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Teacher Rhina Herson counts with her 2nd grade class during a math lesson at Fairfax Villa Elementary School.
Open Enrollment Ends on Friday!
Open enrollment ends at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 30.
The Office of Benefit Services and health plan vendors will be on hand to answer questions about your FCPS benefits on Thursday, October 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the final open enrollment virtual open house.
To find additional details about open enrollment, please visit the Open Enrollment webpage.
Don’t forget: You must enroll in a flexible spending account (FSA) through UConnect during open enrollment if you wish to participate in 2027. Current FSA participants are not automatically re-enrolled.
Weekly Reflections: Forestville Hosts ‘Reid-a-thon’
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid visited Forestville Elementary School last week to kick off its annual Read-a-Thon. She was joined by additional mystery readers, including police officers, firefighters, School Board members, and other community workers.
Read more about Dr. Reid’s school visits in her Weekly Reflections.
FCPS CARES Recipient Helps Students in ‘Just the Right Way’
FCPS CARES allows families, staff, and community members to recognize employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. Among the CARES of the Month recipients for July/August is Tara Frazier, an Advanced Academics Program (AAP) teacher at Keene Mill Elementary School. She was nominated by a student who said she was “the best language arts teacher I have ever had.”
“She pushed me really hard, and I know I grew because of her,” the student said. “I grew more confident, and I felt like someone appreciated my work. Mrs. Frazier helped me get into a place where I could test without as much pressure and anxiety, and I got a really good score on my SOL because of her guidance.”
Other FCPS CARES of the Month recipients include:
- Roberto Gonzalez, Lorton Center
- Yuston Arana Zapata, Cesar Quintanilla, Ana Ferman, Dulce Andino De Saravia, Ilsa Moreno Mejia, Hong Le, Jannya Herrera, Tung Phan, Francisco Bonilla, Pedro Mercedes, Maria Escamilla De Cruz, Reyna Hernandez-Recinos, Santos Rivera, Francisco Ramirez, Jose Baires, Hong Pham, and Mirna Alvarenga, Herndon High School
- Cara Shirley, Whitman Middle School
- Jann Canestra, Cub Run Elementary School
- Barbara Cortez, Nicholas Jacky, and Samantha Vivian-Beck, Key Middle School
Read about all the recipients.
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🎖️ Honoring Our Veteran Employees
As we approach Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, FCPS would like to say a heartfelt “Thank you” to the many employees who are also military veterans.
Are you a military veteran? We would love to share your story! Email us at EmployeeNews@fcps.edu to share photos and tell us what brought you to FCPS and how your military career influenced or impacted the work you do now. Your story could be shared in a follow-up blog. Thank you for your service!
Explore Video Production or Accessibility and AI in DIT Hour of Training
Build Practical Skills with DIT Hour of Learning. Join us on Tuesday, November 3, for live, one-hour Zoom sessions open to all FCPS staff. Explore practical ways to use AI to make everyday content clearer and more accessible, create your first Google Vids video, or build better tutorials and training videos.
- 9:30 a.m., AI in Action: Make Everyday Content Clearer and More Accessible
- 10:45 a.m., Google Vids Essentials: Create Your First Video (Level 1)
- 12:30 p.m., Google Vids in Practice: Build Better Tutorials and Training Videos (Level 2)
Sessions include examples for instructional and operational staff. Attend one or several, and check back as more sessions are added. View session details and register in MyPDE.
Grow Your Own: FCPS Teacher Pathways With James Madison University and Northern Virginia Community College
FCPS is offering virtual information sessions to help employees who do not yet hold a bachelor’s degree but want to become a teacher or complete special education licensure:
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Tuesday, November 3, 8:30 a.m., Inclusive Early Childhood Education (IECE)
- Tuesday, November 3, 2 p.m., Elementary or Special Education (ELED/SPED)
In both sessions:
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Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) will share how employees beginning their journey without an associate degree or 60 general education credits can start a pathway to teaching in Virginia.
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James Madison University (JMU) will discuss accelerated bachelor’s programs that lead to Virginia Department of Education licensure:
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Special Education-Dual Endorsement: Students Accessing the General Curriculum and Students Accessing the Adapted Curriculum.
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Inclusive Early Childhood Education-Dual Endorsement: Early Childhood Special Education, birth to age 5, and General Education Early Childhood, pre-K to 3rd grade.
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Elementary Education: General Education, pre-K to 6th grade.
Please complete the information session registration form to receive the Zoom link.
Academic Matters: School Accountability Outcomes
The topic of the Academic Matters portion of last week’s School Board meeting was Accountability Outcomes. All FCPS schools are fully accredited for the 2026-27 school year. Read more in Weekly Reflections.
Never Miss a Show! Subscribe to the Fine and Performing Arts Calendar
View the Fine and Performing Arts calendar on the FCPS website for individual listings of many middle and high school theater events. New events are added regularly. You can subscribe to the calendar for notifications of upcoming performances.
Want to attend a show? Buy tickets online.
Calendar Reminders: Quarter End
Friday, October 30, is the last day of the first quarter. Students will have a two-hour early release.
Schools will be closed for students on Monday, November 2, for a school planning day, and Tuesday, November 3, for a teacher workday. See the complete school year calendar or the employee calendar.
Daylight Saving Time Ends (Fall Back)
Daylight saving time will end this Sunday, November 1, at 2 a.m. Don’t forget to move your clocks back one hour!
Reminder: What to Do if You’re Contacted by Reporters
The Office of Communications has a media relations team dedicated to helping connect news organizations to FCPS. If a member of the media contacts you, do not respond. Instead, notify your principal or program manager. Your principal or program manager must notify the media relations team at MediaRelations@fcps.edu as soon as possible.
If you have a great story to share, the media relations team will be thrilled to hear from you! They may be able to help publicize your story. Submit a story idea. Read FCPS Regulation 7004 (PDF) for additional guidance.
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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