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The 2020-2021 school year has drawn to a close. It was another memorable year - especially as school-age children became eligible for COVID vaccines, allowing us to regain some of the lifestyles and learning experiences we craved that hadn't been possible since before the global pandemic.
These final days of the school year have brought a whirlwind of emotions and activity to my School Board work and my own family - I believe many of you can relate! My daughter participated in her 6th grade moving up ceremony and will become a middle schooler next year! Having a child be more than half way through a K-12 experience is certainly a milestone. (My son moves on to 4th grade next year.) Though having attended several high school graduations this month has been the ultimate reminder of our responsibility as a community to provide safe, life-preparing, strength-building public education for our children. Congratulations to those families who have graduating Seniors, and to all students for completing another year of education!
The end of this school year has also brought sorrowful reminders of the risks that children and adults face - traffic accidents, gun violence, bullying. I hope we can reflect on what each of us as individuals can do to make the world safer and kinder. This week I've been driving more purposefully and carefully, and tried harder to be mentally present with people (my family especially) so I can engage meaningfully with others. Perhaps you have some strategies to share, too?
The final days of June will also be momentous, as the school division transitions to the leadership of a new Superintendent, Dr. Michelle Reid. I wish Dr. Scott Brabrand all the best as he retires from FCPS, and join other community members in thanking him for his commitment to our public schools.
Over the summer I will continue to be available, though the Board will officially recess from meetings for a month beginning in mid-July.
Have a great start to the summer!
Congratulations Class of 2022!
Hunter Mill Happenings
Hunter Mill Students Shine at 22nd Annual Cappies Gala
The Cappies of the National Capital area held its annual awards gala honoring excellence in high school theater on June 6 at the Kennedy Center.
South Lakes HS took home 7 Cappies, including Best Musical! Read Oakton HS student Sean Giullen's review of South Lakes High School's production of Crazy for You.
Mary Ulses and Jonah Uffelman of Madison HS won Cappies for Featured Actor in a Female Role category and Comic Actor in a Male Role in a Musical.
View the complete list of winners.
The show will be rebroadcast on Friday, June 10, at 7pm on FCPS cable TV channel 21 and on the FCPS website.
 TJHSST Student Wins Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry
Sagar Gupta, TJ student and Hunter Mill constituent, has won the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards' Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry.
Inspired by poet and activist Amanda Gorman, this award grants a college scholarship of up to $10,000 to one young, promising poet.
Read Sagar's incredible poem, Conversation Starter: How is your English so Good.
What an incredible accomplishment.
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South Lakes Boys Track Wins VHSL Class 6 Team Title
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The South Lakes HS boys track team has added 2022 VHSL Outdoor Track Champions to their list of accomplishments! |
2022 National Merit College Scholarship Winners
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Hunter Mill students make up four out of the fifteen FCPS students named winners of 2022 Merit Scholarship awards by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC)!
Congratulations to Adithi Prasad, Nathan Ho, Jillian Schmid, and Anna Hsu.
The students are part of a group of more than 2,600 National Merit finalists chosen to receive scholarships financed by higher education institutions. Full details here.
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2nd Annual Liberty Amendments Month Celebration in Vienna
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The Town of Vienna's second annual Liberty Amendments Month (LAM) will start on June 18 and run through July 19, 2022. Each week focuses on one of the Constitutional amendments that extends rights and liberties to US citizens who originally were excluded from the Constitution.
Click here to learn more and view the calendar of events.
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Walk In My Shoes Community Event June 12
Walk In My Shoes is an interactive workshop offered in more than a dozen FCPS schools, as well as schools in FL, IL, and NJ. This is the first time it's being brought to the community! The cost is $10 per child. Adults are free. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Register and learn more.
Free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic in Reston June 15
The Reston Community Center is holding a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic on June 15, from 1-4pm. See below for more details!
June is...
Pride Month
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June is LGBTQIA+ Pride month and a time where people across the globe come together to raise awareness, celebrate identity, and highlight the achievements of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The School Board is scheduled to recognize Pride Month at the June 16 Regular Meeting. Please join me in honoring our diverse community, and in building a culture of inclusivity and equity around the world. Happy Pride Month!
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Juneteenth (June 19, Observed June 20)
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Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 that word of the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War finally reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, effectively marking the end of slavery in the United States.
The School Board is scheduled to recognize Juneteenth at the June 16 Regular Meeting.
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National Great Outdoors Month
In 2019, the US Senate officially designated June as Great Outdoors Month.
Great Outdoors Week began in 1998 and has grown into a month-long celebration of the outdoors. Since 2008, governors from across the country have joined in designating June as a month to celebrate the great outdoors and more than half the states have already proclaimed June 2019 as Great Outdoors Month!
Learn how you can celebrate Great Outdoors Month in Fairfax. Also, catch up with what Fairfax County Park Authority archaeologists have been up to in the latest issues of the County Archaeological Research Team (CART) newsletter.
