Annandale Community Insider - July 31

Annandale Students, Parents and Community:

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weekend. It is my belief that students learn in schools that learn. This past week, a number of Annandale staff participated in professional development designed to improve the student experience at Annandale High School.

Laura Wells, our AVID Coordinator, along with Jeff Smith, Erica Rivers and Jessica Benitez attended the AVID Summer Institute in Baltimore. AVID's professional learning helps educators reevaluate their beliefs and expectations around student potential, and learn and practice activities that transform classrooms and campuses.

In addition, a number of Annandale staff members attended the FCPS Equity Symposium on July 26 titled, “Equity Reimagined.” The symposium allowed participants to engage in learning that promotes growth, reflection, and continuous improvement as we seek a culture of inclusivity, equity, diversity, and acceptance in FCPS and at Annandale High School. 

With that in mind, we are excited to welcome students and parents to Annandale High School for the 2022-23 school year. We have planned a number of events to prepare students and parents for a successful high school experience. See detailed information below.  

• Virtual Student/Parent Information Session - August 8 at 6pm - I will be hosting a virtual Student/Parent Information Session from 6:00-7:00pm on Monday, August 8. The purpose of the event is to answer any questions you have about the upcoming school year. A link for the event will be sent out via eNotify tomorrow, Monday, August 1. 
• Freshmen (Grade 9) and New Student Orientation - August 18 from 1:30-3:30pm: Annandale High School is excited to welcome rising freshmen as well as new students to our school orientation on August 18 from 1:30-3:30pm. Students and parents will meet administrators, counselors, teachers, and other essential school personnel, and have an opportunity to explore the school building and learn more about student life at Annandale.
• Open House - August 18 from 3:30-4:30pm: All Annandale students and their families are invited to our Open House on August 18 from 3:30-4:30pm. The Open House provides students an opportunity to walk through our halls and find their classes for next year. There is no formal program during this time, but rather an informal chance to get reacquainted with AHS.

If you have any questions about 9th Grade Orientation or Open House, please contact Sarah Eqab. Go Atoms!

Shawn DeRose

Important Dates

August 1 - Fall Sports Begin

August 1 - Band Camp Begins

August 5-7 - Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday

August 8 - Virtual Student/Parent Information Session, 6pm 

August 12 - First Day Back for Teachers

August 18 - Student Schedules Available in SIS StudentVue and ParentVue

August 18 - New Student Orientation/Open House

August 22 - First Day of School for Students

September 2 and 5 - No School (Labor Day Holiday)

September 26 - Teacher Workday

September 29 - Back to School Night 2022

October 5 - No School (Yom Kippur)

October 10 - Staff Development Day (Indigenous Peoples' Day)

October 17-21 - Homecoming Week

October 22 - Homecoming Dance

October 24 - No School (Diwali)

Fall Sports Begin - Tomorrow, August 1: Fall sports, which include Cheer, Cross-country, Football, Golf, Field Hockey, Volleyball will begin tomorrow, Monday, August 1. No experience is necessary. All are welcome! Students who wish to participate in fall sports need to complete a VHSL physical form and register online to play. Here is the link to the physical form that must be completed by a doctor. To register online, click here. Directions can be found here in English and in Spanish. Once you have completed the Physical Form, it in to the Activities Office inside Door 10. The office is open every day from 9:00am-2:00pm. See more information in the Activities Office section of this newsletter. Questions, email Bryan Harris at bcharris@fcps.edu. 

Band Camp Begins - Tomorrow, August 1: The Marching Atoms band camp also begins tomorrow, August 1 from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Students should enter at Door 2 on the first day. All students participating in band camp must have a completed VHSL physical. The first band parent meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 2 at 5:30pm in the auditorium. In addition, we are seeking your assistance to ensure a successful student experience. Check out this signupgenius link to learn more and sign up today! For more information, visit the new Annandale Bands website or email our Director of Bands, Tyron Barnes, at tcbarnes@fcps.edu.

Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday - August 5-7: Virginia’s three-day sales tax holiday is Friday, August 5- Sunday, August 7. During the sales tax holiday, you can buy qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star and WaterSense products without paying sales tax. For more information on eligible items, visit Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday webpage. 

