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Principal's Note
Dear Sandburg Families,
We had a great turnout for Orchestra Orientation. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make it a success!
We’re looking forward to our first cross country meet this Saturday. Good luck to our runners!
School pictures will be taken on Tuesday, October 6, and Wednesday, October 7. We look forward to seeing our students’ smiles.
Progress reports were sent home on Wednesday, September 30. Please review your child’s grades together and set goals for the second half of the quarter.
We will host a parent-teacher conference event again this year. Please save the date and plan to visit with teachers on November 2. We’ll share more details in the coming weeks. If you have any questions or concerns before then, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teachers.
Warmly, Jennifer Laxton
Important Dates
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School Pictures | Oct. 6th & 7th
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Parent Presentation: Substance Use Prevention | Oct. 8 6:00-7:30PM
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Parent Teacher Conferences | Nov. 2
MWEE (Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences) is the annual field trip for 7th grade science. Please get those field trip forms turned in!
Starting Thursday, October 2nd, 7th grade students will be going to participate to get some in field experience with water quality testing, collecting data and macro invertebrates. Students will be gone for most of the day, and will be going with their science teacher.
Please note the days students will be going:
Monday, October 5th with Ms. Sims
Tuesday, October 6th with Dr. Kandel
Thursday, October 8th with Mr. Ezeanolue + Mr. Ilesanmi
Friday, October 9th with Mr. Pearson
Family Life Education curriculum is broken into two units - Human Growth & Development, taught in December and Emotional and Social Health taught in March. Families wishing to opt their students out of any or all lessons may do so by October 31 via the Parent Digital Consent System. Scan the attached QR codes to access curriculum details, questions, or opt-out forms. If you have questions, please contact HPE Department Chair - Coach Ty (tlaugustin@fcps.edu)
Upcoming Parent Presentation: Substance Use Prevention – What Parents Need to Know
Join us at Sandburg Middle School for an informative presentation on strategies to keep youth drug-free. The event will take place in the SMS Cafeteria on October 8, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. To register, click here or copy and paste the following URL: https://forms.gle/T7zijwqCmHCwNfLK8
Key Topics to be Discussed:
- Current substance use trends
- Health risks associated with vaping
- Prevention strategies for families
- Available resources for seeking help
Details:
- When: Thursday, October 8, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
- Where: CSMS Cafeteria
- Refreshments: A light dinner, snacks, and refreshments will be provided
For questions or additional details, please contact Simone Brown, Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist (SAPS), at srbrown1@fcps.edu, or Ana Amelunge, Family Liaison at ACAmelunge@fcps.edu.
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Join us for Hispanic Heritage Month Spirit Week, October 5–9! Students are invited to celebrate our school community through the spirit days featured in the flyer. We’ll close the week with a schoolwide Pink-Out on Friday to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month. |
If you missed Sandburg’s TJ Information Night on Thursday October 1, don’t worry! Whitman Middle School (2500 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA 22306) is hosting an in-person TJ Info Night on Wednesday, October 7 at 6pm, and TJHSST is hosting a virtual Information Night on Thursday, October 8 at 6pm.
For more information and/or to register for the virtual session, please visit https://www.fcps.edu/tjadmissions. If you have questions about the TJ Admissions process at Sandburg, please contact Ms. Majors (TJ Liaison counselor) at 703-799-6143 or clmajors@fcps.edu or Ms. Johnson (AART) at 703-799-6286 or mgjohnson1@fcps.edu.
Superintendent Community Conversations
Join Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid for a Community Conversation. Students, families, staff, and community members are invited to ask questions, share concerns, and discuss what matters most to them. Everyone is welcome! Click on the date to register for any of the following events:
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Monday, October 19, at 6:30 p.m., at Spring Hill Elementary School
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Monday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m., at Beech Tree Elementary School
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Thursday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m., at North Springfield Elementary School
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Tuesday, December 1, at 6:30 p.m., at Powell Elementary School (note date change)
Registration is not required, but it helps with planning.
Calendar Change: Eid al-Fitr
FCPS will mark the beginning of Eid al-Fitr with an evening-only observance day on Monday, March 8. There will be school on this day, but major school-sponsored events and activities (such as auditions or tryouts) will not take place.
Tuesday, March 9, will be a holiday for students and staff.
Wednesday, March 10, will be an observance day. There will be school on this day, but certain activities that cannot be made up (major tests, field trips, or mandatory events) will not take place on this day.
A new school year calendar has been published, which includes this change. Please note that holidays and observances on the calendar may shift due to anticipated lunar sightings.
Safe Routes to School Parent and Caregiver Survey
As part of the Fairfax County School Board’s Annual School-Based Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Assessment, the FCPS Office of Safety and Security and Safe Routes to School program are inviting parents and caregivers to share their experiences traveling to and from school.
The Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Survey asks about walking and biking routes, traffic near schools, kiss and ride experiences, accessibility, and other safety concerns.
Your feedback will help FCPS identify common issues. Your responses will be kept confidential and shared with school administrators and the Office of Safety and Security. The five-minute survey is open through Thursday, October 15.
Be sure to identify the school related to your feedback and include specific locations where you have observed a safety issue. If you have students at different schools in FCPS, please complete a different survey for each school.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact SafeRoutestoSchool@fcps.edu.
FCPS Seeks Community Input on Middle School AAP Centers
FCPS is exploring a plan to offer Full-Time Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services at every middle school. Under the proposal, students who qualify could attend their neighborhood middle school and take advanced classes with other AAP students. The School Board has approved community engagement at Franklin, Hayfield, Holmes, Key, and Whitman middle schools, where programs could open for the 2027-28 school year. The proposal is still under consideration, and the School Board is expected to make a decision in December.
Each community meeting offers in-person and virtual participation. Upcoming meetings are scheduled for:
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Franklin Middle: Monday, October 5, at 6 p.m.
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Holmes Middle: Thursday, October 15, at 6 p.m.
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Whitman Middle: Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m.
Current middle school students will remain at their assigned AAP centers through middle school. Learn more and find meeting sign-up forms on the Middle School AAP Centers page.
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
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