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Mason District Community,

We have passed the halfway point of the first quarter and there is much to celebrate in the Mason District. Homecoming celebrations and activities such as football games are on-going.  Remaining homecoming games for Falls Church and Justice high schools will occur on October 10, Edison and Woodson high schools are scheduled for October 17, and TJHSST will take place on October 24.

As we inch closer to the end of the quarter on October 31, be sure to visit ParentVue to track your student’s progress. Parents/Guardians are also encouraged to review the new Digital Consent portal to manage their student’s digital consent. The site has been streamlined to improve the user experience for parents/guardians to provide their authorization for students to participate in SEL and Wellness screening, FLE education and many others. 

This month, the community will be given many opportunities for engagement:

• The Comprehensive Boundary Review meetings will provide an opportunity to view and provide feedback on the updated draft boundary scenarios.
• The Superintendent's Community Conversations allow time for parents/guardians and interested community members to provide comments and ask questions. The next community conversation is scheduled for this Friday, October 3, at Annandale Terrace Elementary.
• The Poe MS AAP Center community meetings will serve as a forum to provide details about the proposal and allow the community to ask questions and share their feedback.
• The deadline to complete the School Start Times Survey has been extended until October 6. There have been significant concerns about the options provided and if none are ideal, please be sure to share that as well. 

Thursday, October 2 is National Custodian Appreciation Day. If you have the chance, take a moment to thank a member of the Mason District custodial team for keeping our buildings clean and safe.

I value the input I receive from the Mason Community and am happy to address questions or concerns via email or phone. You can reach me by email at rjanderson@fcps.edu. If you are interested in scheduling a phone call, please reach out to my assistant, Cristy Coffey, at cmcoffey@fcps.edu to arrange a time.

In this issue:

Mason Moments

October is National School Principals Month

Please join me in celebrating the incredible work of our Mason District school leaders!!  We are grateful for their vision, dedication, and focus in promoting the success of our students.

National Merit Semifinalists

Five Mason District high school students are among the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Corporation semifinalists. 

More than 1.3 million juniors entered the 2026 National Merit program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as the initial screen of program entrants.  

The nationwide pool of semifinalists, determined by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.  Merit Scholarship winners will be announced next spring.

Congratulations to:

• Jayden Nguyen from Falls Church High School
• Christian Ata from Justice High School
• Joey Park, Grace Sprano, and Ruilin Wang from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Alumni Hall of Fame Congratulations to the three Annandale High School Alumni who were among the impressive 11 inductees to the FCPS Alumni Hall of Fame this year: Jim Acosta (Class of 1989) - award-winning broadcast journalist and anchor at CNN. Mr. Acosta served as CNN’s chief White House correspondent during the Obama and the first Trump administrations. Amir Abu-El-Awa (Class of 2005) - Chief of staff for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman. He also served as chief of staff for the Mason District Supervisor from January 2024 to May 2025. Dennis Scarborough (Class of 1985) - Air Force veteran currently serving as the executive director of operational readiness at the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Day of Service Mini Grant

Congratulations to Westlawn Elementary School - recipient of the 9/11 Day of Service Mini Grant through the Virginia Service Foundation to support the Westlawn Rocks service project.

Green Flag EcoSchools Mason District students attend eight schools which were recently recognized as 2024-2025 Green Flag EcoSchools. These schools have earned the highest level of recognition from EcoSchools U.S. for their commitment to creating a healthier, more sustainable future. Each school developed and took action on a student-led sustainability action plan, teaming up with local partners. Congratulations to: Annandale Terrace ES, Beech Tree ES, Belvedere ES, Braddock ES, Mason Crest ES, North Springfield ES, Thomas Jefferson HSST, and Woodson HS.

2026 Graduation Dates

FCPS News

Second Graders Testing

Beginning in October 2025, all second grade students and select students in grades three through seven will take the Naglieri General Ability Tests (NGAT). 

