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11/18 3-Hour Early Release -Dismissal time 12:20pm
11/19 Gr. 3 Field Trip to Huntley Meadows
11/21 Thanksgiving Luncheon /
Student Parent Lunch (Lunch Time, Cafeteria)
11/22 Parent Coffee (9:00am, Cafeteria)
Technology Info (Parent Vue and Schoology)
Turkey Trot Day
11/27-29 Student Holiday-Thanksgiving Break-No School
12/02 Family Food Market (3:45pm, Cafeteria)
12/03 Family Science/ Math Night (6:00-7:00pm, Gym & Cafeteria)
 On Friday, November 8, 2024, we celebrated the end of the quarter Cougar Pride reward with great enthusiasm! We are thrilled to announce that the purple house, which include the following classrooms: Ms. Herbert, Ms. Whiteford, Ms. Pacilio, Ms. Park, Ms. Romero, Ms. Purdy, and Ms. Monaghan’s classrooms, earned the most paw praise tickets this quarter for exemplifying our school’s behavior expectations of demonstrating respectful, responsible, and safe behaviors. To honor their hard work, we celebrated with a fun afternoon of yard games and popcorn – a well-deserved treat! A huge thank you to Ms. Monaghan and Ms. Jacobson for their leadership in organizing this event. And another huge thank you to the staff members that supported – Ms. Panzer, Ms. Carr-Hogan, Mr. Martir, and Ms. Rogers!
While the purple house enjoyed their reward, the other classes took time to review what it means to be respectful at school. These students worked on a creative project, designing yard signs that highlight respectful behaviors. We’re excited to soon display these signs in front of our school building as a reminder of our commitment to maintaining a positive and respectful learning environment.
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Congratulations to Ms. Jochum’s class for earning 30 paw praise tickets! As a reward, the Cougar stopped by for a quick visit and a class picture. |
Here are some of our amazing teachers (Ms. Scilovati, Ms. Jochum, and Ms. Roy) enjoying each other’s company soon after dismissal. |
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Annandale Community:
We are excited to share the success of our recent math professional development sessions, held across the Annandale Pyramid. This collaboration is part of our ongoing commitment to aligning and enhancing math instruction from kindergarten through 12th grade, ensuring every student benefits from innovative, inclusive approaches to learning.
The sessions were made even more memorable by a visit from Superintendent Reid, who observed one of the workshops at Annandale Terrace Elementary School. She highlighted the visit in her "Weekly Reflections" newsletter, sharing her appreciation for our teachers’ dedication: "It was inspiring to see second grade teachers from across the pyramid collaborating on the upcoming math unit, sharing strategies, and adapting resources specifically to support our multilingual learners." Her words energize us to continue this vital work in supporting our diverse learners.
 Here’s a look at the event highlights and outcomes:
Annandale Pyramid Elementary Schools: The recent Annandale Pyramid Elementary Math Professional Development session, held across various schools, brought together K-5 teachers for focused workshops tailored to each grade level. The sessions began with an overview of goals and shared resources, emphasizing adaptations for multilingual learners. Teachers then practiced effective scaffolding techniques in small groups and rehearsed lesson plans, with peer feedback to refine their approaches. These collaborative efforts aimed to enhance support for multilingual students and foster consistent instructional strategies across schools.
Annandale Pyramid Secondary Schools (Grades 6-12): Teachers from Annandale High School, Poe Middle School, and Holmes Middle School worked closely to share best practices to support our diverse group of students. They explored ways to address students’ needs through teacher-led small groups and used pictorial anchor charts to strengthen students' mathematical language. Content teams identified specific upcoming lessons where they plan to apply these strategies. This collaborative work highlights our commitment to building community across our schools and supporting our unified vision:
In the Annandale Pyramid, mathematics teaching and learning focuses on developing an understanding of concepts and procedures through problem-solving, reasoning, and discourse.
Thank you for your continued support as we foster a collaborative learning community in the Annandale Pyramid. Together, we are making strides toward a brighter future for all our students.
The Annandale Pyramid Principals
Ingrid Badia (Annandale Terrace ES), Keesha Jackson-Muir (Braddock ES), Elizabeth Williams (Bren Mar Park ES), Michael Astudillo (Columbia ES), Felicia Usher (Weyanoke ES), Chad McRae (North Springfield ES), Serena Giron (Holmes MS), Jason Pannutti (Poe MS), and Shawn DeRose (Annandale HS)
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The paper form is sent home with your students on Thursday, November 14. Please be sure to return them by Friday, November 17.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important, because 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.
Please watch this video and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page for more information.
 Questions? Please call or email Ms. Sherry Hamzehloo, our Parent Liaison@ 703-658-5693 or shamzehloo@fcps.edu or Mr. Jose Vega, our Registrar @ 703-658-5602 or jlvega@fcps.edu
Nominate amazing ATES staff members!
FCPS has special awards program to honor outstanding staff members. This can include classroom teachers, ESOL teachers, SPED teachers, Specialists (PE, Music, Art, etc…), Instructional Assistants and Instructional Leaders for each school. It’s a perfect way to celebrate any of our staff members to be recognized for all the amazing work they do each day.
If you would like to nominate anyone from ATES, please fill out this form no later than by November 15, 2024.
If you have any questions, send them to Essel Linton, Awards Liaison at elinton@fcps.edu
The nomination forms may be accessed through: https://forms.gle/gytbYzSJEfxvpcd98
 The Family Engagement Committee is sponsoring the Student-Parent Lunch Day on Thursday, November 21, 2024. Parents are invited to have Thanksgiving lunch with their student during their lunch time. This event is part of increasing family engagement at ATES and providing parents an opportunity to come to the school. The price for lunch is $5.00 for all guests (Free of charge for all students in Annandale Terrace). Please complete this survey (https://forms.gle/ySq4eVmfuGiBqAPU8) if you are planning to attend.
