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Important Upcoming Events June  11 - Last Day of School -  2-Hour early dismissal. School ends at 12:15. August 14- Student Orientation 8-10am (Students only) August 14 - Panther Palooza Open House Last names A-L 12:00-12:45pm Last Names M-Z - 1:00-1:45pm August 18 - School Begins!

A Message From The Principal

As we close out the school year, I want to extend my sincere gratitude for all the support I've received as your new principal. A shout-out goes to the PTA for their collaboration and support throughout the year. Thank you to our dedicated staff for their tireless work in supporting our students, parents, and one another; and to our 8th graders, best of luck as you embark on your high school journeys! To our 7th graders, have a safe and enjoyable summer, and we look forward to welcoming you back in the fall.

Save the dates!

June 11: Last Day of school -  2-hour early Dismissal at 12:15PM

July 1 - August 4 9am - 12:00pm

End-of-Year Reminders

The last day of school is Wednesday, June 11! Students will be released at 12:15PM Please see some important reminders below:

1. Remind your child to return all school library books and FCPS laptops. 
2. Check your child’s MySchoolBucks account and pay any balances. 
3. Pick up any medications your child has been taking at school. A parent/guardian must pick them up in person. See below for more information.
4. Bookmark the 2025-26 school year calendar to be ready for next year.

Summer Office Hours 

Please note that Carson’s summer office hours are Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

We will resume regular office hours starting Monday, August 11th.

The first day of the 2025–2026 school year is Monday, August 18th.

Summer Resources Help Students Stay Curious, Healthy, and Busy 

FCPS’ Summer Resource Guide has activities and tips on a variety of subjects and interests from camps to health and safety resources. Be sure to check back over the summer, as more resources may be added. 

Learning Doesn’t Take a Vacation — and Neither Does Fun!

FCPS’ Summer Learning webpage offers ideas and strategies for families to keep students curious until August. Summer is the perfect time to help your student explore new interests, reinforce concepts, and stay engaged!

Summer Meals for Students: Details Coming Soon

FCPS’ Summer Meal Service Program provides breakfast and lunch free of charge to all children aged 18 and younger. Check FCPS’ Food and Nutrition Services webpage and the USDA Meals Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder in mid-June for specific dates, times, and locations. 

Please note that no meals will be served on the June 19 and July 4 holidays. If you have any questions regarding the Summer 2025 meal service, please email SummerMeals@fcps.edu or call 703-813-4800.

Free Virtual Mental Health Consultations for Parents and Secondary Students

This summer, the FCPS Office of Intervention and Prevention Services will offer free virtual Mental Wellness Consultations from June 23 through August 1. Any FCPS parent, or middle or high school student, will have an opportunity to schedule a 45-minute consultation with a school psychologist or school social worker by phone or videoconference. Learn more in the latest Healthy Minds blog. 

School Board Unanimously Adopts the FCPS 2025-26 Budget

The Fairfax County School Board unanimously adopted the FCPS Fiscal Year 2025-26 Approved Budget. Facing years of chronic underfunding, the final budget required $121 million in reductions to the needs-based budget that was carefully developed with the FCPS community’s high expectations in mind. While these cuts and reductions will impact our classes, the school division will continue to do what is necessary to provide a world-class education for every student. Read more about the budget in this news release.

Laptop and Charger Return Information

All laptops and chargers of students not enrolled in summer programs must be returned by Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - the last day of school.

Students who are enrolled in a summer program will return their laptop after their summer program is concluded.  Laptop return information for students in summer programs will be sent to families at a later date.

Lunch Balances

• 🥗 Don’t Forget to Check Your Student’s Lunch Balance! As we approach the end of the school year, it is important to remember to check your students’ MySchoolBucks account and pay any remaining school meal balance. 

Families that earn less than 185% of poverty level qualify for free and reduced-price meals. However, an application must be completed and submitted each school year to receive that benefit. The application for the 2025-26 school year will be available this summer. 

If families have a current balance and think they may be eligible for free and reduced-price meals, please fill out the FRM application for the 2024-25 school year. Get more information about free and reduced-price meals.

Carson Clinic End of Year Updates

As we approach the end of the school year, the school health room would like to remind parents and guardians that all medication stored in the health room must be picked up no later than student dismissal time on the last day of school. For safety reasons and per FCPS policy, medication cannot be sent home with middle school students. Any medication remaining in the health room after 12:15PM on 6/11/25 will be destroyed.

If your child will be attending a Fairfax County Public Schools-sponsored summer program, the existing medication authorization form(s) can be used for the summer. However, it is still required that you pick up the medication from the school on the last day and drop it off to the summer program site.

If you have any questions, please reach out to our school health aide, Zahida Choudhary, at (703) 925-3610 or ztchoudhary1@fcps.edu, or our school public health nurse, Hannah Wilkinson, at (571) 595-6273 or hwilkinson@fcps.edu

.Thank you so much for your understanding and cooperation. We wish you all a happy and healthy summer!

Click HERE for Summer Tips from the Nurse.

E-waste News

Parents and Guardians,

Do you have broken electronic devices lying around your house and don’t know what to do with them? Don’t throw them away! eWaste contains rare minerals that will not decompose and more will have to be mined if it is not recycled. Don’t Worry! In the lobby there will be a box to drop them off to be properly recycled from Tuesday 27th through Friday the 30th. Just make sure to follow three simple rules,

1. It can not be any bigger than a laptop.
2. Make sure if it is a device, it has no charge.
3. Delete all information and accounts from said eWaste.

Here is a brochure with some fun facts about eWaste. Unsure about what you can bring? no problem! All of these items can be dropped off.

