Annandale Community Insider - January 7

Annandale Students, Families, and Community:

As an IB school, Annandale High School teaches our students to think critically, become global-minded citizens, pursue learning beyond our classrooms, and serve our communities. In addition, our vision that Annandale is a community that finds strength in diversity, fosters belonging, and inspires lifelong learning guides all of our work. Recently, we held two events honoring our IB students that clearly represented our vision in action.

In December, we celebrated our juniors who earned the FCPS IB Middle Years Programme certificate. At this event, we heard from Dr. Boyd, Region 6 Assistant Superintendent. She shared how proud she was of our students and their pursuit of learning and civic engagement beyond the classroom. 

This past week, we held our IB Diploma Certificate Ceremony for our Class of 2023 graduates. The students heard from Nadia Skolnitsky, IB History teacher, and Class of 2023 IB Diploma student, and Correne Bellem, who currently attends Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University. Correne shared how the IB Diploma and the staff at Annandale prepared her for success in college. To conclude the event, our graduates gathered on stage and shared their IB and college experiences to an audience of junior and senior IB Diploma candidates and families. It was such an inspiration to hear over and over again from students how Annandale and the IB programme helped them find success with time management, managing work load, and especially the level of writing expected of them. 

Students at both of these events shared that the IB Programme experience was challenging yet rewarding. Specifically, those who pursue the IB Diploma navigate a rigorous path, balancing intensive course work with community service and extracurricular activities. However, it was clear that all students had strong support from their teachers, and they were grateful for the ways in which they were prepared for success after high school.

We are so proud of our students and all they have accomplished. As always, reach out if you have any questions.

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Personalized Student Progress Reports Coming Soon!

This week, families will receive a personalized student progress report email which includes students’ grades as well as any academic interventions or supports the student is receiving. In that email, we provide ways families can support their student, including sitting with them to check on and discuss their progress, as well as some guiding questions to talk about school. Thank you for everything you do to support us - we truly work together to support our students’ needs!

Important Dates

January 8 - Atoms Booster Club Meeting, 6:00pm

January 8 - Hidden In Plain Sight Presentation, 7pm

January 8 - February 16: Individual Academic Advising Meetings

January 9 - Navigating College Financial Aid Workshop, 6pm

January 10 - Partners for Safe Teen Driving, 6:30pm

January 15 - Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday (No School)

January 16 - Virginia Climate and Working Conditions Survey

January 16 - PTSA Meeting, 7pm

January 17 - Rising 9th Grade Open House, 6pm

January 22 - W4 Activities Day

January 25 - 2 Hour Early Release (End of the 2nd Quarter)

January 26 - Student Holiday

January 8 - February 16: Individual Academic Advising Meetings: Students will meet one-on-one with their counselors to finalize their course selections for next year through their English classes. Students will receive an email with their specific appointment times. Counselors will begin meeting with current juniors on January 8 and continue meeting with students through mid-February. 

January 8 - Atoms Booster Club Meeting: Join us on Monday, January 8 in-person at Annandale High School in the Driver’s Education Room or online at meet.google.com/zoo-iypf-kpq. The meeting will begin at 6:00pm. All members of the Atoms Booster Club are invited to attend to hear the latest updates on our Winter sports activities and support plans.

January 8 - Hidden In Plain Sight Presentation, 7pm: The Annandale HS PTSA invites you to “Hidden In Plain Sight” on Monday, January 8 at 7pm in Clausen Hall. The Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS) program is an in-person interactive program for adults to be educated about the signs of risky behavior in teens and young adults. It touches on drug and alcohol use, vaping, mental health and behavioral concerns, risky sexual behaviors, trending "challenges” and more. Registration is required. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/hipsahs010824

January 9 - Navigating College Financial Aid Workshop, 6pm: Annandale High School will hold a College Financial Aid Workshop on January 9 at 6:00pm where students and families can get assistance completing the FAFSA financial aid application or VASA financial aid application for undocumented students.

Students may also sign up to meet with Ms. Mayhieu, our financial aid champion, on Fridays during lunch. Students can ask their counselor or Mr. Yeagley to sign them up for the appropriate lunch block. Ms. Mayhieu can help students with both account creation and completing the FAFSA. 

