Annandale Community Insider - June 11

Annandale Students, Parents and Community:

On Monday, we were proud to host the Annandale High School graduation ceremony on our stadium field. Check out photos from the ceremony taken by FCPS Photographer, Donnie Biggs.

In his speech to graduates, Jewad Abdulhadi shared this advice: “First, appreciate what you have, especially the people around you. Second, there is a saying, ‘hard work works.’ And it is absolutely true. There is no substitute for hard work. And finally, when you need it, ask for help. And when you’re asked for help, give it. Lift yourself, and lift others.” While Jewad crafted this advice based on his life experiences, it also echoes our approach here at Annandale. 

Our work is not easy. Supporting the needs of students post-pandemic has brought tremendous challenges to schools across the country, especially schools like Annandale. But, despite those challenges, we have achieved incredible success this year. Our recent SOL scores are just one demonstration of that success. Our students performed at the highest level, exceeding last year’s achievement rates and even pre-pandemic scores. We are able to accomplish this because we continue to grow as a professional learning community. Like Mr. Abdulhadi shared, we appreciate each other, we work hard, and we help and support one another. I am so proud of all we accomplish together as Atom Nation.

Final exams for our underclass students will be held this week, June 12-15. See the exam schedule below. Monday through Thursday of this week, students will be dismissed at 11:25am. Students should turn in their FCPS issued laptop after the last exam for which it is needed. Laptop collection will be held after each exam in the cafeteria, where students can also pick up a grab-and-go lunch before leaving for the day. Friday is a two-hour day with students being dismissed for the year at 10:10am.

On Friday afternoon, we will hold our Annandale Leadership Retreat with all Collaborative Team (CT) Leads, Subject Area Leads, Instructional Coaches and Administrators. We will spend the time reflecting on the past school year and planning for the 2023-24 school year. I am excited to continue our work of growth and improvement with such a talented group of educators.

Thank you for your support all year long! Have a great last week of school, Atom Nation. 

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Farewell Message - Class of 2023

Congratulations to the Class of 2023! All of us here at Annandale are so proud of all the Class of 2023 has accomplished, both individually and collectively, especially given the extraordinary circumstances of the past few years. It has been our honor to be a part of their high school journey. We wish the Class of 2023 much success in their next chapter. On behalf of the Annandale High School staff, congratulations to the Class of 2023! Read the entire Farewell Message to the Class of 2023 here.

Important Dates

June 12-15 - Underclass Exams (Dismissal at 11:25am)

June 12-16 - Underclassmen Laptop Connection

June 13 - Class of 2025 Chipotle Fundraiser, 5-9pm

June 16 - Last Day of School (Dismissal at 10:10am)

June 20 - Annandale High School Summer Camps Begin

June 12-15 - Underclass Exams: Students will be taking final exams or participating in a culminating activity on the day of their final exam. It will be a half day for all students. See schedule below. 

Finish Strong!

The week of June 12-16, school is held from 8:10am-11:25pm. During this time, students will complete their end of course exams. These culminating activities assess students’ mastery of the standards and skills they have been learning throughout the year. 

Participation Expectations: According to FCPS policy, all students are expected to participate in a final exam for every course, regardless of SOL results. A student who is absent from the final examination or activity will receive a score of "missing" which is equivalent to a 50%.

Approach to Grading Final Exams: At Annandale, final exams are worth 10% of a students’ final grade. According to FCPS policy. Unlike other assessments, students will not have an opportunity to retake a final exam. This year, a student’s score on a final exam can only serve to improve the final grade. If the final exam grade does not improve the final grade in the course, it will be excluded in the gradebook.

Awesome Atoms!

Atom Athletes Move on to Play at the Next Level: Last week we celebrated our Annandale Atoms who have committed to play athletics at the college level. Congratulations to Tayron Adu Gyamfi who will play Football for Hampton University, Samuel Dailey who will play Basketball for Shenandoah University, Ellie Davis who will play Tennis for Catholic University, Tyler Foti who will play Soccer for Saint Mary’s College, Senay Gebremeskel who will play Tennis for Washington-Lee University, Tejh Hardin who will run Track & Field for United States Merchant Marines, Miles Lanham who will run Track & Field for University of Virginia, John Luseni who will play Football for Randolph-Macon College, Andrew Nields who will play Basketball for Catholic University Asia Pham who will play Tennis for Randolph College, Nathaniel Quisbert who will play Tennis for Randolph College, Piero Vernazza-Cortez who will play Football for Bluefield College, and Noah Williams who will play Football and run Track and Field for Concord University. We are proud of all of our student athletes!

