Dear Community Members,
I'd like to meet with you on Thursday, February 16. Will you join me then?
This Community Forum provides families, students, staff, and community members with an opportunity to participate in and influence the direction of FCPS’ new Strategic Plan. The goal is to have the final strategic plan by June 2023.
Hear more from Superintendent Reid as she explains the Strategic Plan process and its importance. Learn more about our strategic planning process.
WHEN: Thursday, February 16, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Hunters Wood Elementary School. Register here to attend.
Child care will be provided at this event. When you register, please indicate if any language interpretation services are needed.
Recent Work
School Year Calendar Updates
Thank you to the approximately 23,000 staff, families, students, and community members who completed the Calendar Feedback Form to let us know which aspects of the four draft calendars—blue, green, orange, and purple—worked or did not work for them. The School Board received the feedback in real time at the January 31 Work Session, and included it as part of our discussion on the calendar for the 2023-24 school year. The School Board is scheduled to vote on a calendar on Thursday, February 9.
View a summary of the feedback collected on the four draft calendars. (Select the file "SY Calendar 2023-24 1-31-23.pdf.")
It's Not Too Late–Share Your Feedback Today!
FCPS has extended the deadline for community feedback on the draft calendar options to Monday, February 6. If you haven't already participated, please share your thoughts by filling out this form.
Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Updates
Employee compensation is the largest part of the annual FCPS budget – it’s the investment in our people that allows our students to achieve success! The Board’s public Work Session on Jan 24 focused on the proposed investments in the developing Fiscal Year 2024 budget that the Board is working on through the Spring.
Staff’s presentation shares a lot of valuable information about how FCPS seeks to recruit and retain our staff – from teachers and instructional aides, to operational staff who drive busses, serve food, maintain our buildings, providing business services – and more.
A big focus of discussion was about how the school division portrays *salary* and *total compensation*: some School Board Members pointed out that while it may seem that salaries – the amount received in outright pay – are lower than some surrounding jurisdictions, when the benefits are also considered – particularly a second retirement account called “ERFC” that’s available only to FCPS employees who opt for it – the “total compensation” is actually the most competitive in the Washington, DC area. This is something I’m eager to hear more about, to most competitively market FCPS as an employer.
I also raised a point about how FCPS budgets for staff to meet students’ special education needs. I asked how budgeting could be done to be more inclusive of students’ identified with a need – so continuing to budget staffing to meet the federal requirement of providing education to those students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and then also considering a-new that students with a “504 plan” for other needs also need additional staff attention. Data about our student population with special needs includes only those with an IEP, and this doesn’t capture the true level of need.
The January 24 meeting recording is on the FCPS You Tube channel. The presentation slides are found on the following link, and scrolling down to the PDF icon.
Information, and all budget documents, is on this FCPS website: https://www.fcps.edu/budget/budget-documents.
The School Board will vote to adopt an “advertised” budget on February 9 – this is the budget that then gets considered by the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, who control the total revenue available for all county services, including FCPS. The process continues with an ultimate adoption of the approved budget by the School Board on May 25. This budget then goes into effect on July 1, 2023 for the year ahead.
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Capital Improvement Program
The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) guides renovations of our school buildings. Listen here to my questions and advocacy about the impact of renovations on students’ instruction and schoolwide community activities – particularly at Fox Mill ES and Crossfield ES that are undergoing renovations. Relatedly, I ask why some schools are fundraising to replace playgrounds – such as Aldrin ES – when these are essential facilities for students’ success as learners and healthy development as children.
Read more about our Capital Improvement Process online.
Check the status of current and upcoming construction or renovation projects.
Upcoming School Board Meetings
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Thursday, February 9, 7pm: Regular Meeting
- Capital Improvement Program
- School Year Calendar
- National Career and Technical Education Month
- National School Counseling Week
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Tuesday, February 21, 1:30pm: Work Session
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Thursday, February 23, 7pm: Regular Meeting
- Fiscal Year 24 Advertised Budget
- National Athletic Training Month
- National Social Work Month
- Public Schools Week
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Tuesday, February 28, 11am: Work Session
Please note that times and topics are subject to change.
Accessing Board Meetings
View this link for a comprehensive list of upcoming meetings and associated information.
Click here for meeting logistics, agendas and handouts (to view the slides and materials, scroll down to the bottom of the page).
Regular Meetings and Work Sessions are live-streamed on the FCPS website and televised on FCPS Cable Channel 99. Meeting recordings can be found on FCPS YouTube. For more information about signing up to speak at a regular meeting, click here.
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For Spanish speakers -- to watch recorded School Board meetings or live Regular Meetings on YouTube, you can visit the FCPS en Espanol YouTube channel or scan the QR code.
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Hunter Mill Happenings
It was GAME ON this past weekend for our Hunter Mill students at South Lakes and Madison High Schools!
First, game night at SLHS for the Varsity Boys where they won the game, featuring a half time performance by not only the SLHS Dance Team, but also elementary school friends joining in! Amazing energy! Sponsors of SLHS sports were also specially thanked for their investments in the community.
Next, I attended my own son's game (with dad as coach) at Forest Edge ES - one of the many hosts for community-based sports leagues after school hours.
Finally, into Loudoun for the area's Special Olympics unified teams basketball tournament to watch our Madison Warhawks! ("Unified" teams means that S O Athletes are joined by neurotypical athletes - classmates who volunteer (aged 14+) with their school buddies. Volunteer opportunities for spring track are forthcoming!) We even saw a friend from elementary school, now a high school player! So amazing to see students growing and trying new things as they move forward in FCPS.
Athletics is important in many ways for all involved!
 Madison HS Student Doubles as a CEO
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Sophia is a senior at Madison HS and also the CEO of Change the World for Girls - an organization dedicated to "providing girls with the tools necessary to become independent, successful leaders in society."