January 10 - Partners for Safe Teen Driving: Annandale High School is hosting Partners for Safe Teen Driving for students in Health & PE 10 on January 10 at 6:30pm in the auditorium. This 90-minute parent-teen traffic safety program is required for both student and parent/guardian. Participants must arrive on time as doors close at 6:30pm, and you must stay for the duration of the presentation for your attendance to be verified. Register here for the event. 

January 17 - Rising 9th Grade Open House, 6pm: On January 17 from 6-8pm AHS will host an Open House for our rising 9th grade students and families to learn more about what high school at Annandale is all about! We will offer short optional sessions on our various programs, and teachers will be in their classrooms throughout the evening to share all about our core and elective courses for 9th graders. The goal is for students and parents to leave this event excited about all the opportunities students will have as an Annandale Atom and prepared to complete the course request form when students meet with their middle school counselors! 

Breakout Sessions on the following topics will be offered throughout the evening: Welcome to Annandale, Course Request 101; IB/MYP Program; Activities and Athletics; English for Speakers of Other Languages Program; Special Education Office, and Student Life.

Awesome Atoms

Annandale NEHS Students Volunteer at Annandale Terrace Elementary School: NEHS students volunteered weekly at Annandale Terrace Elementary School to help with their after-school program. Our students made connections with the elementary students and tutored them in reading, writing, science, and math. Everyone had so much fun and we are very excited to continue this partnership with ATES!

Annandale Journalism Students Featured in Washington Post: Journalism students Michelle Collins and Shane Gomez were featured in a Washington Post article, highlighting their work with the nonprofit journalism training program, Youthcast Media Group, which provides mentoring and helps students get their work published in major newspapers. Under the guidance and mentorship of Journalism teacher Alan Weintraut, the young journalists were described as “just the kind of budding reporters our nation’s troubled news business needs.” Professional journalists will be visiting AHS to help students interview sources and write their stories.

Former AVID Students Return to Support Seniors: This past week, nineteen (19) alumni of the AHS AVID program came back to AHS to speak to current AVID seniors about their experiences. Alumni hailed from the AHS classes of 2019-2023, and attended UVA, Mason, NOVA, Marymount, Randolph, Virginia Tech, Catholic University, VCU, ODU, and Mary Washington, majoring in Psychology, Education, Business, Biology, Civil Engineering, Political Science, Criminal Justice, Nursing, Information Technology, and Cinema & TV Production. Alumni met with seniors in small groups to discuss specific colleges and majors. As one alumna, Amina Ahmed, said, “I felt really good being able to give advice to students especially because I was in their position just a year ago.”

Academic Support

Need Help in Your Class? Stay With Your Teacher After School! Annandale High School offers late bus transportation three (3) days per week: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. All teachers stay after school at least one day a week to provide academic support for students. Please refer to this list to see which day your student’s teacher is available after school.

Annandale Tutoring Center Open Mondays: Students can now get tutoring from AVID and honor society members, every Monday in Room 287 from 3:00-4:00pm. Tutors will be available to help in math, science and social studies. Contact Ms. Michelle Lukacs, AVID and History teacher, with questions.

Sign Up for a Writing Conference with the Atoms Writing Center: The trained peer tutors of the Atoms Writing Center will continue to provide support for students with writing in any class. Use this link to sign up for a writing conference during 2nd quarter. If you haven’t already, you should also join our Schoology group to get important updates and announcements from the AWC all year by going to “Groups” > ”My Groups” > ”Join Group” then putting in this code: 9MSF-KSDM-B7HCP. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram @AtomsWC. Contact Mrs. Stephanie Hanson with any questions.

Work with Live Tutors for Free! Does your student need help getting up to speed in math, science, or English? Tutor.com offers diagnostic quizzes to help students test their knowledge and find areas where they may need help. Quizzes can be taken anytime, and students can connect immediately to a tutor. Find out more here.

