Annandale Students, Parents and Community:
I often say that no one can educate our students alone. The work is too complex, especially post pandemic. A recent USA Today article highlights the challenges that schools face each and every day. At Annandale, we overcome these challenges by remaining focused on our priorities of relationships and support, high quality instruction, and strong collaboration. As a result, our students continue to learn and perform at the highest of levels.
Relationships & Support - This year, we implemented our Atoms Agreements, common language that guides how we work together as a community. Students of the Month were recognized and celebrated for demonstrating our Atoms Agreements. In addition, we continued to use W4 as a way to build connection among students and staff, and each month, we held a W4 Activities Day. We also refined our approach to supporting students’ wellness and behavior through our student support and attendance teams.
High Quality Instruction - Our teachers met in teams multiple times each week to collaboratively plan lessons, create common assessments and respond to student data. When planning high quality instruction, our focus was on learning targets, high level academic tasks, and scaffolds to ensure all students can access high level thinking. For students who struggled academically, we used PRIDE time and ASAP to provide targeted intervention for their academic needs.
Strong Collaboration - Throughout the year, we as a staff learned together by examining data and reflecting on our practices. Our environmental scans process gave teachers and teams opportunities to identify what would have the biggest impact on student learning, develop a high-leverage move to amplify that impact, and collaboratively reflect on teaching and learning. One teacher shared, “It helps me focus on getting really good at one thing, and my high-leverage move has had such a big impact on my students!” In addition, our Instructional Council members, Collaborative Team Leads, admin and instructional coaches came together several times throughout the year for leadership retreats. There, we examined our SOL, attendance, and grade data, and determined next steps to continue to get better. This group also shared important perspectives and input on key school-wide issues. We will use their input to help shape our work for next year.
I am so proud of all we have accomplished together as Atom Nation and am looking forward to continuing to learn and grow with this community.
I hope you will take time this summer to relax and rejuvenate with loved ones. I will keep you updated periodically throughout the summer via the Insider, and we will see you on August 17 at New Student Orientation & Open House for students in grades 10-12.
Shawn DeRose, Principal
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Awesome Atoms!
Annandale Graduates Four Public Safety Cadets! Congratulations to Nataly Martinez Torres, Pamela Navarrete Amaya, Lucy Torres, and Tatiana Villaroel Zelada who recently graduated as Public Safety Cadets. The Public Safety Cadets is a national organization that partners with law enforcement agencies to provide leadership, ethics, and career preparation training to young people 14-21 years old with an interest in a career in law enforcement.
During the year, they learned basic police procedure (arrest, search and seizure, traffic stops, traffic control, marksmanship), case law, Virginia code, and participated in several community events including working with security at Mosaic District and assisting with traffic control at AHS' graduation. The FCPD offers a hiring preference and salary incentives for young people who complete at least two years as a PSC. Congratulations to Nataly, Pamela, Lucy, Tatiana, and their families!
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Annie Ray, Annandale Orchestra Teacher, Awarded FCPS Outstanding Secondary Teacher! Annandale Orchestra Teacher, Annie Ray, was named the FCPS Secondary Teacher of the Year for her outstanding work serving Atom Nation and the broader FCPS community. Annie is known for her passion, skill, and belief that every student can achieve greatness. During the pandemic, she went above and beyond to keep her students engaged by leading orchestra curriculum development and providing drive-through support and outdoor practices. Her dedication paid off as Annandale's orchestra program flourished. During this time, Annie founded Crescendo Orchestra, which serves students in our CAT B program. In addition, she was a founder of the FCPS Parent Orchestra. Her impact and dedication have made a positive difference in the school community.
We have highlighted Annie’s incredible impact many times, especially her work with our students with severe disabilities. If you have not seen her Ted Talk, The Sound of Success, or read this Washington Post article, take a few minutes to check them out. She truly is an inspiration, and we are so proud of her.
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Annandale Senior Graduates with Dual Diplomas: A few years ago, Grace Rai could never have imagined that she would have back-to-back graduations, or that she would be graduating from a two-year college before finishing high school. Grace confides that, when she started her NOVA dual enrollment journey, she didn't want to get her hopes up and tell everyone that she would complete it all in two years. But now, this brand-new NOVA graduate is so very proud that she did it! On May 15, she graduated from NOVA, with an Associates degree, then on June 5, she graduated from Annandale High School. Grace admits that people were a bit baffled when they learned she was graduating from a two-year college before graduating from high school. But once she explained it to them, their reaction was the same--that's really smart.
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AHS Selects New Student Equity Ambassador Leaders for 2023-24: Congratulations to Husna Basiri, Sosan Barakzai, Christina Abouzeki, and Sage Nagle, who were selected to serve as Annandale High School’s Student Equity Ambassador Leaders (SEAL) for the 2023-24 school year. Student Equity Ambassador Leaders is a leadership program that amplifies students’ voices and provides an increased understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion through leadership development, projects, and relevant experiences.
