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To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website.
Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.
如果您想以其他语言阅读此新闻时讯，请访问我们的网站。
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 Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@OaktonHS), and Instagram @oaktonhs ! Be sure to check out our Oakton Accolades section on our website as we celebrate student achievement!
Important Dates
You can access the FCPS 2023-2024 school year calendar here.
April 22 - Evening Religious and Cultural Observance, First Evening of Passover
April 23-Evening Religious and Cultural Observance, Second Evening of Passover
April 24 - Religious and Cultural Observance Day, Theravada New Year; HBCU Fair
April 30 - Senior Parent Coffee - 9am (Virtual); Junior College Planning - Parent Night (Virtual)
May 2 - Opening Night of Pippin (see poster below for all show times)
May 3 - Student Holiday, Teacher Workday
May 4 - Pippin (2pm; 7pm)
May 9 - Oakton Pyramid Art Show
  General Information
AP Proctor Parent Volunteers Needed
We are looking for parent volunteers to help with AP test proctoring! Oakton High School students will take over 3,700 AP exams over two weeks in May, and parent support will help administer them smoothly. AP Exams are the weeks of May 6 and May 13.
If you are able to give your time, we ask that you sign up online. You may proctor any exam as long as you don’t have an immediate family member taking that exam and you are not or have never been a teacher or professor in that subject.
We will make sure that those who have signed up to proctor get information prior to proctoring so you know more specific information. In short, proctors will help students find seating, help lead proctors count exams, and monitor the students as they test. In each room there will be at least one lead proctor managing the room and letting other proctors know their responsibilities.
Email AP Coordinator Kim Stewart (kastewart@fcps.edu) with any questions. Thank you for your help!
HBCU Fair - April 24
Oakton High School will be hosting its first HBCU (Historical Black College & University) Fair on Wednesday, April 24th during return periods in Oakton Hall. The event will be open to all students (9th – 12th grade). We will have representatives from a variety of schools, please see the full list below. The event is going to allow our students to connect with colleges and learn more about their higher education opportunities and admissions processes. Students will be able to sign up for this event via a google form with their confirmation email serving as their pass to the event.
- Hampton University
- Clark Atlanta University
- North Carolina A&T
- Alabama A&M
- North Carolina Central University
- Livingstone College
- Edward Waters University
- Mississippi Valley University
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- Bowie State University
- Norfolk State University
- Morgan State University
- Fort Valley State University
- Tuskegee University
Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS): Parent Program
Oakton High School is partnering with our Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, Mr. McNulty, and the Fairfax County Police Department to bring back the Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS) parent program for the second time this school year.
Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS) is FREE and has seats available!
Join us Thursday, May 30th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Oakton High School (Lecture Hall). Please use Door 2 to enter.
Register here: https://bit.ly/hipsohs05302024
The Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS) program is an IN-PERSON interactive program for adults to be educated about the signs of risky behavior in teens and young adults. It touches on drug and alcohol use, mental health concerns, eating disorders, risky sexual behaviors and more.
The PowerPoint presentation details red flags (props will be passed around) and how they are indicative of — or used in — risky behavior. We include up to date statistics and local trends, and law enforcement officers will share their experiences they have had in our community identifying risky behavior and helping to put kids on the right path to a healthy life. Let’s open the door to communicating with our teens!
Partners for Safe Teen Driving Presentation
All students enrolled in Classroom Driver Education during the 2023-2024 school year must attend an in-person Partners for Safe Teen Driving (PSTD). The presentation is connected to successful classroom instruction and must be completed to receive a DEC-District 8 card (pink card). The parent-teen traffic safety presentation (PSTD) will be offered multiple times during the school year at Oakton. Students and their parents/guardians should plan to attend the presentation at Oakton at your earliest convenience.
All PSTDs begin promptly. Late admission will not be allowed.
2023-2024 Dates:
- Wednesday, January 31, 6:30pm in the Auditorium (Rescheduled from January 16 Snow Day)
- Tuesday, March 19, 6:30pm in the Auditorium
- Wednesday, May 29, 6:30pm in the Auditorium
These sessions are intended for Sophomores. Juniors and Seniors can attend a session through Adult and Community Education.
