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The Braddock Buzz: Braddock Champions, Upcoming Theatre Productions, Special Education Conference and More!
Happy November everyone!
For those with kids in FCPS, I hope it was a great first quarter. I know my kids are glad to have a string of nice weather for recess.
We’ve had a busy season filled with baseball, birthdays, and a number of different fall festivities around the area.
Last week, I had the pleasure of joining Bonnie Brae Elementary’s PTO meeting. Coming from a PTA background, it’s always nice to get to connect with families and the people who put such care into the student and family experience at their child’s school.
I also got to swing by the Robinson Trunk-or-Treat, which had more than 30 cars as well as face painting, and a bake sale. Shout out to the Rambassadors for putting on an excellent event–the first they’ve ever done! Of course, I had to remind our kids about the dad tax.🍬😊
 Last Monday, I visited both a Student Leadership class as well as Mrs. Healy’s AP Government class at Woodson. It was great getting to connect and hear students’ experiences and perspectives on policies around Educational Technology, grading, AI usage, and more. We also got to discuss what the School Board does and how it works, and even how they could even potentially contribute to our work through the School Board Student Development Program, which is still accepting applications through this Friday, November 6th!
 Finally, I had the pleasure of attending this year’s State of Our Schools event with several of my Board colleagues and many members of the community. Dr. Reid shared highlights on student academic performance and progress towards meeting our Strategic Plan goals, and we were treated to amazing student musical performances, art exhibits, robotics displays and more. I also enjoyed hearing a celebration of reading as some of our high school football players shared their favorite childhood books, the importance of reading in their lives, and the joy they get from reading to elementary students.
 As always, I welcome your inputs and questions. You can email me at Braddock@fcps.edu. You are also welcome to attend School Board meetings (schedule) and register to share your thoughts with us during community participation (sign-up).
Yours in Service,
Tom Dannan
Braddock District Representative
A Word From Your Braddock District Supervisor
Dear Neighbors,
My favorite part of last week’s State of our Schools event was the Crestwood Elementary school choir singing De Colores. While their teachers accompanied them with a strumming guitar and a lilting violin melody, FCPS kids clad in blue t-shirts sang a song in strong little voices about joy, unity, and hope. There was not a dry eye in the house when they walked off stage.
A choir sounds like one voice, but it’s really many voices, each practicing, listening, and trusting the ones beside them. A school system works the same way.
At the same event, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid shared some inspiring statistics and stories from the 2025-26 school year. Nearly all students in grades six through eight taking Algebra 1 passed their SOL exam, and the FCPS math SOL pass rate has climbed 19% since 2021, from 61 percent up to 80 percent. Over 59 percent of FCPS graduates in 2025 graduated with an advanced diploma, which is almost ten percent higher than the state average. FCPS kids are getting new opportunities: swimming lessons, career training, and free trips to local libraries. There are more opportunities for kids to become excited about learning than ever before.
I’m grateful to the School Board and to all of FCPS’s staff, faculty, and volunteers for building systems where children can succeed. But schools can’t do it alone. Alongside them, the county has been working on what kids need outside the classroom: more affordable homes, safer ways to get to school through more active pedestrian safety projects and more opportunities to succeed post-graduation through growing opportunities and partnerships with George Mason University.
There’s more to do. More than 35 percent of Fairfax County students are economically disadvantaged, meaning they qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Behind that figure are kids who love to draw, race toy cars, or eat sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Our job on the county side is to help families get the meals and housing that let those kids arrive at school ready to learn.
We may not always agree on how best to serve our children, but I know we all believe the following to be true: that every child deserves a stable home and a good school, that our kids deserve the resources to succeed, and that we should spend public dollars with intention to get there. That’s what makes our community a place de colores, a place of many colors, singing one song.
Sincerely,
Rachna Sizemore Heizer
Braddock Bravos
 Every school day begins with compassion, creativity, and a clean slate in Megan Haile’s classroom at White Oaks Elementary School.
A finalist for the 2026 FCPS Outstanding New Teacher award, Megan serves as a learning disabilities special education teacher. She brings a unique blend of clinical care, pedagogical skill, and deep empathy to her work.
Creating an environment where every student feels safe, valued, and ready to learn is central to Megan’s approach. To help her students navigate complex emotions, Megan incorporates imaginative and accessible self-regulation tools into her daily classroom routine.