Learn more about this amazing team and their mission, here.
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Music Mentoring at Dogwood Elementary School
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Sisters Ella and Emma partnered with FCPS teachers and staff to create a mentoring program for students at Dogwood ES - now there are over 30 mentees that benefit from free classical music and art lessons on a weekly basis!
Watch this video to learn more about this amazing effort and the impact it has on the young mentees.
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Engineering with Empathy at Carson Middle School
Eighth-grader Rishab made a brace to help people with spinal cord injuries inspired by his father’s back pain woes. His classmate, Aasritha, made a specialized bottle cap opener after watching her grandmother struggle to open things on her own. And, Roman (pictured right) made a “third thumb” that he hopes will help people with arthritis hold objects longer, after noticing his grandfather’s difficulty hanging onto coffee mugs.
The prototypes are all part of an “Engineering with Empathy” unit created by Rachel Carson Middle School instructor Mark Bolt, for students in his Engineering 3 elective course. Learn more about the course.
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South Lakes HS Club Launches Children's Book Company
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The South Lakes HS Entrepreneurship Club has launched Ink Children's Books, a nonprofit publishing company that uses South Lakes students as authors and illustrators!
The goal of the Ink publishing group is to showcase unique voices and celebrate diversity in the community through storytelling. The profits of the books will go to charities of the authors and illustrator’s choices.
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Hunter Mill Educator Gets Her Own Classroom
Congratulations to FCPS teacher and Hunter Mill constituent, Ilana M! Ilana, who holds a Bachelors in Education, has been working at an FCPS elementary school since fall 2021 as an assistant teacher - and this month was promoted to her very own classroom. She’s pictured here heading off to her first day as a classroom teacher. Thank you for committing to FCPS! |
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Fairfax County Youth Leadership Program
Congratulations to Ashwath Karunakaram of Westfield HS and Hannah Nguyen of Madison HS for completing the Fairfax County Youth Leadership Program (FCYLP). This program is designed to educate and motivate high school students to become engaged citizens and leaders in the community. Participants learn about county government, explore careers in public service, obtain a summer internship in a county agency, and create a presentation for 8th grade civics students. Way to go Ashwath and Hannah!
Regional Scholastic Art Awards
Congratulations to all the Hunter Mill students that submitted pieces and were recognized in the 2023 Regional Scholastic Art Awards!
The Gold Key and Silver Key artworks will be displayed at Northern Virginia Community College’s Ernst Community Cultural Center in Annandale from Friday, February 9, to Thursday, March 23, with an award ceremony on Wednesday, March 1.
See the full list of award winners here.
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Summer Jobs Available at Reston Water Mine Park
The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole offers a wide range of opportunities to earn some cash this summer! Although the pool season is a few months away, FCPA has started its search for the more than 200 team members it takes to run the popular splash park in Reston, Virginia.
From lifeguards and park attendants to cashiers and security staff, the Water Mine has a variety of job opportunities from which to choose. Full position descriptions, lists of job duties and qualifications can be found at the Water Mine employment website.
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February Is...
Black History Month
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Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.
The School Board passed a Resolution honoring Black History Month at our January 26 Regular Meeting.
Read the Resolution here.
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Other Information of Interest
Dual Language Immersion Program Registration Is Open
Registration for the countywide lottery for Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs is now open. Programs are available in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Get more information on DLI programs and registration.
Text-to-Speech Available on FCPS Website
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 for English, Spanish, and Korean. Learn more and try out the new feature.
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Register Now for Summer Learning Programs
FCPS’ Career and Technical Education (CTE) camps and Institute for the Arts (IFTA/E-IFTA) camps will open for registration on Wednesday, February 1.
Tech Adventure Camp (TAC) is a week-long exploratory camp designed to give current K-6 students an opportunity to explore STEAM, culinary, health, trades, and business and marketing areas. Visit the TAC webpage to register.
CTE Summer Academy (CSA) is a week-long enrichment program that allows students in grades 7-11 to dive deeper into CTE program areas, develop skills, and begin career exploration. Visit the CSA webpage to register.
Institute for the Arts Camps
IFTA is a two- or four-week summer enrichment program for students currently in grades 6-11. Students select from nearly 90 classes in art, dance, health and physical education 9, music, self-directed economics and personal finance, and theater. Visit the IFTA webpage to register.
E-IFTA is a weekly arts camp for students in grades 2-5 who love to sing, dance, act, perform, make, and create. Students take part in four classes every day related to dance, music, theater, and visual art. They work with FCPS fine arts teachers who create classes that are fun and engaging. Visit the E-IFTA webpage to register.
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Fairfax County Public Health Youth Ambassador Program
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NPR recently profiled the Fairfax County Health Department's "Public Health Youth Ambassador Program" which brings African, African American, and Hispanic high school students into the healthcare field through an extensive introductory program. Read the article here.
Learn more about the program here.
These are the meaningful workforce opportunities that our students and communities need!
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Native Youth Community Project - Financial Help Available
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.
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National Merit Scholarship Notifications
You may have heard about the National Merit Scholarship Corporation Commended Scholar Notifications to FCPS secondary (high school) students. You can read the statement of the School Board here. Furthermore, you can find Superintendent Reid’s statement to the FCPS community, shared here.
Job Opportunities
Interested in joining FCPS? Explore opportunities for:
Visit Current Job Openings for all posted positions.
Contacting Me
I prioritize responses to Hunter Mill constituents, so please be sure to identify yourself as such if you contact me. If you are unsure of your county magisterial district, you can look that information up here.
To contact me, it is most helpful to please use the official School Board contact form. This form prioritizes emails to me from constituents, and helps me track communication so I can be sure you receive a response. Thank you for your cooperation.
Please take good care,
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The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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