April 2022 Newsletter
Dear FCPS Families:
Happy Spring!
Below are a few brief updates on the School Board’s work and priorities. In addition to the search for a new superintendent of schools, my colleagues and I have been working hard to make sure our students have the resources and opportunities needed to strive toward academic success.
Now that our staff and students have returned from Spring Break, summer is just around the corner. I hope you and your students are gearing up for a strong finish to the 2021-2022 school year. I look forward to visiting our schools and seeing many of you at community events and activities in the days and weeks ahead.
 Inside this issue:
- School Board Selects Next Superintendent
- Educate Fairfax Celebrates Distinguished FCPS Alumni
- Spring Office Hours for Military Families, Friday, April 29, 1-3 p.m.
- FREE Tutoring Now Available via Tutor.com
- Equitable Access to Literacy
- Middle School Recess
- Kindergarten Registration Now Open
- Audit Committee Update
- FPCS Prom Dress Shop Reopens
- Jump Start 2 NOVA: Free Summer College Courses for Graduating Seniors (Enrollment Deadline: April 29)
School Board Selects Next Superintendent
On April 16, the Fairfax County School Board voted 9-3 to appoint Michelle Reid, Ed.D. as the next superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools. Dr. Reid will serve for the period beginning July 1, 2022 and ending June 30, 2026. Read the complete announcement online.
The selection of a new superintendent marks a new chapter for FCPS. While I did not vote with the majority on this matter, I will work with Dr. Reid to achieve success. For those who expressed concerns, please know that I will continue to work to make sure community concerns are addressed.
Educate Fairfax Celebrates Distinguished FCPS Alumni
As the school board designee to the Educate Fairfax Board of Directors, it has been an eventful year to be on this board. In October, the organization changed its name to better reflect its purpose. In May, we will host the first inaugural FCPS Hall of Fame, established to honor distinguished alumni of Fairfax County Public Schools.
Educate Fairfax, its staff and board, believes that our vibrant and successful school system is a big part of what makes Fairfax County a wonderful place to live and work. By highlighting our amazing graduates, we are drawing the connection that tomorrow’s stellar community leaders, business owners, and servant leaders, are currently students in our schools right now. Educate Fairfax is here to make sure all of them have a path to success.
This year’s class of Hall of Fame inductees include a life-long diplomat, a war hero, entrepreneurs, a lawyer and inventor, a young published author and filmmaker, an Olympic athlete, and one of FCPS’s leadership team! Winners were chosen through a vigorous vetting process involving two rounds of judging by the Educate Fairfax board of directors.
The celebration will be May 4. Visit Educate Fairfax online for more information and to register today!
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 Spring Office Hours for Military Families
Each year, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is proud to recognize all military-connected children in April during the Month of the Military Child. This yearly tradition is part of a national celebration to recognize military children for their resilience, strength, and sacrifices.
During the Month of the Military Child, I would like to hear directly from Military Families with children attending FCPS schools. After offering Virtual Office Hours on April 23 and 25, I am looking forward to meeting with more Military Families during the following times: Friday, April 29 (1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.). There are still slots available.
Sign-up for an appointment time now.
Use this form to provide your contact information and to indicate your availability. A staff member will contact you to finalize your scheduled meeting time. Space is limited and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fairfax County is extremely fortunate to have more than 14,000 students who are part of a military family. It is with sincere gratitude that I thank all of our military families, particularly the military kids who sacrifice and serve our country in their way. As the mother of a son currently serving in the military, the unique challenges and needs of our military families are priorities for me year-round.
Celebrating the Month of the Military Child provides a powerful opportunity to raise awareness and build support to help our children meet the unique challenges they face.
 FREE Tutoring Now Available via Tutor.com
Students now have unlimited access to online tutoring support services through Tutor.com at no cost to families. Tutor.com is available 24/7, through online voice or text chat, and in your student’s preferred language. Student participation is optional and parents/guardians can opt their students out of accessing the service. Learn more about Tutor.com on the Tutor.com Online Tutoring Services website.
Students can access Tutor.com via a link in Schoology. Additional information about how to log in and access a tutor is provided to families via the following instructional videos:
Questions not answered in the posted resources may be sent to onlinetutoring@fcps.edu. We hope FCPS families will find this new resource a helpful tool to support student success.
Equitable Access to Literacy
The Equitable Access to Literacy Plan will expand learning opportunities for every child. Reading achievement is not equal across student groups, and every student, across all grades, has room to grow. Reading and writing are fundamental skills every child can learn when taught intentionally and with respect for the child’s unique needs.
The Need. National data from before the start of the pandemic shows about 40% of students in the general population were already below grade level. Pandemic learning relying mostly on virtual instruction led to even more students experiencing reading and writing difficulties. Students of color, English language learners, and students with disabilities have higher rates of below-grade-level reading ability than their peers.
FCPS’ data follow the trends shown in state and national research. There are persistent gaps among subgroups, and every student, across all grades, has room to grow. In FCPS:
- With the exception of a slight increase in pass rate for English learners between 2018 and 2019, all student groups have shown a decline over the three-year period (2018, 2019, 2021, testing canceled in 2020).
- Gaps between white and Black students are consistently close to 20 percentage points and have increased during the pandemic.
- Gaps between white and Hispanic students are consistently close to 30 percentage points and have increased to almost 40 percentage points.
