Annandale Community Insider - May 8

Annandale Students, Parents and Community:

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you in #AtomNation! This is a day to celebrate all of the mothers out there and recognize the impact they have on our lives. I hope that you are able to celebrate in some way with the special people in your life.

It has been an incredible week on the campus of Annandale High School. On Tuesday, Annandale hosted incoming superintendent, Dr. Michelle Reid. Dr. Reid answered audience questions on a variety of topics including equity, technology, learning loss, social/emotional health, and students with disabilities. Watch a recording of Tuesday’s community event to hear what Dr. Reid had to say. Annandale’s Performing Arts Department performed at the event, including the Student Orchestra conducted by Annie Ray, accompanied by her one-year-old daughter. An audience member captured the moment and shared it on Twitter. Check it out.

This past week we also celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week, where we recognized our teachers for the impact they have on our students and our community. We are so thankful for all the hard work our teachers and staff do every day to make Annandale a great place to learn and work! A big shout out to our PTSA, and our incredible administrative team for planning events to show our teachers that we appreciate them. Throughout the week students submitted selfies with their teachers, highlighting the ways their teachers have made a difference. See what they had to say on Twitter!

Teacher Appreciation Week ended on Friday with Annandale teacher, Meredith Hedrick, being featured on ABC 7’s Good Morning Washington for her impact not only here in Annandale, but across the world. Meredith left yesterday for Poland where she will be distributing food to Ukrainian Refugees. As the leader of several community support programs here at Annandale, she is continuing her work abroad. We are so proud of the many ways she impacts the lives of the people around her.

Have a great week, Atom Nation. As always, reach out with any questions.

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Important Dates

May 9 - IB Testing: Math 

May 9-10 - SOL Testing: Biology

May 10-11 - IB Testing: Arabic

May 11 - IB Testing: Biology

May 12 - Extended W4

May 12 - IB Testing: Math HL, Literature, Lang and Lit

May 13 - SOL Testing: Geosystem, Chemistry

May 14 - IB Testing: Geography 

May 16 - Band Concert

May 17 - PTSA Meeting

May 19 - Orchestra Concert

May 27-28 - Broadway Desserts

May 17 - PTSA Meeting: The Next Annandale PTSA meeting will be on Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00pm in the Library or online. Here is a link to the meeting. You can check out the meeting agenda and notes on the PTSA website. PTSA meetings are bilingual and Spanish translation is provided. Las reuniones de PTSA son bilingües y se proporciona traducción al español. See you there!

May 27-28, Broadway Desserts, 7pm: Our Annual Broadway Desserts concert features all five of the AHS Choirs performing songs from the stage as a Broadway Review of sorts. Both group and individual performances will be featured in two acts with desserts served in the lobby at intermission. Discount tickets on sale now through May 26 for just $10. Tickets can be purchased online. Bring a photo ID to claim your tickets. After May 26, tickets will only be available at the door for $15. All of the seating is General Admission. Doors open at 6:30pm.

Important Information

Crafting our Vision - We need your help! On Tuesday, May 17, Annandale faculty will come together to continue our work around setting the vision for our school. When we met last, staff members collaborated on creating several draft vision statements using input from our students and our community. As we continue this work, we ask that you provide feedback on these draft vision statements using this Google Form.

Yearbooks Have Arrived! Yearbooks arrived early this year, so Seniors can pick up or purchase their yearbooks after school on Friday, May 13 at the front entrance (Door 1). Everyone else can pick up or purchase books Monday, May 16 during W4, PRIDE Time, and W6 in the publications lab, room 262. Yearbooks are $85 and can be purchased online at www.yearbookforever.com or in cash at distribution. If you pre-ordered your yearbook, make sure to bring an ID with you when picking up. Please note that all yearbooks must be picked up; they will not be delivered. If you have questions, contact Ms. Hanneman, the yearbook adviser.

No Morning Attendance Calls: In order to accommodate the expanded student testing windows for SOLs and IB exams, morning attendance calls, texts, and e-mails will be suspended for all middle and high schools from April 25 through the last day of school, June 10. Evening attendance notification will continue as normally scheduled. If you have any questions regarding your students' attendance, please contact the AHS Attendance Office at 703-642-4151 or via email at AnnandaleHigh.Attendance@fcps.edu. 

Class of 2022 News: We are getting closer to graduation and we wanted to share important information and dates that will assist seniors, parents and community members in preparing and planning for the end of the school year. Check out the latest information on the Senior Page of the Student Portal (must be logged in to your FCPS Google account) or the Annandale Class of 2022 web page.

Awesome Atoms!

PTSA Hosts Teacher Appreciation Breakfast: Huge thank you to the PTSA for hosting Teacher Appreciation Breakfast on Wednesday in the Bistro. Thanks to the many families for donating breakfast items or funds to support breakfast with much of the food provided by the AHS Culinary Arts program.

