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Important Upcoming Events
- October 9 - Principal Coffees
- October 10- PTA General Meeting
- October 14 - Indigenous Peoples' Day/Staff Development Day- No School
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A Message From The Principal
I'm excited to kick off the school year with our first Principal’s Coffee. I look forward to meeting many of you there on Wednesday, October 9th at 8am in the cafeteria. Additionally, please mark your calendars for the PTA meeting on Thursday, October 10th at 6 PM in the cafeteria. The PTA will discuss important topics and we will have a Principal Meet & Greet as well. See you there!
Sincerely,
Tony Washington
Principal
Indigenous Peoples' Day
 Indigenous Peoples' Day honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of Native peoples, past and present. Monday, October 14, is a student holiday and staff development day. See the complete school year calendar.
Principal Coffees!
We are excited to kick off our Principal Coffee season for the 2024-2025 school year! Principal Washington will host a series of coffees to share information about Carson programs, to provide information on designated topics, and to allow caregivers to ask questions and to provide feedback. Coffees will be held during the school day both in person at Carson and/or virtually once a quarter. Presentation slides will be posted on our website and shared in our Carson Weekly News for caregivers who are unable to attend.
Join us to learn more about the Virginia Literacy Act from our Reading Specialist, Allison Crutcher and hear more about FCPS Strategic Plan for Algebra 1, during the first Principal’s Coffee on October 9th from 8-9AM in our cafeteria. If you have ideas for future topics that you would like to learn more about, please complete this form.
Principal Washington looks forward to connecting with families throughout the year during the coffees. Also, please join him for a Meet and Greet on October 10th at 6PM at the October PTA General Membership Meeting.
RCMS Family Liaison
If you have questions about navigating the school, learning about FCPS resources, or getting your student setup for success, our Family Liaison can help. If you need to contact our parent liaison, Drina Teran, please call 703-925-3603 and leave a message with your name, your student's name, and phone number. You may also contact her via email, Drina Teran at drteranalfar@fcps.edu
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Volunteers Needed!
Carson Middle will conduct the annual Hearing & Vision screenings for students on Thursday, October 24, and Friday, October 25.
If you can sign up as a volunteer, please click the link below.
Hearing and Vision Health Room Volunteers
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Parent Teen Book Club: You’re Invited!
Greetings Carson Families,
Are you looking for a way to connect with your teen? Would you like to get involved in the Carson community? Do you love to read? If you answered “YES” to any of the questions, please consider signing up to participate in Carson’s first Parent Teen Book Club!
The Carson Library is thrilled to announce our first Parent Teen Book Club on November 14, 2024 from 7-8:30pm, and we would love to see you there! After choosing one of the five book options, you and your child will be loaned a copy of the book to read. Then, on November 14, we will come together to talk about the book selection and have some light refreshments.
This fall, the theme is Virginia Readers’ Choice Books, and all book choices are texts that are part of our state and school’s just-for-fun reading program. CLICK HERE to learn more and to read about the book choices. Ready to sign up for a fun evening of literary conversations with your middle schooler, fill out the sign up form HERE!
Please reach out to librarians, Ellen Bickford (elbickford@fcps.edu) or Elizabeth Donovan (emdonovan1@fcps.edu) with any questions.
Thank you!
Ellen Bickford
Librarian @ Carson MS.
Student Services Updates
It is hard to believe but we are already at the halfway mark of the first nine weeks of school. Please continue to monitor your child’s attendance and academic success at Rachel Carson.
Please sign up for Weekly Progress Reports via SIS ParentVUE. All parents/guardians of MS and HS students who have registered for a SIS ParentVUE Account and have a primary email address recorded in SIS ParentVUE can receive Weekly Progress Reports via email. This report provides a summary of your student(s) grades for the current quarter.
