Important Upcoming Events
- January 22 - Family Workshop
- January 25 - End of 2nd Quarter, 2 Hour Early Release (dismissal at 12:15 PM)
- January 26 - Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
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- Message from Mr. Stokes
- Family Workshop
- Save the date
- Spring Track
- Online Tutoring
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A Message From Principal Stokes
Greeting Panthers,
Hope you enjoyed the snowy start to the week. This is a great time to remind everyone about our bell schedules and impact of closures and delays. Our A Day/B Day calendar is set at the start of the school year. If we miss a day or days of school due to closures, we pick up with the schedule on the day that is posted. You can view the A/B calendar through this link. To review our regular day and delay bell schedules, please visit this link.
A school year goes by so fast. Hard to believe that we’re nearly at the midpoint of the year. The first semester ends next week on Thursday, January 25. We are proud of our students’ efforts and growth. All students can celebrate large and small victories that they have experienced both at school and in their lives beyond our campus. We encourage their continued hard work. We want for all of our students to close out this quarter in strong fashion. Students should continue to ensure that all assignments are completed and that they check-in with teachers as necessary for help. Thank you to our families and community for your support in this year’s journey.
Sincerely,
Gordon Stokes
Principal
Save the date! A Family Workshop coming! RCMS is excited to bring you an interactive learning experience designed to support you as you support your student’s success. Join us on Monday, January 22nd to learn strategies, tips, and techniques to aid your student in improving executive functioning skills such as organization, time management, studying and conquering middle school! Hope to see you there!
Quarter End, Early Release, and Student Holiday
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 Thursday, January 25, is the last day of the quarter and a two-hour early release for students. Also, schools are closed for students on Friday, January 26, for a teacher work day. See the complete school year calendar.
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Academic Advising
Parents/Guardians of current 8th Graders:
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High School Counselors visited Rachel Carson MS on January 9th to present academic advising information to all current 8th grade students. Please review all high school course selection materials that was shared with your child. All 8th grade students will meet with their middle school counselor through their Science classes during the months of January and February to review course selections for 9th grade. Additionally during this time, counselors will assist students with entering course selections into StudentVue. Courses will be finalized in StudentVue once students meet individually with their counselor.
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Parents/Guardians of current 7th Graders:
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Panther Time teachers will presented an academic advisement overview video lesson prepared by RCMS counselors to students on January 9th which covered course offerings. This year all 7th graders will complete a course selection sheet (provided to students by Panther Time Teacher) and enter their course selections in StudentVue. We believe that parent involvement in course selection is very important. Parents are strongly encouraged to discuss course requests with their student(s). After completing, sign and return the course selection sheet to your child’s middle school counselor no later than January 26th.
During the month of February, students will be meeting with their school counselors for individual academic advising sessions through their Science classes. Counselors will review their course selections and assist them with entering requests into StudentVue. Courses will be finalized in StudentVue once students meet individually with their counselor.
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Parents will be able to view the courses students have selected using their Parent Vue account; however, all changes must be processed by your child’s middle school counselor.
CLICK HERE if you need help accessing your Parent Vue account.
Second Semester Updates
Second Semester Updates
The third quarter as well as the start of the second semester begins on Monday, January 29th. This is an exciting time as many of our students will begin new electives for the second half of the school year! Student schedules will be available online through StudentVUE and ParentVUE at 4PM on Friday, January 26, 2024. We ask that all students log into SIS StudentVUE to locate their schedules. Due to scheduling and staffing constraints, we are unable to accommodate change requests for second semester courses. Thank you so much for your support.
2nd Quarter Report Cards
SIS ParentVue and SIS StudentVue Gradebook and Report Card Modules will be unavailable Thursday, Jan 25, 2024 @ 4pm until Mon, Feb 5, 2024 at 6am in order for teachers to finalize second quarter grades. A copy of your child’s report card will be distributed to students on February 2, 2024, through Panther Time. Saturday, February 4th, 2nd Quarter Report cards will be visible in SIS StudentVue and ParentVue.
Student Services Newsletter
Check out Student Services third quarter newsletter to learn more about our recent events such as academic advising. Take a look at our upcoming events including information about Wellness Week and Career Day.
Save the Date: 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 to 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, or internships with local businesses.
Learn more and view the calendar of Academy Open Houses.
Attention 8th Grade Parents
Rachel Carson Middle School 8th graders will attend Finance Park in person this year. We would love to have you come along with us! We are in need of 25 parent volunteers for each of our six teams. This is a 4.5 hour commitment, and includes an hour of training at the Finance Park facility next to Frost MS before our students arrive. You will help guide students through different phases of the day, which simulate real-world budgeting decisions, spending research, and bill payment. Then you’ll share your own life experiences and help them walk a day in your shoes. You bring the program to life!
Carson MS 8th grade teams are going to Finance Park on the following dates (any snow days will be rescheduled at a later time) –
Friday, February 9 - Dream (and Mr. Grant’s classes)
Monday, February 12 – Discovery
Tuesday, February 13 – Explorers
Wednesday, February 14 – Wolves
Thursday, February 15 – Voyagers
Friday, February 16 – Dolphins
If you are able to volunteer with Carson’s Finance Park field trip, please view this document on Canva and follow the instructions to sign up for Carson AND JA Finance Park.
