Passover and Half-O Days
Many Jewish communities in the United States celebrate Passover, a recognition of the deliverance of Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Passover is also known as Pesah, Pesach, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Many Jewish families in the United States eat a ceremonial meal known as the Seder, which involves telling the story of the exodus from Egypt as well as eating various symbolic foods, such as meat of the paschal lamb and bitter herbs, recalling the harsh life of slavery. Learn more about Passover in NatGeo Kids.
Monday, April 22, and Tuesday, April 23, are designated half-O days in recognition of the first two days of Passover. Half-O days are full school days, but important events will not be held after school on those days. See the complete school year calendar.
Theravada New Year (O day)-April 24
New Year’s good wishes to our Theravada Buddhist community! Theravada means “the teachings of the elders.” New years celebrations include a water festival in which participants bathe Buddha images and pay respect to their elders. #OurFCPS
Summer Arts Camp
Don’t miss out on this summer’s most exciting arts enrichment program! At Elementary Institute for the Arts (E-IFTA), students take art, music, theater, and dance classes daily. E-IFTA is for current second through fifth grade students. Learn more on the E-IFTA webpage. Email EIFTA@fcps.edu with any questions.
Nominate Someone Today for the
Bussey Memorial Equity Award
Do you know of an outstanding person or group that has worked for equity in an FCPS school? There’s still time to nominate a candidate for the 2024 Dr. Lawrence Bussey Memorial Equity Award.
This award recognizes staff, students, or community members who have demonstrated significant and impactful efforts to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of students from groups who are marginalized or underserved.
Any FCPS employee, student, or community member may nominate an individual or group for the award. All nomination materials must be submitted by Wednesday, May 1. Full details are available on the Dr. Lawrence Bussey Memorial Equity Award webpage.
Social and Emotional Learning Screener
Results Coming Soon
FCPS students in grades 3-12 took the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener during March, providing updated information on skills such as achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions. The SEL Screener also helps students evaluate their school community’s efforts to make them feel valued, included, and supported.
In late April, individual student SEL Screener results will be available for families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
Get more information about the screener on the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage. For support in understanding your individual student’s results or ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or contact your student’s counselor.
Mental Health in Childhood
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with children’s physical and mental health. Mental health disorders such as ADHD and anxiety are the most commonly diagnosed in children, which commonly occurs together. Anxiety are feelings of worry, apprehension or dread that something bad is going to happen. Children diagnosed with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors, or be overly active. Early diagnosis and appropriate services for children and their families can make a difference in the lives of children with mental health disorders.
Anxiety related triggers are lonely and frightening emotional responses related to situations, persons, places or objects. Today’s sources of stress for our students include: increased coursework and graduation requirements, extracurricular activities, household responsibilities, and social media. Social media has been a great way to increase connection and communication, but for our young people it contributes to shorter attention spans and information overload. Signs of anxiety include appearing worried, irritable or nervous, restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, along with physical symptoms such as sleeping problems, headaches, and stomach aches. It is understandable for a parent to be worried because figuring out what to do is hard. Here are five simple ways to respond to your child or teenager with anxiety:
- Recognize warning signs.
- Guide your child to take a few deep breaths to slow things down.
- Make sure your child understands you are available if they need to talk.
- Acknowledge your child’s feelings and avoid downplaying situations or issues.
- Help them come up with ways to deal with the situation next time.
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: 571.423.4270.
Sources & Resources
The Anxiety Toolkit for Teens
Talk, They Hear You
Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences
For Further Information & Support:
Beth Mohaupt, NCC, LPC, CIMHP
Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist
For MV pyramid schools
ejmohaupt@fcps.edu
Give Your Feedback on the Budget
We are now in the middle of the annual budget process, which includes opportunities for you to give feedback:
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Tuesday, April 16, through Thursday, April 18: The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors conducts public hearings on the county budget. Sign up to speak.
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Tuesday, May 7: The County Board of Supervisors adopts its budget, tax rates, and transfer amount to FCPS.
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Tuesday, May 14: The School Board holds a public hearing on the FCPS budget.
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Thursday, May 23: The School Board adopts FCPS’ approved budget.
Learn more about the FCPS FY 2025 Advertised Budget and see the full Budget Development Calendar.
School Health Services Satisfaction Survey
The Fairfax County Health Department and FCPS School Health Services invite parents/caregivers to participate in a survey on the level of satisfaction with support provided to your school community by School Health Services. The survey takes about five minutes to complete and is open until Friday, April 26. Your feedback can help to improve school health services.
May 3- School Holiday/Professional Workday
May 27- Memorial Day
June 12- Last day of school for students
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