Week of January 13


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In This Issue


This Weeks News

🌯 Chipotle Night: Support Herndon MS PTA

Grab your favorite burrito, bowl, or tacos from Chipotle on Monday, January 13, between 4:00-8:00 PM, and help support our PTA!

📍 Where: 1144 Elden St, Herndon, VA 20170

🛒 Online Order: Use code N2T3LZK at checkout!

Whether you dine in or take out, your meal helps fund programs for our amazing students. Don’t miss out—spread the word!


📖 Yearbook Sales End January 24

Yearbooks are just $15! You can order or donate a yearbook online at www.yearbookforever.com, or students can stop by the cafeteria during any lunch period from Tuesday, January 21 to Thursday, January 24. We accept exact cash or checks, made payable to Herndon Middle School.


📚 Herndon HS Curriculum Night

HHS Curriculum Night

Join Herndon High School for Curriculum Night on Thursday, January 16 beginning at 6:30 PM on Main Street at Herndon High School. 

  • At 6:30 PM in the Auditorium, there will be a presentation on our advanced academic courses offerings (honors, advanced placement, and dual enrollment) by our Academics Advanced Coordinator .
  • At 7:00 PM on Main Street, you will have the opportunity to meet with faculty members, network with other parents and students, and learn important details about Herndon HS.

The information available at Curriculum Night will help guide conversations with your students about their course selections for the 2025-26 school year. A flyer is also available in English & Spanish.


📅 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.


📋 Course Selection Begins in January

Beginning in January 2025, students will meet with their counselors during their History and Civics classes to discuss course selection for next year. Families are encouraged to actively participate in this important process. Please review the following information regarding the course selection process:

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

  • Current academic strengths and habits.
  • Graduation requirements (high school students).
  • 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. Families are welcome to contact their student’s school counselor with questions by calling 703-904-4800.


🎓 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. 

Please refer to our course catalog and course selection for more information.


🏫 College Partnership Program (CPP)

The CPP 2025-2026 school year recruitment window is now open. During the week of January 6, 2025, your CPP Advocates and our middle school POCs received an email with a link to the application to share with students and parents, along with various recruitment flyers and a PowerPoint presentation to help with recruitment. 

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.

CPP offers programming to help prepare students and families from 9th grade all the way through applying to and enrolling in college.  All students are eligible and encouraged to apply to this program, and are expected to meet program requirements. For more information visit our webpage


📵 Phones Down, Engagement Up: 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 703-904-4800.


📍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 a virtual meeting: 

  • 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.


🗺️ Dual Language Immersion Lottery Registration

Registration for the countywide lottery for Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program will open on Monday, January 13, 2025. Current pre-K students may apply for the kindergarten immersion program, and current kindergarten students may apply for the first grade immersion program for the 2024-25 school year. 

Dual Language Immersion is available in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. 

Parents/caregivers who are interested may want to attend an informational meeting. Meetings are held at the school site. Visit the Dual Language Immersion Program Registration page for a list of meetings by language offered

Get more information on the DLI Program webpage and DLI Program Registration webpage.


Student Services

✨ Student Services: Staff Updates

The Student Services Department will have some staff transitions for the rest of the school year. If you need assistance, please reach out to the main office, and they’ll connect you with the right team member for student support. We appreciate your understanding and continued partnership as we navigate these changes and stay focused on supporting the success and well-being of our students.


Upcoming Parent Coffees

☕ Upcoming Parent Coffee

On Thursday, January 16, we warmly invite parents of special education students to join us from 9:30-10:15 AM in the Cafeteria to learn more about the employment transition resources available for students. This session will explore how these resources can help prepare students for the next steps in their journey toward employment.


Resources

📑 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


❄️ Be Among the First to Hear About School Delays/Closings

Watch this video to see how FCPS makes weather closing decisions

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 among the first to hear about weather delays and closings! Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE. Emails and text messages are sent to parents and caregivers based on the addresses and cell phone numbers entered on this platform. 


Student and Family Resources

Fairfax County Public Schools has compiled a list of resources for students and families in case they need assistance while schools are closed for winter break. Please visit FCPS’ winter resources webpage for information on academic support, mental health support, and county resources related to food, clothing, housing, and other needs.


🖥️ Free Webinars and Events for Families

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

Sign up for the FRC newsletter or visit their webinar webpage.


📅 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


Calendar

Calendar

January

17 | No Night Hawk

20 | Orthodox Epiphany

20 | Martin Luther Kind Day (Holiday)

20 | Inauguration Day

21 | WIDA Testing Begins

23 | Futsal Game vs. Liberty at Herndon MS; Doors Open at 5:30 PM

28 | End of 2nd Quarter (Early Release)

29 | Lunar New Year (Teacher Work Day)

30 | Futsal Game vs. Rocky Run at Herndon MS; Doors Open at 5:30 PM


Orthodox Epiphany (O Day)

Orthodox Epiphany

FCPS has designated Orthodox Epiphany, Monday, January 20, as a religious and cultural observance day. There is school on these days, however specific events that cannot be made up will not be held on these observance days.

See the complete school year calendar.


Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday

Schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 20, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

See the complete school year calendar.


Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year falls at quarter end on Wednesday, January 29. The day will be a teacher work day and there will be no school for students.

See the complete school year calendar.


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.