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- Thursday, 4/3, 6-8pm - Annandale Pyramid Art Show
- Friday 4/4 - Friday 4/11 - Spring Scholastic Book Fair
- Tuesday, 4/8, 5-7pm - Heritage Night
- Friday, 4/11, 9:30-10:30am - April Family Coffee
- Monday 4/14 - Friday 4/18 - NO SCHOOL / Spring Break
- Monday, 5/26 - NO SCHOOL / Memorial Day
- Friday, 5/30, 7-9pm - 8th Grade Dance
- Wednesday, 6/11 - Last Day of 2024-2025 School Year
Holmes Families,
We’ve noticed an increase in attendance calls being made after 8:30 AM, which sometimes leads to confusion and frustration when students are marked absent. To help us ensure accurate attendance records and avoid any delays, we kindly request that all attendance calls be made before 7:45 AM. This will help us avoid any issues and ensure your child is marked correctly for the day. Thank you for your cooperation!
Digital Citizenship Lesson: Responding to Hate Speech
At Holmes, our goal is to help students build positive online habits and create a more respectful digital world. This week, 8th graders may have participated in a digital citizenship lesson on responding to online hate speech during SOAR. The lesson was provided by Common Sense Media, a nationally recognized organization, and vetted by FCPS as the approved material for this topic. Due to the sensitive nature of the discussion, we encourage parents to check in with their students and review the family activity (Spanish version) and family tips (Spanish version) from Common Sense Media to continue the conversation at home.
Spring Scholastic Book Fair
Get ready! This year's Spring Scholastic Book Fair is going to be epic! We've turned up the volume with more fun, more choices and more excitement! Remember - every purchase supports our school! Students will be coming to the Book Fair with their History/Civics classes, however, they can also purchase books before and after school and during lunch! The Spring Book Fair starts on Friday, 4/4 and ends on Friday, 4/11! The location is the Holmes MS Library.
Please see below for some important information.
Book Fair Website: All of the information you need will be on the website, however, some important links are below as well!
eWallet: Set up an eWallet for your child.
Volunteer: Parents! Sign-up to volunteer at the Book Fair.
Preview: Get a sneak peak at some of the Book Fair titles!
Book Fair Contact: Librarian, Jennifer Blanco (jlblanco1@fcps.edu)
Zero Waste Week
Holmes Middle School will be celebrating Zero Waste Week the week of April 7-11. The Green Hawk advisory group has planned a week of Spirit Wear and other activities to bring awareness to the importance of reducing waste as a school community!
Sincerely,
Serena Giron
Principal
We have seen increased student technology misuse. Specifically: lack of protective cases, cracked screens, and attempts to bypass FCPS website filters and firewalls to access inappropriate websites. We continue to collaborate with IT to implement measures that keep students safe online. Families, please help us by:
- Checking your child's laptop today.
Discussing the consequences of missing or damaged technology with your student. This includes potential loss of device and replacement costs are:
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Cases: $30
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Chargers: $20
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Cracked Screen/Trackpad: Varies, $50+
Discussing Healthy Tech Habits:
Signing up for Lightspeed Software:
- Sign up for usage reports to see how your student is using their FCPS laptop. Get a weekly report of websites they visited and use this to discuss healthy and school-appropriate uses of technology. Learn more: Lightspeed Parent Report Request
The 8th grade dance will be taking place on Friday, May 30th from 7-9 PM at Holmes Middle School. This dance is only for 8th graders and will be free. If you would like to donate, you can do so through the MySchoolBucks portal and select the tab labeled, “8th grade dance”. (My School Bucks Link) We are also informing students that it is important to continue being kind to one another and that discipline incidents can lead to the privilege of attending the dance being taken away.
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Holmes Middle School is partnering with Food For Neighbors to help feed our local students who deal with food insecurity outside of school hours. Even in a county as wealthy as Fairfax, one in four kids in our area are struggling with hunger.
Food For Neighbors is a local organization addressing this problem by collecting food from our community via the Red Bag Program and donating directly to our local schools. The food is then distributed to the students every week through our food pantry. We hope you will consider participating in the Red Bag food collection program. You can make a difference in a local student’s life by simply adding a few extra items to your shopping cart every two months.