To activate the Weekly Progress Reports via email, login to your SIS ParentVUE Account and first verify that you have a primary email address within the system. It is listed under the “My Account” tab. If it is blank, enter the email address where you would like to receive the progress reports and click on update account. Once confirmed, parents/guardians can activate and select their preferences for receiving these reports within the SIS ParentVUE “My Account” tab.
Transportation Information
Please check the Here Comes the Bus app or FCPS School Bus Delays website for potential delays. Students are expected to be at their bus stop at least five minutes before the scheduled pickup time. A double back route assignment may require your bus schedule to be adjusted earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon.
Please note that the provided times are estimates and that buses may be delayed due to weather, traffic conditions, and a national and regional driver shortage.
TJ Information
The TJ Investigative Science Outreach, a student-led organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will be hosting their 12th annual invitational science fair on April 5th, 2025 and welcome 5th-8th grade students to participate. Admission to the science fair is completely free.
Participants will complete a research project of their choice and present at the fair in-person on April 5th, 2025. We help students prepare for this fair by holding multiple sessions to teach them important skills in STEM like brainstorming, collecting data, presenting, writing an experiment summary, using statistics, creating an experimental diagram, etc.
Our first interest/brainstorming session is October 11th, 2024 at 6:00 pm. We will be holding this session both in-person at TJHSST and virtually through zoom. During this session we will go over the goals and guidelines of this fair and introduce students to a multitude of project ideas. All interested students should sign up using the form at the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0Y0oodU11TzBUfWFnU5lsxoWaqixuX50fxVNv5A5DxcmRvw/viewform?usp=sf_link
Feel free to also check out our website at tjsciencefair.wordpress.com or email us at tjhsstsciencefair@gmail.com
Sincerely,
TJ Investigative Science Outreach
Fall Level IV AAP Screening
If you are interested in referring students for the fall level IV screening a teacher or parent must submit a level IV referral form to the school’s Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART), Carrie Guild, by October 15, 2024. Fall 2024 screening is only available to students newly enrolled in FCPS after January 1, 2024, who were not screened in Spring 2024.
Please email me know if you have any questions at cjguild@fcps.edu.
Carrie Guild
Rachel Carson Middle School
Advanced Academic Resource Teacher
World Languages Credit By Exam (WLCBE)
The World Languages Credit By Exam is an optional test for students in grades 7-12 who can speak and write (type) proficiently in a language other than English. Based on the results of the exam, students can earn 1, 2, and/or 3 passing world language credits. New this year, Carson students will take the World Languages Credit By Exam during the school day at Carson in November. Registration begins on Wednesday, September 4th and closes on Friday, October 4th.
Register for the World Languages Credit by Exam – Wednesday, November 13th
This year's World Languages Credit by Exam will be administered at each FCPS middle, high, and secondary school.
The World Languages Credit by Exam is an optional test for students in grades 7-12 who can speak and write (type) proficiently in a language other than English. Based on the results of the exam, they can earn 1, 2, and/or 3 passing world language credits. If that language is one of the languages listed below, consider registering your student for the World Languages Credit by Exam! The 2024 World Languages Credit by Exam will be administered at Rachel Carson Middle School on Wednesday, November 13th at 7:30 AM.
Registration opens on Wednesday, September 4, at 8 a.m., and closes on Friday, October 4, at 4 p.m. Late registrations will not be accepted.
Your child’s school counselor will register them after you complete and turn in the WLCBE Notification of Registration Opportunity Form linked here. There are hard copies of the form located in the RCMS Student Services Office. Please stay tuned for more detailed information about the testing date at RCMS in November and visit the FCPS website linked here for more specific information.
SEL Screener Information
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) believes in supporting social and emotional learning (SEL) for all students. In FCPS, students use a tool called the SEL Screener to think about their own SEL skills and experiences at school. All Carson Middle School students will be participating in the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener in the Fall and Spring. Students will take the Fall SEL Screener on October 9th during 8th period.
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Get information on the 2024-25 opt-out choices related to surveys, records, curriculum, privacy, and related rights.