The Call for Action. These gaps must be addressed. In April 2021, thirteen community partners led by the Fairfax County NAACP and Fairfax County SEPTA, released letters calling for FCPS to use an evidence-based, structured literacy methodology. I join these groups in their assertion that “literacy is a human right.” Addressing literacy education is critical due to the impact of COVID-19 on student learning, especially on the “long-standing minority student achievement gap.”
What is Happening. The Equitable Access to Literacy Plan is being developed collaboratively with representation across the division, including school-based staff, families, and community stakeholder groups. This includes significant input from teachers and instructional support staff. When implemented, the plan will empower teachers with a common foundation of resources and skills, as well as the ability to support each student’s unique needs. Through this plan, FCPS will be a model for effective and equitable literacy education across the state.
 Middle School Recess
Middle school students in Fairfax County, Virginia, will get a daily recess next school year. The School Board voted 11-0 to approve revisions to Policy 2100, Student and Staff Health and Wellness that includes a 15-minute recess break for middle school students. All public middle schools began experimenting with integrating a 15-minute break into their schedules this year.
At Herndon Middle School, the principal devised an elaborate schedule, rotating groups of students to different locations each day such as the blacktop, the picnic tables, a grassy area or the gym. Students also have the option of staying inside, and one teacher remains in the classroom.
The recess time is considered an important part of the overall student health and wellness plan. "It's pretty good because we get to play outside and stuff and instead of sitting in the classroom all day," 7th grader Nathan Childers said. Seventh grade student Mazzy Johnston calls it a “brain break.” To learn more, watch the report aired by NBC on April 12.
Kindergarten Registration Now Open
Kindergarten provides children with an opportunity to learn and practice the essential social, emotional, problem-solving, and self-regulation skills they will use throughout their lives.
Kindergarten students are registered at their local school. Kindergarten registration events typically take place during April. Eligible children can also be registered throughout the summer and start of school in the fall. Registration occurs by appointment at the child’s zoned school.
- Parents/guardians will need to call ahead for a registration appointment at the local school or a Student Registration Welcome Center.
- The student and at least one parent/guardian must be present for the appointment.
- We ask that families arrive at their appointments with registration documents and forms.
- Prepare now for registration by gathering documents and completing forms. Visit the FCPS Kindergarten Registration Webpage for details.
FCPS offers support and resources for all families to help with registration and the transition to kindergarten. Families who need language assistance may contact the closest Student Registration Welcome Center:
- Dunn Loring Center (central Fairfax), 703-204-6740
- Lake Anne/Reston Center (northwest Fairfax), 703-668-0690
- South County Center, 703-742-4900
At FCPS Student Registration Welcome Centers, you can ask questions and request information about enrollment in most languages. At the centers, professionals may assess your student's English language skill and/or educational level. These assessments can provide valuable information to the local school and support your child's instructional needs.
Families who need language support may contact the following central office registrars:
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Audit Committee Update
At the April 20 Audit Committee meeting, OAG presented on the following agenda items (full agenda and meeting documents can be found on BoardDocs). We had the opportunity to review several Business Process Audits conducted to review programs at Annandale HS, Hughes MS, Justice HS, Key MS, Lake Braddock SS, Oakton HS, South County MS, Spring Hill ES and Westbriar ES. These FY22 Business Process Audits are available for public review online.
In addition to the ongoing Continuous Monitoring engagement, both the Information Technology (IT) Platform Implementation and Hardware Acquisition & Management audit and Legal audit are in process. The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) also continues to perform other OAG duties including both school and non-school based Business Process Audits.
The OAG continues to serve as the project liaison for a comprehensive program review of FCPS’ special education, which American Institutes for Research (AIR) was contracted to perform. AIR currently is conducting focus groups and classroom observations, as well as extant data analysis, per the approved scope of work. The final (Year 2) report is scheduled to be presented to the School Board between September and November 2022. Below is a high-level timeline of the review:
 FCPS Prom Dress Shop Reopens at New Location for 2022 with Brand New Dresses
Marketing students from Centreville High School and the Fair Oaks Classroom on the Mall program will open their Prom Dress Shop in a new location after being closed for the last two years due to the pandemic. This year the shop is located at Centreville High School in Clifton instead of Fair Oaks Mall, where it was held for nearly two decades.
In 2006, Centreville High School and Fair Oaks Classroom on the Mall students partnered together to collect dresses as a way to combine their interests in fashion with community service. The dress shop has helped hundreds of financially challenged students attend prom in style each spring by providing prom dresses and accessories at no cost to students.
The marketing students apply the retail marketing and visual merchandising skills learned throughout the school year to transform their classroom into the Prom Dress Shop. “This is an excellent opportunity to accomplish several goals at once,” said Miranda Schick, Centreville High School and Classroom on the Mall marketing teacher. “First, students apply marketing lessons learned to a real-world retail environment. Second, they support the School Board’s goals of helping students succeed beyond the classroom through their ‘Portrait of a Graduate’. This includes communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and global citizenship skills.”
The Prom Dress Shop is located in the modular classroom, near the stadium, in the student parking lot of Centreville High School, outside of door 12. Any area student, not just those from Fairfax County Public Schools, who do not have the funds to purchase a prom dress may choose from hundreds of new dresses donated by Macy’s at Springfield Town Center. They must show a valid student ID, or other form of school identification, to select a free dress.
Visit the FCPS website for a complete listing of store hours.
 VIsit NOVA online to learn more and to register by April 29.
The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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