One innovative strategy she uses is having students check in using LEGO mini-figures to express their feelings and worries. By selecting a mini-figure that reflects their current emotional state, students have an approachable, low-pressure way to communicate how they are feeling and signal when they might need additional support. This playful check-in is complemented by calm corners equipped with sensory tools, strategic seating options, and personalized behavior charts that give students the autonomy to regulate their emotions and focus on learning.
Megan’s dedication is anchored in what White Oaks Principal Josh Douds calls a "fresh start philosophy". Regardless of the behavioral or emotional challenges a student may have faced the day before, Megan greets every child each morning with a warm smile and an unconditional clean slate.
“As a second-year special education teacher, Mrs. Megan Haile has already demonstrated a level of mastery, compassion, and resilience that typically takes a decade to cultivate,” Josh commented.
Behind Megan’s classroom success is a foundation of continuous professional learning and strong division support. She is a participant in the FCPS Grow Your Own Special Education Cohort, a collaborative partnership between George Mason University and FCPS Great Beginnings that connects advanced educational theory directly with daily classroom instruction.
Collaboration is another core element of Megan’s teaching model. Department Chair and mentor Suzanne Gowe notes that Megan’s warmth and proactive communication put families at ease, ensuring parents are true partners in celebrating their child’s daily successes and overcoming challenges.
Within the school, Megan collaborates daily with general education teachers like Heather Kincaid to align inclusion strategies, adapt lessons, and ensure shared students receive seamless support across settings.
Megan’s work embodies the district's core strategic values: when students feel safe, supported, and included, they build the academic and emotional resilience needed to thrive. Through creative check-ins, relentless encouragement, and strong community partnerships, she ensures every learner knows they belong.
🏆Champions from the Braddock District🏆
The recent weeks have been very exciting for student athletes around Braddock as the Fall sports season wraps up; and we’ve had a number of teams win District and Regional titles! Congratulations to all of these teams and coaches. Your hard work has definitely paid off!
 Robinson Boys Volleyball won their first District championship in school history!
 Robinson Girls Cross Country team won the Occoquan Region Championship!
 Robinson Cheer won the Occoquan Region Championship making them both District and Region champs for the second year in a row!
 Lake Braddock Boys Cross Country won the Occoquan Region Championship!
 Lake Braddock Girls Field Hockey won the Patriot District championship!
 West Springfield Girls Volleyball won the Patriot District Championship for the third year in a row!
 Annandale Field Hockey won the National District Championship!
Upcoming Theatre Around Braddock
Lake Braddock High School Theatre
A Wrinkle in Time
November 5-7
Meg Murry has always felt out of place: at school, at home, and especially since her dad disappeared; but when a mysterious visitor arrives on a dark and stormy night, Meg is swept on a thrilling journey across time and space. Joined by her brilliant brother Charles Wallace, her friend Calvin, and three powerful guides, Meg must brave distant planets, battle a growing darkness, and discover that the key to saving the universe just might be within her.
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Woodson Drama
Our Town
November 5,6,7,13,14
Described as “the greatest American play ever written,” Our Town presents the small town of Grover’s Corners in three acts: “Daily Life,” “Love and Marriage” and “Death and Eternity.” Narrated by a stage manager and performed with a theatrical flourish the play depicts the simple daily lives of the Webb and Gibbs families as their children fall in love, marry, and eventually die.
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Spartan Theatre
The Woodsman
November 12-21
Nick Chopper, a lonely woodsman from the Land of Oz, must embark on a harrowing journey to protect the love of his life from her evil guardian, the Wicked Witch of the East.
Hauntingly beautiful, this nearly wordless play tells the untold story of the Tin Woodsman through puppetry, movement, and song. Come discover the legend before the legend.
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Rambunctious Theatre Co.
Blue Stockings
November 13-21
Set in 1896, Jessica Swale’s Blue Stockings tracks four ambitious young women at Cambridge’s Girton College as they challenge the Victorian establishment for the right to graduate with formal degrees. Battling fierce chauvinism, public ridicule, and institutional hostility from male scholars and peers, Tess Moffat and her fellow students are forced to constantly weigh their intellectual passions against family obligations, social ostracization, and romantic relationships. The play builds toward a crucial university vote on degree equality, delivering a compelling narrative about the courage, personal costs, and tenacity required of the early trailblazers who fought for women's right to higher education.
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Annandale High School Theatre
Romeo & Juliet
November 19-21
Shakespeare's most famous story of love at first sight explodes with intense passion with heartbreaking consequences.