Virtual Student/Parent Information Session - August 8 at 6pm: Principal, Shawn DeRose will be hosting a virtual Student/Parent Information Session from 6:00-7:00pm on Monday, August 8. The purpose of the event is to answer any questions you have about the upcoming school year. A link for the event will be sent out via eNotify on Monday, August 1. The session will be recorded if you are unable to join us that evening.

Student Schedules Available - August 18: Beginning Thursday, August 18 at 6:00am, all students and parents will have access to class schedules in SIS StudentVUE and ParentVUE. SIS (Student Information System) is the application to see attendance, class performance, and demographic data.

Freshmen (Grade 9) and New Student Orientation - August 18 from 1:30-3:30pm: Annandale High School is excited to welcome rising freshmen as well as new students to our school orientation on August 18 from 1:30-3:30pm. Students and parents will meet administrators, counselors, teachers, and other essential school personnel and have an opportunity to explore the school building and learn more about student life at Annandale. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Sarah Eqab.

Open House - August 18 from 3:30-4:30pm: We would like to invite all Annandale students and their families to our Open House on August 18 from 3:30-4:30pm. The Open House provides students an opportunity to walk through our halls and find their classes for next year. There is no formal program during this time, but rather an informal chance to get (re)acquainted with AHS. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Sarah Eqab.

Awesome Atoms!

Annandale Staff Attend AVID Path to Schoolwide Training in Baltimore: Laura Wells, our AVID Coordinator, along with AVID Elective Teachers Jeff Smith and Erica Rivers, and counselor Jessica Benitez attended the AVID Path to Schoolwide Training in Baltimore July 26-27. Educators from all over the country attend AVID summer trainings to get the latest AVID methodologies and strategies to take back and implement in their schools. The team was sent to three different strands of focus. Laura Wells and Jeff Smith participated in the advanced implementation strand which focused on engaging students and building relationships to improve the efficacy of AVID tutorials. Erica Rivers, as our newest elective teacher, participated in the beginning implementation strand to learn how to teach the AVID elective class. Jessica Benitez participated in the counseling strand to learn how to better support students during academic advising and throughout high school. We are all looking forward to implementing the AVID strategies and hope to lead our students to success here at AHS and beyond.

SOL Boot Camp A Success! This past week 59 students attended an SOL Remediation Bootcamp for Algebra or Biology. Over 52% of these students made significant progress towards graduation by earning a verified credit or qualifying for the potential use of a locally awarded verified credit in science or math. Students who did not meet the criteria for verified credits will continue to receive remediation support when we return to school next month and have the opportunity to test again in September. We are proud of all the students who participated in SOL remediation and appreciate the hard work and determination they have shown this week.  

Important Information

Staffing Update - As you will have seen from the superintendent's community message earlier this week, FCPS is committed to ensuring that we will have a licensed educator in every classroom for the first day of school. At Annandale, our only vacancy is a Spanish position, which we hope to fill this week. 

Class of 2023 Graduation Update - Feedback Needed (Again): Based upon feedback from a survey of our students, staff, and families, this year's graduation ceremony for the class of 2023 was scheduled to be held on Monday, June 12, 7:30pm at Eagle Bank Arena, at George Mason University. However, due to a conflict with other FCPS events, the date of our graduation must be moved. Once again, we are seeking your feedback about your graduation preferences. Please take a moment to complete this one question survey.

Student Rights & Responsibilities Update - Cell Phone Use: An important update made to the Student Rights & Responsibilities document (SR&R) for the coming school year is the regulation to prohibit cell phone use in classrooms. Students will not be permitted to use their cell phones during class unless permitted by the teacher for instructional purposes. We acknowledge this new policy will be a shift for many students and families this year, but research shows that managing phone use during class time will support students’ attention and ability to fully engage in their learning. Schools are partnering with parents to have students understand the importance of putting their phones away to minimize distractions during class. Please talk to your child(ren) before the start of the school year about these expectations. Families may also review the parental controls available for all iPhone and Android users.

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications Now Available: Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications are now available. Students approved for Free and Reduced-Price Meals may qualify for additional benefits such as waived or reduced fees for instruments, uniforms, field trips, FCPS class fees, and Parktakes classes. Schools also benefit from funding opportunities based on Free and Reduced Price Meal application numbers. Visit the FCPS Free and Reduced-Price Meals website for more information.