This assessment measures a student's general intellectual ability in three key areas: verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative. Abilities tests are differentiated from achievement tests as students should not be preparing for the assessment. 

An abilities test is one of several tools that school staff use to better understand a student’s reasoning strengths and learning profile. Teachers review results to help plan instruction. Results also determine student eligibility for advanced academic services.

Individual schools will send notification letters to families for students scheduled to participate in this assessment. Parents/Guardians can refer to the testing requirements for each grade level in FCPS on the Grade Level Tests page.

SAT School Day and PSAT/NMSQT Testing Day 

SAT School Day and PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) exams will be held at each high school on Wednesday, October 8, at no cost to families. The digital SAT School Day exam is offered to 12th grade students, and the digital PSAT/NMSQT exam is provided to 10th and 11th grade students.

Because of the testing, most ninth grade students will not have school on October 8th. Ninth grade students with disabilities who receive low incidence special education services will still receive in-person instruction with a two-hour early release on October 8th. 

Contact the Student Services team at your child’s school with any questions. Learn more about SAT and PSAT assessments in FCPS.  

Varsity Tutors Provides On-Demand Support at No Cost Every student is able to access Varsity Tutors’ services at no cost, which includes weekly live online classes; on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring; essay editing; and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests. Learn more about online tutoring with Varsity Tutors.

No-Cost Virtual Therapy for High School Students Virtual therapy sessions are available to FCPS high school students at no cost to provide a safe space to address concerns such as:  Mood/behavior changes, motivation, grief/loss Anxiety, worry, fears Social skills, bullying, peer and family relationships Academic stress Parents/Guardians may refer students by calling 571-749-2940 or by contacting the school's counselor, social worker, psychologist, or director of Student Services. Visit the FCPS Teletherapy webpage for more information.

Expanded Online Safety Tools

FCPS is committed to keeping students safe and focused while learning online. To support this effort, FCPS Department of Information Technology (DIT) uses Lightspeed Systems technology to protect students from inappropriate online content on school-issued devices both in school and at home.

Beginning October 12, 2025, parents/guardians will automatically receive a weekly Lightspeed Student Online Activity Report delivered by email every Sunday. Each report provides:

• A summary of the websites your student visited during the previous week.
• A link to register for the Lightspeed Parent Portal, where you can view more detailed browsing information and even pause internet access on your student’s FCPS laptop during non-school hours, such as dinner time or bedtime.

This automatic weekly report makes it simple for parents/guardians to stay informed. Parents/Guardians who wish to opt-out will be provided a link to do so in every emailed report. 

Visit the Lightspeed Parent Report page on the FCPS website for more details.

Opportunities

Community Boundary Review Meetings

By mid-October, Thru Consulting, the Boundary Review consultant, will have updated the Boundary Explorer Tool with the latest draft boundary scenarios. These scenarios will be presented during 12 community meetings in October. Each meeting will focus on two school pyramids. Meetings scheduled for pyramids serving the Mason District are listed below. A full list of meetings is available on the Community Boundary Review Meetings website.

• Friday, October 17, 6:30-8 p.m., at Falls Church High School
  For Marshall and Falls Church High School Pyramids
• Tuesday, October 21, 6:30-8:00 p.m., at Annandale High School
  For Justice and Annandale High School Pyramids
• Monday, October 27, 6:30-8:00 p.m., at Fairfax High School
  For Woodson and Fairfax High School Pyramids
• Wednesday, October 29, 6:30-8:00 p.m., at Lewis High School
  For Edison and Lewis High School Pyramids

Childcare for in-person participants and language interpretation/translation for all participants will be available as needed. Registration links will be available on the website in the coming weeks.

Continue to share your feedback with your pyramid BRAC representative:

Freshman Applications for TJHSST Eighth graders who have an aptitude and passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) are encouraged to apply for admission to the Class of 2030 at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). Applications will be available Monday, October 20, at 4 p.m. Applications must be started by 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 12.  The deadline for complete applications is 4 pm on Friday, November 14. Visit the TJHSST registration page for more information.

