Important Upcoming Events March 20 - Parent Workshop March 21 - RCMS vs. Stone Basketball game at  Westfields High School March 25 - 29 Spring Break - No School- Office hours 8-12pm April 1 & 2 - No School for students - Staff Development

Message from Mr. Stokes PTA Officers Recruitment Family Engagement Survey RCMS Wellness Week/Spirit week SOL Testing Dates Summer Programs Other Schools Are Sharing

A Message From Principal Stokes

Greetings Panthers.  Join me in congratulating Mr. Powell – one of our assistant principals.  Mr. Powell earned the Region 1 Outstanding Leader Award.  This award is a wonderful testament to his hard work and impact on our learning environment.  Mr. Powell will be considered along with the five other outstanding leaders from the other regions within the county for the 2023-24 FCPS Outstanding Leader award within the FCPS Employee Awards program.  We wish him good luck.

I hope that everyone has a great spring break.  With the 3^rd quarter ending on Friday, this break offers a nice time to relax and reset before the final quarter of the year.  Enjoy the time away.  Students return to school on Wednesday, April 3^rd. 

Sincerely,

Gordon Stokes

Principal, Rachel Carson Middle School

Mr. Powell earned the Region 1 Outstanding Leader Award.

Pictured above with Region 1 Assistant Superintendent, Douglas Tyson

Monday, March 25, to Friday, March 29 is spring break. Schools will be closed. 

We wish our students and teachers, a happy and restful spring break. 

🗓️ Quarter End/Teacher Workday

Friday, March 22, is the end of the third quarter. Monday, April 1, and Tuesday, April 2, are school planning and teacher workdays, respectively. There will be no school for students on these days. See the school year calendar.

RCMS PTA   Now Accepting Nominations

Believe it or not, the Rachel Carson PTA is already planning for the 2024-2025 school year! Are you or is someone you know enthusiastic about supporting Rachel Carson and all of its students, teachers, and staff? We are soliciting nominations for several positions that will be open next year including:

• President
• Communications Secretary
• VP of Fundraising and Social Events
• Membership Chair
• Basketball Chair
• Multicultural Night Chair
• STEAM Night Chair

Current Board members will assist new members with the transition. Please email rcmspta.pres@gmail.com if you are interested, or know of someone who would make a great addition to our team!

✅ Take the Family Engagement Survey Today! 

If you haven’t already, please take FCPS’ Family Engagement Survey today! Survey results will help us to better recognize, understand, respect, and address family strengths and needs in our school community. Survey topics include:

• Welcoming environment
• Communication
• Student success
• Advocacy 
• Family and school partnerships
• Community partnerships

The survey is available in 10 languages. Please check your email for a message from FCPS partner, K12 Insight, with a link to the survey or access the survey now. Your voice matters!

From the PE Department

Human Growth and Development will be taught through PE classes the school week of March 18-22 through PE classes.  If your child has opted out of all or some of these lessons, they will be instructed by their PE teacher on their alternative assignments.  You may still choose to opt out your child of all or specific lessons. You may opt out through your ParentVue account in SIS or email a paper form to your child's PE teacher.

Opt out forms may be found here: https://www.fcps.edu/node/31710  Please email your child’s PE teacher if you have any questions.

SOL Testing Dates

All students will take the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests in May. Testing will begin first thing in the morning (at 7:30 am) to ensure students have adequate testing time before lunch. Please see the testing dates below to ensure your student attends school on the testing day.

With parent/guardian permission, student rapid retake SOLs will occur the week of May 28th. If you have any questions or concerns, please email David Dewett, Testing Coordinator at dmdewett@fcps.edu.

Carson school counselors have concluded one-on-one meetings with 7^th grade students to provide academic advising.  Please review your child’s course requests in SIS ParentVUE (directions below) or ask your child to show you their course requests in SIS StudentVUE. 

RCMS Wellness Week

We are excited to celebrate Carson’s annual Wellness Week Monday, March 18th through Friday, March 22nd.  Each day we will focus on wellness and learning different coping strategies to deal with stressful moments that occur when life presents us with changes, pressures, and challenges.  

