🗓️Upcoming Events

February 24 - Partners in Safe Teen Driving Seminar

February 26 - Junior Focus Day (1st & 3rd periods)

February 28 - Ramadan Begins at Sundown

March 6 - Senior Parent Meeting

March 11 - Sophomore Career Talks (2nd period)

🏆Student Achievement

Boys Basketball Win District Championship!🎉 Congratulations to our Boys Basketball team for their victory over Marshall for the District Championship! They are hosting Madison HS in the Regional Tournament this Tuesday, February 25th at 7:00 PM!

McLean Students Shine at Scholastic Writing Awards!

Congratulations to our talented student writers! McLean High School is proud to announce that many of our students received recognition in the 2025 DC Metro Scholastic Writing Awards, including 7 Gold Keys, 12 Silver Keys, and 22 Honorable Mentions. A panel of professional novelists, editors, teachers, poets, librarians, journalists, and other literary professionals selected these works from 2,619 works submitted this year!

Congratulations to our Gold Key winners: Chloe Giglio, Alex Li, Jonathan Li, Sandi Schneider, Saachi Thomas, Alicia Yau, and Ava Zhang! 

The full list of awards can be found here.

International Club Hosts Successful International Night  McLean's International Club organized International Night, an event featuring a variety of cultural performances and international cuisines. This event was a vibrant celebration of our school's diverse community!

Studio Art Classes Visit D.C. Last week, McLean's Studio Art classes visited the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Art Museum, where they studied the current exhibition of contemporary quilts made by Black women artists. They also visited the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which captures the aspirations and imagination of the American people throughout three centuries.

This Week

Junior Focus Day

Our annual Junior Focus Day is coming up on Wednesday, February 26th! During period 1, HT1, and period 3 on this day, all Juniors will attend a variety of information sessions supporting postsecondary planning and college applications. Juniors will receive more detailed information on session offerings through Schoology. Classes will be held per usual for non-Juniors during 1st, Highlander Time, and 3rd periods.

2/28 - Ramadan Begins at Sundown (Evening-Only O Day) 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. See the complete school year calendar.

Student Fasting Meal Kits for February 28 - March 28, 2025

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has issued a new, first-time waiver allowing students fasting during the school day from February 28 to March 28, 2025, to request take-home breakfast and lunch meal kits. The Office of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) will provide meal kits reflecting the school menu. Meals will be kept cold and must be heated at home.

Students may claim one breakfast and one lunch kit per day. If a student purchases breakfast or lunch at school, they cannot pick up a kit that day. Meal kits must be picked up by students at the end of the school day—adults cannot collect them.

Parents or guardians must submit a weekly request form via the FCPS FNS website by the deadlines:

• February 24, 2025, for February 28 and the week of March 3, 2025
• March 3, 2025, for the week of March 10, 2025
• March 10, 2025, for the week of March 17, 2025
• March 17, 2025, for the week of March 24, 2025

Forms must be submitted on time to receive meal kits for the following week.

Coming Up

Class of 2025 Parent Meeting - March 6th

There will be a meeting for Senior parents to discuss all upcoming events for the class of 2025 in the Auditorium at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 6^th.  The meeting will touch on important dates and information about Senior Dues, HIP, Prom, Senior Trip to Hershey Park, Senior Exam Schedule, Graduation Rehearsals, Convocation, Baccalaureate, Graduation, and the All Night Grad Party.   

📖Academic Supports

Saturday Support We are excited to share that we are expanding our Saturday Support to a second site for the second semester. Students can now attend Saturday Support sessions at McLean High School or Timberlane Elementary School between 9:00 and 11:00 AM.  Our upcoming Saturday Support sessions will be on March 1, March 8, March 15, and March 22.

Varsity Tutors Provides On-Demand Support at No Cost

FCPS is partnering with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra learning resources. 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. 

Testing Information

AP Exam Registration Confirmation Email

An email has been sent to each AP student’s FCPS Gmail and the primary parent/guardian email (from SIS) listing the AP test(s) your student is registered for in AP Classroom.

• Double check your registration to confirm you have a registration for all AP courses you are enrolled in and/or self-studying for. If your registration is not accurate, please contact Ms. Donlen (ekdonlen@fcps.edu) by March 5th.
• If you no longer want to take an AP exam, have your parent/guardian email Ms. Donlen by March 5th to confirm your decision of opting out of an AP exam. Regardless of whether you choose to take an AP exam or not, students are still responsible for any AP fees billed through myschoolbucks.  

If you have any questions, contact the McLean HS Assessment Coach Elly Donlen (ekdonlen@fcps.edu).         

From Student Services

Sophomore Career Talks

Students Services will host Career Talks for sophomores on March 11^th during 2^nd period. Over 30 professionals across a variety of businesses, industries and organizations will talk to sophomores about their journey to where they are today. Sophomores will have the opportunity to learn what education and experiences are needed to obtain a particular career. All sophomores will participate. Class will be held per usual for non-sophomores during 2^nd period.

