Week of October 29


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Attendance Dashboard

Attendance Rate

Parents can log into the Student Information System (SIS) Parent Account to view your child's attendance. For additional support with accessing and using the SIS Parent Account visit our SIS Parent Account overview page.


In This Issue


MentorWorks: Pumpkin Carving and Painting

Fall MentorWorks

Last Week's News

Hearing and Vision Screening

Hearing and vision screening is scheduled for all 7th graders on Monday, October 28th and Tuesday, October 29th. Students, please remember to bring glasses to school that day!


Library Volunteers Needed

The Herndon Middle School Library hopes to enlist a dedicated pool of parent library volunteers. Library volunteering is flexible, varied, and rewarding. If YOU are interested, please complete this Interest Form by Friday, November 1st. We will follow up with an email for next steps after that date. Please be aware that in order to be a regular school volunteer, one must go through the FCPS onboarding process to ensure the safety and security of students and staff. This will involve a trip to Gatehouse office for a badge. We at HMS will help you with the process.


Stingers Robotics Club

Stinger Robotics

Students, are you interested in coding, designing and making stuff, or community outreach?

Join the HMS Stingers Robotics Club on Wednesdays during B-Block from 3:15- 4:45PM to learn more. Please see Mr. Walsh with any questions!


Applications Open October 21 for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Middle school students who have an aptitude and passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) are encouraged to apply for admission to the Class of 2029 at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). 

The application will be available on the TJHSST Admissions Office webpage starting Monday, October 21, at 4 p.m. Applications must be started by 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 13, with a deadline to submit the application by Friday, November 15, at 4 p.m. Visit the TJHSST registration page for more information.


This Week's News

Our Schools, Our Future: Register Today for a Community Conversation!

Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid invites you to share your thoughts and ask questions at the final community conversation this fall. It will be held Wednesday, October 30, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Herndon Middle School. Click the date to register. Childcare and language interpretation services will be provided.


Outstanding Employee Awards!

Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards!

We're excited to announce the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the exceptional work of our Herndon Middle School staff through the FCPS Honors Awards program. This is a beautiful chance to highlight the dedicated individuals who positively impact our school community.

Your nominations are crucial in this process. You may nominate one employee per award category. To nominate, please complete this google form where you can provide a brief paragraph or two describing how the employee demonstrates exceptional work in one or more of the criteria for that award category

Categories include:

🌟Outstanding Teacher

🌟Outstanding New Teacher

🌟Outstanding New Principal

🌟Outstanding Leader

🌟Outstanding Professional Employee

🌟Outstanding Operational Employee

Our nomination window is from Wednesday, October 16th- Wednesday, November 6th


Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey

FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets (in the upper right corner after logging in). Please complete it as soon as possible.

For any families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE, schools will provide paper forms starting Wednesday, November 13. Paper forms should be returned by Wednesday, December 4.

Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important. Information from this survey resulted in more than $4 million in funding last year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.

For more information, please watch this video on Impact Aid and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page.


Need to Register for ParentVUE?

Learn how to activate your SIS ParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey. 

Technical support for using ParentVUE or completing the survey online is available by submitting a Parent Support Request ticket. Select SISParent in the Application dropdown menu and type Federal Impact Aid Survey under Issue Description. Or, call the Parent Technology Help Desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS).


Battle of the Books

Our Battle of the Books team is forming!

Students: Do you love to read? Do you love to compete? Can you read 3-4 books by March? Do you love working with a team and making new friends? Join the HMS team and prepare to compete against 14 other Middle Schools on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at the Fairfax HS Fieldhouse from 6:30-8:00pm.

Our first meeting is after school on Tuesday, October 29 during Night Hawk Block A. All interested students should sign up now on the Library Schoology Page/Updates.


Picture Day Retakes

Did your student miss picture day last week? No need to worry. Picture day retakes will be on Tuesday, November 12th during lunches. Please be sure students are prepared as this is the last chance to take photos for yearbook!

Student reminder: please avoid wearing green on picture day! Details on how to view and order photos will be shared soon.


From Student Services

Herndon MS Parent Coffee Series

Herndon Middle School Parents/Guardians, we invite you to join us for our upcoming Student Services Parent Coffees for the 2024-2025 school year. These conversations will take place from 9:30 to 10:15AM in the cafeteria. We look forward to seeing you there!

