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Mason District Community,

It is hard to believe that October 31, the final day of the first quarter, is already upon us since it feels that school just reopened for the year. There is much to celebrate in the Mason District as our students continue to excel academically and in their extracurricular activities. Several Mason District athletics teams were named District Champions and are continuing on to regional play. Theatre and music students have been hard at work preparing for fall plays, musicals and concerts. 

Two community engagement meetings were held this month about the proposed AAP Center at Poe Middle School to gather feedback from impacted school communities. There was significant excitement about this proposal for many parents with long-standing concerns about moving their children out of the pyramid or even region to access full time level IV services.  

Please be reminded that schools are closed for students on Monday and Tuesday which are staff development teacher workdays.  Students will begin the 2nd quarter on Wednesday, November 5th.

Please continue to read below for important information about a variety of topics and opportunities. I value the input I receive from the Mason Community and will address questions or concerns via email at rjanderson@fcps.edu or phone by scheduling a time with my assistant, Cristy Coffey, at cmcoffey@fcps.edu.

Enjoy the fall weather!

In this issue:

Mason Moments

National District Champions 

Congratulations to the National District Champions representing the Mason District!

Falls Church High School Girls Cross Country - 2025 National District Champions!

Annandale High School Field Hockey- National District Champions for the third time in four years!

Edison High School Golf Team - 2025 National District Champions!

Falls Church High School Cheer - 2025 National District Champions!

Impact Awards

The FCPS Impact Awards celebrate employees who make exceptional contributions to advancing the goals of the FCPS Strategic Plan.  Congratulations to the following employees serving Mason District students for their well-deserved recognition at the recent 2025 Impact Awards event:

Collaboration and Partnerships Category

• Nicholas Hartman, Assistant Principal at Holmes Middle School
• Karen Olarinde, Resource Teacher at Annandale High School
• Robert Stringham, HVAC Teacher at Edison High School
• Edison High School Safety and Security Team
• Woodson High School Portrait of a Cav: Portrait of a Graduate Presentations of Learning Team

Equity and Cultural Responsiveness Category

• Michell Carr-Hogan and Ashley Ireland, Annandale Terrace Get2Green Sponsors

Student Achievement and Success Category

• Irene Veltri Hall, Cosmetology Teacher at Edison High School

Learn more about the awards and all of this year’s award recipients.

Mason News

Public Hearing - Poe Middle School AAP Center

Two community engagement meetings were held in October to share information about the proposed AAP Center at Poe Middle School and gather feedback from impacted school communities. Many parents attended in person and virtually to share their excitement for the AAP at Poe and express concerns about their specific circumstances.  

Additional input is being solicited through this feedback form. A Public Hearing is scheduled on Monday, December 1, 2025 at 6:00 pm at Luther Jackson Middle School for the School Board to collect more commentary from community members.  

Public Hearing Sign up: registration will open in mid-November.

Date Change - Falls Church HS Graduation The date for the Falls Church High School graduation has been changed. Please mark your calendars with the new date: June 3, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. There is no change in location.

Upcoming Mason Theatre

Purple Star Schools Forty-nine Fairfax County public schools have been recognized for the first time by the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children as 2025 Purple Star Schools, including 10 schools where Mason District students attend:

An additional four schools representing Mason District students renewed their Purple Star designation:

The Purple Star Designation is awarded to military-friendly schools that have demonstrated their commitment to meeting the needs of military-connected students and their families. 

The total number of Purple Star schools in FCPS is now 145, nearly 75% of schools. Last year, Superintendent Reid announced a goal for FCPS to achieve Purple Star Division status by the 2026-27 school year, with 100% of schools being designated as Purple Star schools. Read more about Purple Star schools.

FCPS News

Changes to Middle and High School Report Card Feedback

With the first quarter of the school year ending tomorrow, Friday, October 31, families can expect student report cards to be available the week of November 10. 

FCPS has revised teacher comments on secondary report cards to provide more detailed feedback to students and parents/guardians. Teachers will now include a Work Habits mark each quarter which will evaluate students’ time management, organization, assignment completion, and overall effort in class. 

View the Middle and High School Grading and Reporting webpage for more information.

School Start Times

After the Superintendent presented a K-12 School Start Times Project Update at the October 23rd School Board meeting, the School Board voted to direct the Superintendent to:

• “postpone any division-wide implementation of changes to school start times until no earlier than the 2027–28 school year to allow for the full implementation of the new transportation routing software and consideration of potential updates to school boundaries.”

• “present to the Board, no later than December 2026, a plan outlining viable options for healthy school start times that, where possible, are budget-neutral and minimize impacts on staff.”

