Principal Updates - October 17

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@OaktonHS), and Instagram @oaktonhs!   

Important Dates 

October 24: No School, Diwali

October 25: Partners for Safe Teen Driving Presentation

October 28: End of 1st Quarter; 2 Hour Early Release

October 31: Student Holiday/Teacher Workday - Happy Halloween

November 1-2: Religious & Cultural Observance School Days, Dia De Los Muertos

November 8: Election Day, No School 

November 11: Veterans Day, Student Holiday/School Planning Day 

November 23-25: No School, Thanksgiving Break

General Information

Buy Your Yearbook and Senior Baby Ads Today

Yearbooks and senior baby ads are on sale now! Last year sold out, so don’t risk it – buy early! Yearbooks are currently $67 for the base package, and senior baby ads come in a variety of sizes and prices. To buy a yearbook or a baby ad, visit www.yearbookordercenter.com and use code 4770! Questions? Email jsmorrison@fpcs.edu.

Partners for Safe Teen Driving

All students enrolled in Classroom Driver Education during the 2022-2023 school year must attend an in-person Partners for Safe Teen Driving (PSTD). The presentation is connected to successful classroom instruction and must be completed to receive a DEC-District 8 card (pink card). The parent-teen traffic safety presentation (PSTD) will be offered multiple times during the school year at Oakton. Students and their parents/guardians should plan to attend the presentation at Oakton at your earliest convenience.  

All PSTDs begin promptly. Late admission will not be allowed. 

Dates 2022-2023 

  1. Tuesday, October 25, 6:30pm in the Auditorium
  2. Wednesday, January 18, 6:30pm in the Auditorium
  3. Monday, March 27, 6:30pm in the Auditorium
  4. Monday, May 15, 6:30pm in the Auditorium

These sessions are intended for Sophomores. Juniors and Seniors can attend a session through Adult and Community Education.

PSTD nights are not available to freshmen.

AVID Tutors Needed 

Attention families - are you or someone you know looking for a flexible and part-time position at Oakton High School? FCPS is hiring AVID tutors for the 2022-2023 school year.  AVID tutors work with small groups of approximately 5-7 students during the school day in an academic elective class called Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). These groups use higher order questioning strategies to help students develop a variety of college preparatory skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. Tutors earn $18.42 per hour and must either be a college graduate or currently enrolled in college. If interested, please email your resume to Karen Huffman at kshuffman@fcps.edu

 

AVID Tutors Flyer

Testing Updates

AP Exam Registration for Non-enrolled Students

If any student wants to take an AP exam in a course that he/she is not enrolled in, registration is now open. Each exam costs $96. You can use this google form to register or paper copy on our website. Students currently enrolled in an AP course are automatically registered for the corresponding AP exam and do not need to complete any form. The deadline to register is October 28th. Payment can be submitted through My School Bucks or check made out to Oakton High School. Payment is required before the exam space will be reserved.

My School Bucks Link

Other AP related information can be found in our AP Testing FAQs on the Oakton website. If you have any other questions about AP testing in general, please contact Assistant Principal Martha Rodeheaver at myrodeheaver@fcps.edu.

AP Testing Opt-Out Letters

As part of the FCPS FY 2022 Approved Budget, FCPS is continuing to assess Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) test fees. As in previous years, the fees for the first six AP/IB tests taken for courses in which students are enrolled for high school credit will be paid for by FCPS. Students taking AP tests without enrolling in the corresponding FCPS course are responsible for the test fee(s). AP students must make Opt-Out decisions in October 2022 and parents will be billed a $96 non-refundable test fee in December 2022 for tests that exceed the six FCPS funded tests. 

Oakton students received their opt-out letters on Tuesday, October 4. All Opt-Outs are due by Tuesday, October 26. If students need a new Opt-Out form they can see Mrs. Hendelman in school counseling.

Oakton information will continue to be posted on our AP Exam page here: https://oaktonhs.fcps.edu/academics/testing/ap-exams

Student Services Updates 

Student Services Newsletter

Happy Fall Cougars!  Check out October’s Student Services Newsletter that includes information about upcoming parent and student events as well as highlights the month’s activities with wellness initiatives, Senior Parent Night, Freshman Parent Night and important testing updates. 