Summer Meal Kits Available: Summer meal kits, which contain seven days of breakfast and lunch items packed in bulk, will be offered on Tuesdays at several sites through August 9, including two locations in the Mason District listed below. All meals are available at no-cost to FCPS students and children 18 years of age and under. Visit the Meals for Students website for more details on pick up locations and times.

• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (door #4) - 9:00-10:30am
• Luther Jackson Middle School (door #1) - 8:30-10:00am

Summer Office Hours: Annandale High School is now open from 8:00am-3:30pm. Registrations are by appointment only. Please contact Stephany Fuentes at sgfuentes@fcps.edu to schedule an appointment.

Class of 2023 Meningococcal Vaccine Reminder: The Code of Virginia requires all students to be immunized against certain communicable diseases prior to entrance into one of its schools. All students in grade 12 are required to have been immunized with one dose of the Meningococcal Vaccine given at the age of 16 or older. Please review the immunization requirements here. Proof of immunization must be submitted to the school. These documents need to be returned prior to the start of the 2022-23 school year. For more information on this requirement, visit this FCPS website.

Free Vaccine Clinics: The Fairfax County Health Department will host on-site school vaccine clinics that offer three (3) required immunizations: Meningococcal (MenACWY), Tdap, and HPV. Note: The Meningococcal vaccine is required for grade 12 students. The clinics are walk-in, no appointment necessary. See below for more information:

Poe MS: Wednesday, August 3 - 2:00-7:00pm

Stone MS: Friday, August 5 - 2:00-7:00pm 

Jackson MS: Tuesday, August 9 - 2:00-7:00pm 

Whitman MS: Thursday, August 11 - 2:00-7:00pm 

South County MS: Wednesday, August 17 - 2:00-7:00pm

Herndon MS: Friday, August 19 - 2:00-7:00pm

Tutor.com Featured in DCist Article: The Pandemic Widened The Achievement Gap In Fairfax Schools. Parents Say A Free Tutoring Program Is Closing It (DCist, July 25). The achievement gap widened during the pandemic between economically advantaged students and those who are not, according to a recent national study. In Fairfax County, the academic backlog became more evident than ever with the complete return of children to the classroom last fall. Students are lagging behind in math, language arts, English, and social skills. 

The solution? Since April, an online tutoring service has been made available to more than 180,000 students, 25% of whom are Latino. All Fairfax County Public Schools students can connect with a tutor in real time, 24/7, through FCPS’s “Schoology” site. The online portal ultimately connects them to personnel from Tutor.com. Check out the Tutor.com Online Tutoring Services website for more information. Additional information about how to log in and access a tutor is provided to families via the following secondary instructional video.

Welcome, Mariah Trigo, Math Teacher! Mariah is joining us as a new math teacher from Corpus Christi, Texas. She is a recent graduate of Texas A&M Corpus Christi, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. While attending TAMU-CC, she served as the Public Relations Officer for the Student Council of Math and Science Teachers and the Treasurer for Technology Leaders and Learners Council. In addition, she co-founded and served as president of the Math Club. Prior to joining the Atom Nation team, she served as a student teacher at West Oso High School. Mariah is currently working on her Master’s thesis on how to build mathematic curricula for English Language Learners. She is excited to start her career with us at Annandale High School. 

Welcome, Charles Clay, ESOL Teacher! Charles is joining us as a new ESOL teacher from Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor’s degree in History, then went on to Framington State University and graduated with a Masters in English as a Second Language. He decided to apply his education degree abroad, and moved to South Korea. While abroad, he worked at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and worked as an English teacher. Charles taught English as a foreign language at several elementary schools during his time there. In 2011, he was appointed the Head Foreign Teacher of the Seobu District in Korea where he developed EFL workshops to aid other foreign teachers in the classroom. Charles is looking forward to restarting his American teaching career here as part of the Atom Nation. 

Welcome, Rebecca Mooney, Spanish Teacher! Rebecca is joining us from Woodbridge Senior High School where she taught Spanish there for 8 years. She recently moved to Fairfax County with her family last summer. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts with a distinction in Environmental Sciences and Spanish. Then she went to the University of Miami to get her Masters of Art in Marine Affairs and Policy. After she graduated, she moved to Spain and worked as a Marine Wildlife Specialist for Oceana. Rebecca managed conservation campaigns, developed campaign goals, budgets, and policies. Upon leaving Oceana, she changed careers and entered the world of teaching. She served as an English teacher at Summerhill School of English in Spain, then returned to the US to continue her career in education.

