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In This Issue
Presidents Day (Holiday)
All schools and offices will be closed on Monday, February 17, for the Presidents Day holiday.
☕️ Employment and Transition Parent Coffee
This event is for parents of students with special education services in the 7th or 8th grade.
Join us on Thursday, February 27th from 9:30-10:30AM, to meet our Herndon Middle School Employment and Transition Representative (ETR), who can help you and your family navigate the transition to high school.
Topics to be covered:
- Graduation Requirements and Options
- Self-Advocacy and Student Involvement
- Course Selection and Career Pathways
- Transitioning from Middle School to High School
- Planning for Life After High School
- High School Support Services
Interpreters will be available.
RSVP by Friday, February 21st. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and ask questions. We look forward to seeing you there!
Questions? Please email Aimee Conrad, Special Education Department Chair, at amconrad@fcps.edu.
🧑🏻🏫 AVID Classroom Tutor Needed
Attention families - are you looking for a flexible and part-time position at Herndon Middle School? FCPS is hiring AVID classroom tutors for the 2025 spring semester. AVID tutors work with small groups of approximately 5-7 students during the school day in an academic elective class called Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). These groups use questioning strategies to help students develop a variety of college preparatory skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. Tutors earn $20.13 per hour and should either be a college graduate or currently enrolled in college. If interested, please email your resume to AVID@fcps.edu.
🏅 Advisory Committee for Students With Disabilities Seeks Nominations for First-Class Awards
First-Class Awards are presented each year to individuals who support, design, and/or implement inclusion activities that result in positive outcomes for students. The Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) is seeking nominations for the 2025 First-Class Awards. This is a great opportunity for the community to recognize and celebrate the inclusion efforts of educators, administrators, and students who demonstrate the inclusion of students with disabilities in all facets of education.
Nominees should model excellence in their role relative to special education, have a positive impact that benefits disabled and non-disabled students alike, and be committed to creating an inclusive environment and mindset.
Nominate an administrator, staff member, student, or community partner who has made an exceptional contribution to inclusive practices in Fairfax County Public Schools. Nominations close Wednesday, February 19.
📈 FCPS Proposed Budget Progress
The Fairfax County School Board discussed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Proposed Budget at their work session on February 4. They discussed details regarding student enrollment and investments in students requiring additional support, market comparison data for surrounding school divisions, and an update on progress toward achieving the Baldrige Award for Performance Excellence. Baldrige is a framework used to assess and improve organizational performance across various sectors, including education.
The School Board also held a public hearing on the FY 2026 Proposed Budget on Tuesday, February 4, where they invited the community to share their feedback on the budget.
On Tuesday, February 18, the Fairfax County executive will present the county’s Advertised Budget, and the Fairfax County School Board will hold a work session on the FCPS FY 2026 Proposed Budget. View FCPS’ Budget Development Calendar.
📊 Breaking Down the Budget
More than 85% of the budget is dedicated to instruction and reflects the needs of our community’s young people in response to the changing world around us. Budget priorities include providing competitive compensation for all employees, including a 7% salary increase for all staff. The majority of the budget increase is dedicated to that proposed 7% pay increase.
Our families want their children in high-quality schools with the best teachers who provide rigorous academic experiences. We must provide competitive compensation to attract and retain our outstanding educators, administrators, and other school-based and operational staff dedicated to the success of our students.
The proposed 7% salary increase would likely move FCPS to the highest starting salary for teachers with a master's degree among our neighboring counties and greatly improve our recruitment efforts amidst an ongoing teacher shortage. Visit the Budget webpage for more information.
💉 Make Sure Your Children Are Up-to-Date on Immunizations
Please make sure your child has all of their necessary immunizations. Remember, all students are required to be immunized against certain diseases to attend school in Virginia. This is an important part of keeping children healthy!
Starting Monday, May 19, students who have not provided proof of immunization may not be allowed to attend school. You can check your child’s immunization status and submit updated immunization information by accessing SIS ParentVUE.
Please check with your healthcare provider to make sure your child is up to date on required immunizations for the 2024-25 school year. If your child needs an immunization, make an appointment with your healthcare provider, visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of child immunization clinics, or view other Immunization Resources. Be wise and immunize!
🌍 Black History Month Kick-Off Celebration (Note: Date Change)
FCPS’ Chief Equity Office invites the community to an Inaugural Black History Month Kickoff Celebration on Wednesday, February 19, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Carter G. Woodson High School.
The event begins with a light reception followed by a formal program, From the Threads of Our Past to the Fabric of Our Future. The program will honor the enduring contributions of Black history and culture while envisioning a future rooted in equity and excellence. It will include inspiring performances, personal stories, reflections, and opportunities to connect and celebrate. The event is open to the entire community.
For more information, contact Nina Thomas, senior manager for Professional Learning and Cultural Responsiveness.
✨ Students Invited to Share Their Voices at the 2025 Family Summit
The 2025 FCPS Family Summit will take place on Saturday, March 15, at South Lakes High School. Visit the Family Summit webpage for more information.
At the event, FCPS students are invited to showcase projects and advocacy efforts around inclusivity in schools. This is a great resume-building opportunity, and students can earn service hours as well. Students may share their work in a share-fair environment using posters, essays, videos, songs, or art. They will interact with attendees through conversations about their work, ideas, and efforts to foster inclusivity in school communities.
Students must use this Google Form to participate by Monday, February 17. A list of possible projects is also on the form. More information will be provided after the student’s submission is received. Please contact Manuel Gomez Portillo with any questions.
Centering student voice is part of FCPS’ Strategic Plan Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.
