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Congratulations to Mr. Andrew Croce!
Mr. Croce is not only the Irving Middle School Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year, he was also named the West Springfield Pyramid Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year.
Mr. Croce now moves on to be considered for the Region 4 award. Good Luck, Mr. Croce! We are so glad you chose to teach at Irving!
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Dear Irving Families!
We had a quick week and are grateful for our students' flexibility with another unexpected schedule change. Please keep an eye on the weather for the upcoming week. If there are any delays or closings, they will be posted on the FCPS website and social media.
While I do like a snow day or two, spring is my favorite season! I am excited to share updates about our upcoming spring Track and Field Season! We are welcoming back Coaches Fine, Leblanc, and Duncan, and welcoming Coach Espinal Waller, who coached cross country in the fall! We will have an information session on April 1 at 3:30 pm for students and our first practice will be on Thursday, April 3 at 3:30. Practices will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-4:30 pm, throughout the season. A reminder that the registration form is live and available HERE. Students who wish to participate in track MUST have a sports physical dated after May 1, 2024. If your child participated in cross country in the fall, they do not need to get another physical, but they do need to register for track through the form above.
We anticipate more than 100 students will participate in Track and Field this spring. Our coaches will need volunteers again to help with practices and meets. If you are interested in supporting the team by volunteering, please email me at caconley1@fcps.edu.
Take Care!
Cindy Conley
Upcoming Student Experience Survey at Irving Middle School
Our students will participate in the FCPS Student Experience Survey. This survey will gather important feedback from students about their school experiences to help FCPS make meaningful improvements.
All students in grades 6-12, except those who have opted out, will receive a link to the survey in their FCPS email on February 24. We will administer the survey on Wednesday, February 26 during 1st period Advisory. Any student may take the survey at home, if they are unable to take the survey during the school day.
We believe it's important to hear from our students about what we're doing well and where we can improve. This work also aligns with the five equity commitments in FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan, which focus on amplifying student voice and experiences as we work toward meeting plan goals.
🤧 Protect Yourself and Your Community From the Flu
Fairfax County is experiencing very high levels of influenza (flu) illness. The Fairfax County Health Department reports that visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers for flu-like illness have increased, especially among children, and multiple flu outbreaks have occurred in our community and school settings. Read a letter from the health department.
The health department suggests taking the following steps to reduce the spread of flu and other germs:
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Cover coughs and sneezes. If you must be around others while ill, wearing a mask can help reduce spread.
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Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers when soap and water are not available (with supervision for younger children).
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Clean frequently touched surfaces.
According to the health department, to help prevent or reduce the spread of illness it is important for individuals who are sick to stay home and away from others until symptoms improve and until they have been free of fever for at least 24 hours. Visit this Attendance webpage for guidance on when your child should go to school.
Thank You for Your Donations!
"Rise Against Hunger is growing a global movement to end hunger by empowering communities, nourishing lives and responding to emergencies". Most recently, they have been providing significant support to people in the communities destroyed by fires in California. We have a lofty goal of having all 641, eighth grade students participate in packing meals for distribution on our event day, Wednesday, June 4. To meet this goal, we would like to raise $24,100, which pays for the food, supplies, and distribution. If we can reach our fundraising goal, our students would be able to pack more than 60,000 meals throughout the day.
We are looking for sponsors and partners to help us meet this goal. If you would like to make a donation or know of someone who would like to partner with us to help us reach our goal, please share this link to the Irving Middle School Rise Against Hunger donation and information page. More information will be shared over the next couple of weeks as we continue to kick off our Rise Against Hunger campaign.
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Library News
We are excited to report that we are now less than two weeks away from our virtual visit with the well-known, young adult author Neal Shusterman on February 26th. Mr. Shusterman’s All Better Now will be released Tuesday, February 4th. This new book will be a focus of his presentation, but he will be eager to field questions from our students about his other books, which have been very popular among our Irving readers. Students who are Shusterman fans should definitely stop by the library to make sure that they are included in the Zoom visit on the 26th.
It has been a while since students weighed in on the pressing “This or That” question. The latest question asked students if they’d rather have a best friend who is LACONIC or LOQUACIOUS. Sixty-nine percent of students opted for a chatty, talkative, LOQUACIOUS friend rather than a quiet or terse friend. If you carpool your child along with other middle-schoolers, maybe you can testify that many of our kids like to talk!