Annandale Graduates Visit their Elementary Schools: Last week, members of the Annandale High School Class of 2023 visited Annandale Terrace and Columbia Elementary Schools. They walked the halls as future Atoms cheered them on and recognized their accomplishment. These students returned to where they started their education to inspire the current students at their alma mater.

Thank You Annandale PTSA! Huge shoutout to the Annandale PTSA for their support throughout the year. The 2022-23 PTSA Officers include Annamaria Nields (President), Rai Kent (VP Membership), Angeleah Jamison (VP  Programs), Jose Mercado (Treasurer) and Andrea McGinity (Secretary). In addition, a special shout out to Kimberly Bellem for all her work this year along with Rheanna Bernard for organizing the All Night Grad Celebration and Norma Foti for leading the AHS Pantry.

Atoms Writing Center Finishes Strong: The AWC hosted a full house after school this week as students worked with tutors to put the finishing touches on summative assignments in Government and English. Thank you to our Writing Center Sponsors Stephanie Hanson and Beth Crowley, and our many student tutor volunteers for providing this invaluable service to our students!

CAT B Prom a Huge Success! On Friday our CAT B department held their annual Prom to celebrate the end of an amazing year! Students from our CAT B program danced and enjoyed a catered meal with their general education peers, along with parents, teachers, and staff members. Everyone had a great time dancing and spending time with one another. The dance floor was packed almost up to the dismissal bell!

Opportunities

Yearbooks Are Here! Yearbooks can be purchased at www.yearbookforever.com or in cash for $85. See Ms. Hanneman in room 272 or 262 to pick up your copy!

Tutoring Grants Available for Families: The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is now accepting applications from parents for tutoring microgrants for their children through the K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants program. The program was created to help Virginia families address the impact of the pandemic on student learning. It provides $1,500 grants to parents of school-age children for tutoring in specific subjects. Children from homes with family incomes at 300% or less of the federal poverty level may qualify for $3,000 grants. Available services include in-person, online, and hybrid tutoring provided one-on-one or in small group or large group settings. The first step in the process is to visit VDOE’s K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants page and create an application account.

Institute for the Arts - Enrollment Now Open: Students in all FCPS secondary schools can enroll in the Institute for the Arts (IFTA). IFTA is a two- or four-week summer arts enrichment program for students in rising 7th through 12th grades. Students create their own schedules in art, music, theatre, and dance from nearly 80 courses offered. Transportation is provided from around the county. Tuition is free for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Check out the website and register online here. For more information email ifta@fcps.edu.

Annandale PTSA Pantry

During the 2022-2023 school year we have held 18 pantry distributions which have supported 779 families totaling 3,834 individuals.    

An ATOMic shout out to our pantry volunteers. We could not do it without you. A huge thank you to Richard Santana, Al and Rai Kent, Angela Torres, Mike Burita, Jessica Arias, Karen Hughes, Rosario Carrasco, Alissa Green, Gisela Sanchez, Craign Eres, AHS Staff Volunteers, AHS Student Volunteers, our community partners:  Fairfax Diapers, Food for Others, BRAWS and individual members of the AHS greater community who continue to amaze and support us with your donations both in kind and financially. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Wednesday, June 14 will be our last distribution of the school year 3:30-5:00 in Trailer 8. Please remember to have your student ID number with you at distribution. 

Our summer produce pop up will begin on Sunday, July 9 from 3:00-4:00. The schedule can be found here. 

Looking ahead to next year, we will be partnering with Food for Neighbors to help stock our shelves. Please sign up to be a red bag donor. It is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Just sign up to be a red bag donor. Fill the red bag with the list provided by email of full-sized items needed. Then, put the red bag outside your door by 8:30am on the donation days.

Important Information

Medication Pickup: The school health room is reminding parents and guardians that all medication stored in the health room must be picked up no later than 12:00pm on Friday, June 16. Medication left in the health room after that time will be discarded. It is school policy that medications must be picked up by the parent or guardian, however, with parent or guardian written permission, a high school student may transport over-the-counter medications to and from the health room. If you have any questions, please contact the School Health Aide Larry Cooper at 703-642-4110 or the Public Health Nurse Katherine Estrada.

Free Student Bus Pass Program: Did you know that middle school students and high school students attending FCPS are eligible to participate in our Free Student Bus Pass Program. This allows students to ride the Connector, Metro (Falls Church HS, Justice HS, Annandale HS, Davis Ctr and Marshall HS), and Cue buses for free, seven days a week between the hours of 7:00am and 10:00pm. Click here for more information on the program. 

