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In This Issue
November News Crew
| Congratulations to our November News Crew for a terrific month of daily live reporting for the school. These students arrived every day at 7:10am, wrote the script, organized the slides, trained each other, switched roles and learned something new. Thank you for your time and energy! See you again next semester! |
Winter Virginia Growth Assessment
Herndon Middle School will begin testing for the Winter Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) in December. The VGA assessments provide us with important information about your students’ progress, please be sure that your student is attending school on these days. Testing dates for the Winter VGA will be as follows:
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Tuesday, December 5th - Mathematics VGA
- Make up testing December 11-15
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Tuesday January 9th - Reading VGA
- Make up testing January 10-17
If you have any questions regarding the Virginia Growth Assessment, please reach out to our Testing Coordinator, Melissa Sobchak, at msobchak@fcps.edu.
Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available online in SIS ParentVUE. If you have not already filled out the form online, we will provide paper forms. Please be sure to return paper forms by Monday, December 11th. The electronic form will continue to be available in SIS ParentVUE until January 2024.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important, because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
Please watch this video and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page for more information.
Need to Register for ParentVUE?
Learn how to activate your SISParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey.
Technical support for using ParentVUE or completing the survey online is available by submitting a Parent Support Request ticket. Select SISParent in the Application dropdown menu and enter Federal Impact Aid Survey under Issue Description. Or, call the Parent Technology Help Desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS).
Yearbooks Available for Pre-Order
Yearbooks are now available for pre-order through myschoolbucks and yearbookforever.com. They are $15 and will only be on sale until January 26th.
Please Note: If you do not pre-order a yearbook, there will be NO extras ordered so make sure to order now!
Contact: Laura Loy or Josey Arrington
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Be A Yearbook Sponsor
Did you know you can purchase a yearbook for a student who may not be able to purchase one? Go to yearbookforever.com to purchase one. Under student name indicate "yearbook sponsor".
Contact: Laura Loy or Josey Arrington
Viewing and Ordering Photos
To obtain your student's picture day photos:
- Parents/Guardians will need to go to https://shop.jostenspix.com/login
- Create a JostensPIX account
- Parents/Guardians will need to click on the “find my student” tab, enter the school name and event code FE195123
- Parents/Guardians will then enter their students name->add student->then they will need their students Schoology ID number.
- Parents/Guardians will then be able to view and order photos.
Rotary Contest
Herndon Rotary District 7610 is allowing students the opportunity to participate in a Four Way Test Essay Contest where students could win a prize up to $275. If you are interested in participating, please see the brochure for more information.
Entry Form
Questions? Contact Mary Drum at dmdrum2@verizon.net.
Social and Emotional Learning Screener Results Coming Soon
One of the ways FCPS supports the mental wellness of all students is through the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener. In October, students in grades 3-12 took this screener, which gives information about their skills such as achieving goals, handling emotions, building relationships with adults and peers, and making good choices.
The screener also helps students evaluate their school community’s efforts to make them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to create learning, experiences, and environments for students to succeed.
In early December, families will be able to view student SEL Screener results in SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent by mail.
Learn more about the screener on the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage. For help understanding your child’s results or ideas to support them at home, review the Family Guide or contact your child’s school.
Missing School Over the Holidays
Looking ahead to the holiday season, if missing school is unavoidable, please speak with your child’s teachers in advance to create a plan for making up missed work. However, a homework packet cannot make up for the interaction and learning that happens in the classroom.
Visit FCPS’ website for more attendance resources.
Preparing for Winter Weather
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made.
FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and plan for childcare if needed.
Staying Healthy This Cold/Flu Season
Cases of RSV, the flu, and other viruses often rise this time of year. It is important for students to wash their hands regularly and cover their coughs and sneezes. Please monitor your child’s health daily and keep them at home if they are sick. Visit FCPS' Health and Safety Guidance webpage for more tips.
FCHD Speech and Hearing Clinics
Speech and Hearing clinics are now open, offered by the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD). Staff are ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. Complete diagnostic evaluation and treatment are offered to both children and adults. Appointments are required.
Clinic Locations
Herndon-Reston District Office
1850 Cameron Glen Drive, Suite 100
Reston, VA 20190
Joseph Willard Health Center
3750 Blenheim Boulevard
Fairfax, VA 22030
Mt. Vernon District Office
8350 Richmond Highway, Suite 233
Alexandria, VA 22309
Inclusive Schools Spirit Week
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Please join us in celebrating the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population. This weeks spirit days:
Monday: Movement
Be Comfortable! Be Yourself!
Tuesday: Our Future is Bright
Wear Bright Clothes
Wednesday: You Matter
Wear What Is Important To You!
Thursday: Come as You Are
Wear What Makes You Feel Like You!
Friday: School Community
Dress in HMS Colors: Red and Black
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Yearbook Sales
Yearbook cash and check lunch sales will take place during lunches on December 11th, 12th, and 13th. Price of yearbooks are $15. Yearbooks can ONLY be purchased until January 26th. If you do not order a yearbook by January 26th, you will not receive one.
Contact: Laura Loy or Josey Arrington
Hat and Mitten Collection
Do you want to directly support your Herndon MS community? We are collecting hats and mittens for our coat drive on December 14th. Please bring all size hats and mittens (baby to adult) to the office or drama room.
Contact: Laura Loy or Fanny Salazar
Herndon High School Curriculum Night 2024
Families of rising ninth graders are invited to join us on Thursday, January 4th, 6:30pm to learn more about the courses offered at Herndon High School. There will be tables set up throughout Main Street/Foyer where a teacher representing each department will be able to answer any specific questions that you have regarding a course. There will also be presentations given on taking an honors/AP class and on “standards based learning” beginning at 6:00pm in the auditorium. These presentations are optional for attendance.
Please click on the QR code to learn about the classes that are offered at HHS.
Any questions, please contact either Kie Anderson (keanderson1@fcps.edu) or Kelly Ginieczki (kmginieczki@fcps.edu).
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Chanukah
Chanukah, an 8-day Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple and the miracle of a small quantity of oil that lit the Temple’s menorah for 8 days. This year, Chanukah begins at sundown on Thursday, December 7. That day will be a half-O day, and major events cannot be scheduled that evening.
Learn more about Chanukah in National Geographic Kids.
Bodhi Day
Bodhi Day, Friday, December 8, is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali. The school calendar recognizes many religious and cultural observances (O days) during the school year, including Bodhi Day. There is school on these days, however, the School Board has directed that tests, quizzes, field trips, graduation, homecoming, or FCPS-scheduled athletic events will not be held on these observance days.
Learn more about Bodhi Day in this video from the Miami Children’s Museum.
Christmas
A very Merry Christmas to those in our community who celebrate! Christmas is an annual holiday on which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, and is celebrated in many unique ways across the U.S. and the world.
Learn more about Christmas.
This year's Christmas artwork was created by Justice High School student Najenyi D. as part of the FCPS Observance Design Challenge for Students.
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December
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5-9: Inclusive Schools Week
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7-15: Chanukah/Hanukkah
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8: Bodhi Day
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14: Winter Choir Concert
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14: Coat Drive
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18 - January 1: Winter Break
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25: Christmas
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Helpful Links
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