Remember to ask your student what they’re reading!
Ms. Monk and Mr. Brizek, Librarians
After School Information
The After School Program runs 5 days a week unless noted. Monday through Thursday, our clubs and activities will run in two activity blocks (2:25 pm to 3:25 pm and 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm) with late buses. Fab FRIDAYS, is from 2:15 pm dismissal to 3:30 pm. The club schedule will vary by day and week, the most up-to-date schedule will be posted in the “After School” section in the student portal.
In order to sign up for a club, students must sign up using the Weekly Signup located in the After School Program folder located in the Schoology All Students Course and the After School section of the student portal.
Students may participate in as many clubs as they want. We encourage them to try something new as part of the After School Program! Use the following link to register your student. After School Registration Form
ALL athletic activities and clubs require athletic footwear to participate, locker rooms are not accessible during the After School Program.
Coming Soon:
ASL Tutoring, will meet Tuesday, February 18, 2nd block.
Essay Workshop, will meet Tuesday, February 18, 1st block.
Percy Jackson Club, will start Wednesday, February 19, 1st block.
Heritage Night Planning Committee, began Thursday, February 6, 1st block.
Boys Volleyball Clinic, began Monday, February 10, 2nd block, all levels are welcomed.
FAB Fridays, ends at 3:30pm. There are no late buses on Fridays and the Weekly Sign-up is required.
Canceled for next week:
Core Conditioning for Athletes will return in the Spring
Future Makers and Robotics is postponed until further notice
Gardening Club will return in the Spring
Ultimate Frisbee will return in the Spring
Vendor provided programming: Magnus Chess Academy, Community & Leadership Workshop and Super Sleuths, will return after Spring Break
View the schedule on our website, the current schedule is available on your student’s Schoology and their Student Portal.
** When picking up students from After School programs, please use the front loop (not the bus lane in front of the main entrance) - students will come out the main entrance.**
“Kids in Today's Society” – NEW DATE: Wednesday, February 26, 6–7:30 PM – Join us for an important presentation by the Fairfax County Police addressing challenges facing today’s youth, including social media, narcotics, mental health concerns, and more. Learn how to support your children through these tough times, initiate meaningful conversations, and access valuable resources provided by Fairfax County. Due to the sensitive nature of the information, this is an adults-only presentation.
Healthy Minds Survey / Encuesta Healthy Minds The WIMS PTA received a National PTA Healthy Minds Grant to help provide resources for parents and caregivers to support student well-being. Please take this short anonymous survey to share what would be most helpful for your family. https://forms.gle/4Lp4gEnP96cUU3P26 (Copy into your browser if the link doesn't work for you.)
La PTA de WIMS recibió una subvención de Healthy Minds para ayudar a proporcionar recursos a los padres y tutores para apoyar el bienestar estudiantil. Complete esta breve encuesta anónima para compartir qué sería más útil para su familia. https://forms.gle/qkCo9fyRfqujRS2b7 (Cópielo en su navegador si el enlace no le funciona).
Save the Date! • March 11 – PTA General Membership Meeting, 6:30 PM • March 10-14 – Chick-fil-A Burke Spirit Week • April 4 – Bingo Night!
Papa John's Spirit Day – Every Thursday is Spirit Day at Springfield Papa John's (Rolling Road). Order online using promo code IMS4010 to enjoy 40% off all menu prices, and Papa John’s will donate 10% of all online sales to the PTA. Offer valid every Thursday from 11 AM - 10 PM.
We continue to welcome new members. Please visit https://irvingms.givebacks.com/store/ to join us! To make a donation, visit: https://irvingms.givebacks.com/store/items/62509. Thank you for your support!
Learn More About How Your Child Feels at School
The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener will be administered to students in grades 3-12 in March. Students use the SEL Screener twice a year to share their perspectives on how well their school and community help them develop the skills they need to succeed. The screener works by asking questions or presenting statements that students can think about and respond to. This gives students a way to share how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
After each screening, results are available in the Documents tab of SIS ParentVUE and mailed to families who do not have a ParentVUE account. For more information, including SEL Screener questions and opt-out information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage.
FCPS News
- In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics and others:
- Flu Prevention
- Students Spread Joy
- Investing in our Classrooms
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
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