I did not support this motion because this language failed to clearly specify a timeline for implementation. For example, ‘no earlier than SY 2027-28’ can be construed as any school year - my advocacy focused on setting a hard deadline such as “by the 2027-28 school year.” It is also my position that the budget-neutral language could potentially result in the same options which were undesirable to the community and the Board.

Fairfax County Youth Survey

The Fairfax County Youth Survey, administered by FCPS is given each fall to students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 to gather information about a variety of topics related to student physical and mental well-being. The 2025 Fairfax County Youth Survey will be administered to students between Monday, November 10, and Friday, November 21. More information will be provided by each individual school. Parents and guardians are also able to opt their student out of participating in the survey. Visit the Fairfax County Youth Survey webpage to review the opt-out forms and gather more information.

Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets, which is in the upper right corner of the screen after logging in. Please complete it as soon as possible. Schools will provide paper forms to families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE starting Wednesday, November 12. For more information, please visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page.

Opportunities

Female High School Athletes Needed

Please see the request below from a Falls Church High School student:

I am conducting a science fair project on the possible connection between estrogen levels and the risk of soft tissue injuries (such as muscle or ligament tears, sprains, etc.) in female high school athletes. 

To complete my project, I need participants who have experienced a soft tissue injury to take a short, anonymous survey by November 26, 2025. Parental/guardian consent is required--both the participant and their parent/guardian must complete a consent form before participating.  

Your participation is greatly appreciated and will help provide valuable data for my project. Thank you for your support! Learn more about the project.

FCPS Artificial Intelligence (AI Event)

Meeting the Moment: FCPS Forward — AI & The Future of Learning is open to the entire FCPS community.  Educators, IT professionals, students, families, and community leaders are all invited to come together to:

• Learn about the opportunities and challenges of AI in education
• Explore how AI can support FCPS student achievement and workforce readiness
• Engage in a thought-provoking panel and keynotes
• Help shape the future of innovation at Fairfax County Public Schools

The event is scheduled for November 3, 2025,  6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at West Springfield High School.  Register for the AI Conference.

Shark Tank Challenge Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services is now accepting entries in the Fairfax Area High School Student Shark Tank Technology Challenge.  The 2025-26 challenge invites youth to develop an innovative device or app that will have a positive impact in the lives of older adults, adults with disabilities, caregivers or wounded warriors. In the challenge, students make a pitch for funding to corporate leaders, community leaders and County supervisors.  Initial proposals are due Dec. 19, 2025. Visit the Shark Technology Challenge website for more details and an application packet.

TJHSST Applications 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 are available now and 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.

Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities Town Hall

The Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) invites families, staff, and community members to share their experiences, concerns, and ideas about special education in FCPS at its annual Town Hall Meeting, Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Willow Oaks Administrative Center, 8270 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, Room 1000B. Each speaker will have three minutes to address topics related to students with disabilities and learning differences.

If you can’t attend in person, you may join via Zoom, send a short video, or submit written comments to be read during the meeting. To participate virtually, email ACSDChair@fcps.edu by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 11.

Immunization Events for FCPS Students

FCPS, in partnership with Inspire Health Alliance, will be providing school-required immunizations and optional flu shots for all FCPS students with no out-of-pocket costs. Additional dates will be made available throughout the school year. 

Immunization clinics will take place from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at Willow Oaks Administrative Center on:   

Thursday, November 6
Tuesday, November 18
Wednesday, November 19  
Thursday, November 20

A clinic will also take place at Frost Middle School on Saturday, November 15, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Participation is voluntary. Additional immunization resources are available. Parents or guardians may schedule an appointment for their student.

Community Tree Rescue Initiative All are invited to participate in a “Week of Action”, November 8-16, when people across Fairfax County will come together to rescue trees from invasive vines. This is the official launch of Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management), a community-wide initiative to save our trees and natural areas from the invasive plants that are smothering and strangling them. The many events are listed at, where you can also learn about other ways to help or to get help with this work.  In the Mason District, an event is scheduled at the Annandale Community Park/Hidden Oaks Nature Center on November 8th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Registration is required for the tree rescue events because of limited parking in some locations. Additional opportunities and information can be found at FairfaxPRISM.org.

Upcoming School Board Meetings

Regular School Board Meetings (Luther Jackson Middle School)

• November 13, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
• December 4, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Public Hearings (Luther Jackson Middle School)

• November 13, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. (New Western High School Naming)
• December 1, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. (Poe Middle School AAP Center Proposal)

Work Sessions (Gatehouse Administration Center)

• November 12, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.
• December 2, 2025 at 10:30 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