Important Dates
- 2/21 - Band Pre-assessment Concert (7:00 pm, Auditorium)
- 2/22 - Orchestra Pre-assessment Concert (7:00 pm, Auditorium)
- 2/22 - Renovation Open House (7:00 pm, Cafeteria, see announcement below)
- 2/23 - Orchestra Pre-assessment Concert (7:00 pm, Auditorium)
- 2/28 - Virtual Attendance Workshop (6:00 pm, see announcement below))
- 3/8 - Heritage Night! (see announcement below)
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Attendance Matters!
We need your help getting ALL students to school. Maybe you see your neighbor's kids or a family member staying home. Please help us spread the word that students need to be in school to grow academically and socially.
Also, please try to avoid long trips when school is in session, as it can interrupt learning. We are a community, and together, we can ensure a better future for our students. Please talk to your child about the importance of attending school daily.
Thank you for your support!
Virtual Attendance Workshop
The Deans would like to invite all families to our virtual attendance workshop on February 28th from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. We will discuss the new health guidance, resources to support students with anxiety, and the importance of talking to your child about coming to school every day and staying in their classes all day.
Link to join will be shared next week.
Congratulations...
To the 7 students from Falls Church HS who participated in this year's District 10 Honor Choir which was held on February 9!
- Colt Armstrong
- Juliana Esen
- Julie Ho
- Maggie Manarin
- Georgia Pirrello
- Taila Sarmientos Van Pelt
- Eliana Tamayo
Special congratulations to Georgia Pirrello who was selected for the Southern ACDA Advanced Treble Choir and to Colt Armstrong who was selected for the Southern ACDA Advanced SATB Choir and Virginia All-State Chorus!
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FCHS Renovation Open House
Explore Our New Spaces
February 22nd 7-8:30pm
Tours start from School Cafeteria (IMPORTANT - please park and enter at doors: 1, 2, 3 and 4)
Exciting news! We're excited to announce the completion of several new/renovated spaces in our building. The cafeteria, library, science/math wing, culinary arts, automotive tech, and STEM lab are now finished and eagerly awaiting the enjoyment of our students and staff!
Join us in commemorating this significant milestone with a community open house, inviting you to explore our recently unveiled spaces. Although there's still a lot of work ahead, we're thrilled to share the progress achieved with our community!
Gather in the new cafeteria for light refreshments, from there you can embark on self-guided tours. Our students and administrative staff will be stationed throughout the building, ready to provide details about the exciting new spaces. All are welcome!
NEWS FROM THE SPOTLIGHT THEATRE COMPANY
SPOTLIGHT THEATRE COMPANY CONGRATULATES the cast of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.
THESEUS - Collin White
PHILOSTRATE - Ben Rodriguez-Chicas
HYPPOLYTA - Kate Schlageter-Prettyman
OBERON - Nathanael Clock
TITANIA - Dara Kearney
EGEUS - Josh Fisher
LYSANDER - Max Purtill
HERMIA - Penny Mollen
DEMETRIUS - Lam Vu
HELENA - Sasha Wendell
QUINCE - Liza Plis
BOTTOM - Stephanie Mejia Ramos
FLUTE - Nolan Mathias
SNOUT - Alejandro Espinoza
SNUG - Remsen Baird
STARVELING - Monty Deitz
PUCK - Ellie Whitfield
FAIRY - Leslie Fon
FAIRY 2 - Olivia Arnella
Cobweb - Eliza Munshi
Mustardseed - Juliana Esen
Peaseblossom - Isabelle Paparelle
Moth - Janneke Van Terve
Elfin ensemble/Opening scene army - Ellie Child, Sydney Glenn, Nadia Shutov, Lindsay Howard, Tiffanie Heng, Derek Serone, Maily Nguyen, Miles Alexander, Isabel Bishop, Eden Burton, Cindy Calderon, Kristina MacFarlane
There will be a tech interest meeting in the auditorium after school Thursday, Feb 22 from 3-5PM.
Come join us!
From our Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist (SAPS)
Stress, Trauma & Coping
The experience of traumatic events shapes us, no matter if they happened during childhood or as an adult. Trauma is an event or series of circumstances that have lasting effects on mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual well-being. Stress occurs from our minds and bodies identifying an event as physically or emotionally life-threatening. The situation triggers our survival instincts and our natural fight-flight-freeze response. But our minds and bodies cannot sustain being in survival mode for extended periods of time. Sometimes, those who experience high amounts of stress and traumatic situations are unable to process or move past what has happened, and are stuck in a loop.
Childhood trauma manifests in many ways and when carried into adulthood, it can create a cycle of adverse experiences that affect future generations. The effects of traumatic events place a heavy burden on the individual, connected families, and communities. Responses to stress and traumatic experiences are personal. There is an intersection between trauma, coping, and substance misuse. Studies show that about 61% of adults have had at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) according to the CDC. Trauma prevention and intervention strategies are important. Creating a strategy of helpful coping skills to pull from prepares us to face difficult moments and our levels of resilience and feelings of wellbeing increases also. Here are a few tips to add to your coping strategies:
- Seek mental health and/or substance use treatment
- Identify one or more people you feel safe with who can help to hold you accountable
- Develop, repair, or maintain healthy relationships for internal and external support
- Learn and practice self-regulation skills
- Encourage yourself and others
- Find ways to increase your self-esteem
- Focus on your strengths
- Model healthy behavior when dealing with difficult situations
- Identify your triggers and practice ways to work through them
Resources:
Why Historical Trauma is Critical to Understanding Black Mental Health
Addressing Childhood Trauma Starts with Family Support
Violence Prevention
ACEs and Minorities
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: 571.423.4270.