PSTD nights are not available to freshmen.
Yearbook Sales
Yearbooks and senior baby ads for the 2023-2024 school year are now on sale! You can purchase yearbook packages at www.yearbookordercenter.com using the code 4770. Standalone yearbooks are also available via MySchoolBucks. Prices start at $67 and will increase throughout the year, so buy early to save.
Don’t wait – the last two years sold out. Please note that senior baby ads are sold out at this time. Questions? Email jsmorrison@fcps.edu
Make School Attendance a Priority
Did you know?
- Chronic absenteeism (missing 18 or more school days per year) is a primary cause of lower academic achievement even when the absences are "excused" or understandable.
- Students who attend 90% or more of the school year are more likely to graduate from high school on time.
Oakton Attendance Report Cards
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Check Your Child’s Attendance Parents can log into the Student Information System (SIS) Parent Account
- Third quarter attendance report cards were emailed the first week of April.
- Please reach out to your student’s administrator if you have questions.
 Student Services Updates
Student Services Newsletter
Happy Spring Cougars! Take a look at April’s newsletter to learn more about Student Services upcoming events including College and Post-Secondary Planning Events for Juniors as well as College and Career Center updates. There are also several events outside of Oakton to explore including the Northern Virginia Regional College Fair on April 10, NOVA’s Vision, E-Summer, Jumpstart Programs, and Coursera’s Career Academy.
Junior College Planning - Parent Night (Virtual)
Junior Parents and Guardians, please join us on Tuesday, April 30th from 6:00-7:30pm for Junior College Planning - Parent Night. Counselors will be sharing information about the college planning and search process. This will be a virtual webinar, and a link will be emailed to all Junior families a day before the webinar. We hope you are able to join us, but if not, the session will be recorded and posted on the OHS website.
Course Registration 2024-2025
Course selections are now locked as we begin building our master schedule for next school year. If you have any questions, please reach out to the appropriate school counselor. In June, we will begin taking schedule change requests for a set period of time. At that time, changes will only be approved based on space availability and finalized course offerings.
Testing Updates
AP Test Preparation for Students and Parents
The May AP Testing window for Oakton High School begins May 6th-17th. To help prepare students and parents for AP Exams we want to remind everyone where they can find important details and information. Please find the below links helpful with any questions you might have. As always if you need support or have concerns, please contact the AP Testing Coordinator Kimberly Stewart kastewart@fcps.edu.
Oakton High School AP Testing – information regarding our testing calendar and FAQ can be found HERE
AP College Board Account Help – log in assistance and other support can be found HERE. *Oakton staff and administration can not access any student account with College Board to resolve issues*
AP Digital Exams – Oakton will administer six AP Exams digitally this year. Information for students who are testing digitally must have the Bluebook App on their school issued Chromebook. Directions can be found HERE
Digital Exams at Oakton High School 2024
- AP Computer Science Principles
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP English Literature and Composition
- AP European History
- AP Seminar
- AP U.S. History
- AP World History: Modern
Make sure your student knows about all the free resources in AP Classroom they can use to review material, check their understanding, and get quick feedback on their areas of strength and where they need more practice. On April 22, College Board will be releasing a brand-new batch of AP Daily: Practice Sessions. These videos are focused on practicing free-response and multiple-choice questions for the AP courses that offer them. Last year’s videos are still available too. New video recordings for each course will be released on April 22. All videos will be posted on YouTube and in AP Classroom and can be watched on demand at any time.
Service Learning
Senior Service Learning Hours and X2VOL
The last day for Seniors to submit Service Learning hours to X2Vol for approval was April 19th at 3pm. All Seniors must have submitted any hours prior to this date if they wish to have them approved for graduation awards and recognition. Please see the information provided below regarding graduation awards and recognition tied to Service Learning in FCPS. If you have any questions please reach out to Kimberly Stewart, our Service Learning Liaison, with your questions kastewart@fcps.edu. This date is for Seniors ONLY. All other underclass students may continue to submit Service Learning hours in X2VOL. Oakton High School Service Learning information can be found HERE.
