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Edison High School Weekly
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To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website.
Para leer este mensaje en otros idiomas, podrán ver las traducciones automáticas en nuestro sitio web.
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Important Dates
Edison School Wide Calendar
January 15: Martin Luther King Day
January 17: IB Night for Prospective Students and Parents
January 24: Rising 9th Grade Orientation to Course Selection
January 25: End of second quarter; 2-hour early release
January 26: Student Holiday
January 30: Pyramid Choir Concert 7pm in Main Gym
March 25-29: Spring Break
June 5: Graduation, 7:30pm, EagleBank Arena at GMU
June 12: Last Day of School
The complete FCPS 2023-2024 School Year Calendar
In this Issue:
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When a Student Becomes Ill at School
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Is Your Student Checking Out Early within the First Hour of the School Day?
- Reminder: No Food Deliveries During the School Day
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Parent Presentation on trends in the drug culture (For Guardians Only) (CORRECTION)
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IB Programme Information Night
- Tutor.com can Help with More than Homework
- Tracking Your Child's Attendance
- Save the Date: Academy Open Houses
- In Case You Missed It
- January Celebrations
1. When a Student Becomes Ill at School
Your child should ask their teacher for a pass to the clinic if they are not feeling well. The Health Room Aide will help determine the correct course of action, which could include resting for a few minutes, or contacting their parent to come and pick them up. By FCPS regulation, all sick students go through the clinic to be released. If you receive a text from your student, telling you he/she does not feel well, please urge them to go to the clinic to be released.
2. Is Your Student Checking Out in the 1st hour of the school day?
Please consider keeping your student home if they have an appointment and are leaving within the first hour of school. We try to get through the many daily messages we receive immediately on arriving at school, but our attendance office may not have heard or read your message for an early release before your arrival. This will ensure your student will be on time for the appointment.
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3. Reminder: Food Deliveries are Not Allowed During the School Day
Students are not allowed to order food for delivery during the school day. If a driver from Grub Hub, Uber Eats, Door Dash, etc., tries to deliver a meal, they are turned away. If by some chance food is delivered for a student by a meal service, we confiscate it and not return it.
Also, keep in mind that all high schools in Fairfax County are "closed campuses". This means that students are not allowed to leave Edison High School at any time during the day. Only a parent or guardian can sign a student out of the building.
4. (CORRECTION) Parent Presentation on Trends in the drug Culture (For Parents Only)
Thank you to our families who attended Dr. Reid's town hall on Wednesday night.
Many challenges and responsibilities come with being a parent, and having to address a difficult topic with your child, such as drug culture, trends and identifying signs of substance use, can be stressful. Drugs and drug paraphernalia is now being disguised as common everyday items out in plain sight, to go unrecognized by parents or other adults. Substance Abuse Prevention Program want to provide you with information so you will be able to recognize drugs and drug paraphernalia and also the signs of drug use to equip you to have real and meaningful dialog with your child concerning these issues.
Join us on February 29th, 2024 @ 6:00pm at Edison High School where we will be hosting a parent presentation to provide information on the trends in drug culture. After the presentation there will be time to ask questions or to receive more information. The trends in drug culture have created innovative ways to hook your child and we are here to arm you by providing information concerning these topics that will assist in effective communication with your child. Also, a Narcan Training with be provided by a member of the Community Services Board.
Shawn Elliott, BS, QMHP-C Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Sbelliott@fcps.edu
5. IB Programme Information Night
Please join Edison’s IB Coordinators, Ms. Sabra Devers and Ms. Corinne Nuttall, at Edison High School’s IB Night on January 17, 2024, from 6:00 – 7:00 PM in the Auditorium. They will give an overview of the IB Programme at Edison as well as answer some of the most frequently asked questions, such as:
- How do you become an IB student?
- What is the Personal Project?
- What is the MYP Certificate?
- What are the benefits of taking IB courses?
- What is the IB Diploma?
- What is the difference between the IB Diploma and the IB Diploma Certificate?
5. 📝 Tutor.com Can Help With More Than Homework
Tutor.com offers more than help with homework! This on-demand tutoring service also provides a comprehensive range of resources including exam prep for AP, SAT, and ACT tests at no cost to families.
Students can take practice quizzes at any time. If they struggle in particular areas, they can immediately connect to a live tutor for help through voice or chat options. Learn more on the FCPS Tutor.com webpage.
6. Tracking Your Child's Attendance
Edison High School is committed to providing our students with a high-quality education. Academic success relies upon excellent school attendance. Students who come to school on time every day are building critical life skills they will use the rest of their lives. Like strengthening a muscle, building positive attendance habits early on makes a difference for our students today and for our adults of tomorrow. Attending school regularly helps students feel better about school and themselves.
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To assist families with tracking their child’s attendance, we will be
sending out attendance report card emails starting at the end of 2nd quarter that allows you to see if your child is in good standing, at risk of being chronically absent, or is chronically absent. These emails are meant to help you be more aware of where your student stands regarding their attendance. While we don’t grade on attendance, it can have a direct correlation to how a student performs in class. |
In their April 20, 2023 business meeting, the Virginia Board of Education decided to not suspend chronic absenteeism as part of school accreditation determinations for 2023-24, based on 2022-23 student outcomes. The Board’s rationale was a desire to send a strong message to schools, families, and students about the importance of regular attendance for student success. The Board decision means that schools with Level 3 (red) in any indicator—including chronic absenteeism—based on end-of-year data will receive “Accredited with Conditions” designation.
Edison High School ended the last school year at 21% warning status for chronic absenteeism, just four percentage points from the chronic absence status level. Chronic Absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, regardless of reason. For a school, no more than 15% of their students can be absent (for any reason) for more than 10% of the school year. Most school years have 180 days, 10% = 18 days. Not only is attendance important for student achievement, but the state of Virginia requires attendance at school.
Support is available:
Edison High School staff is committed to supporting attendance. Additional resources can be found online at http://www.fcps.edu/attendance. We know that parents are the experts on their own child and our school team is here to partner and help solve attendance-related concerns. The System of Support Advisor, School Counselors and School Social Workers and Psychologists are available to provide that support at 703-925-8000. You can find all these support personnel on our website.
Parents and students have asked how attendance is reported to colleges and who sees attendance data. All colleges as well as some scholarships and summer programs request a transcript. On the transcript the attendance data is reported.
Also, please remember to call your school to report all absences. Edison High School has a system for checking students in and out and for reporting absences. Please visit our site to learn how to report accurate and timely attendance.
6. 🗓️ Save the Date: Academy Open Houses Begin This Month!
Is your child interested in architecture and construction, information technology, or health science? 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.
7. FCPS News - In Case You Missed It
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- Gap Year Fair
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
8. We Celebrate in January:
- New Year's Day
- Three Kings Day/Epiphany
- Orthodox Christmas
- Martin Luther King Day
- Orthodox Epiphany
- End of 2nd Quarter
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