Annandale Community Insider - October 30

Annandale Students, Families, and Community:

Happy Halloween! It was great to see students and staff dressed up on Friday. Check out the fun photos below.

Last week, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results were published. This assessment is considered “the nation’s report card.” Not surprising, and still alarming to many, these results showed a drop across the nation, and here in Virginia, in students’ 4th and 8th grade math and reading performance compared to post pandemic scores.

What this data is highlighting, is that schools must focus on providing high quality instruction to meet our students’ needs. I am so proud that we at Annandale never lost our focus. When the pandemic hit, our staff came together to clarify what high quality instruction means - whether it was virtual or in the classroom. We said that it was essential to ensure we plan high quality academic tasks and strong learning targets. Two and half years later, rather than shift our priorities, we have only deepened our focus on high quality instruction. We continue to get better to ensure we are a good school for all students, and our students are demonstrating success as a result. Our commitment to high quality instruction means that students do not “luck into” excellent teachers. Instead, our teachers meet in teams to plan instruction, so every student is guaranteed high quality learning experiences in every class, every day.

To this end, we hope you will help us celebrate the amazing work done every day at Annandale High School by highlighting some of our amazing staff members! Each year, FCPS looks to honor several staff members for outstanding excellence in their roles, including Outstanding Teacher, New Teacher, Leader, Professional Employee, Operational Employee and Principal. We both appreciate and welcome nominations from families and other members of our community. To nominate an Annandale staff member, please complete the AHS Outstanding Employee Nomination Form. Nominations are due by Friday, November 18. Contact Melissa Smith, Dean of Students, with any questions.

Finally, please join me on Tuesday at 7:00pm for a Virtual Fall Principal Check-In, where I will share information about our practices as well as how we are supporting students with a focus on our priorities. Check your email for a link to join.

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

Sincerely,

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Important Dates

October 31 - No School (Teacher Workday)

November 1-2 - Religious and Cultural Observance Day (Dia de los Muertos)

November 1 - Fall Principal Check-In, 7pm

November 2 - Virginia Governor's School Info Session, 3pm

November 4 - Impact Aid Forms Due

November 7 - Fairfax County Youth Survey Opt-Out Forms Due

November 7 - Winter Sports Begin

November 8 - No School (Election Day)

November 10 - Senior Parent College Night, 6:30pm 

November 11 - No School (School Planning Day)

November 15 - PTSA Meeting, 7pm

November 17 - Thanksgiving Lunch

November 17-20 - Fall Play: Argonautika

November 23-25 - Thanksgiving Holiday

October 31 - Teacher Workday: No school for students.

November 1 - Fall Principal Check-In, 7pm: Join us on Tuesday at 7:00pm for a Virtual Fall Principal Check-In, where I will share information about our practices as well as how we are supporting students with a focus on our priorities. Check your email for a link to join.

November 2 - Strategic Plan Student Survey: On Wednesday, during advisory (W4), students will be asked to complete a short survey providing feedback on their experience at school. This feedback will be used to help inform FCPS leadership as they work on planning for the future of the school system. Parents are invited to view the survey questions and get more information.

November 2 - 2023 Virginia Summer Residential Governor's School Information Session: The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) offers the opportunity for students in Grade 10 and 11 to apply to attend summer residential Governor’s schools in academics and Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). Students who are accepted into one of the programs will live in residence halls in one of the state colleges in Virginia for four weeks this summer.

There will be an interest meeting on Wednesday, November 2 in the Library at 3:00pm. Attendance at the meeting is not required, but strongly encouraged. To learn more about these opportunities, you can also visit the Virginia Department of Education website and view the promotional video. Contact Cheryl Kim or Lisa Foliaco with any questions.

November 4 - Impact Aid Forms Due - Impact Aid forms were distributed to students in W4 (Advisory class). FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid. Returning this form is important because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers. 

For each student in your household, please complete, sign, date, and return the survey to your student's W4 (Advisory) teacher. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the boxes in Section 3. All forms must be signed, dated, and returned by November 4. All results are confidential. More information is available online.