• Phones
• Tablets
• Ink Cartridges
• Laptops
• Keyboards
• watches/ smart watches
• Etc

Thank you for recycling eWaste correctly.

Student Services Updates

Greetings Panther Families:

High school credit courses taken in grades 7 and 8 become part of the student’s high school transcript and are included in the calculation of the high school Grade Point Average (GPA). VA State and FCPS regulations permit parents/guardians to make a request to have that course expunged from the student’s record.  

Please contact your child's school counselor and submit the completed 

Request to Expunge High School Courses Taken in Middle School Form

by June 11th. 

Note: courses taken in the summer following a student promotion from eighth grade are ineligible for removal from the high school transcript. In addition, once deleted, the course cannot be reinstated.    

Student Testing Results Coming Soon

Throughout May and June, you will receive your child’s spring assessment results. If you aren’t sure what assessments your child took this year, there is a list of tests by grade level on the FCPS website. 

How the results are delivered depends on the test. Scores will be delivered in SIS ParentVUE or from the school or testing organization. Learn what to expect regarding assessment reporting practices and timelines. 

Visit FCPS’ website for additional information about how test results are reported to families. Individual test websites provide report translations and help for interpreting test results. Please contact us with any testing questions or for additional information about how we use test results to support student success. 

Support Your Child’s Success in SIS ParentVUE Signing up for a SIS ParentVUE account helps you to support your child’s academic success! Caregivers can view important information like attendance, grades, progress reports, and assessment scores through ParentVUE. 

Once you have activated a ParentVUE account for an FCPS student, you will keep the same account until the student graduates. Information about students in the same family can be accessed through the same ParentVUE account. A SIS ParentVUE app is available for Apple and Android devices. 

Need help creating a SIS ParentVue account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.

If you already have an account, be sure your contact information is up-to-date. Parents/guardians can update their phone numbers or email addresses in the Parent/Guardian section. Find more information and an FAQ online.

Student Intention Forms 

We are preparing for the 2025-2026 school year.  If you are moving over the summer and your child is not returning to RCMS next school year, please notify us by completing the Intention Form and emailing Ms. Novelo at enovelo@fcps.edu  at your earliest convenience. This information will enable us to prepare transcript information so that it is available when requested by your child’s school.

Value In Prevention (VIP) Summer Camp @ Carson

The VIP Summer Program will be held at Rachel Carson Middle School this summer!  Rising 7th and 8th graders residing in Fairfax County in boundaries for the following middle schools are invited to register: Rachel Carson MS, Herndon MS, Langston Hughes MS, Longfellow MS, and Cooper MS. Registrations are due ASAP and payment through MSB will be open until 6/6. Acceptance emails will be sent on 5/28

Program Details:
Monday - Friday, 9 am - 4 pm (site is available at 8 am for drop-offs)
Tuesday, July 1 - Thursday, July 31 (no camp on July 4^th). Click Here to Register

CONGRATULATIONS!

Other Schools Are Sharing

Westfield Volleyball Camp

Click here for information

Camp Registration Link

Westfield High School Bulldog bootcamp!

As we prepare to close out another fantastic school year, we’re already looking ahead with excitement to welcoming our next group of Bulldogs—the Westfield High School Class of 2029!

We are now beginning the registration process for our annual Bulldog Bootcamp, an incredible opportunity designed to give our rising freshmen a head start before their first day of high school.

During this event, students will:

• Tour the Westfield High School campus
• Meet fellow classmates and make new friends
• Get to know our dedicated staff and upperclassmen mentors
• Begin building the confidence and connections that lead to a successful high school experience

Click the link below to register.

Click here

Madison HS Summer  Virtual Debate Team

Click here for more information and to register.

Oakton HS Dance Team 2025-26 Tryouts

If you love to dance and want to be involved in your school, come try out for the Oakton High School Dance Team!  Tryouts will be held June 9, 10, and 11 for the 2025-26 team selection.  Not sure if you have all of the skills for dance team??  Fill out the form and come to tryouts anyway!  You will have the opportunity to learn skills there, and dancers are often selected based on potential ability to pick up the needed skills!  Sign up to get more information about tryouts with this Tryout Interest Form link.  Filling out this link will also get you information about various Dance Team events occurring in the Spring to prepare for tryouts.  Contact Coach Rowley at kmrowley@fcps.edu with questions.

Check out the attached flyer with QR codes and links to our various dance opportunities related to tryouts and preparing for tryouts this spring!

Oakton HS Dance Team Junior Summer Dance Camp for 1^st-8^th graders!

All rising 1st-8th graders who love to dance are invited to attend camp this summer on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, June 24-26th from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm at Oakton High School.  Participants will learn choreography and technique with OHS Dance Team dancers and coaches. The campers will have the opportunity to perform a routine at the end of the week. Each day there will be a craft, snack time, and team building activities. For more information and to register go to bit.ly/ohsjuniordancecamp2025.

Westfield High School

Girls Summer Basketball Camp

click HERE for more information.

South Lakes Color Guard Clinics.

Click HERE for more information.

Rising 9^th Grade:

Please subscribe to your child’s base high school News You Choose messages for the most up-to-date information about 9^th grade transition. You can enroll here. Unsure what school your child will attend in 9^th grade? Click here to access the FCPS boundary locator.***

Who to Contact

If you have a question or concern, please visit our website for a full listing of  Who to Contact.  This listing includes all of our administrators, our counselors, and who to speak to regarding a specific content area or class. Contact information for all staff members is listed on our website - just click on the name of the person you wish to contact  to be redirected to their email address: RCMS Staff Directory.

13618 McLearen Rd. Herndon, VA 20171 |  Main Phone: 703.925.3600
Attendance: 703.925.3636 or CarsonMS.Attendance@fcps.edu 
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