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Upcoming Public Meetings & Topics
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June 14 at 10am - Forum
- Trauma-informed School Practices and Educational Equity Policy
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June 14 at 11am - Work Session
- Fiscal Year (FY) 23 Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Risk assessment and Audit Plan and Goal 3 and 4 Reports
- SR&R Discussion
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June 16 at 6pm - Student Recognitions
- Fall, Winter, and Spring Achievements
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June 16 at 7pm - Regular Meeting
- FY23 OAG Risk Assessment and Audit Plan, Student Rights & Responsibilities (SR&R), and Policy 4750
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June 28 at 5pm - Work Session
- Committee Reports; Adult and Community Education Advisory Committee (ACE), Title I Parent Advisory Committee (TPAC), School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), and Human Resources Advisory Committee (HRAC)
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June 30 at 6pm - Regular Meeting
- Dr. Michelle Reid Oath of Office
- Educational Employees’ Supplementary Retirement System of Fairfax County (ERFC) Housekeeping Items, ERFC Appointment of Individual Trustee, ERFC Appointment/Reappointment of the Board of Trustees, and Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC) Annual Report.
Please note, times and topics are subject to change.
Accessing Board Meetings
View this link for a comprehensive list of upcoming meetings and associated information.
Click here for meeting logistics, agendas and handouts (to view the slides and materials, scroll down to the bottom of the page).
Regular Meetings and Work Sessions are live-streamed on the FCPS website and televised on FCPS Cable Channel 99. Meeting recordings can be found on FCPS YouTube. For more information about signing up to speak at a regular meeting, click here.
Other Information of Interest
Collect for Kids School Supply Drive
To ensure that every child in the school district is prepared for school, Fairfax County Public Schools and Educate Fairfax are once again leading the Collect for Kids effort, a consortium of not-for-profit, for-profit, and government entities providing school supplies to benefit FCPS students who otherwise might go without them.
More than 56,000 (31%) FCPS students qualify for free or reduced-price meals and struggle to afford basic necessities. Your donation will help provide the school supplies these students need to be successful at school.
Contributions can be made online through Educate Fairfax. Donations will be used to purchase bulk school supply kits at highly discounted pricing. For more information, visit the Educate Fairfax website.
School Board Seeking At-Large FPAC Applicants
The Fairfax County School Board invites applications from community members interested in serving on the Facilities Planning Advisory Council (FPAC) as an at-large member. FPAC advises and informs FCPS staff and the School Board in the development of comprehensive, long-term plans for facilities.
The Facilities Planning Advisory Council consists of 13 members, one from each Fairfax County magisterial district, three at-large representatives, and one representative from the City of Fairfax, each appointed for three-year terms. The current council member appointment will end June 30, 2025.
FCPS encourages individuals with experience in construction, engineering, architecture, land use planning, development, demographics, government operations, and financing to apply. The deadline to submit an application is June 17. Applicants must reside within the boundaries of Fairfax County or Fairfax City.
More information and an application are available online.
Summer Reading Adventure
Participate in the 2022 Fairfax County Summer Reading Adventure! From June 10 to August 12, children, teens, and adults can participate in many activities to have fun all summer long!
View this video to learn how to participate.
 Dawn Clements Named New FCPS Ombudsman
The Chief Equity and Superintendent’s Office is pleased to announce that Dawn Clements, current assistant ombudsman for special education, has been named the new ombudsman for Fairfax County Public Schools. Her official start date is July 1.
In her current role in the Office of the Ombudsman she has been able to serve as a resource to and provide support to families, employees, students, and community members in partnership with the ombudsman. She has fostered many relationships, both internal and external, and has been able to build trust with all stakeholders. Clements has been instrumental in tracking and analyzing data disseminated in the quarterly ombudsman reports as well developing and delivering presentations to various stakeholder groups around the outreach work of the Ombudsman’s Office. Clements firmly believes that all stakeholders should be heard and valued and treated with respect. She also makes sure that each inquiry and stakeholder is viewed through the lens of equity.
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FCPS Video Producer Awarded for Historic Preservation
Jeff Clark, video producer in the office of Communications and Community Relations and local historian, has been presented with an Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. The award was given for a passion project on one- and two-room schoolhouses in the county that were operated in the first 50 years of Fairfax County Public Schools.
Additionally, Jeff has also worked with DAR chapters to transcribe early records of the school system. Copies of this work will be given to the Virginia Room at the Fairfax City Library.
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Job Opportunities
Interested in joining FCPS? Explore opportunities for:
Visit Current Job Openings for all posted positions.
Contacting Me
I prioritize responses to Hunter Mill constituents, so please be sure to identify yourself as such if you contact me. If you are unsure of your county magisterial district, you can look that information up here.
To contact me, it is most helpful to please use the official School Board contact form. This form prioritizes emails to me from constituents, and helps me track communication so I can be sure you receive a response. Thank you for your cooperation.
Please take good care,
Was this email not addressed to you? Sign up for my newsletters here!
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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