November 7 - Fairfax County Youth Survey Opt-Out Forms Due: The Fairfax County Youth Survey will be administered to students in grades 10 and 12. The Youth Survey provides information about our students' physical and mental well being. The survey is anonymous and no individual information is reported. On October 13 students received the Fairfax County Youth Survey opt-out form. This form only needs to be signed and returned if your child should not complete the survey. Opt-out forms should be returned to the main office by November 7.

November 7 - Winter Sport Tryouts Begin: Winter sports include basketball, swim & dive, wrestling, gymnastics, and indoor track. In order to participate, there are 2 items that need to be completed prior to the first day of tryouts: 1) Sports Physical - Completed and turned in to Athletic Trainers Ryan Hughes or Kathy Ayers and 2) Activity Registration. This is an online submission that encompasses the Emergency Care Form and Concussion Education Training. Here is the Winter Tryout Schedule. For more information about tryouts, visit www.annandaleatoms.net. 

November 10 - Senior Parent College Night: Join us from 6:30 to 8:30pm in Clausen Hall, to learn about two and four year colleges. We will cover the college application process, and interact with a panel of college admission representatives. We will also hear from a College Readiness Counselor from Northern Virginia Community College. Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Opportunities

November 17-20 - Argonautika: The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts: Don’t miss our Fall play, Argonautika: The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts. Over 50 students from all corners of AHS have worked for two months to bring you this fresh retelling of the classic Greek myth, Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece with a modern twist! Join the fantastic voyage and encounter Hercules, Hera, sirens, centaurs, and more—familiar mythological figures imbued with unexpected character and depth. Discover humor, love, and the unimaginable as Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman reveals the humanity in the most monstrous of creatures in this unforgettable journey for the ages.

Tickets are only $5 for AHS Students and Staff and $10 for all other patrons. Rated PG-13 for mature themes. Tickets will be available starting November 1. Click here to purchase tickets!

Yearbook and Senior Tribute Ads: The 2023 Antenna Yearbook and Senior Tribute Ads can be purchased now at www.yearbookforever.com. 

The A-Blast Subscriptions Available: The A-Blast published its first edition last week. You can pick up a copy in the newsstand in the main lobby or subscribe for home delivery. It’s a great way to keep up with the news of AHS through the perspective of student journalists. The newspaper is published monthly and it is consistently ranked in the Top 10 of all high school newspapers nationwide. AHS is the only school to have a printing partnership with The Washington Post, which prints the newspaper for free. Donate at least $10 and email your home mailing address to Alan Weintraut to subscribe. 

Free Metrobus Pass for Students: Annandale High School students have the opportunity to ride Metrobus for free in Northern Virginia, along with Fairfax Connector and City of Fairfax CUE. When you sign up for the pass, you will receive a specially designed and programmed SmarTrip card. Get started by completing the application with permission from a parent/guardian. Then turn the form in to Jewad Abdulhadi in Student Services. Visit the website for more information.

Awesome Atoms!

Ramzy Tabbah Places Eighth Chair in VA Senior Honors Choir! Senior member of Annandale Singers, Ramzy Tabbah has placed in the Bass 2 section as the eighth chair in the state of Virginia for the Senior Honors Choir! This is a huge honor and a wonderful testament to Ramzy’s determination. Ramzy will be performing with the Senior Honors Choir in Richmond on November 17-19, 2023 with over 300 other seniors from across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Important Information

FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards - Now Accepting Nominations! We believe that our staff is truly unparalleled, and that the work we do for our students deserves celebration and recognition beyond our building. Each year, FCPS looks to honor several staff members for outstanding excellence in their roles, including Outstanding Teacher, New Teacher, Leader, Professional Employee, Operational Employee and Principal. We hope you will help us to celebrate the amazing work done every day at Annandale High School by highlighting some of our amazing staff members! 

