Important Upcoming Dates
2022-2023 School Year
December 8 - Religious Observance - Bodhi Day
December 8 - Let's Make Stockings (see below)
December 10 - MHS Highlander Holiday Bazaar (see below)
December 12 - School- Spirit Program for seniors (see below)
December 19 - January 2 - Winter Vacation - School offices will be closed
January 6 - Religious Observance - Three Kings Day/Ephiphany
January 16 - Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday - Schools and Offices will be closed
January 19 - Religious Observance - Orthodox Ephiphany
January 26 - Student Holiday - Staff Development Day
January 27 - Student Holiday - Teacher Workday
Outstanding Award Winners!
 Please join us in congratulating our 2022-2023 winners!
Outstanding New Teacher: Raquel Friedman Arnillas
Outstanding Professional Employee:Ashley Lowry
Outstanding Operational Employee:Janea Weber
Outstanding Teacher: Deidra Denson
Outstanding Leader: Greg Miller (not pictured)
McLean HS Model UN Success!
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Please join us in celebrating with our Model UN Club! They participated in the Thomas Edison High School Model UN Conference this past weekend. Under the leadership of their amazing club officers, the club went on to win the award for Best Small School and three of their delegates won Best Delegate! The were also awarded Outstanding Delegation and received a Verbal Commendation! Way to go, Highlanders! |
McLean HS Ethics Bowl
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Seven members of the MHS Ethics Bowl Team traveled to Richmond to participate in the Virginia High School Ethics Bowl. They competed in the first two rounds in which they analyzed ethical dilemmas in cases and then responded to comments and questions from another team and judges. While the MHS Ethics Bowl team did not earn enough points to advance, the team presented strong case analysis and responses, and posed insightful questions and comments to the other teams. |
Toy Drive 11/30 - 12/14
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McLean’s High School's leadership class is hosting a toy drive this year that runs from November 30th to December 14th! All donations will go towards a local community organization, Cancer Kids First. These toys will be sent to children staying in hospitals during this holiday season. All toys must be new and in their original packaging in order to best prevent the spread of bacteria in hospitals. Donation boxes can be found in the main office, room B175, and the library. Every contribution towards this drive counts, thank you for giving back to the community! |
Lost Dog Resuce Donation Drive 12/1 - 12/15
Inclusive Schools Week 12/5 - 12/9
Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference, and other factors. The week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children. This year, the Inclusive Schools Week’s theme is “Unity Within Our Community.”
Bodhi Day 12/8
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Bodhi Day, Thursday, Dec. 8, is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali. |
Let's Make Stockings! 12/8
 McLean High School students are invited to help decorate stockings to benefit the kids and teens at Second Story!
When: Thursday, December 8
What Time: 3:00 - 4:30 pm
Where: McLean HS Cafeteria
RSVP Here!
Become a MCC Youth Ambassador - 12/9
To assist in fulfilling its mission to provide programs of interest to area teens, the McLean Community Center (MCC) is launching a new initiative, MCC Youth Ambassadors. The purpose of the new initiative is to empower teens to collect and share their classmates’ ideas and feedback with the MCC Governing Board. McLean and Langley high school students enrolled in 9th-12th grades who reside in Dranesville Small District 1A are eligible to apply for the volunteer positions. The deadline to apply is Friday, Dec. 9. MCC is located at 1234 Ingleside Ave. Youth Ambassadors will serve as liaisons between community youth and the two youth members of the MCC Governing Board, Sarah Tran (Langley High boundary area) and Charlotte Loving (McLean High boundary area). The ambassadors will promote MCC activities via their social media platforms and through resources at their respective schools. They will also assist in planning events and activities targeted to the youth of McLean in support of acquiring their growing participation in MCC programs. Ambassadors will meet monthly at MCC or the Old Firehouse Center to discuss public feedback and plan future activities.
