Important Upcoming Events April 1 & 2 - No School for students - Staff Developmen April 10 - Student Holiday - Cultural/Religious  Observance April 18 - Virtual Parent Coffee - 9-10am

Message from Mr. Stokes Assistant Principals' Appreciation Week PTA Officers Recruitment SOL Testing Dates Summer Programs Other Schools Are Sharing

A Message From Principal Stokes

Hello Panthers,

We hope you enjoyed a great spring break.  Welcome to the 4^th quarter of the school year.  We return to an exciting and busy final nine weeks.  Students will engage in the final units of study, end of year projects, and assessments.  Track and field competitions, the spring musical, and music concerts are a few of the other events that we will experience.  Though a large portion of the year is behind us, it is important for our students to remember:  new quarter…new opportunities.  Every school day offers chances for students to learn new ideas and make new connections, whether with content or with classmates and teachers.  Teachers and counselors continue to stand ready to provide additional supports for students.  Thank you and we look forward to this special time.

Sincerely,

Gordon Stokes

Principal, Rachel Carson Middle School

 Assistant Principals' Appreciation Week

April 1-5

Wednesday, April 10, is an FCPS holiday and all schools and offices will be closed. 

 See the complete School Year Calendar

Virtual April Family Coffee: “Moving Up: The Transition to Middle and High School”

Please join us virtually to learn more about the transition to middle and high school at our next Family Coffee on April 18th from 9-10AM.  

RCMS school counselors will be presenting two separate virtual sessions.

For our high school session, we are excited to have a school counselor from South Lakes High School participate along with RCMS assistant principal, Kelly Cosgrove, a former high school administrator.  

Please click here to register for the high school session. 

8th Grade Service Learning hours

This is a reminder that all 8th grade students are required to have 15 service learning hours verified and approved in x2VOL by May 1st at 11:59 pm. Please remind your student to check that their hours have been verified by their sponsor in x2VOL by the May 1^st deadline. Students have been frequently reminded to check x2VOL and to see that their total hours are verified and correct. If a student needs a service experience, they can check the Schoology Service Learning folder under Carson Student Central.

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!

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.

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

Support the Oakton HS Bands by eating at MOD Pizza in Vienna ANY TIME on Wednesday, April 3. Mention "Oakton Band" OR order online through the MOD app or website, using Code: "MODGIVES25" and 25% of proceeds will go to the Band! We must sell 100 pizzas to earn proceeds!

Feel free to share the flyer and make sure to tell everyone to mention "Oakton Band" at MOD Pizza on April 3rd!

Click here to register for the Oakton Field Hockey Camp

Click here for more information about registration for the Oakton Junior Dance Team Camp.

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 
Web | Twitter

Join the RCMS PTA today!  

Click here