To nominate an Annandale HS staff member, please complete the AHS Outstanding Employee Nomination Form. If you are interested in learning more about the overall FCPS awards process, you may visit the FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards Website. Nominations are due by Friday, November 18. Contact Melissa Smith, Dean of Students, with any questions.

FCPS Adopts Two-Way Messaging App TalkingPoints: FCPS has recently adopted TalkingPoints, a two-way messaging app that allows parents and caregivers to communicate with teachers and schools. Look for messages from your child’s school on how they are implementing the app. For more information, visit the FCPS TalkingPoints webpage. The app translates messages, so teachers can input messages in English and parents can respond in their preferred language. TalkingPoints supports 125 languages, making it easier and faster for our FCPS families to connect with their schools. If you need to update your preferred correspondence language, contact the main office.

Annandale to Administer Strategic Plan Student Survey: FCPS is developing a Strategic Plan that will serve as the school division’s roadmap for the future. We encourage every parent/caregiver, student, employee, and community member to participate in this important work. 

The first engagement opportunity will be an optional survey, which will be open to students in grades 3-12. Knowing what is important to students will be very helpful to Dr. Reid, as she leads the planning of FCPS’ future. All schools, including Annandale, will schedule a date and time during the school day to administer the survey between November 2-18. If you would prefer that your child not participate, you may opt your child out of taking the survey. Please visit FCPS’ website for more information. 

SIS Weekly Progress Reports & 1st Quarter Report Cards - Please note that FCPS Weekly Progress Reports generated through SIS will not be sent to parents between now and Friday, November 12 while first quarter grading is completed and report cards are generated. Additionally, the Grade Book and Report Card modules in ParentVUE and StudentVUE will be closed now through Tuesday, November 9 at 6am for first quarter grading.

News from Student Services

Check out the latest information from the Student Services Department in their weekly newsletter. The newsletter provides important information, important dates, news from the college & career center and class news.

Transcript Requests for College Applications & Scholarships: Seniors need to request official high school transcripts one month prior to application deadlines. For example, if a college application is due on November 25, the Transcript Request Form is due on October 25. We will be receiving a very high volume of requests in the coming months, and our Student Services staff needs adequate time to process them. Early Action and Early Decision application deadlines are quickly approaching. For step-by-step instructions and forms for submitting Transcript Requests, go to the AHS College & Career Google site.

Fridays During Lunch - FAFSA/VASA Help! Need help filling out the FAFSA or VASA? Every Friday our Financial Aid Champion, Ms. Mahieu will be offering FAFSA and VASA help to students during their lunch period. If you are interested in registering for an appointment during your lunch period please email Ms. Wells at lcwells@fcps.edu or Mr. Yeagley at Byeagley@fcps.edu so they can schedule the appointment for you. Please be sure you include the Friday you would like to come in, as well as what lunch you have that day. You can also email Ms. Mahieu directly with questions about the FAFSA/VASA or to schedule a virtual or in person meeting with Ms. Mahieu. She can be reached at kmahieu@fcps.edu. 

College Rep Visits: College Admission representatives will continue to visit AHS throughout November. To view the list of visiting colleges and register, students must log in to Naviance. Then, click on Colleges, College Visits, and choose Register Now next to the visit(s) they would like to attend. Students are limited to attending a total of 5 visits, so please only register for the colleges you are highly interested in learning about. *Please note that space is limited for some of these visits and students must register at least 24 hours in advance.

Once registered, students must get a pass from Mr. Yeagley in the College & Career Center (Room 103) after school the day before the visit or before school the morning of the visit and show it to their teacher. Students who do not register through Naviance, get a pass, and/or get permission from their teacher will not be admitted to the college visit. If you have any questions about the process, please contact Brian Yeagley. 

Early Online College-Spring Session: Early Online College (EOC) allows current high school juniors or seniors the opportunity to take up to two tuition free college courses. EOC courses for the spring semester begin on January 31, 2023, and end on April 24, 2023. Courses are for college credit only and designed to jumpstart students' college experience. These courses were selected because they meet the requirements for most of NOVA’s associate degrees as well as being highly transferable as general education requirements for most colleges and universities. For more information, contact NOVA’s Office of Dual Enrollment at dualenrollment@nvcc.edu.