MCC Youth Ambassador Applications are posted on the MCC website, www.mcleancenter.org. Completed applications should be emailed to MCC General Programs Director Michael Fisher at michael.fisher@fairfaxcounty.gov no later than Friday, Dec. 9.
MHS Highlander Holiday Bazaar - 12/10
McLean High School's Highlander Holiday Bazaar will be held on Saturday Dec. 10th 10am-3pm.
Mclean High School will open its doors to the entire community for our 20th Annual Holiday Bazaar. Come one, come all for a day of indulgence. Enjoy food, drinks and live entertainment from the MHS Orchestra group while shopping for friends, family, coworkers, teachers and anyone else on your holiday shopping list! We will have many returning and new vendors selling everything from original wood carved tables, scented soap, jewelry, candles, beauty products/accessories, scarves, ornaments, home décor and lots lots more. Tons of unique gifts!
Extended until 12/7 - Holiday Gift Card Drive
 McLean High School has approximately 280 students who are at, or below, the poverty level. Some are homeless. If you would like to contribute to this important community effort, please click HERE to sign-up to donate $25 or $50 gift cards to Safeway, Target, or Walmart for Highlander families to assist them over the holidays.Gift cards are needed by Wednesday, Decemeber 7th. Let's show our fellow Highlanders some love this holiday season because McLean Matters!
There are three ways you can purchase Gift Cards:
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In person: Go to a Safeway, Target, or Walmart store and purchase gift card(s) for $25 or $50, and mail/drop off to Jennifer Hill at McLean High School (address below)
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Online - Electronic gift cards: Visit Safeway Gift Cards, Target Gift Cards, or Walmart Gift Cards and purchase "electronic gift card(s)", print out the paper copy, and mail/drop off to Jennifer Hill at McLean High School (address below), or purchase on line and email to jjhill1@fcps.edu
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Online - Traditional Plastic Giftcards: Visit Safeway Gift Cards, Target Gift Cards, or Walmart Gift Cards and purchase "plastic gift card(s)" and mail/drop off to Jennifer Hill at McLean High School (address below)
Please remember to inicate the $ amount of the giftcard(s) on the card or envelope before you drop them off.
Please use the following address for all mailed gift cards:
McLean High School
c/o Jennifer Hill
1633 Davidson Road
McLean, VA 22101
If you have any questions, please contact McLean Matters Chair Emma Blankenbaker at eblankenbaker@verizon.net.
Ethics Day/SPIRIT Day Information & Registration
McLean HS is offering The United States Department of Justice Community Relations Service (CRS) School - SPIRIT Program to interested seniors on Monday, December 12, 2022 at the McLean Community Center. This is a full-day field trip for students who sign up for the event. The PTSA is sponsoring the event and will provide lunch for all participants.
This event is open to all seniors but we are doing this as an opt-in for the first 150 students interested in attending and trying to make a difference at McLean. Members of the FBI, DOJ personnel, GMU mediation graduate students, and members of other community organizations will engage students and school personnel in identifying issues impacting McLean High School and develop and implement solutions to resolve those issues.
The program is student-driven and helps students develop problem solving skills, including issue identification and prioritization, decision-making, and solution development. As a result, students take a leadership role in addressing conflicts in their schools and build the skills and capacity to dissuade future conflicts. If you would like to participate, please fill out the form. If you have any questions, please contact Jeff Barham, Assistant Principal at jbarham@fcps.edu.
Winter Vacation - 12/19 - 1/3
 As a reminder, Winter Vacation is December 19, 2002 through January 2, 2023. We hope you will have a wonderful and safe time with family and friends. Please note that McLean High School offices will be closed for the break.
Roofing Work During Winter Vacation - 12/19 - 1/3
McLean High School is getting some much needed roofing work done over the winter break! Please note that Door 1 and the Main Entrance parking lot will not be accessible during this time. School offices will be closed over the break.
