Catherine Fahey plays traditional games with students during Powell Elementary School’s Lunar New Year celebration. View more photos.
Provide Feedback on the Draft 2023-24 School Year Calendar Options
Your feedback is important! FCPS is seeking community feedback on draft calendar options for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 school years. Please share your thoughts with us by filling out this form. The form is in English, however, additional languages will be available soon.
School Board Meeting Thursday, January 26
The draft calendars will be presented as "new business" during the Thursday, January 26, School Board meeting. Learn more about the development of the calendar.
How to Watch School Board Meetings
Meetings can be viewed live on FCPS Cable TV Channel 99 (Verizon Channel 11), the FCPS YouTube Channel, and on the FCPS website. Recordings of School Board meetings and work sessions can be viewed on the FCPS YouTube channel. To watch meetings dubbed in Spanish, you may visit the FCPS en Español YouTube channel.
If you need language interpretation or American Sign Language support for any School Board meeting, please contact the Board clerk.
Find your School Board member and how to contact them on the School Board Members webpage.
FY 2024 Proposed Budget Update
The School Board hosted a public hearing on the FY 2024 Proposed Budget yesterday and discussed the budget during a work session today. View the work session presentation in Boarddocs. Learn about FCPS' budget development process.
Mentoring Mentors: Teachers Help Students Help Each Other
Sisters Emma and Ella (pictured above, center) wanted to inspire other students with their love of music and art. With help from a team of teachers, the sisters formed a mentoring program for students at Dogwood Elementary School.
Read more about the teachers who mentored Emma and Ella on the Employee News Blog and tell us who inspired you!
Text-to-Speech Available on FCPS Websites
FCPS is introducing an innovative way to address the diverse needs of the community. A new text-to-speech feature, available on the FCPS website and each school website, will read the words aloud from webpages.
The feature will help those with accessibility needs, such as visual impairments, dyslexia, or other difficulty reading large amounts of online text. The text-to-speech feature is available in English, Spanish, and Korean. Learn more and try out the new feature.
Leave of Absence Application Due March 1
Employees who intend to request or extend a Leave of Absence (LOA) for the upcoming 2023-24 school year must indicate their intentions by Wednesday, March 1. Please note that if you are expecting a baby or planning to adopt a child, the March 1 due date does not apply to you.
An LOA is an approved, unpaid, extended absence from work, which exceeds 30 calendar days. Find more information about leaves of absence and the application process. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Disability and Leaves Team at DisabilityandLeaves@fcps.edu or call 571-423-3200 and select Option 2.
It’s Almost Tax Time
W-2 tax forms for calendar year 2022 will be mailed by Tuesday, January 31, to your address on record as of Thursday, December 30, 2022.
If your address is not current in UConnect, please update it now. Any W-2 returned to FCPS will be sent to the new address. Learn more about receiving and reviewing your W-2.
Note: Details about the new electronic W-2 retrieval process are coming soon.
Strategic Plan: Register to Attend a Community Forum!
Strategic planning Community Forums kick off on Monday, January 30, at 6:30 p.m., at Stone Middle School. Check out the schedule of Community Forums and register for one that is most convenient for you. There will be one in-person event in each magisterial district and several virtual events.
Participating in a Community Forum will give employees, parents/caregivers, students, and community members a chance to help shape the school division’s future. At each event, participants will review student achievement, access, and perception data, and identify both strengths and challenges within the data.
Input from the forums will be analyzed by our consultant, Performance Fact, Inc., and shared with the Core Planning Team for potential inclusion in FCPS’ new Strategic Plan.
Childcare will be provided at in-person forums. Language interpretation will be provided, as available, at all events. Register to attend. Learn more about FCPS’ strategic planning process.
FCPS Named Executive Member of Certification Nation by EPA
To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of ENERGY STAR, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offered special, one-time recognition to any organization that earns EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification for five or more buildings in 2022. FCPS earned ENERGY STAR certification for 61 buildings, making it an Executive Member of Certification Nation.
Since 2014, FCPS, partnering with the ENERGY STAR program, has saved 3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, more than $70 million in energy costs, and achieved more than 230,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions.
Want to learn how to save energy in your workplace or home? Check out these easy tips to Bring Your Green to Work and Live Green at Home. Learn more about FCPS ENERGY STAR and the FCPS Energy Management Program. Follow the FCPS Energy Education Team on Twitter: @FCPSEETEAM.
Administration and Supervision M.Ed. Cohort with UVA
Recruitment for the University of Virginia’s Administration and Supervision summer program is underway. The program is open to educators who desire to join the ranks of the next generation of educational leaders in Virginia. This synchronous online program uses evidence-based leadership practices and improvement science to assist leaders as they guide teaching and learning, manage the complex needs of students and parents, and help orchestrate school reform. To learn more, register for the virtual information session for FCPS employees on Tuesday, February 7, at 4:30 p.m. or email bcd3da@virginia.edu. The deadline to apply for summer admission is Thursday, March 30.
Great Beginnings Coach Pool
The Office of Professional Learning and Equity is excited to announce the opening of the Great Beginnings Coach Pool in early March. Great Beginnings coaches lead the professional development cohorts for teachers who are new to Fairfax County Public Schools.
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.
Find more information on this opportunity (and others) on the Employee News Blog.
Employee Wellness: Virtual Challenge and Online Classes
Aloha FCPS! Ride the wave to better health with the Ola Wellness Virtual Challenge. Ola means "life." 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 is open through Friday, February 3. The challenge runs Monday, January 30, to Sunday, March 12.
Ola has both individual and team competitions, an interactive message board, helpful wellness resources, and prizes to be won. The first 100 employees to register will receive a prize! Get the details on the Employee Wellness webpage.
Calendar Reminder: Quarter End
As a reminder, Wednesday, January 25, is the last day of the quarter and a two-hour early release 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.
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!
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