Annandale Community Insider - March 3

Annandale Students, Families, and Community:

This is our annual Inclusion Revolution Week! During this time, our vision that “we find strength in diversity and foster belonging” is on full display. 

We will begin the week with our monthly W4 Activities Day. As you know, W4 Activities Days are additional opportunities for students to deepen their sense of connection and belonging to Atom Nation. On this day, you can find students playing soccer or volleyball, dancing, painting, making friendship bracelets, trying new instruments, completing club-related tasks, and more. I am so proud we are one of the few high schools that manage the planning and logistics for this monthly event. A big thank you to our Assistant Director of Student Activities, Bryan Harris, and our teachers and staff for supporting this day!

Tuesday is election day, and a student holiday. When we return on Wednesday, we will hold our annual FanQuest pep rally. FanQuest is an event that promotes inclusion and respect for students with disabilities. During W4, students will attend a Pep Rally where they will cheer on our Special Olympics basketball team as they showcase their skills in a game against the Justice Wolves. This is a unique opportunity for our Special Olympics athletes to experience a real game day atmosphere in front of their peers. Check out this video from last year’s FanQuest event. 

Over the past few weeks, our Special Olympics team has been fundraising through the “Pie the Admin” contest. During lunch, students and staff have had the opportunity to donate to our Special Olympics program, voting for the administrator they would like to see get “pied.” The pep rally will culminate with a pie in the face of the “winning” administrator (and for some reason, I seem to be in the lead...again!)

Finally, we will end the week with our annual Just World Festival and Heritage Night. These events make up one of the best evenings of the year. The theme for this year’s Just World Festival is "Solidarity in Community,” and strives to educate the community about global and environmental issues, fair trade, human rights, equality, and most importantly, social action. Directly after the Just World festival, students will showcase their cultural heritage at the Heritage Night performance in an incredible celebration of our diversity. This event has been very popular in the past, so we highly recommend pre-purchasing your tickets today to reserve your seats! No tickets will be sold at the door.

Have a great week, Atom Nation! As always, reach out with any questions.

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Important Dates

Now through March 8 - Heritage Night Tickets on Sale

March 4-8 - Inclusion Revolution Week

March 4 - W4 Activities Day

March 4 - Atoms Booster Club Meeting, 6pm

March 5 - School Planning Day (No School)

March 6 - FanQuest Pep Rally

March 6 & 8 - IB Junior Extended Essay Library Day

March 8 - Just World Festival & Heritage Night

March 11 - Ramadan Begins

March 12 - SEL Screener

March 12 - PRIDE TIme 4.0 Begins

March 12 - ASAP 3.0 Begins

March 12 - PTSA Meeting, 7pm

March 13 - Partners for Safe Teen Driving

March 20-22 - Performing Arts Spring Trip

March 22 - End of Quarter 3

March 25-29 - Spring Break

April 1 - Teacher Work Day (No School)

April 2 - School Planning Day (No School)

April 10 - Eid Al Fitr Holiday (No School)

Academic Support

Sign up for a writing conference with the AWC: 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. 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. Contact Mrs. Crowley with any questions.

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.

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.

Awesome Atoms

Saul Soriano selected for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program: The Annandale Community is proud of Saul Soriano for being accepted to Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX). Saul is one of 50 students selected across the United States who will receive a full scholarship to spend a year studying in Germany. Students are selected based on academic merit, strong communication skills, and the ability to represent the U.S. with distinction. Saul is an active member in our AHS school community. He is an AHS student ambassador for the Center for International Education and Exchange and will be performing with the Hispanic Student Union for Heritage Night. Congratulations, Saul!

World Languages Students & Culinary Arts Classes Collaborate with Delicious Results: Students in Arabic class learned to prepare traditional dishes as they worked along side students in Culinary Arts in the kitchen. What a delicious opportunity to learn from and with each other!

AHS Celebrates ESOL Honor Roll Students: The ESOL department recognized over 50 students for making the ESOL honor roll with all As and Bs. This is an honor for students who demonstrate academic excellence while learning both English and academic subjects at the same time. This is challenging but they showed perseverance, determination, and dedication to their education. During the ceremony, we celebrated their hard work and impressive academic achievements.

Important Information

Boundary Study Update: The Fairfax County School Board is considering boundary study scope recommendations to address capacity challenges at Glasgow Middle School. The following schools are included in the recommended boundary scope presented to the School Board February 22:

• Glasgow Middle School and AAP Center
• Holmes Middle School
• Poe Middle School
• Frost Middle School AAP Center
• Belvedere Elementary School AAP Center
• Canterbury Woods Elementary School AAP Center

The boundary scope is currently under review by the School Board.  Next steps and updates on the process will be shared via email and on the  Glasgow Middle School Capacity Challenges webpage. Two community meetings scheduled for March 6 and March 13 have been postponed to allow for additional scoping and School Board review.

March 3 - Family Engagement Survey Opens: FCPS is partnering with independent research firm K12 Insight to administer a Family Engagement Survey, which will be open from Sunday, March 3, to Friday, March 22. Your feedback is critical in helping FCPS to better recognize, understand, respect, and address family strengths and needs throughout the district. Parents will receive the survey link via email from K12 Insight. A public link will also be posted on FCPS’ website. Paper surveys will be available in our front office. Please stay tuned for more information.

