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In This Issue
Celebrating our Student-Athletes
We're so proud of our amazing student-athletes! Watching them compete with such incredible heart and team spirit at the Cross Country District Championship races at Liberty Middle School on Saturday was truly inspiring. A heartfelt thank you to Superintendent Reid and to our wonderful coaches, staff, and families for being there to cheer them on. Your presence meant the world to our runners and perfectly modeled the perseverance and growth mindset we celebrate every day!
Congratulations 1st Quarter Hawk News Crew
"Congratulations to our 1st Quarter Hawk News Crew! These dedicated students create and air live news broadcasts every morning in both English and Spanish. Our team writes and translates the scripts, creates graphics, and operates cameras, lights, sound, and input-switching equipment. Students create each show with a student director and executive producer. Thank you to this team for their dedication, on-the-job learning, and hard work.
📱 Download the New FCPS Mobile App!
The FCPS mobile app offers a customized platform to help keep families connected and informed, directly from their smartphones. You can download the Fairfax County Public Schools mobile app by going to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and searching for “FCPS.”
With the app you can:
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Stay up-to-date: Get the latest news from our school and FCPS.
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View school calendars: See events, activities, holidays, and early dismissals.
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Check school menus: See what’s for lunch and breakfast today, tomorrow, or next week.
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Tap to contact: Quickly call attendance lines or email school staff.
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Access key links: Jump to ParentVUE, Schoology, and the FCPS website in one tap.
Users can access updates and content without having to sign in, making it easy for everyone to stay informed.
Learn more about the new mobile app, including feedback from parents TeAndra Nelson and Roy Dykes.
👨👩👧👦 November Is National Family Engagement Month
Family Engagement Month is a time to remember that parents and caregivers are children’s first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers.
The FCPS Family Academy supports the continued success and well-being of each and every student within the FCPS community. The Academy offers a variety of positive and engaging learning opportunities and meaningful connections to transform the FCPS experience into a welcoming environment for all families.
👣 Every Day Is a Stepping Stone to Success
Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child later in life. It’s a good habit to build now that will help them graduate on time and help them with time management. Parents and families can play a big role in helping kick-start good attendance habits.
Please take a look at the FCPS Calendar. Try to schedule any trips or family events on weekends and school holidays. Keep in mind that absences add up quickly. Students who are absent 10% of the school year (or just two days per month) are considered “chronically absent.”
When possible, schedule appointments for your child outside of school hours. If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or appointment, you must report the absence to our school. Visit our Attendance Reporting webpage for more information.
🌡️ When Should Your Child Stay Home?
Whether students miss school because of illness or any other reason, missing school leads to learning loss.
Help your student succeed by encouraging them to miss as few days as possible. However, do make sure your student stays home if they are sick. So when should your child stay home? Visit the FCPS website for helpful ideas regarding absences and how to work with your child and our school.
If your child has a chronic illness, make sure to notify our school and your child’s teachers so that assistance can be provided if needed. Keep an open line of communication with our public health nurse. Call the school as soon as you know your child will be absent and tell school staff why and for how long
🤝 Volunteer Registration Update
Due to the overwhelming response from our community, FCPS is temporarily pausing fingerprint requirements for most Level 3 volunteers.
If you are scheduled for an upcoming fingerprinting appointment, please cancel your appointment unless you are a mentor, host parent, or non-parent volunteer having frequent, direct, and unsupervised contact with students, which will still require fingerprinting. FCPS will be charged if individuals miss a fingerprinting appointment without canceling in advance.
Those who have already been fingerprinted will be processed to be eligible for all Level 3 opportunities.
Field trip chaperone opportunities will now be classified as Level 2 (not requiring a background check).
To ensure continuous safety, all new volunteers are required to sign a Volunteer Certification Statement. This statement is a legal attestation confirming you have no history of violent felonies, physical/sexual crimes against children, or crimes of moral turpitude.
