Glen Forest Elementary School's Administrative Team gathered recently for a “squad” photo. Pictured (from left) are Assistant Principal Elizabeth Manning, Principal Dee Dee Herndon-Wilson, Assistant Principal Coretta Brown, and Assistant Principal Jessica Green.
FY 2023-24 Proposed Budget Highlights
At last Thursday's School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid proposed a budget for FY 2024 that focuses on attracting and retaining teachers and staff at a time when public education needs them most. The Proposed Budget also supports initiatives aimed at closing the achievement gap for all students, which widened during the pandemic, and gives our youngest learners a strong start, including investments for special education students impacted during the pandemic.
Proposed Increases in Employee Compensation
The FY 2024 Proposed Budget aims to continue to make FCPS one of the most attractive places to work in the area through a series of financial incentives for staff that keep pace with a recent rise in the cost of living. The budget includes:
- $80.9 million to provide a market scale adjustment of 3.0% for all employees.
- $58.2 million to provide a step increase for all eligible employees.
- $19.9 million to provide a 1.0% retention bonus for all current employees who remain employed with FCPS into FY 2024.
- $4.3 million to provide a step extension for all scales.
Special Education Teacher Extended Day contracts currently funded in FY 2023 with ESSER III funds will continue to be funded with ESSER III in FY 2024.
The FY 2024 Proposed Budget totals $3.5 billion—a net increase of $249.6 million or 7.6% over the FY 2023 Approved Budget. The superintendent is requesting an additional $159.6 million, or a 7.0% increase, from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Watch Dr. Reid’s presentation to the Board. Access the presentation slides on Boarddocs.
Our Heroes: Katie Kirdahi, Tutu Queen
Katie Kirdahi, a school-based technology specialist and instructional technology coach at Stratford Landing Elementary School, is beloved by students and staff alike. Katie is known for brightening up the school with her warm smile, caring demeanor, and "Tutu Tuesday'' fashion sense. Watch this FCPS Our Heroes video to see how Katie impacts those around her.
Visit the Employee News Blog to share with us: Who is a hero in your school community? What unique qualities do they share with students and colleagues?
Virginia School Principal Appreciation Week
Thank you to our school principals for all of their hard work every day of the year!
Calendar Reminder: Quarter End
As a reminder, Wednesday, January 25, is the last day of the quarter and a two-hour early release day for students. Also, schools are closed for students on Thursday, January 26, for a staff development day (food services and 181-day personnel do not report) and Friday, January 27, for a teacher workday (food services, transportation, and 181-day personnel do not report).
See the Employee Calendar.
Strategic Planning Updates
Register Now for a Community Forum!
Check out the schedule of Community Forums and register for the one that is most convenient for you. Community Forums will provide every resident an opportunity to participate in and influence the direction of FCPS’ Strategic Plan, prior to its completion and formal adoption by the School Board. Learn more about our strategic planning process.
Community Forum Table Facilitators Still Needed
As mentioned in last week’s Employee News, we are looking for staff to volunteer as table facilitators for the Community Forums. Table facilitators will receive training to prepare them to lead a diverse group of stakeholders in framing their input toward the development of FCPS’ new Strategic Plan.
Training will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, January 24, at 4 p.m., and Wednesday, January 25, at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Volunteers should only attend one training session. Table facilitators will support virtual breakout and in-person small group discussions.
If you are interested, please complete the Google form for your preferred event(s) no later than Friday, January 20, at 4 p.m. You will receive a link to the training after submitting the form.
Make Student Voices Count
The strategic planning process incorporates feedback from many different stakeholder groups including students. We hope school staff will encourage their students to participate in this unique opportunity to share their voices.
FCPS is currently seeking secondary students in grades 7-12 who are interested in participating in a Strategic Plan focus group. This focus group will provide an opportunity to share feedback in a small group with other FCPS students and a trained facilitator. There will be four virtual focus groups for secondary students in February and March:
- February 9, 3:30-5 p.m. or 5:30-7 p.m.
- March 16, 3:30-5 p.m. or 5:30-7 p.m.
Interested students should check their email for a form to sign up for the focus groups. Students will be asked to provide their student ID, so their parents can be identified and contacted to ask for consent to participate.
If you have any questions about the student focus groups, please contact strategicplan@fcps.edu.
School Board Reviews Draft School Year Calendar Options
At today’s work session, the School Board discussed draft calendars that were created for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 school years. Draft calendars were developed using the following criteria as a framework:
- Federal, state, and Virginia Department of Education guidance.
- Superintendent’s priorities.
- School Board input.
- Student absentee data.
- Staff absentee data.
- Surrounding jurisdictions’ calendars.
- Survey results.
- Calendar Feedback Committee input.
You may view the draft calendars and other related documents in Boarddocs. The calendars will be presented as new business during the School Board meeting on Thursday, January 26. The Board is scheduled to vote on the calendars during their meeting on Thursday, February 9.
Watch a recording of today’s Work Session. Get information on FCPS' calendar development process.
Teacher Leaders: Apply for the Great Beginnings Coach Pool
It's Mentoring Month, and the Office of Professional Learning and Equity is excited to announce that the Great Beginnings Coach Pool will open in early March! Great Beginnings coaches lead the professional development cohorts for teachers who are new to Fairfax County. Coaches receive professional development, a stipend, and recertification points. Teacher leaders with the following qualifications are encouraged to consider applying:
- A minimum of five years of highly successful teaching, with at least three years within FCPS.