Important Information

January 16 - Virginia Climate and Working Conditions Survey: On January 16, during W4, students will participate in the Virginia School Climate Survey. The purpose of the survey is to provide schools with information on school climate, safety, and working conditions in order to maintain a safe and orderly school environment conducive to learning. The survey measures student perceptions of school rules and discipline, teacher-student relationships, student engagement in school, and the extent of bullying and teasing at school. The survey is a component of the annual school safety audit which school divisions are required to submit to the Virginia Center for School and Campus Safety (VCSCS). If you do not wish for your child to participate, please notify the school office by telephone, email, or letter by January 12.

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 where we will post an emergency weather closing. 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. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and plan for childcare if appropriate.

For the 2023-24 school year, FCPS will be reverting to its former policy for snow days - there will be no virtual learning days when school is closed due to inclement weather this year. With 11 snow days built into our existing calendar, eliminating virtual learning days will enable us to maximize our in-person learning and provide for equitable access to instruction and student services for each and every one of our students.

Opportunities

Annandale Baseball Host Weekly Winter Clinics: Annandale Baseball is hosting their Sunday Skills camps starting on January 14. Each week, the camp focuses on fundamentals and is instructed by the coaching staff and players. The camp will be held in the main and auxiliary gyms at Annandale High School. Information and sign up for the Sunday Baseball Camps here. Cost is $115 for all, or $25 each.

High School Academy Open Houses: FCPS high school academies will hold open houses for interested students beginning in mid-January. A high school academy is a center within a high school that offers advanced technical and specialized courses that can prepare students for postsecondary education and/or career fields. Students enrolling in Academy elective courses will be provided with opportunities to participate in a variety of career experiences including shadowing, mentoring, and/or internships with local businesses. Click here to learn more and find the calendar of Academy Open Houses.

NOVA Early Online College – Spring 2024 Semester: NOVA Early Online College (EOC) allows current high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to take up to 2 tuition free college courses. EOC courses for the Spring semester begin on January 30 and end on April 22. The deadline to register is January 8, 2024 at 5pm. Courses are asynchronous, online, and for college credit only. 13 different courses are offered along with courses that fulfill the IT Technical Support Career Studies Certificate. EOC courses are selected because they meet the requirements for most of NOVA’s associate degrees as well as being highly transferable as general education requirements for most colleges and universities.

2024 FCPS Gap Year Fair: FCPS’ School Counseling Services and Go Overseas are co-hosting the annual FCPS Gap Year Fair on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at George C. Marshall High School from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. This event is for high school students and parents who are interested in learning more about the growing array of gap year opportunities. The evening will begin with a presentation in the auditorium from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Immediately following, the program fair will be held in the cafeteria from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., with representatives from over 30 programs offering gap year opportunities. Students and their families are encouraged to meet the representatives and learn about the variety of experiences available.

Students are encouraged to pre-register for this event. Registration is open to students and families up to and including the day of the fair. For more information, visit: USA Gap Year Fairs.

**In the event of inclement weather on Tuesday, January 30. The Gap Year Fair will be held on Thursday, February 1, at the same time and location.

News from Student Services

Course Selection Information: At Annandale, we want to ensure students and families know where to access all the information needed for course selection. Our Academic Advising page has the grade level information presented by counselors and the course selection Google forms that students must complete. We encourage you to visit this site with your student to discuss courses for next year. Here are some questions you can use to engage with your student about course selection:

• Which classes most excite you about next year?
• When looking at your classes, what are your electives and why did you select those?
• What type of diploma are you going for?
• Where would you like to be challenged?
• Where do you think you might need support?

Please reach out to our counselors if any questions or concerns arise. Their emails and phone numbers can be found on our Student Services page. We are here to help and look forward to supporting our students through this process!

College & Career Planning Google Site: Check out the College & Career Planning Google site, which provides up-to-date information on the college application process; college representative visits; financial aid and FAFSA/VASA workshops; military options; information on apprenticeships; as well as resources for finding a job. The website also provides contact information for our School Counselors, as well as our College and Career Specialist.

Transcript Requests for College Applications & Scholarships: Seniors need to request official high school transcripts one month prior to application deadlines. For example, if a college application is due on January 10, the Transcript Request Form is due on December 10. We will be receiving a very high volume of requests in the coming months, and our Student Services staff needs adequate time to process them. Early Action and Early Decision application deadlines are quickly approaching. For step-by-step instructions and forms for submitting Transcript Requests, go to the College & Career Planning Google site.