Over 100 Students Attend Super Saturday (Biology, Geosystems): On Saturday, we hosted our third and final Super Saturday. Over 100 students scheduled to take the Biology and Geosystems SOL this week received additional support. Thank you to students who were able to attend on a Saturday, to our science teachers for supporting our students, and to our admin, coaches, and other staff for coordinating breakfast, lunch, transportation, and other logistics.

Kara Franklin-Taylor Named Acting Assistant Principal: Congratulations to our new Acting Assistant Principal, Kara Franklin-Taylor! Kara came to us as Dean of Students on April 11 and jumped right in and got to work. She seamlessly submerged into life as an Annandale Atom! Kara has been awesome in supporting our Social Studies department, getting to know and connecting with both staff and students. She has proven to be passionate about student success. We are glad to have her as a part of Atom Nation and excited about the work that she’ll continue to do in our school community!

Paul Misener, Class of 1982, Inducted into FCPS Hall of Fame: Annandale High School is thrilled to recognize Paul Misener, Annandale High Class of 1981 graduate, as one of the eight members of inaugural class of distinguished alumni into the FCPS Hall of Fame. Learn more about Paul and the entire inaugural class on the FCPS website.

IB Anthropology Field Trip to Lancaster County, PA: Recently, IB Anthropology students took a field trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Part of the IB Anthropology curriculum requires students to read ethnographies about other cultures in order to create cross-cultural understanding in today’s modern and globalized world. Students had the invaluable opportunity to meet and interact with the subjects of the ethnography they are studying and to witness first hand what they have been reading and studying about for months. Among the sites they saw were a model Amish house and farmstead and a tour through the country-side to see the Amish doing their daily activities. Students had an opportunity to interact with Amish people including adults and teenagers.

Special Olympics Track and Field: This past Thursday, our Annandale Atoms Special Olympics team attended the Feet Meet track meet at Wakefield HS. Our athletes all participated in events such as the 50 meter dash, standing long jump, turbo javelin throw, and more alongside their best buddies. Way to represent Atom Nation! 

Academic Support

Tutor.com Now Available For All Students: We are pleased to announce that 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. You can learn more about Tutor.com on the Tutor.com Online Tutoring Services website.

Students will be able to access Tutor.com via a link in Schoology and will help many FCPS students complete assignments, better understand classroom lessons, and be successful. Additional information about how to log in and access a tutor is provided to families via the following  secondary instructional video. Questions not answered in the posted resources may be sent to onlinetutoring@fcps.edu. 

Opportunities

All Night Grad Celebration - Purchase Tickets Today!  Annandale High School’s All Night Grad Celebration is June 2 from 11:00pm-5:00am at Audrey Moore Rec Center!  Tickets are on sale now through May 30. You can order tickets here, or pick up the ticket form in the main office. Questions? Contact Alyssa Getsey at 703.256.8069 or via email at getsey@verizon.net. 

Free Prom Dresses and Suits at AHS’s “Promise”: Need a dress or suit for Prom? Prom is on May 20 at the Torpedo Factory in historic Old Town, Alexandria, and Annandale’s premiere prom fashion shop has you covered. “Promise” offers gently used, yet stylish dresses, suits, shoes, clutches and accessories for you to wear to prom – and to keep!

To shop at “Promise,” just request a pass to visit Mr. Henceroth’s marketing classroom (210) during Pride Time or stop by directly after school. For further information or questions, contact Mr. Dayton Henceroth at dehenceroth@fcps.edu. 

Community/Parent Assistance Needed. Get Involved Today!

As we approach the end of the year, we need your continued support. Specifically, we need volunteers to assist with upcoming AHS events. See below for detailed information.  

Proctors for IB Exams Needed! The IB exams are administered now through May 20 and we are in need of assistance to proctor the exams. Volunteers are needed to walk around the testing room and monitor students. No special training is needed. Each testing room will have at least one experienced proctor that will be in charge of administering the test. We just need additional adult supervision. Dress casually with comfortable shoes! Check out this Sign Up Genius to volunteer. Questions? Please email Linda Bradshaw, IB DP Coordinator at lmbradshaw@fcps.edu.

Chaperone Prom: The Class of 2022 is seeking parent volunteers to chaperone Prom. Annandale’s Prom is on Friday, May 20 from 8pm - 11pm at the Torpedo Factory, 105 N Union St, Alexandria, VA. This is a great time to celebrate the Class of 2022 in a fun location! Please use this link to sign up to be a chaperone at the funnest event of the year! Email Nicole Ferree at tnferree1@fcps.edu with questions.

