Tutor.com
Does your child need homework help or feedback on their writing? How about a practice quiz to get ready for a test? Tutor.com is open to FCPS students in all grades, on-demand, 24/7, at no cost to families. Learn more.
Purchase your Yearbook!
Yearbooks are $20 and can be pre-ordered through MySchoolBucks or directly through Walsworth by going to www.yearbookforever.com
 Be sure to check out our Wall of Heroes display in the front lobby. Thank you to Ms. Alonzo our Military Family Life Counselor, for putting together our display.
Principal’s Message
This week, I was contacted by the property owner of what our students refer to as the “Plaza" or the Whole Foods shopping area. The owner shared that over the last few weeks there has been an increase in inappropriate and potentially dangerous behaviors in businesses/restaurants and the common areas at the Plaza after school on Fridays and early dismissal days. The owner shared that some students have been involved in fights, property damage, leaving trash strewn about, and shoplifting. The behaviors described are not in line with our ROCK (Respect, Ownership, Communication, and Kindness) that we expect of our students in school and in our community.
I will be meeting with the property and business owners, Supervisor Pat Herrity, School Board Members Laura Jane Cohen and Megan McLaughlin, our SRO Officer Epperson, and parents/guardians in the coming weeks to work on solutions to these unacceptable behaviors. I will be sharing more information about when that meeting will take place soon. In the meantime, as we look to the approaching breaks, please speak with your child about appropriate behavior in the community. We will continue to speak with students about appropriate behavior and representing themselves in a positive manner both in school and out in our community in our announcements and lessons. Please share with your child that there will be an increased police presence at the Plaza and that it may be best for students to go directly home after school so that they are not caught up in behaviors that could have negative consequences.
We want everyone in our community to be able to enjoy the restaurants and businesses in our area. If the behaviors continue, more business owners may limit the number of middle schoolers allowed at one time in their businesses or not allow them at all. I know our students are capable of behaving in a manner that is respectful and provides opportunities for others to enjoy shared spaces because I see it happening every day. I look forward to partnering with our students, community leaders, and parents/guardians to find ways for our students to enjoy the Plaza in a safe and appropriate manner.
Take Care!
Cindy Conley, Principal
E-Hall Pass
We are excited to share that this week, students learned about our new hall pass system, e-hallpass. Students learned about the program and how to use it in Rock Block on Tuesday and we launched the program on Wednesday. This program will replace the paper passes we have been using. If you would like to learn more information about e-hallpass, click on this link.
Thanksgiving Break
Over Thanksgiving Break, we encourage staff and students to step away from their computers and school work to spend time with their families. To further encourage this, students will not be assigned any work over Thanksgiving Break and there will be no assessments or assignments given on Monday, November 28 or November 29. We wish you a wonderful and safe break!
Substance Abuse and Prevention
Alcohol & The Holidays
The holidays usually involve family time, games, movies, food, and possibly drinks. The holidays may involve less family members this year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean less alcohol for some. Alcohol consumption has increased during the pandemic and when ABC stores were deemed essential it didn’t help lower those rates (ABC News, September 29, 2020). Many people are still trying to figure out how to navigate our “new normal” since a global pandemic wasn’t on our to-do list in 2020, but we encourage you to consider a few things during these trying times.
Questions to consider when drinking with your family:
- What message am I sending if I drink in excess around my underage child?
- Have I had conversations about responsible drinking with them?
- Are the conversations I have about alcohol realistic?
- Do my conversations with others reinforce alcohol use as a coping skill during stressful times?
- What messages am I sending my underage child if I allow them to drink with me or another adult in the house?
Info to consider:
“One-third of Fairfax County students (33.7%) reported drinking alcohol at least once in their lifetime, ranging from 18.8% of eighth-grade students to half of twelfth-grade students (49.4%). One in seven students (15.2%) reported drinking alcohol in the past month, ranging from 4.5% of eighth-grade students to 27.7% of twelfth-grade students.” (FCPS Youth Survey 2020)
“Female students reported higher rates of alcohol use in their lifetime (36.1% compared to 31.2% of male students), in the past month (17.1% and 13.1%, respectively), and binge drinking in the past two weeks (7.3% and 6.5%, respectively)” (FCPS Youth Survey 2020).
Resources:
Holiday Stress
Helpful Info to Quit Vaping
FCPS video on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
Substance Abuse Prevention (Spanish)
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270 and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @FCPSSAPS.
For further Information and support please contact Kenneth Johnson, Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, at Kwjohnson@fcps.edu.
Parent Resource Center
The FCPS Parent Resource Center offers a welcoming and engaging environment for families, educators, and community members. It provides access to information and resources to support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities.
To join the PRC email list and receive notices of upcoming webinars, sign up for their News You Choose newsletter.
Library News
There are a lot of school holidays in the next few weeks. If you’d like to see your student spending some time reading on those days at home, encourage them to visit the library and to always have “their next book” ready to read!
Remember that Irving has ebooks and audiobooks too. Students may borrow these to read / listen to on their school-issued laptop, or a tablet or phone. If accessing one of these online resources is new to your student, a how-to video has just been uploaded to the library’s Schoology Course, which all students can access.
Technology - Student Laptops Over School Breaks
In preparation for the upcoming school break, please help your Irving student remember to:
- Shut down their FCPS laptop and find a safe place for it, off of the floor, while schools are closed.
- Charge the laptop fully the night before we return to school.
- If possible, restart the laptop 2-3 times the night before we return to school. We will also do restarts in school on Monday, November 28 to ensure all laptops receive necessary updates.
After School Information
Program Structure & Club Sign Ups
We will offer late buses on Mondays, Tuesdays, SOME Wednesdays, and Thursdays, buses depart from Irving between 4:35 pm and 5:00 pm. The weekly sign-up regenerates weekly, the link will be available Fridays by 10am. Updates and changes will be shared via Schoology, lunch (cafeteria), Rock Block and the after school program board.
End time for 1st block - 3:25 pm
End time for 2nd block - 4:30 pm
The After School Program will not meet the following days:
- Monday, November 21 or Tuesday, November 22
Coming Soon
Weight Training - Mondays, 1st block; begins Monday, November 28
Back to Basics: Etiquette for the Internet Generation - January 2023
Appian Games Tournament
We are excited to announce an Appian Games Tournament that will take place at Hughes Middle School, on Dec 3rd from 10:00 am. to 4:00 pm. Registration is limited to those students who participate in the Appian Board Game Club. Lunch is provided. Please use the following link to register your student - https://forms.gle/UgT7N9P7r9CF1uy5A. Please email Ms. Duncan at naduncan@fcps.edu, when you register.
News from the PTA
Thanks for supporting Irving Middle School with your spirit wear orders! We will let you know when they are ready, which we expect will be around 12/6.
Good turnout for the PTA meeting. The update from Principal Conley was good. Key takeaway – Breaks are a time to take a break from school and do something else, but reading is always a good idea.
Spirit DAY at Pupatella is Dec. 6! Please copy and paste this flyer for more information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FpDhqRxhBiOYrvIvqADMYIvUO9IiiM9k/view .
THANKS to all who ordered from Chipotle on Wednesday night – you ate good food and the school made nearly $200! See friends, how EASY was THAT?!
We are likely going to move the Movie Night planned for early December, to January. Something fun in the dead of winter – thanks so much to our volunteer who stepped up at the PTA meeting!
Remember - latest PTA news and "all things PTA" are available at https://irvingms.memberhub.com/ (copy & paste!).
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