Here’s how it works:
- Request a reusable Red Bag here and Food For Neighbors will drop it off at your house.
- Fill the Red Bag with food items that are listed on a tag on that bag.
- Put the Red Bag outside your front door in the morning on the next bag collection day. Collection dates are also listed on the bag tag. And don’t worry, FFN will send reminders. Your Red Bag will be picked up from your house, the food sorted at a local school and delivered directly to Holmes. As an added benefit, you can get a tax deduction for the food that you donate!
With your help, even more kids can be fed. For more information on the Red Bag program click here. Check out what items FFN collects as they are targeted to ready-made, individually packaged food items that students and teens can eat on-the-go or with little preparation.
As we partner with FFN, other critical volunteer opportunities include: Driving to pick up filled Red Bags and Sorting the donated food during the Red Bag Day events. Visit the FFN FAQ page to find out more and to sign up to volunteer in these two very important roles. These are great opportunities for our students to receive volunteer service hours, too.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Juan Benavides, Family Liaison at jfbenavides@fcps.edu or Karen Joseph Karen@foodforneighbors.org.
Thanks for helping us provide food to students who need that extra support!
Annandale Pyramid Art Show is Thursday, April 3 from 6-8pm at Annandale HS Clausen Hall. Featuring student work from: Annandale HS, Holmes MS, Poe MS, Annandale Terrace ES, Braddock ES, Bren Mar Park ES, Columbia ES, North Springfield ES and Weyanoke ES.
All Day Absence:
1. Use ParentVUE. Log in and click “Report Absence.” Don’t Have a SIS ParentVUE Account Yet? Contact your school for an activation code and follow the directions on the SIS ParentVUE Account webpage.
OR
2. Call the attendance line on 703-658-5919 and leave a message with spelling of your student's first and last names, your name and relationship to the student, and a reason for absence.
OR
3. Send an email to holmesmiddle.attendance@fcps.edu with your student's first and last names, your name and relationship to the student, and a reason for absence.
Partial Absence:
To report late arrivals, early dismissals, or to update already submitted attendance
1. Call the attendance line on 703-658-5919 and leave a message with spelling of your student's first and last names, and a reason for late arrival or early dismissal.
OR
2. Send an email to holmesmiddle.attendance@fcps.edu with your student's first and last names, your name and relationship to the student, and a reason for late arrival or early dismissal.
To request a bus pass for your student, please email the front office at holmesmiddle.attendance@fcps.edu no later than 1:30 PM. Additionally, ensure front office has consent from the parent of the student to whose house your child will be traveling, as this is required for approval.
If you have to pick up your student early, we ask that you do so before 1:30PM to avoid interrupting safe dismissal process. Please note that doctor's appointments are not considered emergencies.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
After School Highlights from this week
 Everyone had a great time Thursday night at our 3rd annual Staff & Student basketball game.
ASP Upcoming Schedule 3/31-4/4
Students Leaving After-School before 4:45
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Any student staying after school must be signed out of the main office by a parent or guardian if leaving before 4:45.
- Walkers with parent/guardian permission, may sign themselves out any time after 3:30 when first block ends.
- Walkers must have written permission (may be emailed) from their parent/guardian to walk.
- Students must be picked up no later than 5pm.
- Students are not permitted to leave school grounds before checking out in the main office.
Questions/Concerns
Contact the After-School Specialist, Matt Kruk, mjkruk@fcps.edu
Small Business & Financial Wellbeing Workshops
Join the Holmes MS PTA and attend meetings (4th Wednesday of the month; translation services provided)
Our wonderful after school program might go away! Please help us save it!
So far this year at Holmes:
- On average, 150 students stay for the after school program every day
- 70% of the Holmes student body has participated this year
- Holmes offers 60 different clubs & activities throughout the year including academic intervention, social recreation, fine & performing arts, and athletics to support student physical, social, and emotional well-being
- More than 30 trained and licensed staff members working for the program
- There are various academic and athletic competition against other schools including; Science Olympiad, Esports, Appian Board Games, Future City, Cross Country, Track & Field, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, and more
- The school has several partnerships that provide opportunities to our students including our most recent with Capital One Coders and Little Scholars – Future Entrepreneurship
- The school works closely with our surrounding schools such as Annandale HS and their staff to come in and provide one-on-one tutoring, sport info session, and more.