For Further Information & Support:
Anna Teeter
Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist
amteeter@fcps.edu
Heritage Night!
Our annual FCHS Heritage Night is coming up on March 8! We need our school community to participate in all aspects of Heritage Night. The evening begins with food sharing and cultural exhibits and concludes with a cultural celebration and fashion show!
If you would like to participate this year, click HERE for more information and to sign up to participate!
If you have questions, feel free to email Dr. Redden-Liotta (cjreddenliot@fcps.edu). Cultural Celebration participants must audition by February 8, and other participants must sign up by February 26.
Jaguar 5k
We will be hosting our 19th Annual Jaguar 5k on Saturday, April 27th and we would love for you and your family and friends to join us!! This is a great community event! Registration is LIVE! Register online at www.jaguar5k.com or on paper (registrations will be in your mailboxes this week).
We are also looking for volunteers, click HERE to sign up or email Bebe Kim at blkim@fcps.edu
Fairfax County Science and Engineering Fair Open House
Members of the general public are invited to attend the science fair open house at Robinson Secondary School on Sunday, March 17, 1-3 p.m.
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Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge
The Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge will be held on Saturday, March 2, at 10:45 a.m., at Hayfield Secondary School. The event features a public tasting of student dishes and demonstrations from two local celebrated chefs.
The student challenge at the heart of this event is to create healthy, delicious, and culturally diverse school menu items that meet USDA guidelines. Entries will be judged by a panel including celebrity chefs, school food professionals, and local food producers. The public is invited to vote for their favorite dish.
Chefs Najmieh Batmanglij and Chris Morgan of Joon will offer a demonstration at 11:15 a.m. Public tasting of student dishes will get underway at noon.
Student-created dishes from this annual event have been featured on school menus throughout the Greater Washington Region. It is free to attend, but registration is required.
Help Students Achieve Their Dreams. Teach for FCPS!
Save the date! Attend FCPS’ instructional job fair on Saturday, February 24, 9 a.m.-noon, at Lake Braddock Secondary School. Network and take advantage of interview opportunities with representatives from various FCPS schools. Employment offers may be extended during the fair. Register today.
Sign Up for FCPS Summer Camps and Learning Programs
Registration is now open for several summer camps and learning opportunities offered by Fairfax County Public Schools for all students.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) camps and Institute for the Arts camps will be held in July at Lake Braddock Secondary School from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bus transportation will be available from select FCPS middle and high schools.
CTE programs are available for grade 6-11 students to explore CTE program areas, develop skills, and begin career exploration. IFTA allows students to select from nearly 90 classes in art, dance, health and physical education 9, music, and theater. Visit the IFTA webpage to register.
Summer Learning
Programs are also available for high school students to fulfill the Economics and Personal Finance course requirement, earn a high school course credit via this summer’s online campus program, or recover one high school course credit through the Credit Recovery Academy.
FCPS’ free online class for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provides FCPS middle and high school English Learners the opportunity to continue developing their academic, reading, and writing skills in online discussions with an ESOL teacher.
Find session dates, registration links, and registration deadlines on FCPS summer programs.
Tutor.com Teacher-Referred Tutoring
Through Schoology®, all FCPS students have 24/7 access to no-cost, year-round, on-demand, 1-to-1 tutoring services through Tutor.com.
A new Teacher-Referred Tutoring program feature provides targeted support and extends student learning. Teachers can now refer students for tutoring, with their specific needs already identified. Students can get extra support — on their own schedule — and reinforce their in-class learning.
We strongly encourage all FCPS middle and high school students to click on the Tutor.com icon in their Schoology portal for homework help, concept review, writing support, and test prep—anytime, anywhere.
Plus, look for teachers’ tutoring session referrals on the Tutor.com homepage.
Here Comes the Bus
Want to know if your child's bus is on schedule or where the bus is? Here Comes the Bus® is an easy-to-use website and app that enables parents to see the location of their child’s school bus — almost in real time — on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.
Parents can track multiple buses if their children don’t all ride the same bus; know exactly when children arrive at school or the bus stop; and receive customized text and/or email notifications about bus locations, schedule changes, or delays.
To get started, download the app from the Apple iOS or Android app store. Check out the Here Comes the Bus and Frequently Asked Questions webpages for more information.
Already using the Here Comes the Bus app? Send your feedback to HCTB@fcps.edu.
Upcoming Webinars and Events for Families
The Family Resource Center offers free webinars for adults to support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities. The following events are currently scheduled for February:
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Functional Behavior Assessment/Behavior Intervention Plan (FBA/BIP) Essentials for Families Does your child have concerning behaviors at school? Did you know that there is a process to identify and support them? Learn about the FBA and BIP process and how it is used in FCPS to support any student who experiences behavioral challenges. This webinar is presented by staff from the Office of Special Education Instruction, Office of Intervention and Prevention Services, and Office of Special Education Procedural Support. Thursday, February 29, 6:30-7:30 p.m. or Friday, March 1, 10-11 a.m.
For more information and to register for the webinars, click on the linked titles above.
Student Bus Passes
Useful Links/Information
FCHS Bell Schedule
Schoology
SIS ParentVUE
FCPS 23-24 School Year Calendar
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FCPS Cares
Do you know a Falls Church
HS or FCPS employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way or goes
beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to
share with everyone.
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