Opportunities

Now Open! Summer Camps Pre-Registration: Annandale Summer Camps are now accepting pre-registration. Summer Youth Sports Camps are held at Annandale High School and run 8:30am-3:00pm. The cost is $120. Sign up before March 1 and receive the $100 early bird rate. Multi Sport Camp: June 17,18, 20, 21 (No camp on June 19), Olympics Camp: June 24-27 (No camp Friday). Pre-Register Here!

March 9 - Fairfax County Teen Job Fair: Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs and Career-Building Workshops will be held from 11:00am to 1:00pm on Saturday, March 9, at West Springfield High School. Student registration is free and open to all teens in Fairfax County seeking employment, volunteer opportunities, or tips on building their resume. Business registration is also free and open to any organization providing positions for students.

Now through March 4 - High School Academy Open Houses: FCPS high school academies will hold open houses for interested students through March 4. 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.

Now through March 15 - Personal Yearbook Ads for Sale: Celebrate your Class of 2024 Senior or underclassman with a Personal Ad in the 2024 Yearbook! Design a Personal Ad and purchase the 2024 Yearbook here: http://tinyurl.com/AHSybk2024

March 22 - Applications for Student Representative to the School Board Due: Each year, FCPS students have the opportunity to apply for the position of the student representative to the School Board. The student representative is not a member of the School Board but serves in a nonvoting, advisory capacity, representing the interests of the students of Fairfax County Public Schools. Students who are currently in grades 9, 10, and 11 are eligible to apply, and they do not need to be current members of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (SAC). Find out more and apply here.

College Admission & Financial Aid

March 19 - NOVA Virtual Sessions for Seniors and Their Families: Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is offering virtual information and application sessions. Information sessions will provide an overview of NOVA and the opportunities, services, and resources designed to connect high school seniors to the NOVA Nighthawk Community. An information session will be held Tuesday, March 19, at 4:30pm and a virtual application workshop will be held Tuesday, April 30, at 7:00pm. Sessions are open to all FCPS seniors and their families. For questions, email admissions@nvcc.edu or call 703-323-3000.

FAFSA Info for Class of 2024: The Federal Student Aid FAFSA form is now available (soft launch is working out glitches, so be patient with the website). The application is free and is the largest source of aid to help pay for college or career/trade school. Even if you don't think your family would qualify for financial assistance, you would still want to complete the application because some states and colleges use information from the FAFSA form to determine student eligibility for their grants, scholarships, and loans. If you need assistance, please contact Mr. Yeagley in our College and Career Center or your student’s counselor.

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 March 10, the Transcript Request Form is due on February 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.

March 4 - Atoms Booster Club Meeting, 6pm: Join us on Monday, March 4 in-person at Annandale High School in the Driver’s Education Room. The meeting will begin at 6pm. All members of the Atoms Booster Club are invited to attend to hear the latest updates on our Winter sports activities and support plans.

Booster Membership Fee Reduced! The cost of Booster Memberships is now 50% less! The new low price will be Adults $30 and Students $15 (including Elementary, Middle, and High School Students). The Booster pass allows Free Admission to all regular season Freshman, JV, and Varsity games. This price drop will include the last 3 games of the basketball season and include ALL Spring season sports: Baseball, Soccer, and Lacrosse. Check Atoms Athletics schedules and buy your Booster Pass here.

This Week: 

Monday, March 4

Boys Soccer vs West Potomac - 5:45/7:15pm (Scrimmage)

Girls Soccer @ West Potomac - 5:45/7:15pm (Scrimmage)

Varsity Baseball/Softball @ Osbourn - 6:00pm (Scrimmage)

Girls Tennis @ Wakefield - 4:00pm (Scrimmage)

Tuesday, March 5

Varsity Baseball vs Wakefield - 6:00pm

Varsity Softball vs Wakefield - 6:00pm

Varsity Boys Lacrosse vs Rock Ridge - 6:30pm

Girls Tennis vs West Potomac - 4:00pm

JV Baseball @ Wakefield - 6:00pm

JV Softball @ Wakefield - 6:00pm

Girls Lacrosse @ Park View - 6:00pm

Boys Tennis @ West Potomac - 4:00pm

Wednesday, March 6

Girls Lacrosse vs Independence - 5:30/6:45pm

Thursday, March 7

Boys Tennis vs Wakefield - 4:00pm

JV Baseball vs Fairfax Trinity Christian - 6:00pm

Chorus Pre-Assessment Concert - Auditorium - 7:00pm 

Friday, March 8

Heritage Night - Auditorium - 7:00pm

News from the PTSA

Upcoming Events - Mark your calendars! 
April 6 - Annual Mulch Sale
April 14-21 - Silent Auction 
May 4 - Flea Market
June 4 - All Night Grad

PTSA Nominating Committee: Each year the PTSA forms a committee to identify people interested in serving as PTSA officers. The Nominating Committee advertises the opportunities available and explains how to
apply, receives nominations and identifies potential candidates, and presents a slate of nominees at the April PTSA general membership meeting. Contact Angela Torres at atoms.ahs.president@gmail.com for more information or to sign up.

Volunteers Wanted - AHS Pantry: The AHS Pantry needs your help! Each month, the Annandale Pantry distributes bags of food to Annandale families in need. Distribution dates are primarily on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 3:30-5:00pm. Please consider volunteering to assist in a distribution. Volunteers can sign up here.

AHS Pantry Distribution Every Second Wednesday: We offer bi-monthly family distributions as well as twice weekly student distributions and emergency needs and gift cards for emergency situations that are tracked and distributed with our AHS clinical staff. We have partnerships with Food for Others and Fairfax Diaper as well as other Community businesses, neighborhoods, girl scout troops and churches.