  • Thursday, November 14th: Parent Vue & Student Support
  • Thursday, January 16th: Academic Advising & Advanced Academics
  • Thursday, February 13th: WIDA Overview
  • Thursday, March 13th: Student Support
  • Thursday, April 10th: SOL Overview
  • Thursday, May 15th: Advisory Council

If you have questions about an upcoming Parent Coffee topic, please contact your student's school counselor or Mrs. Simpkins Church, Director of Student Services, at sasimpkinsch@fcps.edu.


Safeway Immunization Clinics for All FCPS Students

Safeway Pharmacy will host immunization clinics for any FCPS student age 18 or younger at Frost Middle School on Monday, October 28, and Tuesday, October 29, from 3 to 7 p.m.

Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are highly encouraged to avoid wait times. A parent or guardian must accompany walk-in students age 18 or younger to provide consent. Learn more about immunization resources and registering in other languages for the Safeway clinic

Students age 19 and older may access free immunizations at their middle/high school immunization clinic, the Fairfax County Health Department or through other community resources.


Middle and High School Clinics

FCPS is partnering with the health department to host immunization clinics at middle and high schools. Clinics will take place during the school day. Students may only participate in the clinic at the school where they are enrolled. Parental/caregiver consent is required for students to receive immunizations.

Please check the Immunization Resources page for clinic locations, dates, and how to submit a consent form.


Events

Help Needed for Homecoming Parade Float

Help us build a float for the 2024 Herndon Homecoming Parade! This year's theme is Out of This World and we need your help building our Herndon Middle School float. We're collecting donations for the following supplies now through October 31st:

  • B or C flute Cardboard (Thick Cardboard)
  • Chicken Wire
  • Newspaper
  • Steel Wire
  • Paint of all colors (especially black & red)
  • Paint Brushes/Roller
  • Foam Balls

Please drop off at Herndon Middle School's main office before 7:30 am or after 2:30PM. Want to volunteer your time? Reach out to Liana Shivers at lshivers@fcps.edu.

If you'd like to learn more about the Herndon Homecoming Parade, visit herndon-va.gov.


Fairfax HS - Robotics Club Virtual Java classes

Online Java Courses Flyer

Students from Fairfax High School will be offering a virtual workshop to middle school students in Basic Java and Advanced Java coding. They will be doing this as their fundraiser for buying supplies to build their robot and pay competition fees. 

If interested, please register by scanning the QR code or by using this link!


INTEGIRLS DC 2024 Winter Math Competition

The D.C. chapter of INTEGIRLS is hosting a beginner-friendly, in-person math competition Saturday, December 14th from 9-4PM at the Bioscience Education Center at Montgomery College Germantown Campus! Our mission at INTEGIRLS is to encourage girls and non-binaries in STEM fields through math competitions and events. This year, we will have math competition rounds (individual and team), an estimathon, a speaker event, awards ceremony, provided lunch, and lots of fun STEM activities. Teams of up to 4 students will be able to connect with and enjoy math with other girls and non-binaries around the DMV. There will be a lot of prizes and fun swag for all participants.

Register here directly or go to the INTEGIRLS D.C. website (dc.integirls.org) to learn more about the competition.


Calendar

Calendar

October

30 | Superintendent Community Conversation at Herndon MS at 6:30PM

31| Quarter 1 Ends/Early Release

November

Native American Heritage Month

1 | Diwali (Holiday)

3 | Daylight Saving Time Ends (Fall Back)

5 | Election Day (Teacher Work Day)

9 | Herndon Homecoming Parade 7-12PM

11 | Veterans Day

11-15 | National School Psychology Week


Quarter End, Early Release, Diwali/Dia de los Muertos and All Saints Day, Student Holidays

Thursday, October 31, is the last day of the first quarter, and a two-hour early release for students.

Friday, November 1, is a holiday this year for Diwali and Dia de los Muertos and All Saints Day. All schools and offices will be closed.

Schools are closed for students on Monday, November 4, for a school planning day, and Tuesday, November 5, for a teacher workday.

See the complete school year calendar.


Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native Americans. It is also a time to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges they have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.


Daylight Savings

Daylight Saving Time Ends (Fall Back)

This Sunday, November 3, at 2 a.m., daylight saving time ends. Don’t forget to move your clocks back one hour!


Veterans Day

Veterans Day

Monday, November 11, is a holiday and schools will be closed for students.

Veterans Day provides a great reason to pause, reflect, and recognize the extraordinary sacrifices our Veterans and their families have made on our behalf, and we thank them for their service.

Learn more about the history of Veterans Day at va.gov.


Helpful Links


FCPS Cares

FCPS Cares

The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story, so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.