Free Live Tutoring Service Available to Annandale Students: Our Atoms Agreement of Determination means that we try, even when it is difficult; do our best; are present and engaged; show up on time; and create goals and strive to achieve them. To support students in demonstrating Determination, a recent W4 lesson shared detailed information about ways students can take control of their own learning, including preparing for retakes and accessing supports such as Tutor.com. We will continue to use W4 lessons to build students skills around self-advocacy and determination. Click here to learn more.

News from the Student Activities Office

At Annandale, we foster belonging both inside and outside the classroom. Sports and activities are another way for students to deepen a sense of belonging at school. To learn more about Annandale's Spring sports programs, check out this week’s “Atoms Athletics and Activities Newsletter." In addition, learn more about Annandale High School Athletics and Activities by visiting their website or the AHS Athletics Twitter page. Please email Brandon Sutphin if you have any questions.

Fall 2023 Sports Tryout Dates: Mark your calendars for Fall 2023 sports tryout dates. Golf tryouts begin on Thursday, July 27 and all other fall sports (football, cheer, field hockey, cross-country, volleyball) will begin on Monday, July 31.

News from Student Services

Check out the latest information from the Student Services Department in their weekly newsletter. The newsletter provides important information, important dates, news from the college & career center and class news.

July 10-28 - Summer School Credit Recovery: In the coming weeks, counselors will be having conversations with students about possible summer learning opportunities. For students needing credit recovery, classes will be in person at Marshall High School from July 10-28. For students seeking to earn new credit for a course, the Summer Learning Online Campus will take place from June 26-July 26. 

No-Cost Mental Health Teletherapy for Students: FCPS has partnered with Hazel Health to offer virtual mental health services to high school students via live video sessions. Parents/caregivers can connect students virtually with a licensed therapist. Teletherapy services for students are short-term, evidence-based, and culturally-responsive. Teletherapy is available Monday through Friday from 7am-7pm. Hazel Health’s licensed therapists can help students who are experiencing: Mood/behavior changes, lack of motivation, academic stress, grief/loss, anxiety, worry, fears, bullying, sexual identity challenges, challenging peer and family relationships. Visit FCPS’ Teletherapy webpage for details.

News from the PTSA

Congrats Newly Elected 2023-2024 PTSA Officers! The PTSA is pleased to announce its officers for the 2023-2024 school year, elected at the May 2023 general membership meeting: President - Angela Torres, Vice President Programs - Thurraya Kent, Vice President, Membership - Tammy Murphy, Treasurer - Jose Mercado, Secretary - Andre McGinity.

Camp Information

Looking for fun activities for your child this summer? Annandale High School is offering a variety of summer camps this year for current elementary and middle school students led by our own Annandale coaches. Help spread the word to friends, family and neighbors!

Registration for all camps can be found HERE. See descriptions of the various camps below. More information can be found at AnnandaleAtoms.net. 

Multi-Sport Camp - Rising 2nd-9th Graders - June 20-23 8:30am-3pm ($120): Campers will have fun playing a variety of sports including basketball, kickball, volleyball, soccer, and touch football. They will participate in fun contests and win prizes! Campers can bring their lunch or purchase lunch at camp. Hours are 8:30am-3:00pm. For questions about Multi-Sport or Olympics Camps, please reach out to Christopher Bagot.

Olympics Camp - Rising 2nd-9th Graders - June 26-29 8:30am-3pm ($120): This exciting camp features team activities including soccer, volleyball, basketball, touch football, and relay races. Campers will also get a chance to compete and earn medals! Campers can bring their lunch or purchase lunch at camp. Hours are 8:30am-3:00pm. For questions about Multi-Sport or Olympics Camps, please reach out to Christopher Bagot.

Basketball - Rising 4th-9th Graders - July 10-14 9am-3pm ($250): Campers will spend each day focused on developing their basketball skills. They will also receive a report card on their basketball abilities, a t-shirt, and a chance to win trophies. Campers can bring their lunch or purchase lunch at camp. Hours are 9:00am to 3:00pm. For questions about Basketball Camp please reach out to Jerome McAvoy.

Girls Field Hockey/Lacrosse - Rising K-9th Grade - July 10-14, July 17-21, & July 24-28 8am-3pm ($120): For new athletes and those who have been playing for years, camp will be a fun-filled day of training, group competition, and surprise activities. Campers should bring their lunch each day except Friday when lunch will be provided. Hours are 8:00am-3:00pm. For questions about Girls Field Hockey/Lacrosse Camp please reach out to Janan Gokturk.