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
Upcoming Important Dates
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January 25
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End of the 2nd Quarter/1st Semester
2-hour early dismissal - 12:15 p.m.
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January 26 & 27
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No School - Professional Development Day and Teacher Workday
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January 27
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Lost and Found Retrieval - 8:00am to 3:00pm
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January 30
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First day of the 3rd quarter/2nd semester -
Students will report to their 1st semester, 2nd period class to receive a paper copy of their new schedule.
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Principal’s Message
Dear Irving Families,
It is hard to believe we are only 5 days away from the end of the 1st semester! This school year seems to be flying by! At the end of each quarter, we collect all the lost and found items and put them out in the cafeteria so parents/guardians are able to look through and claim what is theirs. Please be sure to stop by on Friday, January 27 from 8:00 am - 3:00pm to see if any of the items belong to you. Any items remaining on Friday, will be donated. Students are also able to check our lost and found in the cafeteria every day.
Speaking of the end of the quarter, we have a 2-hour early dismissal on Wednesday and no school for students on Thursday and Friday of next week. As you are making plans for next week, please speak to your child about their plans for after school on Wednesday. We encourage students to go home, however if you give permission for your child to go to the Whole Foods Plaza, please speak with them about what it means to be a good community member. We continue to hear concerns from the business owners about behavior at the Plaza - especially on early dismissal days and Fridays. We want to make sure students represent themselves in a positive manner. We will continue to remind them next week about our ROCK expectations both in and out of school. We are always working to ensure our students are Respectful, Own their behaviors, Communicate when they see or need something, and are Kind. We appreciate your partnership in sharing this message.
Take Care
Cindy Conley
Lunch menu 1/25/2023 (Wednesday) Early release
Wednesday is a 2-hour early dismissal. We will have lunch available for students who would like to purchase it. Since we only had about 70 students purchase lunch on the last 2-hour early dismissal, we will be holding 1 lunch shift for students who wish to purchase lunch from 11:45 am-12:15 pm. We will remind students about this plan each day next week through announcements and Rock Block lessons.
Turkey Ham & Cheese on Bun
Spicy Chicken Wrap
Yogurt, string Cheese & Soft Pretzel
Baked Chicken on Bun
Spicy Chicken on Bun
How to Talk About Alcohol Safety
Stores have been packed with holiday savings, credit cards have been charged, and food has been consumed. The holidays are often a time for family and friends to come together and create lasting memories with one another. The matching holiday pajamas leave a lasting impression on social media, but what impression does your relationship with alcohol leave on your child. Although difficult, conversations about alcohol safety are necessary. When consuming alcoholic beverages around young people, consider the message you would like for them to receive. Have you caught yourself saying any of the following: “I need a drink,” “a drink would help me relax,” or “wine helps me sleep better at night.” These statements could inadvertently cause your child to believe that alcohol is a suitable replacement for healthy coping strategies.
It’s never too early to have age-appropriate conversations with your child about alcohol. About 10% of children say they have tried alcohol and that number increases to 50% by the time they are 15 (SAMHSA). Early and frequent conversations about alcohol and other drugs tend to be more effective than having “the talk” once. If you choose to not have the conversation with your child as a parent, they will still have the conversion with their peers. Silence communicates as loudly as a verbal conversation, so it is up to you to decide what message is explicitly shared.
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270.
Sources & Resources
Why You Should Talk With Your Child About Alcohol and Other Drugs
Talk, They Hear You
FCPS SAPS Program
For further Information & support:
Ken Johnson, M.Ed., Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, Kwjohnson@fcps.edu
Morning Arrival
Irving Middle School opens to students at 7:00 am. Please do not drop your student off before 7:00 am, especially in inclement weather, the building is closed and they will have to wait outside until 7:00 am so that we can ensure we have staff in the building to supervise them. Students arriving between 7:00 and 7:10 must go to the cafeteria.
Technology Support for Families
Visit the Technology Support page for answers to many questions about student technology and basic troubleshooting, including how to reset a password, accessing Zoom in Schoology, laptop resources, and screen activity reports.
Snow Day Information
Fairfax County has announced that we will transition to synchronous virtual learning days starting on the sixth snow day if we go over five snow days this winter. In the event of a virtual learning day, please have the FCPS Laptop Resources website bookmarked to help with laptop information and troubleshooting FCPS-issued devices at home.
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
Back to Basics: Strategies for Success - Leadership Coaching, is a 6-week course that incorporates Portrait of a Graduate goals and enhances their communication skills. This free course is offered on Wednesdays after school, both blocks; first session ends Wednesday, March 8, second session begins Wednesday, March 15.
Coming Soon
Step Team: Wednesdays, both blocks. Start date TBD
News from the PTA
The PTA is busy planning more fun and teacher appreciation for the rest of the school year. We really hope you can join us in some of the fun (i.e., volunteer!). We are a mighty team of 3 and every set of hands is a big help!
Movie Night! We are nailing down a February date with leadership – will send it out as soon as we have it! We will post on social media, email PTA members and will update it, here.
We are excited to shower our indefatigable Irving Staff with more love! We plan to stock the break room in February, feed them pies on Pie Day, and will host at least one more lunch. The REAL FUN will be teacher appreciation week – May 8 – 12. If you want to jump into teacher appreciation week, please email us at IrvingMSPTA@gmail.com and we would LOVE to have your help!
Below is a link to some important updates from SEPTA, the Fairfax County Special Education PTA. Copy and paste this link to learn more! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zEwVP0Qq6RSjRgR5JxKhHQcy2TU4FsZDMeePioBDKM0/edit?usp=sharing
The Next General PTA Meeting is Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 6:30pm via Zoom. The link will be provided via our PTA membership site. It is ALSO our next Restaurant at the Ledo's Pizza in West Springfield from 5-9pm. Show this flyer to the cashier or enter code "Fundraiser" for online orders https://drive.google.com/file/d/15uMJZkrHvC9p_QTDj5-AXxO131EQ2JYc/view (copy & paste link). 20% of sales supports the PTA. So we hope to see you AND YOUR PIZZA on February 7th!
As always, copy and Paste this URL, https://irvingms.memberhub.com/ to join the PTA. Joining the PTA is ALWAYS the right thing to do!
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