Physical Education Teacher Catherine McCarron dances with pre-K students at Terraset Elementary School.
Weekly Reflections: Supporting Teachers to Nurture Developing Readers
In the Academic Matters portion of last Thursday’s School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid talked about the Summer Literacy Symposium: Core, More, and ECRI (Enhanced Core Reading Instruction).
More than 1,300 educators from elementary, middle, and high schools participated in summer training designed to support multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and all developing readers. Read more about Dr. Reid’s presentation in Weekly Reflections.
Employee Conversations With Dr. Reid
Your voice matters, and Dr. Reid wants to hear from you! Employee Conversations will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on:
Click on the date to register to attend an event. Registration is not required, but helps with planning.
These events give you an opportunity to share your thoughts with Dr. Reid and ask her questions. You can also reach out to her anytime by submitting a question via the superintendent’s webpage or emailing Superintendent@fcps.edu.
Update Website Access With a Single Click Using Teacher Unblock
Teachers using Lightspeed Classroom can now temporarily unblock eligible websites for students during an active Classroom session. Access automatically expires at the end of the class, helping maintain district filtering policies while providing flexibility for instruction.
For more information about this new Lightspeed Classroom feature, visit the Lightspeed Classroom Atlas page.
Live Text Accessibility Challenge
Always use live text in your documents (not images or screenshots of text) so readers can highlight, resize, translate, or listen to the content. This week, try to test whether the text you’re sending to colleagues or families is live.
Click and drag your cursor to try to highlight a bit of text. If you can select, search, or copy the words, your document passes the live text test! Live text is both more accessible for readers using assistive technology and easier for readers trying to translate your materials.
If you cannot highlight the text, it is an image of text that needs to be edited to become live text. Repeat this challenge over the next week with anything you open. For an added challenge, try using a text-to-speech tool from the Tools to Support Special Education Instruction webpage to read the text aloud.
Join the Campaign
Celebrate wins, ask questions, and join discussions in the Conversations on Accessible Learning Materials Zoom Community Chat or in this Google Form. Learn more about accessibility on Atlas. Need support? Join accessibility support hours on Zoom on Tuesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m.
Calendar Reminder: Yom Kippur (Holiday)
Monday, September 21, is a holiday, and schools and offices will be closed. See the complete school year calendar and employee calendar.
Employees Save 25% on In-Person Classes With ACE
All FCPS employees can save on continuing education and just plain fun classes from FCPS Adult and Community Education (ACE).
Check out the ACE page on Atlas to get your employee discount code and see all the details to save 25%! Then go to the ACE catalog to browse the in-person, career, and enrichment classes available to you:
- Learn a new language.
- Try a health and wellness class.
- Discover quick and easy recipes or expand your cultural palate with a culinary arts class.
- Get crafty and make new home decor or gifts for friends and family.
In-person classes are available after work and on weekends at multiple locations to fit your busy schedule.
FCPS Statement on Nondiscrimination and Americans with Disabilities
Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to a learning and working environment free from discrimination. No applicant, employee, student, parent, or other individual shall be denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination in, any FCPS education program or activity on the basis of race, sex — including sexual harassment, pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions — color, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or disability, as required by law.
FCPS prohibits retaliation against any individual who reports discrimination or harassment, files a complaint, or participates as a witness in an investigation.
Questions or complaints involving applicants, employees, students, parents, or other individuals may be directed to the Office of Employee Relations, Department of Human Resources, through the FCPS discrimination complaint process.
Questions regarding reasonable accommodations for employees or applicants may be submitted through the FCPS StaffConnect portal or by contacting Human Resources at 571-423-3000.
Questions involving special education or Section 504 services for students may be directed to the Office of Special Education Procedural Support at 571-423-4290.
Staff Staples
Note: Some links in this email may require a connection to the FCPS network. If you have any questions, please visit the FCPS Tech Support Portal to search for self help articles or submit a ticket.
Submit an Employee News request. Submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, one week in advance. Thank you!
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