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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March 24
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After Friday Activities - 2:30-3:30 - No Transportation Provided
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March 27-29
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PTA Spirit Nights at Glory Days - see the flyer
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April 3-7
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Holiday - Spring Break
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April 13
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End of the 3rd Quarter - 2 hour early dismissal
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April 14
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No School Teacher Workday
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 Pictured above are our outstanding Peer Tutor Students who attended the Secondary School Writing Centers Association (SSWCA) conference today. Six of our students also presented at the conference today. While there were several middle schools who attended today, Irving Middle School was the only middle school to have students present during the conference.
Principal’s Message
Dear Irving Families,
It is exciting to see our students representing Irving in so many positive ways. From Band, Orchestra, and Choir district assessments, to art exhibits and presentations at the SSWCA conference, our talented students are shining bright. We are grateful for the support you provide to ensure so many opportunities are available for them!
We are just a couple of weeks away from Spring Break and like all other breaks, we will be asking staff and students to truly take the break. Our staff will be away from their emails and we will not be assigning any work to be completed over the break so that students can step aways from school work. If you are looking for something for your child to do, we always recommend reading and students have the next 2 weeks to check out books they would like to read over break. Perhaps they will check out one of author Stephanie Bodeen’s books in preparation of her visit to Irving in April.
A friendly reminder that the FCPS Principal Evaluation Parent/Guardian Feedback Form has been emailed to all parents/guardians. If you have not completed the survey, please consider taking a few minutes to complete it by March 26. It is always helpful to hear what is going well and what improvements can be made.
Take Care
Cindy Conley
National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week is March 20-26, 2023
Quick Facts:
- Opioids are the number one cause of unnatural death in Fairfax County. Young adults aged 25-34 are the most common demographic seen in the emergency room for fatal opioid overdoses.
- Nationwide there were over 100,000 overdose deaths from April 2020- April 2021.
- Using opioids after a period of abstinence, mixing drugs, IV use, and serious medical problems all contribute to an increased risk of opioid overdose.
- 90% of substance users began using prior to 21-years-old.
- Alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine are usually the most common substances used by adolescents.
- Fairfax County police stations, pharmacies, and medical facilities provide permanent drug disposal drop boxes for residents to safely dispose of their unused/expired medication. DO NOT flush your medications.
Reframing Our Thinking:
Changing our state of consciousness is part of the human experience (kids spinning in circles to induce dizziness, meditation, runner’s high, and more) but using substances has more negative than positive side effects. Alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine use prevention strategies are also opioid overdose prevention strategies since opioid users likely used one of these three substances first. Every opioid overdose does not lead to death, but it increases the chances of an eventual overdose fatality. Although most opioid users began with alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine, these three drugs are not “gateway drugs”. The term “gateway drug” implies all alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine users will eventually use other drugs, but that is not the case for most, so the time to act is now. Treat your medication as a loaded gun; lock it up and properly dispose of any medications you are no longer using.
Sources & Resources:
Fairfax CSB Opioid Info
REVIVE Training for Opioid Overdoses
Medication Disposal
Teen Substance Use
FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program
Everything You Need to Know About Opioids
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270.
For further Information & support:Ken Johnson, Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist at kwjohnson@fcps.edu.
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.
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. Also, activities and clubs that are labeled both blocks, it is a commitment for the entire 2 hours. 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
Football Club starts Tuesday, March 21, 1st block. Participants must wear sneakers, the club will not meet indoors, inclement weather days and when the field is too soiled - the club will be canceled.
WSHS Girls’ Basketball Clinic - Thursday, March 23, BOTH BLOCKS
Basketball Club is moving to Tuesdays starting Tuesday, March 28
Activity Ends
Volleyball Club, will end Tuesday, March 28th
Library News
Many Thanks:
Irving Middle School wants to express our gratitude to the Alpha Beta Alpha Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority a generous donation of over 100 new books. These books will have a lasting impact on the education of our students and will be remembered and appreciated by our school community for years to come.
Save the Date:
We’re counting down to our upcoming author presentation! Stephanie Bodeen will give presentations to students on her day-long visit to Irving Middle School on April 26th. Ms. Bodeen has written many books, including The Compound and The Raft, two titles that a good number of Irving students have already read. We are encouraging all students to borrow a copy of one of Ms. Bodeen’s books to read before the author’s visit. The author will be speaking specifically about those two fiction titles as well as about the writing process.
Students interested in borrowing one of these titles and in attending the author’s presentation should speak with a librarian.
–Mary Ann Monk, Librarian Irving Middle School
News from the PTA
THANK YOU to everyone who supported Pi(e) Day for our fantastic Irving Staff. Pies from Bites by Sam were served, and we provided much-appreciated coffee. It was also one of those days with a crazy schedule, so I think the extra boost was much appreciated and well-timed. Thank you!
PTA Request - To have a PTA Board and a PTA and to do cool stuff for the kids, we need to run an election. To do that we need a nominating committee of 3 PTA members. We currently have 2 volunteers. This is a short-duration volunteer gig - it'll end in May - so if you have some time and can support, please email irvingmspta@gmail.com
SPRING SPIRIT WEAR ORDERS ARE DONE! - Closed at Noon today!. Thank you for ordering! Delivery / Distribution will be after Spring Break!
PTA Board Elections - Are YOU interested in having all the fun we are having? Changing your child’s world? JOIN THE IRVING PTA EXEC TEAM! We will elect a President*, Vice President, Treasurer*, and Secretary* (*required to remain a PTA). If interested, please send an email to IrvingPTANomCommittee@gmail.com.
RESTAURANT "NIGHT" is coming up March 27 – 29 at Glory Days Burke. See the flyer (copy and paste, links don't work) - https://tinyurl.com/WIMSGloryDays - reminders will go out. Need to send a picture of your receipt to irvingmspta@gmail.com (easiest) or send the physical receipt in to the school (stay tuned for how).
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