Principal Updates - January 6

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 01/06/2025 05:30 PM EST

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Be sure to follow us on X (@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 2024-2025 school year calendar here.

January 6 - Assessment Blackout Date; Religious and Cultural Observation Day (Three Kings Day/Epiphany) - Snow Day (Schools Closed)

January 7 - Assessment Blackout Date; Religious and Cultural Observation Day (Orthodox Christmas); Rising Senior registration begins

January 9 - Curriculum Night (4:30-6:30pm) - Save the Date

January 14 - Sense of Belonging Parent Feedback Meeting

January 20 - No School; Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Inauguration Day

January 28 - Rising Senior registration ends; Second Quarter Ends

January 29 - Student Holiday, Teacher Workday, Lunar New Year

January 31 - Rising Junior registration begins

January - National Mentoring Month

Imagine a world where young people feel empowered, encouraged, and understood. Mentors can make that world a reality by helping young people find and follow their passions, excel in school, and thrive wherever they are. Learn more about Mentoring Month.

Research has shown that young people with at least one trusted mentor are less likely to skip school, less likely to use illegal drugs or drink alcohol, and more prepared to enter college or the workforce. Yet one in three children lack a mentor.

All it takes is one person to serve as a trusted adult to help change a young person’s path in life. Mentors provide attention, support, and enrichment, and help connect their mentees to resources that may help them on their journey in life.

The FCPS MentorWorks program matches mentors with students in schools near where they live or work. They meet for at least 30 minutes a week. Learn more about how to become a mentor for an FCPS student. Contact Martha Macdonald, mentoring specialist, for additional information at mmacdonald@fcps.edu.

General Information

Sense of Belonging Parent Feedback Meeting

This year we created a School Improvement and Innovation Goal around increasing student sense of belonging. We made this decision as we felt it directly connected with the work we did last school year around establishing school core values and rewriting our school mission and vision.

To enhance our plans around increasing student sense of belonging, we would love to hear from our parent community. We want to offer the opportunity to hear your perspective as the individuals who know your children best. We also want to ensure that Oakton High School is also a place where our parents feel a sense of belonging.

If you are interested, we would love to have you attend on January 14, 2025 at 5:30pm -6:30pm in the Lecture Hall. We will review Oakton data from the SEL Screener around “Sense of Belonging”. We will also spend time discussing the potential “why” behind the data and recommendations for how we might better ensure a deeper sense of belonging among all students at Oakton High School. We will also share what the students who are involved in the Principal’s Advisory Committee identified going through this same exercise in the fall.

Senior Deadline for X2VOL Hours

All Senior Service-Learning hours for Seniors must be submitted no later than April 25^th at 3pm to guarantee they are approved for graduation accomplishments. Hours posted past the deadline will not be guaranteed to be counted toward awards and recognition for Seniors. Please submit all hours into X2VOL for approval no later than April 25^th at 3pm.

To learn more about Senior awards and recognition for graduation click HERE. This includes all Service-Learning Recognitions for graduation and their requirements. Any questions regarding this information can be forwarded to Mrs. Kimberly Stewart, the Service Learning Liaison, at OHS at kastewart@fcps.edu

Don’t Miss Out, Order Your Yearbook Today!

The time to purchase a yearbook is now. The 300-page book cost $67 until December 31, at which time prices increase. To reserve your copy, go to yearbookordercenter.com and use the code 4770. Each year, there are a limited number of copies available so don’t miss out.

Partners for Safe Teen Driving Presentation

All students enrolled in Classroom Driver Education during the 2024-2025 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.

2024-2025 Dates:

October 28, 2024 6:30-8:00pm
January 21, 2025 6:30-8:00pm
March 19, 2025 6:30-8:00pm
May 19, 2025 6:30-8:00pm

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.

Student Services Updates

Student Course Registration - 2025-2026 School Year

Student course registration is right around the corner! Students will register for their courses January 6-March 5. We will provide students with an overview regarding registration on Thursday, December 19 during Cougar Connect. We also invite students and parents to our Curriculum Night on January 9.

More information on course registration can be found on the Oakton HS website.

As students choose courses, it is important to remind them to consider the following:

Current academic strengths and habits.
Graduation requirements
Interests and career and postsecondary goals.
Personal well-being.
Extracurricular activities and other commitments that may impact students’ time and energy.

School-life balance is an important consideration as students strive for academic and personal success.

Curriculum Night - January 9, 2025

Save the Date for Oakton's Curriculum Night: Thursday, January 9, 2025 from 4:30-6:30 pm. See our flyer here!

Parents and students are welcome to come learn more about our course offerings for the 2025-2026 school year.

We will have a few optional parent presentations that you can attend. In addition, we will have a fair style event with teacher representatives for elective and core classes. Staff will be able to answer questions and you will have the opportunity to learn more about Oakton’s course offerings. The itinerary is as follows:

Curriculum Fair: 4:30 - 6:30 pm (Various Locations)
Registration Overview Presentation: 4:30-5:00 pm (Auditorium)
Special Education Session: 5:15 - 5:45 pm (Auditorium)

🗓️ Save the Date: Academy Open Houses Begin in January!