Service-Learning for Graduates
Service Learning Hours Cord: 40 hours
This is separate from government. Students can use the hours that they used for government, but they will need a total of 40 hours from the past 4 years in order to earn a service cord at graduation.
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Note to Underclassmen: Hours/Reflections will be recorded by the student on x2VOL website.
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Note to current Seniors: You will not get the actual cord until graduation rehearsal.
Civics Seal Application: 50 hours
This is an application approved by the state of VA, and requires 50 hours of service, as well as a B average in History/Government. It will allow students to be eligible to receive a civics seal on their diploma.
- Please talk to your Social Studies teacher for more information.
Volunteer Fairfax
Volunteer Fairfax is a resource that can be used to find out about service-learning opportunities in the community. Service learning is a great way for students and families to engage with local nonprofits and volunteer. More information about Volunteer opportunities on this day can be found on Volunteer Fairfax’s website.
Disclaimer: Opportunities offered by organizations other than Fairfax County Public Schools are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, or a specific school. These opportunities may utilize technology tools that have not been assessed by the Fairfax County Public Schools Department of Information Technology. Students should gain permission from their parent or guardian before engaging in any non-FCPS enrichment opportunity and families should review the Terms of Service, User Agreements, and Privacy Policy for any technology platform that the enrichment opportunity may use before participating.
Class of 2024 Information
Senior Parent Coffee - April 30 (Virtual)
On Tuesday, April 30 at 9:00am we will host a parent coffee to review all of our end of year activities and graduation. We will present some information and then open it up for questions.
Senior Letter
An updated senior letter was emailed out on January 26. That information has also been uploaded to the Oakton website and can be found here. This letter includes many updates from the September senior letter. It also provides more information on how to pay senior dues and order a Class of 2024 t-shirt.
Health and Wellness Updates
2023-2024 Health & Safety Guidance for Schools
Be sure to review FCPS Health and Safety Guidance for the best ways to prevent the spread of disease and to find out when students should stay home from school.
Emergency Resources
Crisis Link Regional Hotline 703-527-4077
Crisis Text Text NEEDHELP to 85511
Dominion Hospital Emergency 703-536-2000
INOVA Emergency 703-289-7560
Merrifield Center Emergency 703-573-5979 TTY dial 711
Life Threatening 911
Safety and Security Updates
Safety Drills
Below is a list of safety drills that we will be practicing this school year.
- Fire Evacuation Drills - Two within the first twenty school days, then one per month
- Lockdown Drills - Two per school year; one in the first twenty days of school (Completed for the 2023-2024 School Year)
- Bus Evacuation Drills - Two per school year; to be held within the first thirty school days of each semester (Completed for the 2023-2024 School Year)
- Tornado Drill - One in the month of March. (Completed for the 2023-2024 School Year)
Anonymous Tip Line Puts Safety First
If you or your child have concerns or information relating to feeling unsafe in any way at school, we encourage you to reach out to a member of the security or administrative team so that we may quickly address the issue. Students and parents may also utilize the FCPS Office of Safety and Security safety tip line, that you can access anonymously online, by text (888-777; Keyword TIP FCPS), or by phone (571-423-2020).
If your tip is an emergency and immediate assistance is necessary, please dial 911.
Students, staff, and community members should report school safety issues such as threats, unsafe or dangerous situations, illegal drug activity, theft, gang activity, the existence of weapons, vandalism, and concerns about student wellness. Tip line users may identify themselves or remain anonymous.
Concerns that do not impact the safety of our schools—concerns or information about programs, regulations, or policies—can be sent to the FCPS ombudsman online, at 571-423-4014, or ombudsman@fcps.edu.
FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- Spring Assessments
- Family Conference
- Community Forums on Middle School Start Times
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
⏰ Community Forums on Middle School Start Times
Fairfax County Public Schools is exploring options for adjusting middle school start times and invites the public to be part of the process. Prismatic Services, Inc., an educational consulting firm, will lead the forums. All forums will deliver the same presentation and provide the same feedback opportunities. Please attend the event that works best for your schedule:
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Monday, April 29, 6-8 p.m., at Glasgow Middle School.
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Monday, May 6, 6-8 p.m., at Whitman Middle School.
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Monday, May 20, 6-8 p.m., at Hughes Middle School.
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Wednesday, May 22, 6-8 p.m., at Frost Middle School.
A virtual forum will be held on Monday, May 13, 6:30-8 p.m. That registration link will be available soon.
While registration is not required, it does help with planning. Language interpretation and childcare will be provided. Learn more about the project exploring middle school start times.
🗳️ Nominations Open for the Bussey Memorial Equity Award
The Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee (MSAOC) sponsors the Dr. Lawrence Bussey Memorial Equity Award to honor the legacy of Dr. Bussey, a founding member of the MSAOC and a longtime advocate for students and families. Read more about Dr. Bussey.
This award recognizes staff 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 can nominate an individual or group for the award. All nomination materials must be submitted by Wednesday, May 1. The winner will be recognized at the FCPS Equity Symposium on Tuesday, June 18.
Full details and the nomination information form 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.
PTSA Updates
A BIG 'THANK YOU!' dear parents for your donations for the Teachers Breakfast! It was a resounding success, and you made their day!
The PTSA is on Instagram, Yay!. Follow ‘oaktonhs_ptsa’ to keep abreast of what's happening at the PTSA.
The Teachers Appreciation Lunch fundraiser is on. Let's celebrate our teachers and their efforts. Click here to donate towards the event.
Want to be part of PTSA? Email at oaktonhsptsa@gmail.com. We need more hands!
All Night Grad Party Updates!!
All information below can be found at bit.ly/ohs2024angp
TICKETS: Buy your All Night Grad Party ticket before prices increase. FREE PRIZES given to the 1st 100 ticket purchasers (prizes handed out at the ANGP check in).
In addition to these free door prizes, we have lots of other fun prizes to be raffled off to the graduates, ranging from gift cards to sports gear to TVs and more. You don’t want to miss out!!!
MUGS: We have a very limited supply of Simple Modern Cougar Treks available. These make great gifts for your graduating Cougars, teacher appreciation, or to thank your student’s counselor.
SENIOR SIGNS: We have a very limited supply of senior signs available. Celebrate your student and all their hard work with a “Class of 2024” senior sign.
VOLUNTEER: Want a preview of how the all night grad party celebrates your student’s accomplishments? Volunteer to work at the party and enjoy watching the graduates celebrate.
DONATE: Please consider donating snacks to keep our graduates nourished and hydrated throughout the ANGP, and prizes for our graduates to win!! Monetary donations to help cover ANGP costs are also welcome and greatly appreciated!!!
 Oakton Pantry
Thank you to everyone who has continued to so generously support the Pantry with donations. Many of you have asked if there are particular items that we are in need of at this time. Here are some items that are hard for us to keep in stock: family-size boxes of cereal, shelf-stable milk, cooking oil, 1 or 2 lb bags of rice, dried beans, granola bars. Donations can be dropped off in the front office any time during school hours.
Thank you!
General Information
The Oakton Pantry is available to any Oakton student or neighbor who is in need. We stock non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, and household supplies.
For assistance: ohsfood@gmail.com
Volunteer/Questions: oaktonpantry@gmail.com
Donate via PayPal
Most needed items: website
Amazon Wish List
 Parent Resources
Parent Information Line
Parents who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese can call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS and to receive support if they are having difficulty communicating with their children's schools due to a language barrier.
Parent Resource Center
The FCPS Parent Resource Center offers a wide variety of information and resources to support the success of all students. This includes monthly workshops and webinars. More information can be found on the FCPS website, including registration information.
FCPS Cares
Do you know an Oakton High School or FCPS employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone.
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