Centreville Student Wins Oratorical Contest: Congratulations to Twisha Sinha for winning the Centreville American Legion Post 1995 Oratorical Contest. The American Legion Oratorical Contest exists to develop deeper knowledge and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution among high school students. Since 1938, the program has presented participants with an academic speaking challenge that teaches important leadership qualities, the history of our nation’s laws, the ability to think and speak clearly, and an understanding of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship. Twisha will advance to the 17th District Contest on January 19, 2025. With her victory, Twisha received a certificate, a Patrick Henry medal, and $150 prize.

Centreville Students Named National Merit Commended Scholars: Congratulations to Centreville High School’s Chase Abellar, Gavin Bush, Alexander Caravello, Catherine Chen, Elena Davis, Joshua DiBartolo, Taebeen (Kevin) Han, Yae-Won (Grace) Hong, Jai Kanchan, Andrew Kwak, Alton Le, Hannah Lee, Sharanya Mallamula, Muhammad Musa, Vinh Nguyen, Leonardo Park, Ashish Sunkarapalli, and Jenny Yi for earning recognition as National Merit Commended Scholars! They are among 693 FCPS students honored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation this year, marking a 10% increase in Commended Scholars for FCPS compared to 2023. View the full list of scholars.

FCPS Cell Phone Policy: 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, please call our main office at 703-802-5400. 

• Phones must be silenced and put away during all instructional periods. At Centreville High School, students are asked to place their phones in the hanging caddies as they enter their classroom and can be picked up at the end of the class period.
• Cell phones may be used on campus before the first bell, after the last bell, during passing periods, and lunches. 
• Phone accessories are also to be silenced and away when phone use is prohibited. Smart watches that serve a dual purpose may be worn, but the phone features (texting, Internet viewing, and calls) are to be off when phone use is prohibited.
• Students are prohibited from using phones, tablets, and other mobile devices in restrooms and locker rooms, unless there is a medical necessity or emergency. 
• With the approval of the principal or their designee, teachers may allow usage of cell phones for approved instructional activities where they are the most appropriate tool; however, one-to-one FCPS devices should meet most needs.

Community Boundary Review Meetings: 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:

• 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.

Preparing for Winter Weather: Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made. FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated. Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange for childcare if needed.

Varsity Tutors Provides On-Demand Support at No Cost: FCPS is partnering 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; and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests. Learn more about online tutoring with Varsity Tutors.

College Partnership Program (CPP) Application: 

Do you have a student between grades 8 through 11 who wants to go to college? If so, they should consider applying to the College Partnership Program (CPP), which offers support from exploration to application! The deadline to apply is February 28, 2025.

CPP offers programming to help prepare students and families from 9th grade all the way through applying to and enrolling in college, including:

• Academic counseling
• College visits
• Help with completing college and scholarship applications
• Monthly meetings
• A summer overnight experience on a college campus  
• News and information related to colleges and careers via Schoology

All students are eligible and encouraged to apply to this program, and are expected to meet the following requirements:

• Maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher in core classes
• Attend monthly CPP meetings 
• Are willing to pursue advanced coursework
• Demonstrate leadership in school or community activities

The goal of the program is to systematically mitigate the impact of barriers to access and opportunity, and support students who are from populations that are historically underrepresented on college campuses. This includes students who are the first in their family to attend college in the U.S., Multilingual learners, students who are economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities.

Application Link: https://tinyurl.com/u2e3hme3 

The application is only open to students using their FCPS G-Suite account. Make sure to do this application on a computer not a phone!

All applications will be submitted ONLINE ONLY. 

No-Cost Virtual Therapy for High School Students: Virtual therapy sessions are available to FCPS high school students at no cost to provide 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. Visit the FCPS Teletherapy webpage for more information.

Graduation Requirements and Planning: Careful consideration is essential when planning next year's courses. We encourage our students and families to review the Graduation Requirements and Course Planning webpage to make informed decisions while planning for success in high school and beyond. Reviewing the Program of Studies may be helpful as well. 

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.