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In This Issue
Congratulations to our
Herndon Pyramid Winners!
We are delighted to congratulate Elizabeth Novelo for winning the Pyramid's recognition for Outstanding Operational Employee and Emily Ready for winning the Pyramid's Outstanding New Secondary Teacher award. Their achievements reflect our commitment to excellence, and we are confident they will shine at the regional level.
POG Student Awards
Congratulations to these well deserved students for receiving the Portrait of a Graduate Award!
Glory Days - Dining for Dollars
Glory Days is partnering with Herndon MS Theatre Boosters for a Dining for Dollars event tonight, Tuesday, February 27 from 5-10pm. PRINT the linked flyer and hand to your waiter to ensure that a % of your check goes back to HMS theatre students!
High School Musical Jr.
Tickets for the Herndon Middle School production of High School Musical Jr. go on sale on Thursday, February 29! You can purchase them on etix! Get them fast- last year we sold out and you don't want to miss this production!!
Try Online Registration
Parents may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process.
When registering, parents will create (or log in to an existing) SIS ParentVUE account. Please note that passwords should be more than 12 characters long. If you have an existing account and your password is shorter, please update it when you log in.
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.
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 from 1 to 3 p.m.
School Board Adopted Fiscal Year 2025 Advertised Budget
At last week’s regular business meeting, the School Board voted to adopt the Fiscal Year 2025 Advertised Budget.
The Advertised Budget is a needs-based budget that represents the funding needed to
support schools in the upcoming year. It focuses on educational excellence for each and every student and competitive compensation for our hard-working, dedicated, and results-driven staff.
The budget is closely aligned with FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan, which seeks a strong academic start for our youngest students and prepares our graduates for a thriving future. Nearly 86% of the budget is focused on instruction.
Learn more about the budget and stay up-to-date by following the budget development calendar.
Family Engagement Survey to Open March 3
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. Survey topics include:
- Welcoming environment
- Communication
- Student success
- Advocacy
- Family and school partnerships
- Community partnerships
The survey will be available in English, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Pashto, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Parents/caregivers 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.
Share Your Thoughts on Schoology
FCPS will be conducting voluntary, anonymous surveys on the use of Schoology from Monday, March 11, to Friday, March 22. Surveys will be delivered to:
- Elementary students (grades 3-6) through the Schoology App Center.
- Secondary students via email from Naviance.
Student feedback will inform the school division’s use of Schoology and help improve its processes, communication, and professional learning for staff. FCPS’ Instructional Services Department will also be reaching out to families through focus groups.
Please contact Schoology@fcps.edu if you have questions.
College Partnership Program Interest Meeting for 8th Grade Students
In CPP, students have the opportunity to visit colleges, explore careers, and attend a three-day summer college experience. For more information and to hear directly from high school students already in the program, join us on Monday, March 4th at 1:30 pm in the HMS cafeteria. Student sign-up sheets are available in the cafeteria and in the Resource Wing.
Contact your students counselor for more information.
Career and Technical Education Courses
Prepare Students for the Future
February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. Hear from students how CTE courses and Academies are helping them explore and prepare for careers while still in high school. One student has earned more than 20 industry certifications in two years!
Watch this video to learn more about opportunities in Fairfax County Public Schools’ CTE and Academy programs.
Ramadan Space for Students and Adults
We want to remind student and parents that we have designated a prayer space located in the main office for students who may need it during the school day. We understand the importance of providing a quiet and respectful environment for students to meet their personal or religious obligations or take a moment for personal reflection. Therefore, we have set up this space to accommodate those needs.
If your student has any questions, please have them reach out to their administrator.
Substance Abuse Prevention
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. Historical trauma is critical to understanding the progress and plight of African American mental health and wellbeing. During February, the contributions into the culture and history of the United States of America from African Americans are highlighted and celebrated.
Trauma prevention and intervention strategies are important. Creating a strategy of helpful coping skills to pull from prepares us to face difficult moments while increasing levels of resilience and feelings of wellbeing. 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.
Food For Neighbors
Make a Powerful, Lasting Impact: Sponsor a School
Join our "Spring Into Action" campaign and transform a teenager's life this Spring Break. In Northern Virginia, some teens worry about their next meal during this time, but by sponsoring a local middle or high school, you can change this.
With a $1,000 sponsorship, you can provide twenty $50 grocery gift cards to one of our partnering schools, becoming a beacon of hope for food-insecure teens. This is a chance to make a powerful, lasting impact. Your support for our Grocery Gift Card Program will serve as a lifeline to our most vulnerable students, enabling them to secure nutritious meals during their break.
Email Renee at renee@foodforneighbors.org to get started!
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Read Across America Day
Read Across America Day (observed on March 1) was established by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998 to help get kids excited about reading.
Learn more about Equitable Access to Literacy in this video.
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National School Social Work Week
March 3-9 is National School Social Work Week. Social workers in FCPS help to prevent social, emotional, and behavioral factors from affecting a student's ability to perform at their best. Their primary goal is to remove barriers that prevent a student from fulfilling their academic potential. Social workers are assigned to every school and center in the school system. Most social workers serve one to two sites. Learn more about the role of social workers in FCPS.
March 5 Presidential Primary
The Fairfax Board of Elections has requested that schools be closed on Tuesday, March 5, to accommodate the safe and efficient administration of the 2024 presidential primary election.
Therefore, March 5 will be a school holiday for students and a virtual School Planning Day. As outlined in Regulation 4421, School Planning Days are directed by school-based Administrators in order to devote time to school improvement efforts, including collaboration around data, common assessments, responsive instruction, etc.
Central offices and school offices will remain open. SACC will remain open, as on other professional work days.
Daylight Saving Begins (Spring Forward)
Sunday, March 10, at 2 a.m., daylight saving time begins. Don’t forget to move your clocks ahead one hour!
As a result of the time change, many students will be walking to school or to bus stops in the dark. Help your child stay safe by having them wear reflective clothing and bright or light colors, or add reflective items to their backpacks or clothes. Also, encourage your child to be especially alert for cars that are turning or backing up and not to run into the street or cross between parked cars.
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Ramadan
This year, the first full day of Ramadan is Monday, March 11. Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year, a time for spiritual discipline for Muslims, who believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Quran to Mohammed.
Read more about Ramadan in National Geographic Kids.
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March
- National Women's History Month
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3-9 | National School Social Work Week
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5 | Student Holiday
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10 | Daylight Saving Begins
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22 | 3rd Quarter Ends
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25-29 | Spring Break
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29 | Good Friday
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FCPS Cares
The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story, so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.
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