including improved school readiness, higher student achievement, and better social skills and behavior.

FCPS is partnering with independent firm K12 Insight to administer the survey, and it will be available in eight languages. For more information, please watch this short video from Superintendent Brabrand and visit the Family Engagement Survey webpage. Paper copies of the survey are in the main office at Frost, as well.

Your voice matters!

Opportunity to Expunge High School Classes and Algebra Summer Learning Opportunities

Students enrolled in high school classes (Algebra, Geometry, World Language level 1 or 1B) in Middle School have the opportunity to expunge or remove the class from a student’s transcript.   Information regarding that process can be found here: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/taking-high-school-courses-in-middle-school.  If a student would like to expunge the course from his or her transcript, this form needs to be returned to the school counselor before the end of the first quarter of the 22-23 school year.  The student then has the opportunity to retake it in the 22-23 school year or over the summer, depending on readiness. 

Summer course registration information can be found at: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning/online-programs.  There is a change for those students currently enrolled in Algebra 1 this year and wish to retake the course over the summer.  These students are able to enroll in either Summer Online Campus Algebra 1 or Credit Recovery.  Further details are on the website above.

• Summer Online Campus Algebra 1 (new option) is for current middle school students who want to improve their understanding of course content.  Middle school students may use this summer online course to replace their expunged  2021-22 school-year grade.  Students will complete the appropriate SOL test at the end of the course if needed (if not already passed during the school year). No honors credit will be awarded. The course will run June 21 to July 22, and students will meet with their instructors, virtually, for one hour each day.
• Credit Recovery Academy Algebra 1 (in-person) - This course is for FCPS students who have taken Algebra 1 and have been unsuccessful in earning credit.  Students cannot take the in-person Credit Recovery Academy Algebra 1 course if they have already passed Algebra 1 or Honors Algebra 1, or for new course credit.

Special Education Conference

FCPS’s 17th Annual Special Education Conference will be held virtually on Saturday, March 26, with a combination of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) sessions supporting the conference's theme: Bringing our Inclusive Community Together: Affirming, Assessing, Advancing. Welcoming ceremonies, guest speakers, FCPS presentations, and an exhibit hall are included. Registration for this free conference is now open online.

• Parents and community members will be able to register online.
• FCPS educators, administrators, and preservice teachers will be able to register online and earn recertification points for attending the conference.
• Individuals needing foreign language interpretation (Spanish, Ahmaric, Arabic, and Korean), American Sign Language (ASL), or Cued Language Transliterator (CLT) interpreters for the live sessions may request this on the registration form. 

For questions please contact specialedconf@fcps.edu. 

Visit the Special Education Conference webpage for more information and to register

Technology Reminders

Please note that students received a lesson on some important technology reminders during the week of February 21^st. Frost MS expects students to respect school property. Students were reminded to take care of their FCPS issued laptops and not to download games or VPNs to their machines. FCPS can remove internet access for students who violate these policies.

Students can request service for their FCPS issued laptops by accessing the Student Tech Support Request link in the Frost All Students Course in Schoology. Having computer issues at home? Try these typical fixes: Log out of all accounts: Schoology, Google Workspace, etc.., Clear Google Chrome Cache, Update Google Chrome if needed, and the tried and true fix, Restart your computer!

Order Your Frost MS Yearbook Now!

Order your Frost Middle School 2021 - 2022 yearbook now!  Just use the QR code! 

Questions?  Please contact Debbie Metzker at dlmetzker@fcps.edu

YearbookSale_QR_Code_Flyer_20190212.pdf

Frost MS Renovation Schedule 

We are extremely excited about the progress the construction team is making on our new addition and renovation at Frost MS! To keep the Frost MS community informed about the progress and timelines, please see below:

Project Scope

Addition (+/- 85,000 square feet)

• Secure main entrance (Bus drop-off)
• Secondary entrance (Car drop-off)
• Administration and Health Suite
• Comprehensive Services Suite
• Cafeteria extension
• 2 story classroom wing (Core classrooms & Science labs, Special Ed)
• Library
• Music/Instrumental rooms
• Gym storage

Renovation (+/- 121,000 square feet)

• Existing Classrooms (Art, Family & Consumer Sciences, Tech & Eng. Ed.)
• Student Services Suite
• Special Ed offices and classrooms
• Cafeteria/Stage, Kitchen
• Main and Aux Gyms
• Lecture Hall (relocated and enlarged)
• Roof
• Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, AV/IT

Phases

• Phase 1-         Completed July 2022- If on schedule, students will be able to access and have classes in completed sections this Fall!
• Phase 2-         Completed Spring 2023       
• Phase 3-         Completed Fall 2023
• Estimated Project Completion Date- Fall 2023

FCPS Publishes the 2022 – 2023 School Year Calendar

The 2022-23 school year calendar was officially approved last week. Next year’s school calendar focuses on instruction and student and operational needs. The calendar also reflects significant community and employee engagement throughout the calendar development process.

Important Dates:

• Monday, August 22, 2022: First day of school.
• November 23-25, 2022: Thanksgiving break.
• December 19, 2022 - January 2, 2023: Winter break.
• April 3-7, 2023: Spring break.

Changes:

• Veteran’s Day will be a professional workday.
• Spring break is aligned with surrounding districts.
• New instruction will be allowed to take place on days denoted as religious and cultural observances, or “O” days.
• Four observances will be student holidays:
• Rosh Hashanah. 
• Yom Kippur.
• Orthodox Good Friday.
• Diwali.

See other highlights of the 2022-23 school year calendar. Stay tuned for more information on the 2022-23 Employee Calendar. We will be sharing more on the updated use of O Days later in the spring.

Summer Arts Program Registration Opens March 1

All students with an interest in continuing to explore the arts are eligible for two summer enrichment programs. Registration opens on March 1 for the Elementary Institute for the Arts (E-IFTA) and Institute for the Arts (IFTA) Summer enrichment programs. 

Elementary Institute for the Arts (for rising 3rd through 6th graders) and Institute for the Arts (for rising 7th through 12th graders) will be held July 5-29 at Lake Braddock Secondary School from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Classes are offered every day related to dance, music, theater, and visual art. Both programs have fees, waivers are available for students eligible for free and reduced-price meals.  

For more information or to register, visit the Summer Learning webpage

CTE Summer Academy

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) office is once again planning an engaging summer enrichment program for students! For our current 7th to 11th grade students, we have CTE Summer Academy.

4101 Pickett Rd Fairfax, VA 22032  | Main Office: 703.426.5700
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