SAT School Day Scores
Seniors, if you took the SAT on October 12th your scores are now available. Here’s a video on how to access your scores, what your scores mean, and how to send your SAT scores to schools. Contact your school counselor if you have any questions regarding your scores. If you have an issue with accessing your scores, please contact our Assessment Coach Elly Donlen (ekdonlen@fcps.edu)
College Board AP Testing Accommodations
Students with disabilities may be eligible for testing accommodations and/or supports for AP Tests; however, the College Board requires schools to submit formal requests in advance.
Students who would like to apply to the College Board for testing accommodations must submit application forms to the school before January 4, 2023 to meet the College Board deadline. Please note that testing accommodations listed on IEPs or 504s are not automatically granted by the College Board for AP testing, so families must apply separately to the College Board using the forms above. If a student already has College Board accommodations approved from a previous PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, SAT, or AP test, then no further action is needed. Once instated, accommodations remain in place for all College Board testing.
We know this can be quite a confusing process for families. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rob Bouchard - RABouchard@fcps.edu for assistance with IEP accommodations or Bethany Davis BSDavis@fcps.edu for assistance with 504 accommodations. Please get in all requests by January 4th or sooner to ensure that we can get in all accommodation requests in a timely manner.
PSAT Score Reports
PSAT Scores from October 12 will be ready on December 6th. To view your scores log in to College Board with your unique access code. PSAT access codes were emailed to student’s FCPS Google Accounts earlier today. If you have any additional questions, please contact your counselor.
Students can access their scores by logging into their College Board account. Students who do not currently have a College Board account will need to create one to view scores. Students should use a personal email address, not their fcpsschools.net email for their College Board accounts, as FCPS email may send College Board emails to spam.
Notes from FCPS
Winter Weather Procedures
Preparing for Winter Weather
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made.
FCPS’ inclement weather procedures will remain the same as last year. The first five inclement weather days will be traditional “snow days” with no school activities. After those five days, we will use the flexibility provided by the Virginia General Assembly to have unscheduled virtual learning days, whenever possible, to maintain the continuity of learning. Virtual learning on these days will be synchronous/live instruction, following the inclement weather virtual learning day schedule (includes a two-hour delay).
FCPS’ website is generally the first mode of communication during emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan ahead for the winter season. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date in weCare@school, bookmark the FCPS website, plan for childcare, if appropriate, and know what items your child may need to take home before a weather event.
Multicultural and Language Resources for Families
FCPS’ Office of Family and School Partnerships would like to remind families of some of the many resources available to them:
- Bilingual community liaisons support student registrars by providing families with information about school and community services offered in Fairfax County. Liaisons are available to help families speaking Spanish, Korean, and Arabic. Once registered at a school, families can contact their family liaison for assistance.
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Early literacy programs are available to Fairfax County residents for parents of children up to 5 years old. These programs help prepare children for school and build confidence in parents as their child’s first teacher. They also help parents become active partners in their child’s education. Programs are available in African-Heritage, Arabic, Spanish, and Korean.
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Parent Information Phone Lines are available in eight languages for parents who speak languages other than English.
- A Multilingual Family Podcast is produced by the offices of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Family and School Partnerships, and Professional Learning and Equity. It covers important information for parents in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Korean.
- ESOL services are available in Fairfax County not only for students, but also for adults and families. Information on Spring classes will be posted in March 2023.
Visit the Family Engagement webpage for more resources.
ESSER III Community Conversation on December 13
Thanks to everyone who provided input in October on ESSER III funding–federal funding which was allocated to FCPS to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and student learning. Community feedback indicated that there is a general unawareness of the impact of ESSER funding and a perceived lack of communication around how the funds are being used.
To help address this, Superintendent Reid and Sloan Presidio, chief academic officer, will host a Community Conversation on ESSER on Tuesday, December 13, at 6:30 p.m., at the Gatehouse Administration Building in the Café. Please stay tuned for more details. Visit BoardDocs for a detailed update on ESSER.