Important Dates
June 19 - Juneteenth Holiday (Offices Closed)
June 20 - Annandale High School Summer Camps Begin
July 9 -
July 31 - Fall Sports Begin
August 4-6 - Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday
August 10 - New Teacher Orientation
August 11 - First Day for Teachers
August 11 - Leadership Retreat
August 14 - General Session, 8:30am
August 17- New Student Orientation & Open House
August 21 - First Day of School
September 1 and 4 - Labor Day Holiday (No School)
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June 19 - Juneteenth Holiday: Monday, June 19 is a holiday for FCPS employees. Schools and offices will be closed. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 that word of the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War finally reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, effectively marking the end of slavery in the United States. Learn more about Juneteenth.
June 26 - Summer School (Credit Recovery Academy) Registration Deadline: The Credit Recovery Academy provides an opportunity for students to recover one high school course credit. Students may not take these courses for new course credit. Students will attend class in person. Transportation information will be communicated to families prior to the start of the program. Please contact your student's counselor for more information, or see the Summer School Registration Website.
July 9 - Summer Produce Pop Up: Our summer produce pop up will begin on Sunday, July 9 from 3:00-4:00pm. The schedule can be found below or by clicking on this link.
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Annandale PTSA Pantry
During this past school year, the Annandale PTSA Pantry held 18 distributions, which have supported 779 families totaling 3,834 individuals.
Our summer produce pop up will begin on Sunday, July 9 from 3:00-4:00pm. The schedule can be found below or by clicking on this link.
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.
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Opportunities
Coursera Career Academy Pilot Program: An FCPS job certification student pilot program by the Department of Information Technology (DIT) and leading industry coursework provider Coursera will allow up to 1,000 high school students to access the full contents of the Coursera Career Academy.
The academy program will allow students to:
- Explore popular digital jobs and career paths, from marketing to data science.
- Learn from experts at leading companies, including Google, Microsoft, and IBM.
- Earn a valuable career micro-credential.
- Access more than 27 professional certificates.
Interested students should complete the Coursera Student Interest Form. The pilot program has a limited number of licenses available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once a student completes the interest form, DIT will contact a parent/caregiver for consent and enable access to the online coursework. Coursera courses are not Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)-recognized industry credentials and do not count toward high school graduation requirements.
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.
Summer Access to Tutor.com: Annandale students will continue to have unlimited access to 24/7, on-demand, online tutoring support services through Tutor.com during summer 2023. Students are able to use Tutor.com during the summer to review and/or practice in subject areas of interest or need. Students may also choose to access other tools and services such as practice quizzes in a variety of subject areas as well as self-paced study courses for SAT/ACT preparation.
Details about how students can access Tutor.com via archived courses in Schoology are provided in Summer Access at Tutor.com - Online Tutoring Services, including a Summer Access Flyer. Students enrolled in summer programs such as SOAR, Young Scholars, IMAGINE, Credit Recovery Academy, Online Campus, Online Economics & Personal Finance, and TJHSST summer courses will be able to access Tutor.com via their active summer course in Schoology.
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.
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Important Information
SOL Scores Posted in SIS ParentVUE: Families can see current and historical Standards of Learning (SOL) reports in the SIS ParentVUE Documents section. Log into your ParentVUE account to access the following reports, which should be available by the end of this week:
If you do not already have a SIS ParentVUE account, sign up now to monitor and support your child’s academic success. Through ParentVUE, you are able to view your student’s attendance, grades, and assignments at any time. You can also access special reports for your student such as progress reports and assessment score reports. Need help creating a SIS ParentVUE account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.
Please be advised that SIS ParentVUE and StudentVUE will be unavailable for all users from Thursday, June 23 at 4:00pm until Monday, June 27 at 6:00am for system updates for SY 2023-24.
Summer Office Hours: The Annandale Main Office will be open on weekdays from 9:00am-1:00pm this summer. The office will be closed on Monday, June 19, Monday, July 3, and Tuesday, July 4. Registrations are by appointment only. Please contact Annandale registrar, Esther Amenyah at emamenyah@fcps.edu to schedule an appointment.
Summer Assignments: All FCPS middle school and high schools will not give summer assignments. Instead, schools have the option to recommend optional enrichment activities that are not for a grade. At Annandale, we highly encourage student selecte texts or books to read over the summer.
Report Cards Mailed - Week of June 26: Report cards will be mailed out the week of June 26. For questions about a specific progress report or grade you can login into your SIS ParentVUE Account to find detailed grade book information.
Student Laptop Collection: All students are required to turn in their FCPS. Any student who has not already returned their FCPS issued laptop must drop off their computer this week in the main office. If your student is participating in an FCPS summer program they may keep the laptop and power cord.
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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.
Annandale Athletics Yearlong Recap: Thank you to our student-athletes, coaches, staff, parents, and community for making the 2022-2023 year a success at Annandale. Check out this week’s “Atoms Athletics and Activities Newsletter" for a recap of the past school year that includes fall, winter, and spring sports.
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.
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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: Registration is open for students who need to take a summer credit recovery course. Credit Recovery Academy is for students who receive an F or NM for a course required for graduation. Students can take one course, in-person. For more information, visit the FCPS website and contact your counselor. The registration deadline is June 26, 2023. Below is detailed information:
- No cost
- Location: Marshall HS (transportation provided from designated pick-up spots)
- Monday, July 10 - Friday, July 28 (most courses)
- 8:00am - 1:00pm
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.
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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.
Thank You Annandale PTSA Board Members! Huge shoutout to the Annandale PTSA Officers 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.
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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.
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