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February 28 - Ramadan begins at sundown
March 4- RRMS PTA Spirit Night at Chipotle, Fair Lakes, 4-8pm
March 28 - Last day of 3rd Quarter, No After-School Program (all students depart at 2:15 PM), Chantilly Pyramid Art Show
March 31 - No School (Eid-al-Fitr)
April 1 - Teacher Workday
Aprilo 9- Author visit with Jennifer Nielsen and Family Book Club
2. A Note from the Principal
Dear Rocky Run Community-
March seems to be coming in like a lamb (in contrast to the popular elementary school rhyme). The weather has been gorgeous and students and staff have loved going outside for recess and PE. Let's hope the beautiful weather continues! This past week our 8th graders also attended the annual Finance Park fieldtrip which is an interactive, experiential simulation to teach them about budgeting, bills, salaries, etc. One of the most eye-opening realizations that our students make is how expensive it is to have children. Don't be surprised if you get a few extra hugs or "thank yous" in the coming days. Kudos to our amazing Civics team for organizing the meaningful event.
Finally, Ramadan begins at sundown on Friday, February 28. In Islam, Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year. During this month Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset each day while striving to increase their spirituality, through prayers, charity and good deeds. Muslims believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Holy Quran to Prophet Muhammad. Read more about Ramadan in National Geographic Kids. If you have any questions regarding accommodations that we have set up for students at Rocky Run Middle School (lunch, prayer/meditation and silent reflection spaces, and instruction) please feel free to reach out to me.
As always, thank you for your continued partnership and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions. I look forward to seeing you at RRMS.
Sincerely,
Peter Kownacki
Principal
Rocky Run Middle School
@pakownacki
3. Action Items for Families
Family Book Club
Sign up here to attend our Rocky Run Family Book Club with our visiting author, Jennifer Nielsen! Spaces may need to be limited in each group. See Instructional Updates for more information about the Family Book Club.
Ramadan Planning
We are seeking input from our Rocky Run families who will be observing Ramadan this year. Please complete this form at your earliest convenience if you would like your student/s to have the option of accessing a prayer space during the day and/or the option of visiting an alternative space in place of the cafeteria during lunchtime due to fasting. If you have any specific questions or would rather discuss your preferences, please contact Rachel Sweeney, Assistant Principal, at rwsweeney@fcps.edu or 703-802-7704, or your child’s counselor.
Student Fasting Meal Kits for February 28 - March 28
Thanks to a new program from the Virginia Department of Education, students who are fasting during the school day between February 28 and March 28 can now take school meal kits home at the end of the day. Families will need to fill out a weekly Fasting Meals Request Form for their child or children to receive school meal kits. A separate form must be filled out for each week and each student. Visit the FNS webpage for more information, including weekly request forms and deadlines.
Save the Date: Chantilly Pyramid Art Show
Friday, March 28th 6-8pm
Chantilly High School
The pyramid art show features artworks from all of the elementary, middle, and high schools in the Chantilly Pyramid. There will be food trucks, face painting, henna, and more! Be sure to mark the date on your calendar so you don’t miss it.
Eating Disorder Parent Information
The Code of Virginia, 22.1-273.2 requires schools provide, on an annual basis, parents/guardians educational information regarding eating disorders for students in grades five through twelve.
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.
4. Student Celebrations
RAISE the Ram Card Winners
Congratulations to this week's Ram card winners:
Ekam Sadiora (Accountable and Engaged)
Romaisa Khan (Inclusive)
Jonathan Geres (Engaged)
Malaika lozinguez Bonane (Accountable and Engaged)
Eli Wilson (Engaged)
Monisha Madan (Engaged)
Great job Raising the Ram!
 Punctual on Purpose Student Winners
Each week, our Punctual on Purpose (POP!) drawing recognizes students who are on-time to all classes during the prior week. Each week, students have a fresh chance to be entered into the POP drawing. POP winners are announced every Monday, and students can select from a variety of rewards. Please encourage your child to be on time to all classes, including 1st and 2nd period. This week we announced winners for the past two weeks! The POP winners are Aiden Cho, Jacob Guevara, Sayed Subhan Cheshty, David Dao, Eunseo Yoo, Rabee Ullah, Shriya Hariharan, Anisha Marrapu, Taha Gurbuz, Andrew Hackney, Taylor Sholders, and Albert Jang. Congratulations and thank you for Raising the Ram by getting to class on time!
5. Student Services Updates
Please review your child's course request in SIS ParentVue
- Please log into your SIS ParentVue, select “Course Request” in the left side bar.
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This list is NOT an actual schedule, but a confirmation of the courses entered into SIS.
- To make any changes to the courses and/or electives entered, please complete the Change Request Form or email the your child’s counselor. Please note that SY25-26 staffing is based on students' course selections and that your child's selection represents a firm commitment.
Platinum Team - Halissa Jacobson - HDJacobson@fcps.edu
Meteors Team - Esther Bae - EYBae@fcps.edu
Emerald Team - Lorraine Marshall - LJMarshall@fcps.edu
Summer 2025 Online Campus Courses
Registration for the Summer 2025 Online Campus courses started Friday, February 14 and ends Friday, June 6. Courses are open to middle and high school students who meet prerequisites.
Courses may be cancelled if they are under-enrolled. If a course is cancelled, students will be notified using the registration contact information and a full refund will be given.
Please note that students wishing to enroll in a summer course must enroll and notify their counselor by March 7,2025 in order to ensure a seat in the desired course for 25-26 school year.