Thursday College Application Workshops: Every Thursday from 3:00-4:00pm in Room 90 (near the Cafeteria), Counselors and AVID students will be assisting students with various topics: Making a College List; Transcript Request Form; Common App; Recommendation Requests. Students are welcome to drop in with questions about any aspect of the process. 

Register For College Rep Visits: Are you interested in hearing from college admissions representatives from colleges you are interested in applying to? Please follow the directions below to register. (Juniors and Seniors ONLY). Log into Naviance and click "Student Naviance Login." Click on "Colleges" at the top of the page and then click on "college visits." You will then see a list of all the colleges that are visiting, along with the dates and times. Click "register now" for the visits you would like to attend. Students must show the email to their teacher and get permission to attend. Students who are not registered in Naviance for a college visit will be denied entry. Please note that students are limited to registering for up to six college visits!

News from the Activities Office

Check out the latest information from the Activities Office in their weekly newsletter. In addition, learn more about Annandale High School Athletics and Activities by visiting their website, AHS Athletics Twitter or Instagram page. Please email Brandon Sutphin if you have any questions.

Recap from the week in winter sports: Girls Basketball traveled to Justice for their first game of the new year. Freshman continue to improve with each game but saw their efforts fall shorts vs the Wolves. JV got their second consecutive win (defeated Fairfax prior to the break). Varsity made it a back and forth game with the Wolves throughout the first half with the Wolves taking the lead into halftime. The second half saw the Wolves pull away late in the third and start of the fourth to get the win over the Atoms. The Atoms traveled to Lewis for game two. The played well despite a couple injuries to key players and were able to pull off the win vs the Lancers. Freshman and JV came away with wins as well to make it a clean sweep of the night. 

Boys Basketball played two more district games to start the new year off. The first game welcomed Justice to Annandale on Wednesday evening. The freshman battled throughout but fell short in their comeback attempt. The JV team had an exciting nail biter down to the buzzer with the Atoms prevailing 53-51. Varsity came out on fire taking a 27-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw a lot of the same and the Atoms took a comfortable lead 43-11 to halftime. The second half was cruise control with the Atoms winning comfortably in the front of the home crowd. The Atoms hosted senior night Friday vs Lewis and recognized five seniors. The Atoms were cold to start the game but caught fire late in the first quarter and into the second as they took an 11 point halftime lead. Lewis cut it close but the Atoms were too prevailing on senior night 56-39. Freshman fell in their game but JV ran away comfortably to get the win. 

Swim/Dive jumped back into the pool Friday evening vs Edison. Several Atoms swimmers won their respective event but it wasn't enough to get the win over the Eagles. Several Atoms continue to improve on their personal best and a few boys relays teams continue to inch closer to a school record time as they prepare for the National District Championship Meet in a few weeks.

Wrestling competed in tri meet Wednesday evening at Falls Church. The Atoms came away with a win in their first match vs Falls Church with several wrestlers getting victories with the pin. The second match saw the potential National District Champion Edison run away with the victory over the Atoms. JV Wrestling saw action Thursday evening at TJ. The night showed the continuous improvement and determination of the younger wrestlers in the program. 

Indoor Track picks back up with their next meet on January 12.

Gymnastics returns to the floor on January 10 at Robinson.

This Week:

Tuesday, January 9

Girls Basketball vs TJ - 4:30/5:45/7:30pm

Boys Basketball @ TJ - 4:30/5:45/7:30pm

Wednesday, January 10

Wrestling District Tri-Meet - 6:00pm

Gymnastics @ Robinson - 6:00pm

Thursday, January 11

JV Wrestling @ Falls Church - 6:00pm

Friday, January 12

Girls Basketball vs Edison - 4:30/5:45/7:30pm

Boys Basketball @ Edison - 4:30/5:45/7:30pm

Swim/Dive vs Mt. Vernon @ GW Rec Center - 6:30pm

Indoor Track @ TJMS - 5:30pm

Saturday, January 13

Wrestling @ Freedom South Riding - 9:00am