Poe Family Newsletter October 29, 2023

Mark Your Calendar

Oct 30 - Nov 3 - SPIRIT WEEK

Nov 3 - 1st Quarter Ends (2 Hour Early Release)

Nov 6 - Student Holiday (No School)

Click Here for official FCPS Calendar

TJ ACADEMY

Hello Poe families! Thomas Jefferson admissions are right around the corner, so it's important to start preparing now! Come to TJ Academy during the first block of afterschool on Wednesdays to learn about and prepare for the TJ admissions process. Taught by former Poe student and current TJ junior, Willie Henry. Students in all grades are encouraged to come, although a student must be in Algebra 1 HN by eighth grade to be eligible to apply to TJ.

Attention students: Interested in coding? Want to learn more about it? Learn from professionals in the field as we partner with Capital One Bank. This will be an after school club. See below for more information! If interested, please fill out the form attached. The deadline is Monday, September 4th. Please see Mr. Harsh if you have any questions.

10 week course

Day of Week That We Will Meet: Tuesdays

Time:  3:00 PM - 4:30 PM 

Start Date: 9/19/23

Estimated End Date: 12/5/23

Culmination Event: 12/12/23

In person program at Poe Middle School 

Here is the link, if interested: Interest Form

Please contact Mr. Harsh (pgharsh@fcps.edu) if you have any questions!

Poe Cross Country Team

Is your child interested in running for the Poe Middle School Cross Country Team?

Interested in learning more information, CLICK HERE

To participate, your child must have a completed sports physical. The form can be downloaded using this link: Sports Physical Form

If you think your child is interested at all, please take a moment and fill out this brief interest form: Interest Form

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology (TJ)

Hello Poe Community ! We had a great turnout at the TJ information session on Tuesday September 19^th , thank you to all the families who attended. For those of you who were unable to attend but are still interested in learning about TJ’s Admissions there are still opportunities to receive information. You can either plan to attend one of the remaining sessions at another FCPS school and/or by exploring the resources below.

Before reviewing here are a few important things to note:

• Middle School students apply to TJ in fall of 8^th grade year .
• To be eligible to apply students must be in specific classes such as Algebra 1 HN or higher by 8^th grade and Science HN. Additionally, students must be in Honors English or social studies or identified as a young scholar.
• Grades and classes taken in 7^th grade are important especially in core classes English, math , science, social studies and a world language (if taken)
• GPA requirement of 3.5 by end of 1^st quarter ( final marks and 1^st quarter 8^th grade grades in core subjects and world language if applicable are factored into grade point average)

For more details click on eligibility requirements or visit TJ Admissions (https://www.fcps.edu/tjadmissions)

Also tune into this video that shares all about TJ Admissions https://youtu.be/coThg0jwvb8( video can be changed into other languages via subtitles)

Should you have any questions regarding TJ’s Admission please feel free to reach out to TJ directly and/or reach out to TJ Liaison here at Poe Mrs. Mourning at ndmourning@fcps.edu .

Important Document Information

All FCPS families are required to update two important documents (the Emergency Care form and Health Information form) among others.   FCPS is offering a new online option where parents can easily update their child’s information!  The Online Verification Update packet (OVU) will allow parents to review and update phone numbers, emergency contacts and health information (such as health conditions and immunizations) for their students.  Enrolling parents are able to access OVU through their SIS ParentVUE account.  If an error displays, you are not listed as the enrolling parent in our system. Please see Regulation 2240 for details on determination and responsibilities of the enrolling parent.  Parents must have an active SIS ParentVUE Account to access and complete the OVU packet.  Parents can obtain an activation key letter to activate their SIS ParentVUE account by contacting the main office.  

Please note:  Do not use the OVU packet if your address has changed or if you moved to another FCPS school.  Contact the main office directly to complete address updates or to withdraw and transfer your student to the new school. 

For families without SIS ParentVue accounts or who prefer to fill these documents out on paper, pre-filled forms will be sent home with your student on Tuesday September 12th.  They can also be found in the Back to School packets and on the General Registration Forms page. 

Additionally, we want to share information about the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener.  FCPS is committed to supporting the mental wellness of all students. The Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener helps our students share their perspectives on how their schools and communities support them and help them develop the skills they need to succeed.

The screener is offered to all students in grades 3 through 12 in the fall and spring. It addresses skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions. Students also share how successful their school and community are at making them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to plan programming for the division, schools, and individual students. 

Key updates to the screener this year include:

• Different versions for students in grades 3-5 and 6-12. 
• Fewer topics with more questions to provide schools and families with more data to support planning. 
• Additional questions aligned with FCPS’ commitment to educational equity. 

Results are mailed home to families after each screening. For more information or to learn how to opt your student out, please visit the  Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage. 

Lastly, we’ve been working hard to become fully staffed throughout the past few weeks; Consequently, we are in the process of making changes in SIS (room numbers, staff names, staff assignments, etc.) and adding additional sections and courses.  This process will be fully complete on Monday September 11th.  All students will receive a new copy of their schedule with all updated information on Tuesday September 12th, along with their pre-filled Emergency Care and Health Information forms.  Most students’ schedules will only change with logistical information (teacher name, class room number, the period in which they have that class, etc.).  These changes will benefit students and staff with class sizes and access for the rest of this school year.