All Night Grad Party - Volunteers Needed! The success of the All Night Grad Party on June 2 depends on parents of all grades helping out! It is truly a memorable night that you won’t want to miss. There are time slots available to accommodate any schedule, but the true magic does happen overnight. Don’t miss out on supporting our Grads! Sign-up to volunteer today. Don’t miss out on supporting our Grads! 

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.

Watch Annandale Sports Online! Annandale sports fans can watch FCPS high school sporting events online. 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. Here’s how:

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

June 6 - Rising 9th Grade Athletics/Band Night: The Activities Office will be hosting an information night for rising 9th grade athletes and future band members on June 6 at 6:30pm. During this session, we will share information about the sports/seasons that we offer, how to sign up for a sport, and when try-outs for each sport begin. The focus will be on our Fall Sports (Cheerleading, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Volleyball and Band). A coach or director for each fall sport/band will be available to answer any questions. Email jellenberger@fcps.edu if you have any questions.

June 6 - Sports and Band Physicals for the 2022-23 School Year: Students who would like to participate in sports or band next year will need a valid VHSL physical dated after May 1 2022. On June 6 at 6:00pm we will be hosting Sport and Activity Health Screenings. This physical will be good for all of next school year. There will be a sign-up genius available soon. The cost is $30 pre-registration and $40 dollars walk-in. This is a donation to the Athletic Training Program so that we can continue to provide state of the art care for our athletes and band members. For information about financial assistance for this event, please contact Kathy Ayers.

Fall 2022 Sports Tryout Dates: Mark your calendars for Fall 2022 sports tryout dates. Golf tryouts begin on Thursday, July 28 and all other fall sports (football, cheer, field hockey, cross-country, volleyball) will begin on Monday, August 1.

This Week’s Events:

Monday, May 9

Color Guard Clinic - 3:10-4:15pm - Room 333

Girls' Who Code - 3:00-4:00pm - Room 223

Girls' Soccer at Mt. Vernon - 5:45/7:15pm

Boys' Soccer vs. Mt. Vernon - 5:45/7:15pm

Tuesday, May 10

Girls' Tennis vs. Edison - 4:00pm

Boys' Tennis at Edison - 4:00pm

Girls' Lacrosse District Tournament at Falls Church - 6:00pm

JV Baseball vs. Edison - 6:30pm

Varsity Baseball at Edison - 6:00pm

Varsity Softball at Edison - 6:30pm

Wednesday, May 11

AA LEAD - 3:00-4:00pm - Bistro

Atoms Scholar Program - 3:00-4:00pm - Library

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

National Art Honor Society - 3:00-4:30pm - Room 148

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

National Honor Society - Bake Sale - Gym Lobby - 3:25-4:30pm

Outdoor Track and Field at Falls Church - 5:15pm

Varsity Softball vs. Park View - 6:00pm

Girls' Soccer at Edison - 5:45/7:15pm

Boys' Soccer vs. Edison - 5:45/7:15pm (Senior Night)

Thursday, May 12

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

Friday, May 13

Girls' Lacrosse - District Tournament at TBD - 6:00pm

Varsity Baseball - District Tournament vs. TBD - 6:30pm

Saturday, May 14

Outdoor Track and Field at Osbourn Park Invitational - 9:30am

News from the PTSA

May 17 - PTSA Meeting: The Next Annandale PTSA meeting will be on Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00pm in the Library or online. Here is a link to the meeting. You can check out the meeting agenda and notes on the PTSA website. PTSA meetings are bilingual and Spanish translation is provided. Las reuniones de PTSA son bilingües y se proporciona traducción al español. See you there!

2022-2023 PTSA Officers: Membership vote will occur at the May meeting (May 17, 7:00 pm, AHS Library or virtual) and floor nominations for any position will be accepted at the meeting prior to the vote. Any questions, please contact Tammy Murphy, Chair of the nominating committee at teapot292002@yahoo.com. 

President - Annamaria Nields

Vice President Membership - Thurraya Kent

Vice President Programs - Angeleah Jamison

Treasurer - Jose Mercado

Secretary - Andre McGinity

PTSA Senior Reflections - Sign up Today! The PTSA will be hosting Senior Reflections in the auditorium on May 24 at 7:00pm. The ceremony celebrates the many gifts that your class will take into the world beyond high school. Students can sing a song, perform a dance, play a musical instrument, or read a poem or an inspirational reading. Students may also speak about their journey to, through, or beyond Annandale High School. Stay tuned for more information on how to sign up! If you are interested in performing or sharing your personal story as part of the ceremony, please email reflections@annandalehsptsa.org.

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.

Purchase a ‘Congratulations! Graduate’ Yard Sign: The Annandale PTSA is selling ‘Congratulations! Graduate yard signs once again this year! Yard signs are $15 for pickup or $20 delivered to your yard. All proceeds help to fund the four (4) Annandale High School PTSA Scholarships. Stay tuned for more information on how to order online! Click here to order!