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Note: This newsletter contains links to translated versions of the content for your convenience. These translations are generated by Google Translate and are not intended to be a substitute for professional translation services.
Hello Braddock Families,
Happy Fourth of July! It’s a wonderful time to gather with family and friends and celebrate our nation’s founding and the ideals on which it was founded - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I hope everyone will have a wonderful celebration with friends, family and, hopefully, good weather!
As the child of immigrants with a brother who was born overseas, I had the unique position of being the only one in my family to vote for years. I learned about how to fulfill my role as a citizen in our democracy from my public school education but I learned to deeply love America and all things American from my father. He embraced America with unrestrained zeal and much joy. When he was a graduate student at Stanford, he learned the rules of American football and baseball and cheered his adopted teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the San Francisco Giants. Naturally, his favorite holiday became the Fourth of July and he loved a good fireworks display.
Whenever I watch the fireworks on the 4th now, I remember him and how he taught me a deep appreciation for the freedoms and rights our founders fought for. I am grateful to him and the sacrifices he and my mother made so my brother and I could benefit from the opportunities and freedoms here. I am especially grateful to all those who fought to create a country based on the concepts of freedom and justice for all.
Looking back on the spring, so many of our students had special achievements. Below you will see that our students excelled in sports, arts, science, film and more. The list truly reflects the wonderful diversity of interests and offerings at our schools. Congratulations to everyone!
Over the summer, we will be sharing any new developments and keeping you up to date on school board matters. As always, if you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out to my office at braddockconstituent@fcps.edu.
All my best,
Rachna
In this issue
- School Board Meeting Highlights
- Summer Activities
- News from FCPS
School Board Meeting Highlights
The School Board met last Thursday and we had a full agenda! Below is a short recap.
- There is always so much to celebrate!
- The Quander Family, one of the oldest African-American families with documented history in the United States, with their name dating back to the 1600. The Quander Family’s history is deeply intertwined with the history of the Mount Vernon Estate, Fairfax County, and includes significant contributions and sacrifices made to benefit Fairfax County Public Schools.
- Several Fairfax County students who were chosen as finalists to attend the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Regeneron, the world’s largest science competition.
- International Women in Engineering Day, observed annually on June 23, celebrates the achievements of women engineers worldwide and highlights the ongoing need for gender equity in engineering and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) fields.
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FCPS National Merit Scholarship Winners, including Braddock District student Chloe Choi from Woodson High School who plans to study chemical engineering.
- The Facilities Design and Construction Policy governing Building Evaluation, Building Renovation, and Infrastructure Maintenance, Policy 8258.21, was amended to include Demolition. This policy change will allow for the eventual demolition of Clifton Elementary School, which has been vacant for 15 years and has been deemed uninhabitable for a variety of reasons. The superintendent was further directed to come back with a plan for funding the demolition.
- Robinson’s Secondary School Film students were honored at Virginia High School League Film Festival winning Best Animation, Best Public Service Announcement. Go Rams!
- The board approved funding of the George Mason Early Identification program, which provides support and college planning for students who will be the first in their family to attend college.
- In a world increasingly dominated by A.I., in addition to having a strong academic foundation, our students need to have skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, teamwork, and resilience to set them apart and help them thrive when they graduate from FCPS. Many of these skills are already in the FCPS Portrait of a Graduate, and as we ensure our students have the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in the careers of the future, I am advocating for a renewed focus on embedding Portrait of a Graduate skill development throughout the curriculum and school day. As we focus on workforce development, these skills will set our students up to be successful in the challenges and opportunities of the future.
The last of the committee meetings have wrapped up for the year. I was proud to serve as the Budget Committee Chair, having started the school year as Vice Chair. It was especially meaningful to have led this work during this historic year for FCPS, with the first ever collective bargaining cycle leading to a much-needed raise for our educators. I also had the honor of serving on the Governance Committee, and as liaison for the Fairfax County Planning Commission Education Committee, where I've been working on streamlining the permitting process for school renovation, ensuring safety while also saving costs and speeding up construction timelines. This work is ongoing, so stay tuned! Finally, I served as the liaison to the Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) and I want to thank the community leaders on this committee for volunteering their time and sharing their expertise to help FCPS better serve students with disabilities.
The next School Board meetings will be held on July 10 and July 17, 2025 at Jackson Middle School.
Find out how to watch and participate in School Board meetings.
 We also recognized Robinson Secondary School and their award winning Film team
 As well as Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Girls Tennis champions.
 You can click on the video above and see my remarks about the Academic Matters and Portrait of a Graduate Skills.
Summer Food Service Program
School is out, summer meals are in! Fairfax County Public Schools is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Starting on June 16, meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability or age, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. You can find more information here.
