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Important Upcoming Events   Friday, March 20 - Eid-al-Fitr - School Closed Friday, March 27 - End of 3rd Quarter - 2 hour early release March 30 - April 3 - Spring Break - School Closed Monday, April 6 - Teacher Workday - Student Holiday Friday, April 10 - School Planning Day - Student Holiday Tuesday, April 21 - Teacher Workday/Virtual School Planning Day - Student Holiday

Carson Middle School’s SOL Testing dates are as follows:

May 5th - Reading SOL

May 13th - Math SOL

May 19th - Science 8 SOL (8th-graders only)

We are approaching the halfway mark of the third quarter. This is a great time for parents and guardians to review grades and current progress with your student.

Students, this is also an important opportunity to touch base with your teachers to see what supports may be needed so you can finish the quarter strong.

Parents and guardians, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a teacher or counselor. We are here to support your student’s success.

Student Fasting Meal Kits

From February 18 to March 19, 2026, a Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) waiver allows students fasting during the school day to request take-home meal kits. These kits include a complete school breakfast and lunch to be eaten after the school day ends.

Important Meal Kit Information: 

• Kits are charged based on a student’s meal status (Free, Reduced, or Paid).
• Students may claim one breakfast and one lunch kit per day.
• Students who eat a meal at school during the day are not eligible for a take-home kit on the same day.
• Kits are distributed at the end of the school day. Students must pick up their own kits; adults are not permitted to collect them.

Parents or guardians must submit a weekly request form via the FCPS FNS website by the deadlines:

• February 11, 2026 for week of February 18, 2026
• February 16, 2026 for the week of February 23, 2026
• February 23, 2026 for the week of March 2, 2026
• March 2, 2026 for the week of March 9, 2026
• March 9, 2026 for the week of March 16, 2026

Forms must be submitted on time to receive meal kits for the following week.

Wellness Week Spirit Week 2026 – March 23–27

Join us for Wellness Week Spirit Week 2026! Each day, students are invited to participate in a fun dress-up theme while learning simple coping skills that support positive mental health and well-being.

Monday, March 23 – Music Monday
Wear your favorite band or musician shirt.
Coping Skill Focus: Listening to music can help boost mood and reduce stress.

Tuesday, March 24 – Tropical Tuesday
Wear island print or Hawaiian shirts.
Coping Skill Focus: Spending time in the sun helps your body absorb vitamin D, which supports overall wellness.

Wednesday, March 25 – Wild Wednesday / Therapy Dog Visits during Panther Time
Wear animal print from head to toe.
Coping Skill Focus: Spending time with animals can provide comfort and reduce feelings of stress or worry.

Thursday, March 26 – Team Carson Thursday
Wear Carson gear or workout gear.
Coping Skill Focus: Surrounding yourself with supportive peers and adults brings out the best in you.

Friday, March 27 – Fun Friday: Get Plenty of Sleep & Laughter!
Wear pajamas.
Coping Skill Focus: Laughter helps relax muscles, reduce stress hormones, and improve mood. Getting enough rest can lower cortisol levels and restore balance to the body.

We look forward to a fun and meaningful week focused on wellness! 

For more information about student wellness including tips and strategies click here or reach out to your child’s school counselor. 

Lightspeed 🔍 See Where Your Child Goes Online With Lightspeed Parents can access their child’s activity on FCPS devices through Lightspeed, the school division’s internet content filtering service. Parents may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites their child visited.  The report also offers parents the ability to sign up for the Internet Use Parent Portal. Through the portal, parents may pause their child’s access to the internet on their FCPS device during non-school hours. Learn more about Lightspeed Parent Reports.

K&K Student Accident Insurance

Attend today, achieve tomorrow!

Did you know?

• Regular school attendance in elementary school improves the chances that your child will read on grade level.
• Chronic absenteeism (missing 18 or more school days per year) is a primary cause of lower academic achievement even when the absences are "excused" or understandable.
• Students who attend 90% or more of the school year are more likely to graduate from high school on time.
• Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with peer conflicts or facing some other potentially serious difficulty, and help is available. 