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Click HERE
or go to https://bit.ly/hipsmadisonhs24
to sign up to join us on Thursday, November 7, 6:30-8:30pm at Madison High School.
Federal Impact Aid Survey is coming
The Federal Government owns property in Fairfax County, and those properties are removed from the local tax base. FCPS is eligible to apply for Federal Impact Aid funds as reimbursement for the lost tax revenue. Federally connected students are children of active-duty uniformed services personnel, children who live on federal property or in subsidized federal housing, and children whose parents are employed on eligible federal properties.
Starting on October 21, families will have access to the Federal Impact Aid Survey in electronic format via ParentVUE. It is important to complete this survey in ParentVUE. Click HERE to create and set up a ParentVUE account.
Attendance
Attendance: Help your student stay engaged. Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job.
Parents and caregivers can report up to two consecutive full-day absences using ParentVUE. For absences longer than two days, please contact CarsonMiddle.Attendance@fcps.edu
All Day Absences: The Attendance feature in ParentVUE is the FCPS secure web solution for reporting all day absences.
Partial Absence: To report late arrivals, or to update already submitted attendance, please contact CarsonMiddle.Attendance@fcps.edu
Early Dismissal Procedure
Please do not request early dismissals online or by phone.
To request an early dismissal please send a note with your child, or complete and print an Early Dismissal Request Form for your child. Your child should bring the note or form to the main office upon arrival to school in order to receive an early dismissal pass for that day. If you forget to send a note, students should still come to the front office to get an early dismissal pass.
All early dismissals must be before 2:00pm.
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Learn more about attendance reporting through ParentVue
Regular attendance is crucial for the academic success of all students. Studies have repeatedly proven that students with better attendance records perform better in school and are more likely to graduate high school on time.
Did you know?
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All Absences, excused AND unexcused count towards a student's and Caron’s Chronic absenteeism rate.
- Missing just 10% of school — just two days a month — negatively affects a student’s academic performance.
- By sixth grade, chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
We understand that there may be obstacles preventing students from attending school regularly, such as illness or personal circumstances. That’s why it is so important for our school team to work together with our students and families to remove any barriers. We all belong here!
Digital Tools Consent
FCPS has approved the use of many digital tools that enhance our student’s learning. Some of these tools require parental consent. Students WILL NOT be able to access these tools until FCPS receives your consent. You can find more directions on this process here.
Phones Down, Engagement Up: FCPS Cell Phone Policy and Storage Pilot
Keeping cell phones off during the school day helps students focus and learn. It also boosts positive social behavior. Review FCPS’ cell phone expectations by grade level with your child and help keep our classrooms free of distractions! If you need to reach your child during the school day for emergencies only, please call Rachel Carson Middle School main office - 703-925-3600.
Greetings Panther families!
Click the link for the Q1 After School Schedule. Each activity is hyperlinked with a description and information about each club. In order for students to participate in our after school program, parents must fill out the After School Registration Form (This form gives your child permission to participate in after school activities, it does not sign them up for specific activities)
Late bus numbers are different than regular bus numbers. Please check SIS to find your child’s late bus number, it will say RCLR (Rachel Carson Late Run).
If you have questions about our after-school program, please contact Riley Barrows, rtbarrows1@fcps.edu.
Riley Barrows
After School Program Specialist
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Donations Needed!
We have a vibrant “Creative Yarn” after school club in need of donations. We are especially in need of yarn and crochet hooks. If you are cleaning out your craft corners – please consider sending crochet and knitting supplies our way. Items can be left in the front office. Many thanks.
Elena James
Carson Middle School
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Other Schools are Sharing
Join the Carson MS PTA
We highly encourage you to join the Carson PTA by visiting their website. Click here and learn more about this incredibly supportive organization.
You may also go to: https://rcmspta.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true&category=Memberships
WE NEED YOU!!!
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Are you ready to give back to our RCMS community and to join this amazing team of PTA volunteers? Have questions? Please contact us rcmspta@gmail.com
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.
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