- Highly effective communication and human relations skills.
- A desire to support novice and experienced new-to-FCPS teachers.
- A passion for collaboration and teamwork.
- A commitment to cultural responsiveness and equitable outcomes for all students.
Visit the Great Beginnings website or view their coaching flyer for more in-depth information about commitments, the application process, and professional development opportunities to prepare to apply for the pool. Additional details about the application process will be shared in early March. Please email greatbeginnings@fcps.edu if you have questions.
Upcoming Teacher Learning Opportunities
- The spring Academy Course Program offers more than 35 courses designed to enhance teacher knowledge and skills to impact student outcomes. Details including course syllabus, outcomes, and assignments will be listed in the Academy course catalog in MyPDE. Registration is open!
- The Virtual Supporting New Teachers Series continues in 2023 for any instructional staff wanting to learn more about effectively supporting teachers who are new to their buildings.
- Teacher leaders interested in applying for the instructional coaching candidate pool for the 2023-24 school year are invited to attend one of two virtual information nights.
- The University of Virginia’s Administration & Supervision summer program is a synchronous online program that assists leaders as they guide teaching and learning, manage the complex needs of students and parents, and help orchestrate school reform.
Find more information on these opportunities, and others, on the Employee News Blog.
Lewis High School Coach Named Washington Commanders Coach of the Year
Congratulations to Coach Larry Choates at Lewis High School, who was named by the Washington Commanders as the team’s nominee for the 2022 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award! The league-wide award honors high school football coaches who display the integrity, achievement, and leadership qualities exemplified by the winningest coach in NFL History, Don Shula. Read more on the Employee News Blog.
Academic Matters: Virginia Growth Assessment Updates
During the Academic Matters section of the School Board meeting last Thursday, Dr. Reid shared updates on the Virginia Growth Assessments (VGA). Legislation passed in 2021 in Virginia requires schools to perform content standards testing in the fall and winter. Dr. Reid reflected that there are opportunities for improvement in the timeliness of the information being shared with schools between the two assessment windows.
Families will receive fall and winter math and reading results together in the next eight weeks. FCPS’ fall results indicate that the school division is outperforming other Virginia districts in every area and in every grade level.
Employee Wellness: Virtual Challenge and Online Classes
Aloha FCPS! Ride the wave to better health with the Ola Wellness Virtual Challenge.
"Ola" means "life." And what better way to reach the crest of a more fit, healthier life than a virtual tour of Hawaii’s most awe-inspiring tourist attractions. Registration for the challenge will be open Monday, January 23, through Friday, February 3.
The challenge runs Monday, January 30, to Sunday, March 12.
Ola has individual and team competitions, an interactive message board, and helpful wellness resources. There are also prizes to be won. For example, the first 100 to register will receive a prize. Get all of the details on the Employee Wellness webpage on the Employee Hub.
Wellbeats in Your Classroom
Move, play, and have fun with Wellbeats virtual fitness classes for kids of all ages.
Wellbeats offers expert-led fitness activities, mindful breaks, and movements centered around creativity, learning, and exploration. Choose from one-minute meditation classes that allow you to relax, breathe, and enjoy being still, or take a 20-minute simple hip-hop dance class.
Start a Meeting with Wellbeats
Wellbeats is your on-demand fitness and well-being benefit to inspire you to stay healthy and feel better than ever. It has more than 1,000 mindfulness, fitness, and nutrition classes ranging from one to 60 minutes. Wellbeats is available to all benefit-eligible employees.
Set the tone in your next meeting by adding a Wellbeats office break to the agenda! This two-minute energy-boosting "Break Time” video is the perfect way to start a meeting.
Are you looking for something different? The Breaks Channel has an entire library of exercises that can be done in eight minutes or less, focusing on boosting energy, relieving stress, and improving focus.
Wellbeats members can access virtual fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness classes wherever they feel comfortable. New, eligible members who subscribe to Wellbeats will be entered into a raffle.
Download the Wellbeats app or go to portal.wellbeats.com to get started. Forgot your login information? Here's how to access your account:
- Visit portal.wellbeats.com.
- Click “Login” and enter your FCPS email address.
- Click “Forgot My Password.”
Wellbeats will email you a code to reset your password. Please email support@wellbeats.com for any account issues.
New “Report Phish” Button in Outlook
Email “phishing” is an easy entry point for cybersecurity threats, and you can help prevent them. You may have already used the “Phish Alert Report” button in Outlook to report these emails. That button was updated to the “Report Phish” button (pictured on the right). See the new “How to Report a Phish” training if you need a refresher.
FCPS will periodically send out training videos and simulated phishing emails designed to teach you the techniques cybercriminals use. If you click on a link or attachment in a simulated phishing email from FCPS, you will be presented with a micro-training about how to identify phishing emails. Additional awareness training will be offered to users that click on such links multiple times.
|
Staff Staples
Note: Some links in this email require a VPN connection. You can connect to VPN using Pulse Secure VPN (Virtual Private Network). Email ITServiceDesk@fcps.edu with questions.
Please email EmployeeNews@fcps.edu with potential submissions or questions. Submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Thank you!
|