Attendance Policies

In Virginia, all students aged five (5) through eighteen (18) are required to attend school regularly. FCPS must record student attendance every day school is in session.

Every year, absences increase in the weeks before and after spring break. Make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. Visit our website for more attendance resources.

Early Dismissal Procedure Please do NOT request early dismissals online or by phone.  To request an early dismissal please send a note, or complete and print an Early Dismissal Request Form for your child. Your child should bring the note or form to the main office upon arrival to school in order to receive an early dismissal pass for that day. If you forget to send a note, students should still come to the front office to get an early dismissal pass. This will minimize class interruptions when the teacher knows in advance a student will check out early. All early dismissals must be before 2pm. Click HERE for more Carson Middle Attendance details.

Private School or Program Application Process

Rachel Carson Middle School requires important documents to effectively accommodate your requests in a timely manner. Please provide all documents below two weeks in advance of the private school application deadline.

If your student is planning on applying to any private schools for the 2026-2027 school year, please complete the "Private School Request Form" and the "Parent Consent Form: SS-SE79" and submit them to the Student Service’s Office or to your child’s counselor.  Counselors will be emailing all records to the requested schools via an admissions email OR the school's portal. 

Please visit our website at RCMS Private School Requests for more information regarding required forms and teacher recommendations.

Please contact your child’s school counselor or our Student Services Assistant Andrea Tawil  (ajtawil@fcps.edu) with questions.

Link to Purchase: Yearbook Sales - MySchoolbucks

3rd Quarter Grades

The 3rd quarter ends Friday, March 27. Gradebook and Report Card Modules in SIS ParentVUE and StudentVUE will be unavailable to Parents and Students from Friday, March 27 at 4PM through Monday, April 14 at 6AM. On April 14, 3rd quarter report cards will be visible in SIS. A printed copy of 3rd quarter report cards will be sent home the week of April 23.

Parent Acknowledgment of Course Requests for Next School Year

As the academic advising and course selection period draws to a close, we want to ensure all families feel confident about their child's educational path. A new feature in SIS ParentVUE allows parents and guardians to easily review and acknowledge their student's course requests for the 2026-27 school year. To access this feature: 

1. Log in to your ParentVUE account.
2. Navigate to the Course Request module.
3. Review your student’s course request list for next school year.

1. To complete the acknowledgment, click Student Info in the left menu.
2. Click Edit Information.
3. In the Course Request Acknowledgment field, update the acknowledgment field to Yes.
4. Click Save Changes.

The window for parents/guardians to review and acknowledge their child’s course requests via this new feature will open on Monday, March 16, 2026, and will close on Friday, March 27, 2026. Carson plans to mail home course request sheets for review as well. Please remember the last day to make schedule request changes for Carson next year is April 24th.

Visit the FCPS SIS ParentVUE account overview webpage for more instructions and screenshots of this process. 

Thank you for supporting our Academic Advising Season at Rachel Carson!

Rachel Carson Middle School will now begin reviewing course enrollment numbers to determine course allotments, seat availability, and staffing decisions for the upcoming school year.

Families will receive course verification forms to review their student’s course selections.

After Spring Break, families will have two weeks (April 6–17, 2026) to submit any requests for changes to the courses selected for next year. Please note that some courses may already be closed, waitlisted, or no longer offered.

April 17, 2026, is the final deadline for course change requests for the 2026–2027 school year. After this date, no additional course change requests will be accepted so that we can begin staffing our building and determining teacher placements for the upcoming school year.

Thank you for your continued support.

ParentVUE Course Requests Now Available Families can now view their student’s course requests for the 2026–2027 school year in ParentVUE SIS through the mobile app or website. Parents and guardians are encouraged to log in and review the courses their student has selected. This page displays all courses your student has requested for the upcoming school year. Please note that these are course requests, not finalized schedules. Student schedules will be available in August 2026. Counselors may contact families if any course changes, corrections, or intervention options need to be discussed.

RCMS Course Selection Events 2026-27 School Year

It is time to think about the 26-27 school year and January marks the start of our course selection season! 