Community Book Club

Greetings Oakton Parents and Guardians!  Oakton Student Services is excited to announce our community book club.  Our first read will be, How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Harris.  "In How to Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims draws on research, on conversations with admissions officers, educators, and employers, and on her own insights as a mother and as a student dean to highlight the ways in which overparenting harms children, their stressed-out parents, and society at large. While empathizing with the parental hopes and, especially, fears that lead to overhelping, Lythcott-Haims offers practical alternative strategies that underline the importance of allowing children to make their own mistakes and develop the resilience, resourcefulness, and inner determination necessary for success.” (Amazon)

We anticipate beginning in mid-October through mid-January.  We will then discuss the book as a group with an in-person conversation led by School Social Worker, Rachel Cherian. 

To kick off the Book Club, the first 25 families that register will receive a free copy of the book, one book per family.  

If interested, please register  here for planning purposes.  More information will be sent mid-October.  

Questions?  Please reach out to School Social Worker, Rachel Cherian, at rjcherian@fcps.edu.  

Mindful Parenting Workshop: October 19

6:30 – 8:00pm in Oakton High School Lecture Hall

Are you prematurely greying because parenting is stressing you out? Do you find yourself losing your temper around your kid(s) more often than you care to admit? You are NOT alone. Parenting is a tough job, but there are ways to navigate the challenges with more ease and joy—mindful parenting to the rescue! Join mindfulness coach and mother-of-three Erin Sonn, for a mindful parenting workshop to practice simple, accessible strategies for cultivating emotional attunement and a mindful presence with your kid(s). Mindfulness connects you to present moment experiences, which can enhance your delight in caregiving, as well as soothe your child(ren), because they know they are seen and heard.  Learn how “showing up” for your child(ren) positively affects their brain development and creates safe spaces for them to take risks, build resiliency, and thrive.

RSVP using the following link: https://forms.gle/QwZSFeGE39GPynv2A

Student Yoga Sessions

Throughout the year, Oakton will offer yoga sessions during return periods for students to relax and reenergize.

Upcoming Yoga Dates

October 25

November 1 & 28

December 6

January 10 & 31

February 14 & 21

March 6 & 20

April 17 & 24

May 22

June 6

Underclassmen Academic Awards Celebration

November 3 during 3rd period

On Thursday, November 3, Oakton will recognize 835 students who have earned an Academic Award. Academic Awards are based on last year’s high school GPA (4.0 and higher). First time award recipients will receive an academic letter and a pin. Returning recipients will receive a pin to be placed on the academic letter they received in a previous year. Recipients will receive an invitation to this event on Monday, October 3 via email. This is a student only event.

National Merit Commended & Semifinalist Ceremony

November 10th during return period

On Thursday, November 10, Oakton will recognize 76 students who have been recognized by College Board as a National Merit Commended student and 11 students who have qualified as a Semifinalist.  These students participated in a nationwide competition conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corp., by taking the PSAT last October. 50,000 highest scorers nationwide qualified for this designation and of those high scorers, 16,000 were designated Semifinalists. Recipients will receive an invitation to this event on Tuesday, October 11 via email. This is a parent and designated student only event.

Schedule Changes

Open schedule change requests are now paused until the end of first quarter.  At that time, we will consider schedule changes again if there is a demonstrated need.  

Service Learning Updates 

Service Learning Enrichment Opportunities

In an effort to highlight enrichment experiences that can connect service learning for students, FCPS has put together a brief one page document with various enrichment experiences. All of these experiences are posted in the Naviance Enrichment Database, but we also wanted to highlight them for our community in case any students might be interested.

Service Learning and X2VOL

All students at Oakton are encouraged to use X2VOL via their Naviance account to record and continue to record all Service Learning completed throughout the school year. Students may access information and help for X2VOL via Naviance using the following link https://help.x2vol.com/knowledge/for-naviance-schools

Health and Wellness Updates

Substance Abuse and Prevention Specialist Corner

This week you can find more information on Red Ribbon Week and counterfeit pills.  

Health and Safety Guidance Document 

The FCPS Health and Safety guidance document has been updated for this school year. Please see this site for more information.

Emergency Resources

Crisis Link Regional Hotline            703-527-4077

Crisis Text                                       Text NEEDHELP to 85511

Dominion Hospital Emergency       703-536-2000

INOVA Emergency                         703-289-7560

Merrifield Center Emergency         703-573-5979  TTY dial 711

Life Threatening                             911

Safety and Security Updates

Anonymous Tip Line Puts Safety First

If you or your child have concerns or information relating to feeling unsafe in any way at school, we encourage you to reach out to a member of the security or administrative team so that we may quickly address the issue.  Students and parents may also utilize the FCPS Office of Safety and Security safety tip line, that you can access anonymously online, by text (888-777; Keyword TIP FCPS), or by phone (571-423-2020).