Want to volunteer? Visit Volunteer FCPS to find and sign up for volunteer opportunities. Contact Volunteers@fcps.edu with any questions.
🍴 Apply Anytime for Free and Reduced-Price Meals
Families are encouraged to apply for free and reduced-price meals at any time during the school year.
If your income changes — for example, due to a furlough, layoff, or job loss — you may become newly eligible. Once approved, your benefits stay active for the rest of the school year and for the first 30 days of the next school year.
Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals or attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school receive free breakfast and lunch every school day. It’s a great way to make your food budget go further and save time from packing meals. Learn more about FCPS Food and Nutrition.
Impact of Federal Shutdown on Local CommunityFairfax County is home to around 80,000 federal employees and thousands of federal contractors. Its Federal Workforce Resource Hub is intended to help navigate current and future issues for residents, government employees, active military/veterans, contractors, nonprofits, and businesses who may be affected by actions, changes, or disruptions to federal services or employment.
Find more community resources available to families.
🌱 FCPS Family Café Series: Support Your Child’s Growth and Learning
The FCPS Family Academy announces the launch of a monthly series called the FCPS Family Café. These fun and helpful sessions are designed to keep families informed and involved in their child’s education. At Family Café, parents are key partners in helping children succeed. Click on a topic below to register to attend.
✨ FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan Pillar B: Vibrant Home, School, and Community Partnerships, reminds us to empower families through trusting partnerships that sustain a safe, inclusive culture for learning.
✅ Please Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking all families to complete 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 the survey as soon as possible.
Our school will provide paper forms to families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE. For more information, please visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page or watch this video about why Impact Aid matters.
📝 Register for ParentVUE
Learn how to activate your SIS ParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey and have access to other helpful information about your child’s education at FCPS.
🩹 Immunization Requirements
Please check with your health care provider as soon as possible to make sure that your child is up to date on the immunizations required by the state of Virginia. Starting Tuesday, November 18, students who have not provided proof of immunization will not be allowed to attend school.
You may check your child’s immunization compliance and submit their immunization record in SIS ParentVUE. Records may also be delivered to our front office. Find more information on immunizations.
💉 Immunization Events for FCPS Students
FCPS, in partnership with Inspire Health Alliance, will provide school-required immunizations and optional flu shots to all FCPS students at no cost. Additional dates will be made available throughout the school year.
Next immunization clinic will take place on:
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Tuesday, November 18, from 3 to 6:30 p.m., at Willow Oaks Administrative Center.
Participation is voluntary. Additional Immunization Resources are available online. Parents or guardians may schedule an appointment for their student.️
🎬 Herndon MS Advanced Theatre Students Present: The Outsiders
Herndon Middle School’s Advanced Theatre students are taking the stage in a student-led production of The Outsiders, adapted by Christopher Sergel from S.E. Hinton’s classic novel. Students in this course have taken on the challenge of directing, designing, and performing in this production, showcasing their growing theatre skills with this ambitious project.
Performances will take place in the Herndon Middle School Auditorium on:
- Thursday, November 21 at 7:00 PM
- Friday, November 22 at 7:00 PM
- Saturday, November 23 at 1:00 PM
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. This production offers the community a chance to see young artists bring Hinton’s story of friendship, loyalty, and coming-of-age to life on stage.
For tickets please visit etix.com/ticket/v/15663/herndon-middle-school-theatre.
Thank you for your support!!
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👨🏫 Tutoring Resources for Families
Some families may be looking for additional resources to help support their child’s academic success. The FCPS Family Resource Center (FRC) maintains a list of FCPS employees who hold a valid Virginia teaching credential and who are available to hire as tutors. This list is a resource offered by the FRC, but families are responsible for contacting and working directly with the tutors. This list is not approved by FCPS and is only meant to be a resource to families.
FCPS also partners with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors' services, at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests.