Please visit our  Academic Advising & Course Selection website for detailed information regarding important dates, deadlines, course descriptions, and additional resources.  

Both 7th and 8th graders will enter their course selections for the 2026-2027 school year into SIS during the school day.  In addition, school counselors will meet individually with all students in January or February to answer questions and provide guidance regarding course selection.  Parents and guardians will be able to view the courses their student selected through Student or ParentVue. Families who do not currently have a ParentVue SIS are encouraged to request one here as soon as possible, as parents will be asked to verify course selections in March.  

School-life balance is an important consideration as students work toward both academic and personal success. Families are always welcome to contact their student’s school counselor, teacher, or case manager with any questions or concerns.  

We look forward to partnering with you to help your child select courses for a successful upcoming school year.

Dear RCMS Families,

As this school year quickly comes to an end, we are already preparing for the 2026–2027 school year.

To help us keep our records current, please complete the Google Form if your family will be moving before the start of the next school year.

Thank you for your continued support.

Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health

Children go through a lot of changes, and it can be hard to tell if their behavior is developmentally appropriate or if they could benefit from mental health support. It’s important to talk to your child and pay attention to their actions, especially these warning signs:

• Increased irritability, hyperactivity, energy, and/or aggressive behavior.
• Excessive sadness, hopelessness, or worries.
• Loss of appetite, or significant weight gain or loss.
• Lack of sleep or too much sleep.
• A decline in grades, school avoidance, or attendance concerns.
• Alcohol or drug use.
• Withdrawal from activities and/or friends and family. 
• Thoughts of harming themselves or others.

If you notice any of these warning signs or feel your child may be experiencing a mental health challenge, help is available. Please contact your child's school counselor to discuss your concerns and identify resources. Find additional ways to support your child’s wellness. 

If you or someone you care about is experiencing a mental health crisis such as thoughts of harming themselves or others, please take action right away. Call 988, go to the nearest emergency room, or contact the Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health Emergency Services at 703-573-5679.

📱We Are a Phone-Free School!

Please remind your student that cell phones and personal devices (airpods, earbuds, headsets, other items connected to the internet) must be off and away for the entire school day (bell to bell). Cell phones are also not permitted to be used as an instructional tool. If you need to contact your student during the school day, please call our front office. Learn more about FCPS’ cell phone policy, which helps students stay focused, safe, and engaged at school. 

FCPS CARES Nominations Want a quick way to recognize an employee or team? Share an FCPS CARES! Families, colleagues, and students are all invited to submit. The FCPS CARES is automatically sent to the recipient(s) and their supervisor, and is posted on fcps.edu. Additionally, each month one school in our region wins a staff celebration from HR. Encourage your community to show our staff that their hard work is appreciated!

Greetings Panther Families,

Please take a minute to look over the updated after school schedule. We have added several new walk-in clubs including Astronomy, STEAM Builders, Best Buddies and many more. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Barrows, rtbarrows1@fcps.edu

After School Weekly Schedule

Other Schools are Sharing

Westfield High School Pyramid Art Show 2026

April 8th : 8:20-2:50pm & Awards Ceremony 5-7pm April 9th: 8:20-12:00pm

Join us in the main gymnasium.

If you visit during school hours, check in at the  main office.

Good afternoon SLHS Pyramid Schools!

International Night 2025-2026 (8.5 x 11 in).pdf

SOUTH LAKES CHEERLEADING

Calling all rising 9^th graders! Interested in trying out for the South Lakes Cheerleading program? If so, please fill out the following online interest form to be added to our email list:   https://forms.gle/NoUR7aAstRLLDK7i6  Those on our email distribution list will receive information throughout the spring/summer regarding the upcoming season.

A little bit about our program: South Lakes Cheerleading is both a sideline and competitive program. When we are not on the track cheering on the SLHS Football team on game nights, we are practicing for our own District, Region, and State competitions! We have two teams: JV and Varsity that both begin on Aug. 3^rd and runs through early/mid November. 

We welcome all levels of experience and hope to meet you soon!