If your tip is an emergency and immediate assistance is necessary, please dial 911.

Students, staff, and community members should report school safety issues such as threats, unsafe or dangerous situations, illegal drug activity, theft, gang activity, the existence of weapons, vandalism, and concerns about student wellness. Tip line users may identify themselves or remain anonymous.

Concerns that do not impact the safety of our schools—concerns or information about programs, regulations, or policies—can be sent to the FCPS ombudsman online, at 571-423-4014, or ombudsman@fcps.edu

PTSA News & Information 

Mini-Grants

The Oakton PTSA is pleased to announce the opening for mini grant fall applications. Staff and student groups can apply now. Please follow the instructions on the email was sent out to apply for grant via the PTSA website.  https://oaktonhsptsa.ptboard.com/

Communication Chair

The Oakton PTSA is looking for a communication chair to handle PTSA communications.  

Class of 2023 All Night Grad Party (ANGP) – Volunteers Needed!

The purpose of ANGP is to provide Oakton HS graduates with a safe, drug-free, and alcohol-free event to celebrate the night of their graduation. Traditionally the party usually starts around 10 PM and lasts until 3 – 4 AM. The party is held at a location such as Launch Trampoline Park and features food, games, prizes, entertainment and more. Planning the party is a committee effort and we need volunteers!

Ideally the committee is comprised of parents with students in all grades, that way a steady stream of volunteers know how to plan the party in future years and senior parents aren’t trying to juggle the party and their own family plans graduation weekend. If you volunteer when your child is a freshman, sophomore, or junior, you will appreciate having someone else step forward when your own student is graduating!

We need help with all aspects of party planning, from logistics to fundraising, booking vendors, coming up with a theme, confirming the location, and ticket sales.

If you’d like to help, please send an email to 2023angp@gmail.com.

Oakton Pantry 

Thank you to everyone who continues to donate so generously to the Pantry. We are incredibly grateful for your support. Because of you we are able to keep the doors open and provide regular snack packs and groceries to students in need.  

For any questions about the Pantry, please send an email to oaktonpantry@gmail.com. Students interested in joining the Pantry Club should send an email to oaktonpantryclub@gmail.com.

Pantry Logo

Parent Resources

Parent Information Line 

Parents who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese can call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS and to receive support if they are having difficulty communicating with their children's schools due to a language barrier.

Parent Resource Center 

The FCPS Parent Resource Center offers a wide variety of information and resources to support the success of all students.  This includes monthly workshops and webinars.  More information can be found on the FCPS website, including registration information.  

Meet the Author Series - Paige Saves the Day

Paige is a happy kid with a unique fashion sense and creative imagination. Despite being bullied because of the things that make her different, she enjoys using her creativity to entertain her family and friends with stories in which she and her dog, Peppermint, are Super Heroes who always save the day!

Join us as the authors, Nalani Butler and Leila Butler, read Paige Saves the Day and share their experiences with families.

Children are welcome to join with their families for this very special webinar and book reading.

October 27, 2022 7-8 p.m.

Register for the Meet the Author Series - Paige Saves the Day

Manejando el estrés serie de 3 partes 

Part #1: Manejar los momentos estresantes de la vida 28/10/22 at 10 a.m.

  • ¿Qué es estrés? 
  • Diferencia entre estrés agudo y estrés crónico. 
  • Síntomas del estrés en adultos. 
  • Cómo los síntomas del estrés afectan las habilidades de crianza. 
  • Síntomas del estrés en niños . 
  • Cómo el estrés afecta el rendimiento escolar en los niños. 

 
Part #2: Estrategias de manejo del estrés 16/12/22 at 10 a.m. 

  • ¿Qué es el autocuidado? 
  • ¿Por qué es importante el autocuidado? 
  • Cómo practicar el autocuidado. 
  • Técnicas de relajación 
  • Gestión del tiempo 

Part #3: Apoyando a sus hijos durante tiempos estresantes  17/3/23 at 10 a.m.

  • Construyendo Resiliencia 
  • Reestructurando nuestro pensamiento 
  • Cómo reparar la relación con nuestros hijos.

Presented by: 

  • Aynalem (Nalem) Valdes, MS.Residente en Consejería de Salud Mental en Servicios Familiares del Norte de Virginia, Centro Multicultural  
  • Ana Stevenson, MS. Trabajadora Social Clínica Licenciada en Servicios Familiares del Norte de Virginia ,Centro Multicultural 

Registro Manejando el estrés serie de 3 partes

FCPS Cares

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