Thank you for donating your time and experience to our students. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Corman at bdcorman@fcps.edu
Private School Request
If your student is planning on applying to any private schools for the 2024-2025 school year, please complete the "Private School Request Form" and the "Parent Consent Form: SS-SE79" and submit them to the Student Service’s Office or to your counselor. Counselors will be emailing all records to the requested schools via an admissions email OR the school's portal. Please note these requests are due at least 2 weeks prior to the due date.
Please visit our website for more information regarding required forms and teacher recommendations – Rachel Carson Middle School Private School Requests
Online Tutoring
This is a reminder that all students in FCPS have access to Tutor.com. This a free service where students have 24/7 access to an on-line tutor. Students can connect with someone about nearly any school subject. We encourage all families to take a few minutes to review the basics of Tutor.com and log-in to try out this great resources. You can go directly to tutor.com or review the FCPS overview page at: https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/tutoring-options-fcps/tutorcom-online-tutoring-services
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We are excited to share a great opportunity that is available to all FCPS students! Your child now has unlimited access to 24/7, on-demand, online tutoring support services through Tutor.com.
www.fcps.edu
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Student Services Newsletter
Check out Student Services second quarter newsletter to learn more about our recent events such as our counseling lessons. Take a look at our upcoming events including the Family Coffee and Mastery Workshop. Also, meet our new Family Liaison Lourdes Vaca.
Social and Emotional Learning Screener Results Coming Soon
One of the ways FCPS supports the mental wellness of all students is the SEL Screener.
Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener during the month of October, providing information on their skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions.
The SEL Screener also helps students evaluate their school community’s efforts to make them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to create the learning, experiences, and environments students need to be successful.
Beginning in early December, individual student SEL Screener results will be available to families in SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
For more information about the screener please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage. For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or contact your student’s school.
Attendance Tip: Scheduling Family Trips or Events
Good attendance is an important life skill that will help students succeed in school and beyond.
When scheduling trips or family events, try to use weekends and school holidays, and refer to the FCPS Calendar when planning. Every day of learning is a day toward success. Keep in mind that absences add up quickly. Students who are absent 10% of the school year (or just two days per month) are considered chronically absent.
When possible, schedule appointments for your child outside of school hours. If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or another reason, you must report the absence to their school. Most schools have links to their attendance email or notification systems on their homepages. If you are unsure how to report an absence, please call your school’s front office.
Watch this video with tips on understanding our school calendar and visit our Attendance webpage for additional information. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
Tips to expedite early dismissals
If your student will be picked up early for an appointment the following will help expedite the wait time to locate students and minimize class interruptions during instruction time:
- Please send students to the front office in the morning at arrival time with a note specifying dismissal time. Even without a note, students should come to the office to get a pass. The office staff will then provide a pass to excuse the student from class. This process allows for a smoother check out because your student will be in the office when you arrive
- Parents should come to entrance#1, to the main office with a photo ID to pick up their student for early dismissals. No early dismissals can occur after 2:00pm.
- In emergency cases, or unscheduled early dismissals, please be patient with our office staff as we locate your student and request they be sent to the office.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Spring Track & Field Information
We are very excited to announce Spring Track & Field interscholastic competition at the middle school level! This program will start in March, but students and parents will need to complete several steps prior to participating in middle school sports, including:
Please submit all forms to the Athletics Coordinator in the RCMS main office.
Please see important details about the program on our website.
We look forward to an exciting season!
Mr. Barrows will communicate with students about activities through email and Schoology and will also be in lunches where a daily schedule will be shown on the projector. We try our best to communicate any changes such as cancellations immediately though email and Schoology. Late buses will be offered Monday-Thursday. Late buses are different than your regular bus number. Please make sure students know their late bus number prior to staying after school. You can find your late bus number in SIS and it will say RCLR (Rachel Carson Late Run).
here is the Q2 After School Schedule
Riley Barrows
After School Program Specialist
Building Use Coordinator
Oakton High School
The Oakton High School Marching Cougars, a prestigious 25-year Virginia Honor Band, have been chosen as a FINALIST in Metallica's inaugural marching band competition, "For Whom the Band Tolls." Metallica has brought their legendary presence to the world of marching bands by inviting high schools and colleges from across the nation to showcase their musical prowess in this unique online competition. The Marching Cougars are competing against four other bands for $15,000 in prizing in the category for high school bands with less than 75 members. You can view the Marching Cougar’s online submission of “Parade to Black” here. Oakton High School encourages the school and local community to proudly vote in support of the Marching Cougars as “Fan Favorite” on this national stage. Vote for the Oakton Marching Cougars by texting #HSOAKTON to (833) 609-0330. Go Cougars!
Link to Purchase: Yearbook Sales - MySchoolbucks
2023-2024 Yearbooks are available for purchase. Reserve your copy today by purchasing through MySchoolBucks!
We have a limited number of surplus, once we reach our sales limit yearbooks will be sold out. Sales are on a first come first serve basis.
Who to Contact
If you have a question or concern, please visit our website for a full listing of Who to Contact. This listing includes all of our administrators, our counselors, and who to speak to regarding a specific content area or class. Contact information for all staff members is listed on our website - just click on the name of the person you wish to contact to be redirected to their email address: RCMS Staff Directory.
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