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Hello Braddock Families,
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer vacation! It was wonderful to see many of you at the Braddock Fourth of July parades, picnics, and evening gatherings.
I am looking forward to seeing Braddock families at rising kindergarten playdates, school summer get-togethers, and other special things happening at schools over the break. Check out your local school’s newsletters for information about these events - if you’re not already subscribed to your school’s newsletter, sign up here.
If I don’t see you there, I hope to see you at the many events sponsored by the county, including Braddock Nights concerts and children’s entertainment series. See below for more information.
Last Thursday, the School Board voted on new leadership for the School Year 2025-2026. First, I want to thank our out-going chair, Karl Frisch, for his service. Mr. Frisch, who represents the Providence District, worked tirelessly to make our board processes more transparent, to foster a spirit of collaboration, helped bring on new and returning board members, and to make sure we were always student-focused. My congratulations to our new Chair, Sandy Anderson, from the Springfield District, who just finished a year as Vice-Chair. She brings a wealth of experience and I look forward to working with her this next year to make sure we honor our commitment to keep our schools excellent and foster the strengths of every child. I was honored to co-sponsor the motion to elect Robyn Lady, who represents the Dranesville’s District, as Vice-Chair. Ms. Lady has extensive experience working in FCPS in Student Services, as a Counselor and then Director, before retiring in 2022. We welcome her skills as a leader, coach, mentor, advocate and problem solver. We are in good hands with these two leaders!
I also want to extend a warm welcome to our new Student Representative on the School Board, Faith Mekonen, a senior at South County High School. Ms. Mekonen has a long history of service in the community already. On the Board, she wants to focus on improving communication with her peers to make sure their perspective is brought to the board to, as she explains, “amplify their voices in decisions that directly impact their education and well-being.” See below for Ms. Mekonen’s video introduction.
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,
 In this issue
The School Board met last week. Below are some of the highlights. The full meeting can be viewed on YouTube.
- Honors all around!
- Edu-Futuro, Navy Federal Credit Union and Patient First were all honored with the Virginia School Board Association Honor Roll proclamation. Each has provided meaningful support to FCPS this year - an important year of connection and reconnection. The recognition is well deserved.
- The 2025 Outstanding Fairfax County Public Schools Employees Proclamation recognized exceptional employees from across the many departments for their work.
- The Board voted in new leadership for SY2025-2026
- Providence District member Sandy Anderson, will serve as Chair
- Dranesville District member, Robyn Lady will serve as Vice-Chair
- The Board adopted the SY2025-2026 meeting schedule and reappointed the clerks.
- Dr. Reid gave a presentation on the progress of Multi-Language Learners and their progress in English Language Development - the key to unlocking their full potential. See the video clip below for my remarks.
The final School Board meeting of the year will be held on July 17, 2025 at Jackson Middle School.
Find out how to watch and participate in School Board meetings.
 My remarks on Academic Matters presentation from Dr. Reid and experience-rich multilingual students and the great progress that has been made there can be heard here.
Braddock Nights summer concert series are free concert held Saturdays at 7:30 PM throughout the Summer at Royal Lake Park and Lake Accotink Park. Upcoming events include the following:
- At Royal Lake Park, 5344 Gainsborough Dr, Fairfax, VA 22032
- At Lake Accotink Park, 7500 Accotink Park Rd, Springfield, VA
Arts in the Parks are a free Children's entertainment series, every Saturday from 10-10:45am at Wakefield Park in front of the Audrey Moore Rec Center, 8100 Braddock Road, Annandale.
Summer time is in full swing and some of our great students may find their mental health lacking as they lack social time to connect with their friends and peers from school. The FCPS Office of Intervention and Prevention Services will offer free virtual Mental Wellness Consultations from June 23, 2025 through August 1, 2025. Consultations will be directly to parents of students in any grade level, or directly to middle and high school students. You can find more information here.
CodeUp Program at Kings Glen ES
 At Kings Glen ES, students have been immersing themselves in environmental and biological studies as part of the CodeUP. This summer enrichment program has been a great success with students earning badges as naturalists, tech explorers, microbe scientists, solar engineers and more. Along the way, almost 60 participants have had a blast improving their science and technology skills. The program included:
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Discover Science: Explore fascinating topics like energy flow in ecosystems, thermal energy, technology concepts and more through engaging lessons and activities.
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Learn to Code: Learn coding basics and physical computing including inputs/outputs (buttons, LEDs), sensors (light, temperature), conditionals, variables, and loops.
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Analyze & Solve: Use data collected during activities and field trips, connect it to science lessons, and solve fun micro:bit challenges.
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Collaborate & Share: Work individually and in teams, develop problem-solving skills, and share project creations!
Congratulations to all our junior scientists!
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.
Faith Mekonen to Serve as School Board Student Representative
 Faith Mekonen, a rising senior at South County High School, has been elected by the countywide Student Advisory Council (SAC) to serve a one-year term as student representative to the Fairfax County School Board, beginning July 1. Learn more about Faith and her role.
🏫 Calendar Reminders: 2025 First Day of School
Monday, August 18, is the first day of school for the 2025-26 school year. View the 2025-26 school year calendar for additional important dates.
Tax-Free Weekend
Friday, August 1, through Sunday, August 3, will be a sales tax holiday in the state of Virginia. Visit Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday webpage for details on eligible items, which include school supplies and clothing.
Important Updates to the Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R)
There are several SR&R updates for the 2025-26 school year, including changes to the cell phone policy. Other updates include better clarity or new procedures around topics such as discipline data, parent notifications, hate speech, and integrated discipline training. The full list of changes is available on BoardDocs.
📵 Cell Phone Policy Update for High Schools
Beginning in August, high school students can only use their cell phones and other personal devices (AirPods, smart watches, etc.) during lunch and before or after school. This is a change from FCPS’ previous cell phone policy, which allowed high schoolers to use devices during passing periods. Students must keep devices off and away during classroom time and during passing periods between classes beginning this fall.
Read more about the updated Cell Phone Policy.
🍎 Join Team FCPS!
 FCPS will host an in-person job fair for educators on Wednesday, July 23, from 9 a.m. to noon, at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
The event will feature networking and interviewing opportunities with representatives from FCPS schools. Employment offers may be extended during the fair. Learn more and register to attend.
🚌 Join the Driving Force in Education!
Join us for one of our school bus driver job fairs this summer and be part of our team! Events take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following dates:
Learn more about driving for FCPS and the $2,000 signing bonus!
Find Your Career Here
Whether you are just starting a career or are an experienced professional, Fairfax County Public Schools offers a wide range of rewarding careers and the support to help you grow with us! We’re proud of our supportive work environment that enables you to feel and do your best.
View current job openings.
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
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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