November 2 - Early Online College Virtual Information Session, 6pm: Register in advance for this webinar: https://tinyurl.com/spring22eoc. After registering, students will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Fridays During Lunch - FAFSA/VASA Help! Need help filling out the FAFSA or VASA? Every Friday our Financial Aid Champion, Ms. Mahieu will be offering FAFSA and VASA help to students during their lunch period. If you are interested in registering for an appointment during your lunch period please email Ms. Wells at lcwells@fcps.edu or Mr. Yeagley at Byeagley@fcps.edu so they can schedule the appointment for you. Please be sure you include the Friday you would like to come in, as well as what lunch you have that day. You can also email Ms. Mahieu directly with questions about the FAFSA/VASA or to schedule a virtual or in person meeting with Ms. Mahieu. She can be reached at kmahieu@fcps.edu.

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.

November 7 - Winter Sport Tryouts Begin: Winter sports include basketball, swim & dive, wrestling, gymnastics, and indoor track. In order to participate, there are 2 items that need to be completed prior to the first day of tryouts: 1) Sports Physical - Completed and turned in to Athletic Trainers Ryan Hughes or Kathy Ayers and 2) Activity Registration. This is an online submission that encompasses the Emergency Care Form and Concussion Education Training. 

Here is the Winter Tryout Schedule. For more information about tryouts, check our www.annandaleatoms.net or reach out to each sports head coach:

This Week’s Schedule:

Monday, October 31

No Events

Tuesday, November 1

No Events

Wednesday, November 2

No Events

Thursday, November 3

12:00/12:45pm - Occoquan Region Cross Country Finals @ Burke Lake

Friday, November 4

No Events

Saturday, November 5

No Events

News from the PTSA

Annandale PTSA Pantry Needs Help Restocking! Below is a photo of our shelves before and after each distribution. We need help restocking regularly. Please consider donating, every donation helps. Visit the pantry website here to learn more and about ways to donate.

Support Annandale Booster Organizations!

Gear up with Official Atoms Spiritwear: Gear up for another action-packed season with official Atoms gear. You can dress in team-spirited garb on game day and every day with the largest selection of Annandale Atoms apparel at the official Atoms Store. Cheer on your Atoms with t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and more. Our online Shop has items for any occasion. Visit spiritwear.atomsboosters.org to see the latest Atoms gear.

Wrestling Spirit Wear Now Available: Wrestling fans! The 2022-2023 Atoms Wrestling Team Spirit Wear store is now open! This year the Grappling Atoms are partnering with Cheers Sports to help bring you awesome gear to wear during the season (and beyond)! Orders are due by Friday, November 11! Click here for the team store! If you have any questions, feel free to email Coach Damico at jwdamico@fcps.edu.

Join the Annandale PTSA! 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 difference, be better informed and join the PTSA today by filling out the online 2022–2023 Membership Form. For more information about membership, visit our Membership page.

Join the Atoms Athletic Boosters! Purchase an Athletic Pass! We need you as an Atoms fan in the stands cheering on our athletes, as well as behind the scenes as an athletics supporter. 100% of your Booster contributions support the many athletic programs, facilities, and athletes at AHS. 

Cost: Student Pass - $30; Adult Pass - $60; Parking Pass - $30; Fan Pass - $25. For more information, visit the Boosters sight at www.atomsboosters.org.

The BENEFITS of purchasing an AHS Athletic Booster Membership/athletic passes include:

• SAVE MONEY! — Admission for free admission for Freshmen, Junior Varsity, and Varsity regular-season home athletic events (not valid for away games or postseason play).
• Ease and Convenience — Avoid the ticket line, just show your pass at the admissions gate; no need to carry cash.
• Support the Atoms — 100% of the money goes to AHS athletics. Normal gate fees are split between AHS and the opponent.