We will have different activities throughout the week during lunchtime and a lesson on Coping Skills and Spheres of Control during Panther Time.  We are excited to have two therapy dogs named Gracie and Max visit our classrooms during Panther Time on Wednesday and to play songs throughout the week during class transitions related to the daily themes.  

Families can read more about Student Wellness Tips and Strategies linked here on the FCPS website.  The website includes quick tips to lift your mood and ways to bring balance into your life.

Lightspeed Classroom Management Tool

Our school will be using a new classroom management tool that will help teachers better connect with student devices during classes. The new tool will provide teachers with a number of helpful features:

• Easily view student screens in real time from the teacher console to see which students may need guidance or support.
• Focus student attention on a particular website on their device to minimize distractions.
• Pause student access to the internet to focus on other classroom tasks.

We believe this classroom management tool will allow us to maximize class time to support your student’s learning while at school. 

FCPS Summer Learning and Fun

Career and Technical Education

CTE Summer Academy (CSA) is a week-long enrichment program that allows students in grades 6-11 to dive deeper into CTE program areas, develop skills, and begin career exploration. Visit the CSA webpage to register.

Institute for the Arts Camps

IFTA is a two- or three-week summer enrichment program for students currently in grades 6-11. Students select from nearly 90 classes in art, dance, health and physical education 9 (graduation requirement), music, and theater. Visit the IFTA webpage to register. 

Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance

Summer is a great time for high school students to fulfill the Economics and Personal Finance course requirement. During the self-directed course, students work independently to complete the requirements. Students must register by Friday, May 24. For more information, see the Summer Learning information page.

Summer Online Campus

Take advantage of the opportunity to earn a high school course credit via this summer’s online campus program. Registration ends Friday, June 7. Math, health and physical education, career and technical education, English, science, social studies, and world language courses are available to eligible students.

Additional Summer Learning Opportunities

Please go to the following website Summer Learning information page to learn about these summer opportunities:

• Credit Recovery Academy/ Extended Learning
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
• Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance

VIP Camp: July 1 - August 1

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

Tutor.com - Online Tutoring Services 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

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. 

Watch this video with tips on understanding our school calendar and visit our Attendance webpage for additional information. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!

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:

• A completed  FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Physical Examination Form (PPE). The exam must be completed by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant. Please note that the form must be dated on or after May 1, 2023 for the 2023-2024 school year. 
• If the student turned in a physical form to participate in Fall Cross Country, you do not need a new physical or form,  however, please complete pages 1 and 4 only of the form above.
  
  
• A NEW completed MS Sports Participant Registration form, which also requires parents and athletes to review the FCPS Student-Athlete Athletic Health Education Program.
• Student-athletes in FCPS are required to be covered by medical insurance.  If your student is not covered by another plan, here is an  option to consider.
• Each student-athlete and a parent/guardian will complete a registration process that includes the state-mandated concussion education program and Emergency Care Card information before the student participates in middle school sports.  
• All of the above must be completed before athletes are eligible to practice or participate. 

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

Other Schools Are Sharing

Chantilly High School

Charge Ahead Freshman Orientation Registration & Payment links

Chantilly High School is offering three Freshman Orientation options.  The choices to attend a 1-Day session are either August 6, 7, or 8 from 9:00-1:00 PM.  Students will get a chance to get to know us, ease any anxiety, and learn how to navigate high school life here as a CHARGER.  It’s so fun and you don’t want to miss out!  The cost is $50 per student via MySchoolBucks which includes a Class of 2028 t-shirt, snacks, and a Chick-Fil-A Sandwich.  Registrations are on a first-come first-serve basis until July 28.  Register today to secure your spot.

Payment via students
www.myschoolbucks.com

ClickHERE for information about Chantilly HS Sports

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.

13618 McLearen Rd. Herndon, VA 20171 |  Main Phone: 703.925.3600
Attendance: 703.925.3636 or CarsonMS.Attendance@fcps.edu 
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