Dear Atom Nation,

Last week our counselors were working on organizing the requests to make schedule changes. We will continue to address these schedule change requests based on the priorities outlined below in the Course Change Process information. 

This week, our counselors are excited to meet with our seniors to support students in planning for life after Annandale. Our counselors will be visiting their senior W4’s this week and next week. We also encourage our seniors to attend our College Application Workshop series every Thursday after school!

Erik Healey

Director of Student Services

Important Dates

• September 14, 16 & 20 - Senior Orientation
• September 15 - College Application Workshop: Recommendation Letter Requests
• October 7 & 8 - HBCU Festival
• October 12 - SAT School Day Exam
• October 12 - PSAT/NMSQT Exam
• October 16 - FCPS College Fair
• October 17 - 20 - FCPS Virtual Post-Secondary Week
• October 19 - Alcanza! College Fair

September 14, 16 & 20 - Senior Orientation: Over these three days, counselors will visit senior W4 classes to discuss post-secondary plans and the college application process. Counselors will provide strategies and resources for students to use as they plan for their lives after Annandale. 

September 15 - College Application Workshop: On Thursdays after school, our Student Services team, in partnership with our AVID program, will review essential topics related to preparing for college. This week’s topic will be about how to request recommendation letters from your teacher and counselors.

October 7 & 8 - HBCU Festival: Alfred Street Baptist Church presents its 20th Annual Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) Festival, a hybrid event being held October 7-8, 2022. The festival is dedicated to connecting high school students and their families to HBCUs, and scholarship opportunities. Approximately 70 colleges and universities will be represented during the two-day event. Many will provide onsite admission decisions, conduct music auditions, and waive application fees. Additionally, seminars and exhibitor presentations will be held to help students navigate the college application process, seek financial aid opportunities and acclimate them to campus life. https://www.alfredstreet.org/hbcu-fest/

October 12 - SAT School Day (Grade 12): FCPS high schools are administering the SAT School Day on October 12, 2022. If you are a senior and did not register for the SAT School Day by the September 7, 2022 deadline, you will not be eligible to take the SAT that day. FCPS only ordered enough testing materials for those students who registered.

If you are a senior who registered please expect an email in the coming weeks with further details about the SAT administration.

Most twelfth grade students who are not participating in SAT testing will not attend school on Wednesday, October 12. High school academy courses will not be held on October 12 and shuttles are canceled. Note that twelfth grade students with disabilities taught on an adapted curriculum (Category B services) will continue to receive in-person instruction with a 2-hour early release.

Twelfth grade students who will not be testing are encouraged to use this day to participate in civic engagement activities or other prearranged activities.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Brian Yeagley, College and Career Specialist at Byeagley@fcps.edu. 

October 12 - PSAT/NMSQT (Grades 10 and 11): On Wednesday, October 12, Annandale High School will host the PSAT/NMSQT for all students in grades 10 & 11. Students are automatically registered and no further action by families is needed. IMPORTANT: Calculators will not be provided. Students should plan to bring their own calculators. For guidance on calculator policies, please refer to: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt/taking-the-test/what-to-bring-leave/calculator-policy

 October 16 - 2022 FCPS College Fair: FCPS along with the Office of Admissions at George Mason University presents the 47th Annual College Fair at Eagle Bank Arena. For more details and registration information, visit https://www.fcps.edu/resources/college-and-career-planning/college-fair-and-college-night

October 17 to 20 - FCPS Virtual Postsecondary Week: Join synchronous sessions from 5:00-8:00pm. Learn how to better be prepared for the next chapter of your educational journey. Registration will soon be available at: https://bit.ly/fcpspostsecondary

October 19 - ¡ALCANZA! College Fair - George Mason University: George Mason University will be hosting the Annual ALCANZA College Fair! Over 150 colleges from all over the nation attend ALCANZA as part of an effort to inform the Latinx high school population in the Washington, DC metropolitan area about their higher educational opportunities, and to encourage and motivate them to pursue their education beyond high school. The students in attendance hear from a keynote speaker and college student panel, before having the opportunity to participate in the college fair. If you have additional questions about signing up for ALCANZA please contact Jessica Benitez. More information to come. 

Important Information

Academy Students: When returning from their Travel Period, students taking Academy courses should report to the Auditorium during the lunch block (R5/W6). During all other periods, Academy Students returning to school should report to T-11. Students should be in their designated location during their Travel Periods. If students have a class after returning from the Academy, they should report to the Attendance Office for a pass to class. 

Course Change Process: Our counselors continue to work through schedule change requests from the last week. Students wishing to request a schedule change should complete the AHS Course Change Request Form. The form will close on Wednesday, September 14.  

Given the complexity of scheduling, schedule changes may not be accommodated if the requested course is full. Our counselors will consider course changes based on the following priority:

1. Course Errors
2. Academic Course Changes
3. Elective Course Changes 

If the requested course change involves changing a student’s diploma type or dropping an Honors/IB course, parental permission is required. Counselors will begin communicating with students about schedule changes on Monday, September 12th. If you have any questions about the course change process, please contact your counselor.

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.

ParentVue Accounts: ParentVue is how parents/guardians can access information about your student’s attendance, class performance, and more. We encourage all parents/guardians to have a ParentVue account to stay connected with your student’s courses. If you need to activate your ParentVue account please visit the Parent Account Registration page. 

Senior Highlights

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.

College & Career Corner

College & Career Planning Google Site: We are pleased to announce the new and improved AHS College & Career Planning Google site! The website provides up-to-date information on the college application process; college representative visits; financial aid and FAFSA/VASA workshops; military options; information on apprenticeships; as well as resources for finding a job. The website also provides contact information for our School Counselors, as well as our College and Career Specialist. https://tinyurl.com/AHS-CollegeCareer

College Rep Visits: Admission representatives will be visiting AHS from September to November. To view the full list of scheduled visits and to reserve your spot (required), go to https://tinyurl.com/AHS-CollegeVisits. This list will be updated periodically, so be sure to check back for added visits. Prior to a visit, please ask your teacher for permission to leave class. Upcoming College Rep Visits for the first two weeks in September are listed below. SPACE IS LIMITED SO REGISTER FOR A VISIT AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE.

Thursday College Application Workshops: Every Thursday from 3:00 - 4:00pm in Room 90 (near the Cafeteria), Counselors and AVID students will be assisting students with various topics: Making a College List; Transcript Request Form; Common App; Recommendation Requests. These topics will be repeated, starting September 23. Students are welcome to drop in with questions about any aspect of the process.