 Magical Moments Together: It’s Storytime!
July 16th, 23rd, & 30th 10:30-11:30 am
You and your child are cordially invited to join the Family Resource Center for "Magical Moments Together" at the Family Resource Center: It’s Storytime! During this event, FRC will engage your child's imagination through storytelling and interactive activities, while you have the opportunity to receive a guided tour of our center. All are welcome but recommended for children ages 2-5 years old. Please register, space is limited.
Register here
Comprehensive List of Summer Resources
A full list of Summer Resources from FCPS, Fairfax County, and community partners is shared here, and will be updated throughout the season. It contains safety, health, food and nutrition, as well as learning activity resources. If you have any needs not listed in my newsletter, please check the list.
Required Immunizations for Rising 7th and 12th Graders
Additional immunizations are required for students entering 7th grade:
- Required to receive one dose of each of the following immunizations prior to the beginning of school: Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis booster (Tdap), Meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY), and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
- For the Tdap requirement, the vaccination must be administered at age 7 or older.
- For the MenACWY requirement, the vaccination must be administered at age 10 or older.
- As a parent/guardian, you may decide that your child not receive the HPV vaccination. The school does not require documentation if a parent/guardian elects for their student not to receive the HPV vaccination.
Additional immunizations are required for students entering 12th grade:
- Required to receive one dose of Meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) prior to the beginning of school.
- For the MenACWY 12th grade requirement, the vaccination must be administered at age 16 or older.
Please consider getting your child’s immunizations early so that they can attend school in the fall. Summer is a busy time for families and health care providers. As long as your child meets the age requirements listed above, they can be immunized at any time. Additional resources are available on the FCPS Immunization Resources webpage and the Fairfax County Health Department.
 Disability Pride Month
July is Disability Pride Month—a time to celebrate the strength, resilience, and brilliance of people with disabilities. I am proud to be presenting the first FCPS Disability Pride Month Proclamation at our meeting on July 17th. July was chosen as the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Disability is a natural and beautiful part of the human experience. Disability Pride Month is a time to honor the strength, identity, and contributions of people with disabilities—celebrating disability as a vital and valued part of human diversity. Let’s continue to fight for a future where all people are celebrated in a more accessible world and disability affirming world. #DisabilityPride #InclusionMatters #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs
Facilities and Planning Advisory Committee
My office is seeking applications from Braddock District residents interested in serving a one-year appointment to the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) School Board Facilities Planning Advisory Committee.
Some residents may not know that the School Board has volunteer citizen advisory committees that focus on specific issues affecting FCPS students. These committees make annual recommendations to the School Board. Most of the committee terms run one year, from July-June, and most boards meet once a month, usually in the evenings.
Before I was elected to the school board, I served on one of these committees for eight years. I found it an invaluable experience both in learning more about FCPS from a systemic perspective and sharing my own experiences and expertise.
So far my office has received and filled all of the Advisory Committees except one - Facilities Planning Advisory Council (FPAC). This special advisory committee is especially hard to fill as it requires someone with an engineering or architecture degree, but also precludes anyone working at a firm with active FCPS contracts. If you have expertise or experience that matches these qualifications, please fill out this form.
I look forward to hearing from those interested and in developing strong working relationships with you.
Feedback Via the Boundary Explorer Tool Closes July 18
July 2, 2025
Dear FCPS Community,
We have a quick update to share regarding the comprehensive boundary review.
As you are aware, families, employees, and community members are able to provide input on the three draft boundary scenarios through a survey and commenting function within our Boundary Explorer Tool. If you haven't already, we encourage you to provide your feedback before the survey and commenting function close on Friday, July 18, at 5 p.m.
All feedback submitted in the tool prior to that date and time is being collected by the consultant and will be shared with the Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee.
During the summer, you will still be able to view the three draft boundary scenarios in the Boundary Explorer Tool. The consultant will refine those scenarios this summer with input from the Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee. This fall, we will hold another round of community boundary review meetings to gather additional input on the new draft boundary scenario maps.
If you have questions about the Boundary Explorer Tool, please view this short video. To learn more about the comprehensive boundary review process, you may also:
If you have a question or a comment that is not addressed on the webpages above, please submit it on our website. As a reminder, no boundary changes have been proposed for the upcoming (2025-26) school year.
Thank you for your time and engagement.
Fairfax County Public Schools
Starting July 1st, new laws passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor in Richmond will take effect. Some of these bills impact our schools and students directly, including new policies on student cell phone usage, student overdose reporting, and seatbelt laws. You can read more about them here on the Fairfax County website.
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The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© 2023 Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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