🎉 Five Days Until the First Day of School, 📞 Family Information Phone Lines, 🩹 Update Your Child’s Immunizations and Records

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/13/2025 07:00 PM EDT
students holding backpacks


National Junior Honor Society students at Stone Middle School organize backpack donations to distribute on the first day of school.

🎉 Five Days Until the First Day of School!

student in a lunch line looking at healthy foods


Are you ready? Join our countdown on the FCPS homepage, Facebook, and Instagram! Since Friday, we’ve provided reminders to:

  1. Register your children for school. 
  2. Bookmark the school year calendar. 
  3. Make sure your child has their required immunizations. 
  4. Sign up for SIS ParentVUE and update your contact information. 
  5. Sign up for your school’s newsletters and follow them on social media.  

The first day of the school year is Monday, August 18. Share in the countdown fun with us and make sure you, too, are ready for #FirstDayFairfax!

Learn About Student Meals

Check out today’s tip to learn about:

Menus for breakfast, lunch, and other school meals, as well as allergen and nutrition information, are online.

Remember to Complete Permission Forms for School Resources

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Families can easily grant permission for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. Opt your child in or out of online educational tools and choose how student information is managed. Parents/caregivers of elementary students can opt in/out of after-school care on early release Wednesdays. 

Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. Watch this video to see how to use the tool.

Elementary Parents: Opt In/Opt Out for Early Release Wednesday Childcare

As a reminder, elementary school students will be released three hours early on eight Wednesdays during the 2025-26 school year. View the early release Wednesday dates on our website.  

We encourage all parents/caregivers to have their student take their normal route home (bus, walk, kiss and ride) on early dismissal days. However, when necessary, we will ensure that students have supervised activities at the school and return home at the regular time if that is what works best for your family. 

Elementary school parents and caregivers should log in to the Parent Digital Consent system to review and provide consent for Early Release Wednesday Childcare.

  • OPT IN if you require childcare on our limited early release Wednesdays.
  • OPT OUT if your child will go home (or to childcare arranged with SACC or another provider) at the early release time. 

No new instruction will take place, as after-school care is strictly supervision.

Families need to complete the opt in form by Monday, August 25, to receive care for all early release Wednesdays. If a family needs to change their selection, they should notify their school one week in advance to ensure enough staff are available to provide supervision.

đź“ž Family Information Phone Lines

Did you know that FCPS family information phone lines are available in nine different languages? An FCPS employee will respond to your call in your preferred language within 24 hours, Monday through Friday. 

Call the phone line with any questions about your child’s education or FCPS, and someone will help connect you to resources or arrange for you to speak to the appropriate school employee. Learn more about family information phone lines.

🚌 New Technology on Buses Enhances Student Safety

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In her latest Weekly Reflections, Dr. Reid shared a conversation she had with Bus Driver Supervisor Lei Shi about a new safety and routing system being piloted on FCPS school buses. 

From real-time navigation to Radio Frequency ID student check-ins and live bus tracking for families, the new tablet technology is designed to make bus rides safer and more efficient for everyone. Watch this video to learn how FCPS is prioritizing student safety and supporting our incredible transportation team with the tools they need to succeed.

Read more in Weekly Reflections and subscribe now. See what else is new for the upcoming school year. 

📵 Phones Off and Away for the Whole School Day: Updates to FCPS' Cell Phone Policy

students in a classroom with their hands raised


FCPS' policy for cell phones and personal devices (airpods, earbuds, headsets, other items connected to the internet) helps students focus, learn, and engage without distractions. Starting this school year, high school students can no longer use their cell phones and other personal devices during passing periods. For all grade levels, cell phones are no longer permitted to be used as an instructional tool.

If you need to reach your child during the school day, please call your school’s main office. We encourage families to remind their student about FCPS’ cell phone expectations by grade level: 

  • Elementary and Middle School: Cell phones and personal devices must be off and away for the entire school day (bell to bell).
  • High School: Cell phones and personal devices must be off and away for the entire school day (bell to bell) with the exception of lunch time in designated lunch spaces.

Read more about the updated Cell Phone Policy.

🩹 Update Your Child’s Immunizations and Records

Please check with your health care provider as soon as possible to make sure your child is up-to-date on the immunizations required by the state of Virginia. Prior to the start of school on Monday, August 18, please submit your child’s immunization documentation. If your child has an appointment to receive their required immunizations after August 18, please submit an Immunization Action Plan to confirm the appointment.

You can check your child’s immunization compliance and submit their immunization record in SIS ParentVUE. Records may also be delivered to your school’s front office. If needed, families may also provide other immunization documentation including a health care provider’s written statement of a permanent or temporary medical exemption or a notarized Religious Exemption Form. Please visit the FCPS How to Submit Immunization Documentation webpage for step-by-step instructions on how to submit each of these items.

If your child needs a vaccine, please make an appointment with your health care provider or visit the FCPS Immunization Resources webpage and the Fairfax County Health Department website for local immunization clinics and additional resources.

💻 Catch Up on Your Child’s Classwork in Schoology

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Teachers use Schoology to post their classroom materials online, provide a secure forum for students to discuss their ideas and collaborate on projects, and assign and collect homework electronically. It helps students stay organized, and it keeps the class connected.

A Schoology parent account gives you access to:

  • Your child’s classes.
  • Your child’s upcoming assignments.
  • School, class, and group announcements.

Parent accounts will be available after Monday, August 18. To access Schoology, parents will need to have an active SIS ParentVUE account. Find more information on how to log in and use Schoology.

Comprehensive Boundary Review Updates

Boundary Banner


On August 5, the Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee met at Gatehouse Administration Center. Read Dr. Reid’s letter to staff and families, where she shared key takeaways from the advisory committee meeting, an update on community feedback, and next steps. 

Please keep in mind that no boundary changes have been proposed for the upcoming (2025-26) school year.

Visit the Comprehensive Boundary Review webpage for more information.

🏫 Leading the School Where She Learned to Read

teacher smiles at student


For the 34th time, Principal Amy Briggs is looking forward to the first day of school at Spring Hill Elementary School. 

Principal Briggs attended the school from kindergarten to sixth grade and then returned to work there. She has served Spring Hill as a substitute teacher, student teacher, fifth grade teacher, school-based technology specialist, and assistant principal. She was named principal of the school in 2023. Find out why Principal Briggs calls Spring Hill a second home.

Student Interns Reflect on Summer Experience with FCPS

an employee shows student interns a piece of paper


After six weeks of professional learning, collaboration, and real-world experience, the 2025 cohort of FCPS summer interns concluded their journey with a celebration at Gatehouse Administration Center. 

The interns gained hands-on experience in public education administration, contributed meaningfully to division projects, and explored future careers in public service and education. Learn more about their experience in a blog written by one of the interns.

Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights

FCPS wants all parents/caregivers to understand its policies regarding surveys, records, curriculum, privacy, and related rights.

On the Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights and Opt-Out Forms webpage, explanations are provided of the rights listed above as well as forms that may be used to exercise opt-out choices. 

View the 2025-26 Opt-Out Booklet.

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