How You Can Help:
Contact your district supervisor and also email FY26Budget@publicinput.com. (A great way to expose your child to the importance of active participation in government! Kids are welcome to send a message or call their Supervisor to let them know how they feel about the after school program)
Most Holmes families live in the Mason District. The Mason District Supervisor is Andres F. Jimenez. He can be reached at 703-256-7717 or mason@fairfaxcounty.gov .
Parts of North Springfield are represented by the Braddock District Supervisor, James Walkinshaw. He can be reached at 703-425-9300 or braddock@fairfaxcounty.gov
Attend and/or provide testimony at a FY26 Budget Public Hearing on April 22 @ 4 p.m. or April 23 or 24 @ 3 p.m.
Last year, FCPS held community forums and surveyed middle school families regarding middle school start times. Now, we would like to hear from all staff and families on the possibility of adjusting school start times across the division. The goal remains to begin middle school at 8 a.m. or later at the start of the 2026-27 school year.
On April 1, a survey link will be sent by email to staff, parents/caregivers, and students in grades 5-12. The confidential survey will be open for two weeks and will be available in multiple languages.
FCPS School Counseling Services is hosting a Virtual Military Night on Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m. This event is designed for both middle school and high school students and their families who are interested in learning more about military pathways and opportunities. All military branches (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force) will participate. Information about enlistment, service academies, and ROTC pathways will be shared.
Discover summer learning and activities available in Fairfax County!
Attend the FCPS Summer Extravaganza on Saturday, May 10, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., at Woodson High School and get a jump on summer learning. At this free event, participants can engage in educational and enrichment activities designed to inspire curiosity and growth.
Activities will include student performances, story time, a moon bounce, and face painting. For more information, visit the Summer Extravaganza webpage.
Your voice matters, and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid wants to hear from you! Share your thoughts and ask questions regarding FCPS on the following dates from 6:30 to 7:30 PM:
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Tuesday, April 1, Lorton Station Elementary School
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Monday, April 7, Greenbriar West Elementary School
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Monday, April 21, Mount Eagle Elementary School
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Wednesday, April 23, Freedom Hill Elementary School
Childcare and interpretation services will be provided. Events are open to all. Find out about other opportunities to connect with Dr. Reid.
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) office will offer two enrichment camps this summer - Tech Adventure Camp and CTE Summer Academy. For details on the activities we have planned, please read below.
All information can be found on our webpages! For Tech Adventure Camp go to bit.ly/FCPS_TAC. For CTE Summer Academy go to bit.ly/FCPS_CSA.
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR ALL OUR ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS! Click here to register!
Earn Credit Toward Graduation This Summer
Take advantage of the opportunity to earn a high school course credit via this summer’s online campus program. Registration is now open. Students must register by Friday, June 6. Mathematics, health and physical education, career and technical education, English, science, social studies, and world language courses are available to eligible middle and high school students.
Summer is a great time for high school students to fulfill the Economics and Personal Finance course requirement. This is a self-directed course where students work independently. T
ESOL Online Summer School (MS & HS)
Registration is now open for our ESOL Online Summer School. This program is offered to current middle and high school MLs, levels 1 – 4. The Language and Literacy Connections Program is a 3-week program that is offered either at 10:30 – 11:30am or 7:00 – 8:00pm via Zoom. Families can register online at https://aceclasses.fcps.edu/ or by phone at (703)-658-1201 . Registration closes May 30th.
SoCo Summer Strings Camp
Exciting news! SoCo Summer Strings is returning this summer! The camp will be hosted at South County Middle School from July 7-18, 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM (weekdays only). Camp is open to all rising 5th-9th grade students with at least one year of experience on the violin, viola, cello, or bass. Students will participate in two large ensemble rehearsals, an instrument-specific technique class, and a sectional each day.
You can find more information and register for camp at www.schsorchestra.org/soco-summer-strings. Register early to save money and reserve your student’s spot!
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
Stay connected with Holmes Middle School by following us on social media! It's the best way to keep up with our latest news, celebrate student achievements, and be part of our vibrant community. Whether you're a student, parent, or community member, you'll find exciting updates, important announcements, and inspiring stories that showcase the spirit of Holmes!
Links: Instagram
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