Summer/Part-Time Job Fair

The annual summer/PT job fair will be held Saturday, March 15^th from 11:00AM -1:00PM at the McLean Community Center. This event is open to McLean, Marshall and Langley students. Minimum job age starts at 15 years old. Job opportunities include restaurants, Wegmans, Giant, Wolf Trap, camps and lifeguarding.

Course Selection

Students are meeting with their counselors to discuss course selection for the next school year based on the below schedule.

• 2/4-2/20 – Current 11^th graders through history classes
• 2/21-3/6 – Current 9^th graders through science classes

🎓 Graduation Requirements and Planning

Planning which courses to take next year — and in future years — must be given considerable thought. Students and families should review the Graduation Requirements and Course Planning webpage to make informed decisions while planning for success in high school and beyond. 

School-life balance is an important consideration for students as they strive for academic and personal success. Resources to support course selection for next year include our Academic Advising website (which includes our course catalog and course selection sheets), your student’s current teachers, and your student’s school counselor. This FCPS Curriculum webpage may also be helpful.

February Focus

Black History Month Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS. Learn more about Black History month.

McLean HS PTSA

McLean High School PTSA Information

Here are some quick links:

• Visit our WEBSITE and subscribe to eNews
• Join our PTSA 
• Make a Donation and check if your company offers Corporate Matching
• Find McLean PTSA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

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

• Middle School Start Times
• New Lunch Items
• Talking to Teens About Tough Topics

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

Eating Disorder Parent Information

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA 2023), Eating disorders are serious but treatable mental and physical illnesses that can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights. In the United States, 28.8 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. There is no single cause of an eating disorder. Rather, it is a complex combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that converge and set off an individual’s predisposed genetic vulnerability.

In collaboration with the Fairfax County Health Department, FCPS has developed a web page with detailed information and resources to be provided to parents and guardians of Fairfax County Public Schools. This information may be found at Eating Disorders. 

Weekly Reminders

McLean HS Tech Support for Students 🖥️

If you are experiencing issues with your FCPS issued laptop, please use the Tech Support Request Form to enter your information. The tech support team will then get back to you as soon as possible.

Partners in Safe Teen Driving Seminar

As part of the FCPS Health and PE curriculum, all 10^th grade students enrolled in Health & PE 10 complete one quarter of classroom Driver Education.  As part of the Driver Education curriculum, students are required to attend the Partners in Safe Teen Driving Presentation, in person, with at least one parent or guardian. Successful completion of classroom Driver Education AND attendance by the student and parent/guardian enables the student to obtain the DEC-District 8 completion card needed to pursue obtaining a Virginia driver’s license.  While it is recommended that the PSTD seminar requirement be satisfied during the quarter in which the student is taking classroom driver education, students are welcome to attend any quarter within their 10^th grade year. All seminars will be held in-person from 6:30-8:00 PM in the auditorium. Please arrive early. Doors will close promptly at 6:30. Attendees who arrive late will not be allowed entry and will not earn credit for attending.

The 90-minute PSTD presentation will be offered once per quarter throughout the school year. McLean High School’s dates for the 2024-2025 calendar year are below.

• May 12, 2025

Important: Students who successfully complete their classroom driver education quarter but have not satisfied the PSTD requirement will have earned an incomplete for the class grade until the requirement is met.

This program is available to FCPS students enrolled in grade 10 health and physical education at no charge. Students who are completing classroom instruction through a commercial driving school, are home schooled, are enrolled in another school division, or are FCPS students in grade 11 or 12 must register to attend the 90-minute PSTD seminar. A $30 fee applies, and registration is available through FCPS Adult and Community Education (aceclasses.fcps.edu). Please reach out to Marissa Gaines (MAGaines@fcps.edu) with any questions.

Social-Emotional Support Information

Mental Health and Wellness Support Services and Resources

McLean’s Clinical Staff are available to consult with parents and students regarding mental health related concerns and behaviors. They are also able to provide community resources as needed. Please see their contact information below:

Carol Ann Forrest, School Psychologist, CMForrest@fcps.edu

Beverly Parker-Lewis, School Psychologist, baparkerlewi@fcps.edu

Marly Jerome-Featherson, School Social Worker, mjeromefeath@fcps.edu

For more Mental Health and Wellness Information, please check out these Student Wellness Resources, FCPS’s  Healthy Minds Blog and the FCPS’s Parent Resource Center.

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

💻 Hazel Health: Virtual Therapy for High School Students

Teletherapy services are available for all FCPS high school students at no cost. Sessions can be scheduled Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Hazel Health’s highly qualified therapists specialize in working with teens. Learn more on FCPS’ teletherapy webpage.

Quick Links

Bell Schedule and Red/Silver Calendar

McLean High School Website

Student Parking Information

FCPS School Year Calendar

Student Information System (SIS)

FCPS Cares

Do you know a McLean 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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