Look to the Future Events

College Fair
October 19, 2025, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Eagle Bank Arena at George Mason University (4500 Patriot Cir, Fairfax)

The College Fair is designed to connect high school students with opportunities in postsecondary education. It is one of the largest College Fairs in the region. 200 colleges and universities from around the nation and representatives from the U.S. Service Academies will be in attendance.

Registration details for this in-person fair are available on the Look to the Future Events page.

Postsecondary Night
October 21, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Virtual

This event features live sessions at 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00 p.m. Learn how to help your students to be better prepared for their next step beyond high school.

Prior registration is not required. All students and their families are welcome to participate in one or all of the sessions. The virtual session links will be published one week before the start date.

A schedule of events will be posted to the Look to the Future Events page soon.

⏰ K-12 School Start Times Survey

FCPS staff have identified two options for adjusting school start times and have shared a survey with the community. Feedback on the two options will be shared with the School Board. The survey deadline has been extended until Monday, October 6, 2025.

Learn more about adjusting school start times.

Superintendent Community Conversations

The Community Conversations with the Superintendent provide an opportunity for parents/guardians and community to share feedback and ask questions regarding activities in FCPS schools.

All meetings are open to all - however, the meeting scheduled in the Mason District is this Friday, October 3, 2025 at Annandale Terrace Elementary School from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Child care and interpretation services will be provided. Additional locations and registration links can be found on the Superintendent Engagement page.

Poe Middle School AAP Center Community Meetings

The next step towards the establishment of a new middle school AAP Center at Poe Middle School is community engagement. Two meetings for all impacted school communities have been scheduled for October. This is an opportunity for the community to hear about the proposal, ask questions and provide feedback.

Wednesday, October 22^nd and Tuesday, October 28^th

Poe Middle School

6:30 p.m.

Both meetings will be hybrid so that participants can attend in person or virtually. Additional information will be shared with the community soon.

Math & Science Olympiad Coaches Needed

Math Olympiad and Science Olympiad programs are being implemented across 48 Title I schools in FCPS for the 2025-2026 school year. Coaches for each program are still needed at three schools serving Mason District students: Bailey’s Upper ES, Sleepy Hollow ES, and Timber Lane ES.

If you are interested, please contact Tim Paper at tspaper@fcps.edu or Amos Simms-Smith at aosimmssmith@fcps.edu.

Recycle Fair

The Annual Recycle Fair at Justice HS is scheduled for Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Document shredding services and electronic recycling will be available. Bicycle donations will also be accepted.

Every Kid Outdoors for 4th Grade Students  Fourth grade students and their families can enjoy free access to hundreds of national parks, lands, and waters for an entire year! Get your pass on the Every Kid Outdoors website.

Upcoming School Board Meetings

Regular School Board Meetings (Luther Jackson Middle School)

• October 9, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
• October 23, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Work Sessions (Gatehouse Administration Center)

• October 7, 2025 at 10:30 a.m.
• November 6, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.

All meetings will be broadcast live on Channel 99 (Verizon channel 11) and on the FCPS website. The meetings are recorded for future viewing and posted to the FCPS School Board YouTube channel.

Would you like to share your ideas and concerns with the School Board and staff?  Register HERE to speak at a regular meeting or public hearing.

Reuniones de la Junta Escolar de FCPS en Español Para ver las reuniones de la Junta Escolar grabadas o para ver en vivo durante las reuniones regulares en YouTube, por favor vaya al canal de YouTube de FCPS en Español o escanee el código QR.

@masonfcps

@masondistrictsb

@MasonDistrictSB

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.

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.

© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia

E-mail: Ricardy Anderson |  Phone: 571-423-1083 | Twitter

Cristy Coffey, Executive Admin Assistant, 571-423-1064, cmcoffey@fcps.edu