Strategic Planning
The success of our strategic planning process depends on our entire community being engaged. Watch as some of our amazing elementary students share their hopes and ideas for the future of schools. Also, stay tuned for information on upcoming opportunities to participate in the development of FCPS’ Strategic Plan.
Weekly Reminders
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Talking Points for Families |
McLean High School in cooperation with Fairfax County Public Schools will begin using Talking Points to communicate with families about student performance in school throughout the remainder of the year. We recommend families download the free TalkingPoints for Families mobile app. You can also opt in to text messages (standard message fees apply) or you can sign up online at families.talkingpts.org/welcome. To get started, please follow the instructions below.
Step 1: Use the QR codes or the icons in your phone to visit the App Store or Google Play on your phone and download the Talking Points for Families app.
Step 2: Choose your preferred language and then enter your phone number in the app. You will receive a code to enter next.
Step 3: You should see your student’s classes in your app and can begin receiving messages from teachers. When you receive a message you will be able to conduct a 2-way conversation via text or the app with your student’s teachers.
Partners in Safe Teen Driving Seminar (PSTD)
As part of the FCPS Health and PE curriculum, all 10th grade students enrolled in Health & PE 10 complete one quarter of classroom Driver Education. As part of the Driver Education curriculum, students are required to attend the Partners in Safe Teen Driving Presentation, in person, with at least one parent or guardian. Successful completion of classroom Driver Education AND attendance by the student and parent/guardian enables the student to obtain the DEC-District 8 completion card needed to pursue obtaining a Virginia driver’s license. While it is recommended that the PSTD seminar requirement be satisfied during the quarter in which the student is taking classroom driver education, students are welcome to attend any quarter within their 10th grade year. All seminars will be held in-person from 6:30-8:00 PM in the auditorium. Please arrive early. Doors will close promptly at 6:30. Attendees who arrive late will not be allowed entry and will not earn credit for attending.
The 90-minute PSTD presentation will be offered once per quarter throughout the school year. McLean High School’s dates for the 2021-2022 calendar year are below. Please make sure to use your student’s fcpsschools.net account to log in and fill out the form.
January 9th - 1/9 Sign-Up Sheet
March 6th - 3/6 Sign-Up Sheet
May 1st - 5/1 Sign-Up Sheet
Important: Students who successfully complete their classroom driver education quarter but have not satisfied the PSTD requirement will have earned an incomplete for the class grade until the requirement is met.
This program is available to FCPS students enrolled in grade 10 health and physical education at no charge. Students who are completing classroom instruction through a commercial driving school, are home schooled, are enrolled in another school division, or are FCPS students in grade 11 or 12 must register to attend the 90-minute PSTD seminar. A $30 fee applies, and registration is available through FCPS Adult and Community Education (aceclasses.fcps.edu).
McLean HS Tech Support for Students
If you are experiencing issues with your FCPS issued laptop, please use the link below to enter your information. The tech support team will then get back to you as soon as possible.
We will continue to support students remotely as much as possible. If a computer has been identified as needing hands-on repair, we will schedule an appointment for you to come to the school to exchange it.
Description: This form should be filled out by a student if they are experiencing issues with their FCPSOn laptop.
Please click on the link below to access the Tech Support Request Form.
Parent/Student Support Portal Link:
https://itweb.fcps.edu/itsupport/
Social-Emotional Support Information
Mental Health and Wellness Support Services and Resources
McLean’s Clinical Staff are available to consult with parents and students regarding mental health related concerns and behaviors. They are also able to provide community resources as needed. Please see their contact information below:
Carol Ann Forrest, School Psychologist, CMForrest@fcps.edu
Beverly Parker-Lewis, School Psychologist, baparkerlewi@fcps.edu
Marly Jerome-Featherson, School Social Worker, mjeromefeath@fcps.edu
For more Mental Health and Wellness Information, please check out these Student Wellness Resources, FCPS’s Healthy Minds Blog and the FCPS’s Parent Resource Center.
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
FCPS Cares
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Do you know a McLean High School or FCPS employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone. |
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