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. Rocky Run will administer the next screening on Monday, March 10.
6. Instructional Updates
Family Book Club - April 9
Rocky Run’s Family Book Club is an opportunity for parents (or grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling) and students to read together and to discuss books. This is a great opportunity to communicate with your teenager as they move forward in shaping an identity and in making good choices for the future. Please accept this invitation to support your child as a lifelong reader! To learn more about Family Book Club, click here for answers to Frequently Asked Questions. All are welcome!
Jennifer Nielsen will be the guest author at our April 9 Family Book Club. We are offering three of her titles for the book club; The False Prince, A Night Divided, and Words on Fire. Students will receive two copies of their selected book to borrow and take home for reading prior to the evening discussions on April 9. Families can also choose to purchase their own books to have signed.
Sign up here to attend. Spaces may need to be limited in each group.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Slevin – agslevin@fcps.edu. Hope to see you soon!
Author Visit Update
We are so excited to have New York Times Bestselling Author, Jennifer Nielsen, coming to visit Rocky Run in April! Preorders are now open for her two newest titles, Uprising and One Wrong Step (releasing next week!).
- Place your order using this Google Form or visit tinyurl.com/2025AuthorVisit
- Use MySchoolBucks, exact cash, or a check made out to Rocky Run Middle School.
- All orders will arrive to Rocky Run just before her visit.
- There will also be a special signing time when Ms. Nielsen is here.
- Proceeds will benefit the RRMS Library.
- Hurry! Preorders close on Friday, March 14.
- Questions? Email Mrs. Grover, RRMS Librarian (ragrover@fcps.edu)
 Library Updates
Whew! It has been busy in the library this week with so many different classes using the library and its resources! Overall, it has been an amazing, dynamic week filled with so many different activities to extend student learning.
- On Monday and Tuesday, Ms. Valade’s Art Foundations classes visited the library to add more drawings to their sketchbooks using the library’s collection of drawing books! Many students checked out drawing books after the lesson!
- On Thursday, Mr. Leonberger’s class came to the library to practice sorting books by genre and used stickers to graph how many books were in each genre. Students showed critical thinking and resiliency in a new task!
- Also on Thursday, Mrs. Pafumi’s Creative Writing class came to the library to create autobiographical poems by stacking books and using the titles as their poem lines.
- Finally, on Friday, both Ms. Kaplan’s and Mrs. Barnhart’s English 7 classes visited to do a book pass browsing activity and check out a new fiction book for their independent reading project!
- We ended Friday with a fabulous visit from Mrs. Mertell’s class, who investigated some new activities in the Inspiration Studio and enjoyed a break after a long few weeks of WIDA testing.
7. After-School Program Information
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After-School Schedule: Week of 3/3
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Centreville HS Football Interest Meeting on Thursday, 3/6, in Room 84 during 2nd session of after-school (3:20-4:05). Interested students should be logged into their fcpsschools account to RSVP on this form.
- We will share high school activity information this spring as we receive updates from our feeder high schools.
- Mark your calendars: there will be no after-school programs on these upcoming dates - 3/28, 4/11, 5/23
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Spring Track and Field: Click here to review the interest meeting slides. All required forms are linked in those slides. Forms are due by 3 PM on 3/28 for students to begin practicing on 4/2.
- Late buses will depart Monday - Thursday between 4:45 - 5:00 PM. Routes differ from regular AM/PM buses as there are fewer late buses and fewer stops. Routes are posted on the After-School Schoology Course. Please make sure your student knows their late bus number prior to staying after.
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Registration form is required for ALL RRMS students (regardless of intent to participate). Your student will not be able to stay after for any clubs, activities, or events if this form is not completed.
- Program updates, announcements, and schedules are posted on the After-School Schoology Course - all families have been added.
- Check out our Program Preview for information on program times, pick-up, etc.
After-School Program Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell, After-School Program Specialist, at SLCampbell@fcps.edu
The Rocky Run TSA (Technology Student Association) chapter competed this past Saturday in the Northern VA Regional Competition. Students earned 5 top three awards, including 2 second place and 3 third place awards. The chapter will compete at states in May. Congratulations to our TSA students and their club sponsor, Mrs. Kronimus!
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8. Community Corner
 Sully District Budget Town Hall
Please join Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith and Sully District School Board Member Seema Dixit for a joint town hall as we present the proposed FY 2026 Budgets and take your comments. If you would like to ask a question regarding the FY26 Budget, please send an email to Sully@FairfaxCounty.gov with "Budget Town Hall" in the subject.
Detailed information about the FCPS FY26 Budget can be found on our website.
When: Monday, March 10, 2025
Time: 7 - 9 pm EST
Where: Rocky Run Middle School Lecture Hall
Address: 4400 Stringfellow Road, Chantilly, VA 20151
*If American Sign Language or language interpretation is needed, please submit your request by March 6th.
 RRMS PTA Spirit Night
Join us on Tuesday, March 4, from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at Chipotle (Fair Lakes) and help support RRMS PTA!
- Dine in? Show the fundraiser flyer.
- Ordering online for pickup? Use code 86H74YM at checkout.
Every burrito, bowl, and taco helps raise funds for our school—so load up on the guac and make dinner count!
Techstravaganza 2025
Presented by Tomorrow's Women in Science and Technology (TWIST), a student organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. This is a free, public, hands-on STEM activity fair for elementary and middle school students in Northern Virginia. Use this link to register: https://tinyurl.com/techstrav25. More information about the event can be found on their website at tjpartnershipfund.org/techstravaganza/.
 
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