 Turkey Trot Day is scheduled on Friday, November 22nd and we need parent volunteers to make this event fun and successful! Volunteers are needed to help teachers to run the activity stations and monitor students. Please complete this survey if you are interested to volunteer.
 Community meetings regarding FCPS’ comprehensive boundary review will take place in each of the division's six regions. You are encouraged to attend the meeting in our region, which will take place on Thursday, December 12, 6:45-8:15 p.m., at Annandale High School Cafeteria.
Please register in advance by clicking on the date. Language interpretation will be available.
If you are unable to attend on this date, view the full list of meetings on the Comprehensive School Boundary Review webpage.
The public is invited to provide input on the scope of a boundary study to address capacity challenges at Parklawn Elementary School. Two community meetings, one virtual and one in person, will be held during the next few weeks:
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Monday, November 25, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.Virtual via Zoom – Register here.For virtual meetings, registration is required to receive the Zoom link.
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Wednesday, December 11, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.In person - Parklawn Elementary School - Cafeteria, Door 1
Each meeting will include the same presentation and feedback opportunities. Language interpretation will be available at both meetings.
Additional information and a link to sign up for the Parklawn project email list are available on the Parklawn Boundary Study webpage. Communication about this ongoing work will also be shared by the school and your School Board representative, Dr. Ricardy Anderson.
Fairfax County Public Schools is also conducting a divisionwide review of school boundaries. The first set of community meetings for this larger effort will take place between mid-November and mid-December. The meetings for Parklawn Elementary School are separate from the divisionwide review.
 For the school year 2024-25, ATES is hosting a free event for our students and families courtesy of The Children’s Science Center www.thechildrenssciencecenter.org. The Mobile Science Lab will bring fun experiments and activities designed to excite our students about science! It is completely free because we are a Title 1 school, however 30 volunteers are needed to run the activities. Please consider volunteering your time and/or pass this on to someone who’d like to volunteer. Children’s Science Center brings all the materials, displays and activities. Volunteers just set up, read their volunteer packet (you receive this a week in advance), run the activity table, and go home when finished.
Volunteer Requirements: Adults (teachers, spouses, friends, community members, etc.) or high school students in Grades 11 and 12 (Community service hours given for high school students).
When: Tuesday, December 3rd
Place: Gym @ Annandale Terrace Elementary School
Time: 5:15-7:45 p.m. (This time includes set up/clean up. The actual family program is from 6:00-7:30 pm)
RSVP by Friday, November 15th by completing this Volunteer Sign-up Form.
For any questions, please email Cindy Rogers via cindy.rogers@fcps.edu.
Parents/caregivers, school staff, and students over the age of 14 are invited to attend an interactive event celebrating the individualized education program (IEP) process. The IEP Palooza and Community Resource Fair will take place on Saturday, November 16, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Jackson Middle School.
The event is sponsored by Fairfax County Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA). Activities include simulated IEP meetings, break-out sessions on the various parts of an IEP, and a resource fair to learn more about community supports. Register in advance.
Students with sensory disabilities require specialized services and support to access instruction that is typically presented visually and auditorily (by means of hearing). FCPS provides educational services to students who are deaf, hearing-impaired, or visually impaired. They are supported in various settings, including at their school or through itinerant specialists who travel to different schools to work with students, rather than being based in a single school. Learn more about Services for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Services for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired.
Visit the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) website for Resources for Serving Students with Sensory Disabilities.
FCPS is adopting Social Studies Basal Resources for the 2025-26 school year. Basal resources are the primary resources used to support instruction in a given subject. Public review of the instructional materials under consideration — which is part of the process for selecting new resources — is underway. Visit the Community Review webpage for more information on how to view the materials online or in person.
All community feedback will be shared with School Board members before they vote to select materials in spring 2025. FCPS adopts basal resources by the process outlined in Regulation 3004.
Is your family looking for resources to help support your child’s academic success? FCPS’ Family Resource Center (FRC) maintains a list of district employees who hold a valid Virginia teaching credential and who are available to be hired as a tutor by parents. FRC maintains this list, but families are responsible for contacting and working directly with tutors. This list is not “approved” by FCPS and is only meant as a resource.
FCPS also partners with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors' services at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests.
✨ FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan Goal 3: Academic Growth and Excellence, reminds us of our commitment to supporting each and every student and helping them meet or exceed high academic standards.
Don't miss out! The Annandale Terrace 2024-2025 Yearbook is now available for early bird pricing at just $16! Pre-order yours before prices go up after April 11th. Secure those memories today! Visit https://www.strawbridge.net/ and enter code YB30242. The yearbooks will be passed out in June.
Come participate in Fairfax Recycles Day on Saturday, November 16, by dropping off recyclables and more at the Drop-Off Event and Touch-a-Truck at the Gerry Hyland Government Center 8350 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA. See below for the list of acceptable items.
- In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics and others:
- Veterans Day Recognitions
- Resources on IEPs, Financial Aid, Literacy, Community Leadership
- Teacher Hiring Event
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
Parents and caregivers can access free webinars, confidential consultations, a lending library, and resources to help adults support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities. Learn more about the Family Resource Center (FRC).
The FRC will host webinars for families on supporting siblings of children with disabilities, helping students organize their school work, working with children who like to push boundaries, and teen development and well-being. Sign up for the FRC newsletter for their latest offerings or visit their webinar website.
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