If you have any questions at all feel free to email Coach Slaight at:  raslaight@fcps.edu

SOUTH LAKES DANCE TEAM

The South Lakes Dance Team is excited to be holding our 26-27 tryouts from June 17-18! If you are interested in trying out, please fill out this interest form and we will add you to our email list:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIM76iSl-e1WT1s7CZ0yFeX1bTIaWyXRGAg8GWqT1GbmWmJA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

We will be sending out communication about our interest meeting, tryouts, and eligibility requirements through the email list. 

The South Lakes Dance Team performs at Football games, Basketball games, pep rallies, and various other school events. We also compete regionally and sometimes even nationally! We love cheering on the Seahawks and promoting school spirit in the community. South Lakes currently has only a Varsity level Dance Team, but we encourage dancers of all skill levels to tryout! 

We will also be holding a pre-tryout skills clinic on April 21st from 4:30-6:30pm. Link to register here: https://southlakeshscamps.jumbula.com/dance

Please email Coach McDermott at chmcdermott@fcps.edu with any questions. 

SOUTH LAKES FOOTBALL

Calling all rising 9th graders!  Are you:

-Bigger than most people?  -Faster than your friends?  -Tougher than most others? -Enjoy doing difficult things?

If you answered yes to one or more of those questions then we are interested in you trying out for the South Lakes Football Program! No prior experience required!

Hurry and fill out the following online interest form to be added to our contact list: 

https://forms.gle/9LTNr9rXgRSee8DV9

Those on our email distribution list will receive information throughout the spring/summer regarding the upcoming season. 

A little bit about our program: 

South Lakes Football has three levels in our program; Freshmen, Junior Varsity, and Varsity.  Our season officially begins on August 3th, but the JV and Varsity teams are already preparing for our next season and so should you too! Weight Room training sessions begin the week of March 2^nd!

We welcome all levels of experience and hope to meet you soon!

If you have any questions at all feel free to email Coach Hescock at:  jrhescock@fcps.edu

SLHS Seahawk CO-ED Golf Meeting For Rising Freshmen

Interested in playing competitive high school golf? Find out what it takes at our info meeting for rising Freshmen. Student-Athletes and parents are welcome for both the Seahawk Co-ed Golf and Girls Teams, May 17th, 6:00pm at Reston National Golf Club. Tryouts are projected for the end of July and the regular season runs through mid-September. For questions and to confirm attendance email Coach Anderson at kanderson3@fcps.edu

SOUTH LAKES GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Are you Interested in trying out for the most popular high school girls team participation sport in the US – volleyball! Our program offers 3 levels: F, JV and V. Tryouts will be held on Aug 3, 4, and 5. To get ready for the season, we will be holding a number of spring/summer workouts that are open to rising 9th graders. We also will be holding our annual summer volleyball camps to either introduce you to our sport or help you refine your current skills.

To ensure you have all the information you need, please email Coach Farrar at safarrar@fcps.edu with both potential player and parent names and emails. We will add you to our email distribution list and send you a program information sheet that contains everything you need to know about our outstanding program as well as some questions for you so we can get to know you better.

We look forward to seeing you on the court!

If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Coach Farrar at safarrar@fcps.edu -  GO SEAHAWKS!

SOUTH LAKES FIELD HOCKEY

Calling all rising 9th graders! For questions regarding Field Hockey please email Coach Hiltabrand at: ahiltabrand@fcps.edu and follow our Instagram account for updates and information as well @slhs_seahawkey

SOUTH LAKES BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Calling all rising 9^th graders! Interested in trying out for the South Lakes Boys Volleyball program?

For additional questions please email Andrew Duggan at amduggan@fcps.edu.

Who to Contact

If you have a question or concern, please visit our website for a full listing of  Who to Contact.  This listing includes all of our administrators, our counselors, and who to speak to regarding a specific content area or class. Contact information for all staff members is listed on our website - just click on the name of the person you wish to contact  to be redirected to their email address: RCMS Staff Directory.

13618 McLearen Rd. Herndon, VA 20171 |  Main Phone: 703.925.3600
Attendance: 703.925.3636 or CarsonMS.Attendance@fcps.edu 
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