🎮 Calling All Retro Gamers!
Do you have any old video game consoles, games, or controllers gathering dust? Herndon Middle School's After-School program is looking for donations to enhance our Wii Club and provide more gaming opportunities for our students. Your unused gaming systems and games can make a real difference! Help us create a fun and engaging after-school experience. Thank you for your support!
❄️ 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.
💻 Try Online Registration
Online registration for the 2025-26 school year is open. Parents/caregivers may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process.
When registering, parents/caregivers will need to create or log in to an existing SIS ParentVUE account.
🤝 What Families Can Do to Fight Drug Misuse
FCPS is committed to raising awareness about the opioid epidemic with our educators, parents/caregivers, and students. Together, we can help ensure our students thrive.
What can families do?
- Show you disapprove of underage drinking and other drug misuse. More than 80% of young people ages 10-18 say their parents are the leading influence on their decision whether to drink.
- Show you care about your child’s health, wellness, and success.
- Show you are a good source of information about alcohol and other drugs. Find helpful resources on the FCPS Opioid Awareness webpage.
- Pay attention to your child and discourage risky behaviors.
- Build your child’s skills and strategies for avoiding drinking and drug use. Talk with your child about what they would do if faced with a decision about alcohol and drugs, such as texting a code word to a family member or practicing how they will say, “No thanks.”
Get more information on opioid awareness.
👟 HMS Track and Field Interest Meeting
There will be an interest meeting for the Herndon Middle School Track and Field team on Tuesday, February 18th at 5:30PM in the auditorium. We'll go over important details about the upcoming season and discuss paperwork that is needed in order to participate. We hope to see you there!
🔬 TJHSST Techstravaganza 2025
The leadership of Tomorrow’s Women in Science and Technology (TWIST), a student organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), invites you and your student to this years Techstravaganza!
Techstravaganza is a free, public, hands-on STEM activity fair for elementary and middle school students in Northern Virginia. In previous years, they have hosted more than 4,500 students and 70 labs presenting STEM activities. Their exhibitors range from TJHSST clubs and their own TWIST volunteers to organizations like NASA SCaN, Art of Problem Solving, George Mason University, American Society of Naval Engineers, and the National Air and Space Museum. This year, they will be holding the 21st annual Techstravaganza on Saturday, May 17 from 10 AM-4 PM at TJHSST.
If your student is interested, please register here! Admission is free and there will be food will be for sale.
For more information about the event please visit their website at tjpartnershipfund.org/techstravaganza/.
⚾ Herndon Reston Youth Baseball
Herndon Reston Youth Baseball is a proud member club in the Cal Ripken Baseball Organization, committed to our kids, our communities, and promoting a love of the game. We welcome ALL players with or without experience who desire to have fun and develop skills.
All division ages are determined by the players' age as of April 30 and we welcome boys and girls between the ages of 3-12 years old. We’d love you to be part of our fun community!
Majors
The majors are geared for players who can properly apply fielding, throwing, and hitting fundamentals most of the time. Development focuses on more advanced base running, pitching, and situational skills. Unique to Cal Ripken, our upper tier for our most experienced players introduces 70-foot base paths and a 50-foot pitching distance.
No other house program in Western and Northern Fairfax County offers 50-70 in house baseball!
Benefits
- A smoother transition to the larger 90-foot field
- Runners are allowed to lead off
- Stealing is permitted
- Pitchers get to work on "pitching from the stretch" -- a technique to shorten the pitching motion to give base runners less time to steal a base
- Catchers gain experience on throwing runners out at bases
- Fielders are exposed to constant changing circumstances as runners change positions
Buddy Ball (Spring Only: one hour on Sunday mornings in April and May)
Buddy Ball is a free program that pairs 5-15 year old girls and boys who have developmental or physical disabilities with high school or adult buddies to have fun, build confidence and self-esteem, and learn sportsmanship and love of the game. Practice/games combine elements of tee ball, coach pitch and kid pitch to accommodate children of varying skill levels.
If you are interested, please visit herndonbaseball.com to register!
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📽️ Fairfax Public Access: 2025 Teen Summer Camps
As Fairfax County’s community pubic media station, during the summer season Fairfax Public Access offers teens interested in television studio production, post-production video editing, and radio production an outlet to learn, experience and create.
This summer they will be offering three separate camps with various dates to choose from. The TV Studio Production camp offers a chance to learn the ins and outs of creating a television show, use of the equipment, and crew roles and responsibilities. The TV Post-Production camp offers a chance to learn the process of editing video projects using Adobe Premiere. While, the Radio Production camp offers a chance to learn how to produce a radio show, use of the studio equipment, and our programming procedures.
For more information and to register, please visit Fairfax Public Access - Summer Camp Registration.
February
Black History Month
14 | No Night Hawk
17 | Presidents Day (Holiday, No School)
18 | Track and Field Interest Meeting at 5:30PM
20 | Orchestra Pre-Assessment Concert at 7:00PM
27 | Parent Coffee for Special Education Parents at 9:30AM
27 | Band Pre-Assessment Concert at 7:00PM at Herndon High School
27 | Choir Pre-Assessment Concert a 7:00PM
28 | Ramadan Begins at Sundown
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Ramadan
Ramadan begins at sundown on Friday, February 28. This day is an evening-only observance day. There is school on these days, but certain activities that cannot be made up can not take place after school.
Throughout the year, as we celebrate and recognize various cultural holidays and observances, families are encouraged to contact their child’s school counselor regarding accommodations, including but not limited to those around lunch, prayer/meditation and silent reflection spaces and times, and instruction.
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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.
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