FCPS high school academies will hold open houses for interested students beginning in January.

A high school academy is a center within a high school that offers advanced technical and specialized courses to prepare students for postsecondary education and/or career fields. Students enrolling in academy elective courses will be provided with opportunities to participate in a variety of career experiences including shadowing, mentoring, or internships with local businesses.

Learn more and view the calendar of Academy Open Houses.

SAVE THE DATE - 2025 Gap Year Fair

FCPS’ School Counseling Services and Go Overseas are co-hosting the annual FCPS Gap Year Fair on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at George C. Marshall High School from 6:00-8:30 p.m. This event is for high school students and parents who are interested in learning more about the growing array of gap year opportunities. The evening will begin with a presentation in the auditorium from 6:00-6:45 p.m. Immediately following, the program fair will be held in the cafeteria from 6:45-8:30 p.m., with representatives from over 30 programs offering gap year opportunities. Students and their families are encouraged to meet the representatives and learn about the variety of experiences available.

Students are encouraged to pre-register for this event. For more information, visit: USA Gap Year Fairs.

In the event of inclement weather on Tuesday, January 28, 2025: The Gap Year Fair will be held on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at the same time and location.

Schedule Changes

Please see the timeline below regarding schedule changes for the 2024-2025 school year.

August 8 – September 6: School counselors will make requested schedule changes based on space availability.
September 9 – November 8 (end of 1^st quarter grading window): No schedule changes
After November 12: Any student requesting a schedule change will need to fill out the schedule change request form, with permission from parent, student, teacher, school counselor, and administrator. If approved by the administration, schedule changes will only be processed if there is space available.
After March 28: There will not be any schedule changes, regardless of space availability. This date aligns with the last day of the 3^rd Quarter.

Health and Wellness Updates

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

No-Cost Virtual Therapy for High School Students

Virtual therapy sessions are available to FCPS high school students at no cost to provide them with a safe space to address concerns such as:

Mood/behavior changes, motivation, grief/loss
Anxiety, worry, fears
Social skills, bullying, peer and family relationships
Academic stress

You may refer your child by calling 571-749-2940 or by contacting our school counselor, social worker, psychologist, or director of Student Services. [Find contact information for Oakton staff on this webpage.

Visit the FCPS Teletherapy webpage for more information.

FCPS News

In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics and others:

Dual Language Immersion Lottery Registration
Be Among the First to Hear About Closings/Delays
Fall 2024 Sports Champions

Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.

🖥️ Free Webinars and Events for Families

In January, the Family Resource Center (FRC) will host webinars for families on:

Upcoming Family Academy Events

You are an important part of your child's education! The FCPS Family Academy compiles classes, webinars, workshops, and programs offered by FCPS to help you support your child's needs and learning at home. Browse Family Academy offerings.

📍 Comprehensive Boundary Review Update

The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee held its second meeting on December 16 at Gatehouse Administration Center. View key takeaways from that meeting and access the meeting agenda, slides, and other materials that committee members received. If you did not get a chance to attend an in-person Community Boundary Review Meeting, please consider participating in one of the following virtual meetings:

Friday, January 10, 2025, 6-7:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 16, 2025, 1-2:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 25, 2025, 9:30-11 a.m.

Monday, January 27, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m.

Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m.
Monday, February 10, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m.

Language interpretation will be available.

All virtual meetings will follow the same format as the in-person meetings that were recently held, and the same information will be shared. Please stay tuned for details on how to register. Visit FCPS’ Comprehensive Boundary Review webpage to learn more. Sign up for FCPS’ School Boundary Review newsletter as well.

PTSA Updates

Fundraiser

This fundraiser allows 100% of your donations to be used in supporting the PTSA and its activities. Your donations are tax deductible as well! Please note that we depend on donations. Without your donations, the PTSA will be unable to financially support such programs and events as mentioned above. We only ask that you be as generous as your budget allows, no amount is too small. Together we can make a difference! Please join the PTSA & show support. Many companies participate in matching gift programs. You can double or even triple your generous donations! Donations are always kept confidential. You can also send us checks addressed to Oakton High School PTSA. It’s even easy to join and/or pay via credit card by clicking on this link and ‘Thank you’ in advance for your support and generosity. If you have any questions about the PTSA please email us at oaktonhsptsa@gmail.com

Stay Connected

Follow ' oaktonhs_ptsa' on Instagram to keep abreast of what's happening at the PTSA. Become a member, Join the mailing list and/or donate to the PTSA at PTBoard - Oakton High School PTSA.

Join the PTSA

Want to be part of PTSA? We are looking for an ANGP Chair (All Night Grad Party), Webmaster, Business Chair, Hospitality Chair and Treasurer. Email us at oaktonhsptsa@gmail.com.

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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