Welcome, Jonathan Carbutt, English Teacher! Jonathan is returning this year to Annandale High School in his new role as an English teacher. He joined the Atom Nation in the previous academic year as a substitute teacher in 9th grade English. He received his Bachelors in Philosophy from Tufts University and his Masters of Teaching in English Education from Boston University. During his time at BU, he was a part of the College Advising Corps that advised and supported high school students in the next stages of their life. He held the position of Teaching Fellow at UP Academy Boston where he taught a variety of classes throughout the school year. He is passionate about language in all forms and is excited to support the students here at Annandale High School.

Welcome Teri Canody, TSSpec! Please welcome our part-time TSSpec, Teri Canody to Atom Nation. Teri will be working with Terri Pendleton to support our Technology team. Teri currently supports Olde Creek Elementary and has also been the half-time TSSpec at Frost MS. She has over 13 years of educational experience in FCPS teaching and leading in both elementary, middle and high school. She brings foundational FCPS knowledge and you will find her a quick learner, and very customer oriented. Teri will be starting at Annandale HS the week of July 25 and will be here on Wednesdays and Fridays each week, rotating Mondays with her other site, Olde Creek Elementary.

News from the Activities Office

Check out the latest information from the Activities Office in their weekly newsletter. In addition, learn more about Annandale High School Athletics and Activities by visiting their website or the AHS Athletics Twitter page. Please email Brandon Sutphin if you have any questions.

Fall Sports Physicals: Fall sports try-outs begin on Monday! See try-out schedule below. Please make sure that you have registered at https://annandaleva-ar.rschooltoday.com/ and get your physical paperwork completed. All four pages MUST be completed before you can participate in any type of athletics activities. You can find a copy of the VHSL Physical Packet on our website.

For last minute physicals, visit our local CVS minute clinics and urgent care facilities: 

CVS Minute Clinic Locations 

• 3921 Prosperity Ave, Fairfax, VA 22031
• 7205 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA

Progressive Urgent and Primary Care

• 7306 Maple Pl, Annandale, VA

Fall Sports Preview Night A Success! A big thank you to all of the parents and students that stopped in on Thursday for our virtual Fall Sports Preview Night to learn more about try-outs and the upcoming season. For anyone not able to attend, please feel free to reach out to our head coaches directly with any questions.  

Band: Tyron Barnes - tcbarnes@fcps.edu 

Cheer:  Victoria Douglas - vcdouglas@fcps.edu 

Cross Country (boys):  Carl Klein - ctklein@fcps.edu 

Cross Country (girls):  Phil Harris - pcharris@fcps.edu 

Golf: Keeley Norris - kcnorris@fcps.edu      

Field Hockey:  Corin Inderbitzen Uviedo - cuviedo@fcps.edu 

Football: Mike Scott - msscott@fcps.edu  

Volleyball:  AJ Witkofsky - ajwitkofsky@fcps.edu 

News from the PTSA

PTSA Membership for the 2022-23 School Year: On behalf of the Annandale High School Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA), we would like to welcome you to the 2022–2023 school year. The key ingredient to our success is YOU. Please dare to make a positive difference, be better informed and join your PTSA today by filling out the online Membership Form. For more information about membership visit the Annandale PTSA website. 

Pantry Summer Distribution - Volunteers Needed! The PTSA sponsored AHS Pantry distributes food to AHS students and families in need. This summer, in addition to three standard distributions, we are holding pop up farmers markets on Sunday afternoons throughout the summer in the parking lot near the pantry. Fresh produce that is gleaned from the Mosaic Farmers Market in Partnership with Food Rescue.

Thank you to the volunteers who have helped this summer by watering the garden, helping at the Friday distributions and at the Sunday Produce Pop Ups. 

As the summer winds down we are in search of two more volunteers to help at our last pantry distribution of the summer. The August 5 distribution needs two more volunteers. one English speaker and one bilingual English/Spanish speaker! Sign up here: Pantry Sign Up. Please email Norma Foti, AHS PTSA Pantry Coordinator, at pantry@annandalehsptsa.org with questions.