🦻 Services for Hearing-Impaired and Visually-Impaired Students
Students with sensory disabilities require special services and support to access instruction that is typically presented auditorily (by means of hearing) and visually. FCPS provides educational services to students who are deaf, hearing-impaired, or visually impaired. They are supported in various settings, including at their school site or through itinerant specialists who travel to different schools to work with students, rather than being based in a single school. Learn more about Services for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Services for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired.
The Virginia Department of Education also provides information about Additional Resources for Serving Students with Sensory Disabilities.
🍂 Tips for Healthy Living and Family Fun!
As we welcome the cozy fall season, it's a great time to emphasize staying active and making healthy choices for our students’ well-being. Here are some autumn tips:
Enjoy Fall's Harvest: Encourage your child to try seasonal fruits and vegetables. Cooking together can be fun; try making cinnamon apple slices or
roasted sweet potatoes!
Get Outdoors: Take advantage of the cooler weather by planning activities like hiking, biking, or visiting a pumpkin patch. Enjoying nature promotes fitness and family bonding.
Stay Hydrated: Keep hydration a priority! Remind your child to drink water regularly.
Practice Mindful Eating: With the holidays coming, help your child eat mindfully by enjoying meals slowly and listening to hunger cues. Cooking together can encourage them to try new foods.
Be a Role Model: Show your children healthy eating habits by making nutritious choices and staying active as a family. Your example will
inspire them to follow suit.
Let’s make this fall fun and healthy! Wishing you all a joyful and active season!
🗣️ Become Unskippable: Practical Guidance for Talking With Teens
Teens skip things that don't interest them, including lectures from their parents. But fentanyl is a threat to young people across the country and in Fairfax County. So it's important to have short, impactful talks with your teen, whether or not you think they’re at risk.
As a parent or caregiver, you have the power to become “unskippable” and talk with your teen in a way they will listen. See our tips for talking with your teen about fentanyl and other difficult subjects. Watch this video to learn more about becoming Unskippable.
👨👩👧👦 Get to Know FCPS and the Resources Available to Families
We know that as a parent or caregiver, you play a critical role in your child’s education. The FCPS Family Academy compiles classes, webinars, workshops, and programs offered by the school division to help you support your child’s needs and learning at home.
The Family Academy also includes information about resources to help ensure your child has what they need to succeed. Check out some of the upcoming Family Academy sessions:
- Co-Parenting: Two Parents, Two Homes (available in English and Spanish)
- Loving Solutions
- Military-Connected Youth Family Advisory Council
- Parent Project
- Family Resource Center Webinars on topics including: How to Prepare for School; Building Collaborative Relationships Between Caregivers and Educators; Worried Parents, Anxious Kids; and What Families Need to Know About Drugs for Their Students with Disabilities.
Visit the Family Academy catalog for more information on these sessions and to register to attend.
🚍 Student Bus Passes Offer Free Transportation All Year
All Fairfax County middle and high school students can get a Student Bus Pass SmarTrip card to ride the Fairfax Connector and Fairfax CUE buses for free! With the pass, fares are free from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, all year. Learn more about the Student Pass and access the application, which can be returned to the front office.
Children 12 and younger ride for free on Fairfax Connector with a paying adult.
Learn more about the Student Pass. Complete the application and return it to Ms. Shivers or the main office.
November
21-23 | Fall Play
24 | TJHHS Field Trip
24, 25 | No Night Hawk
26-28 | Thanksgiving Break
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December
4 | Band Concert, Auditorium 7 PM
8 | Bodhi Day
10 | PTA Meeting, Cafeteria 6 PM
11 | Curriculum Night, Auditorium 6 PM
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American Education Week
From November 17-21, for American Education Week, we celebrate ALL who work in our Herndon community: our bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, counselors, support staff, teachers, leadership and more!
Learn more from the National Education Association.
Want to recognize someone from our school who goes above and beyond? Submit a nomination to FCPS Cares.
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FCPS Cares
The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story, so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.
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