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Lake Braddock Middle School Theatre
Moana Jr.
November 19-22
This thrilling and heartwarming coming-of-age story follows the strong-willed Moana as she sets sail across the Pacific to save her village and discover the truth about her heritage. Moana and the legendary demigod Maui embark on an epic journey of self-discovery and camaraderie as both learn to harness the power that lies within.
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FCPS & Community News
 In September 2024, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid set a goal to become a Purple Star Division by the 2026-27 school year. That goal has been achieved.
Virginia districts earn Purple Star Division status when 100% of their schools earn and maintain Purple Star Designation. Applications are reviewed each fall.
FCPS is the largest Purple Star Division in Virginia and is the largest division in the state by both student enrollment and total number of students. It is the only division of its size to achieve Purple Star designation.
Virginia’s Purple Star Designation program recognizes schools for excelling in supporting military-connected students.
“When a family member serves in the military, everyone in the family serves,” said Dr. Reid. “This designation highlights our commitment to supporting each and every military-connected student and family as they enter or return to our school division. No matter which of our amazing schools they attend, they will find resources to help them transition into our school community.”
More than 12,600 military-connected students are enrolled in FCPS. When Dr. Reid established the divisionwide goal two years ago, 69 of 200+ FCPS schools and centers were recognized with the Purple Star designation.
To reach the goal of all 200+ schools earning the designation, the FCPS Office of Family and School Partnerships offered Purple Star Designation meetings and individual school support. Creating and maintaining Student Ambassador Programs is a focus of the program at FCPS.
These school-based, student-led leadership programs bring together military and civilian peers to support all students’ transition and connection to school. They help create a welcoming environment at the school for all new students, military-connected or not. Research shows that student transition programs offer some of the strongest social-emotional support for students who move frequently, which is common for many military-connected students.
The Purple Star Designation is valid for three years. Some of the requirements schools must meet to earn or keep their designation are as follows:
- The school must have a staff point of contact for military-connected students and families, and that staff person must have completed Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) training.
- At least 70% of all school staff must complete training every three years on the unique needs of military-connected students and the support available.
- The school maintains a student-led transition program to provide peer support for newly enrolled and withdrawing students, including military-connected students. FCPS Student Ambassadors fulfill this role.
Hear From Parents, Students, and Others at the Special Education Family Conference Opening Session
The annual Special Education Family Conference, Stronger Together: Connecting Families and Schools, will take place on Saturday, November 14, at Hayfield Secondary School.
New this year, the conference will open with an inspiring panel discussion featuring voices from across our school community: an FCPS student, a high school principal, a community partner, and an FCPS parent.
Panelists will share personal experiences and practical ideas for building supportive, inclusive communities where students can thrive both in and beyond the classroom.
Register to attend and visit the Special Education Family Conference webpage to learn more about the panelists. Email questions to SpecialEdFamilyConf@fcps.edu.
Learning English or strengthening your understanding can open doors to new opportunities, stronger connections, and greater confidence in your everyday life. You can build practical English language skills to help you communicate at work, support your children’s education, engage with your new community, and achieve your personal goals. Affordable, in-person classes are designed for learners at all levels and provide a supportive environment where you can practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing with experienced instructors. Classes are held at convenient FCPS locations throughout Fairfax County, with day and evening classes available. Placement testing begins soon and is required for all new students to ensure you are placed in the correct learning level. If you're interested in strengthening your English Language skills, please visit the FCPS ACE website for more information and scheduling.
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If you're seeking training and accreditation for careers in the Electrical or Plumbing trades, FCPS ACE can help. Applications are now being accepted for $1,000 scholarships toward FCPS ACE Apprenticeship classes. Skilled apprenticeship programs through FCPS ACE are accredited by the NCCER and can give you a "earn-while-you-learn" training that results in a high-paying, AI-proof career. With the right training, you can gain industry-recognized credentials and a career foundation worth over $300,000 more in lifetime earnings. The scholarship application window runs through December 31, 2026 with awards applied directly toward tuition for FCPS ACE Electrical or Plumbing courses that start in February 2027. Scholarships and classes fill quickly, so don't delay. Apply today.
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The entries are submitted. The votes are counted. And the winners are here!
If you're curious about who took home the gold for the coveted Best of Braddock awards, or who won Braddock's Intergenerational Art Competition, join Braddock District Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer for the Best of Braddock awards ceremony on November 10, 2026, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Braddock Hall (9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke, VA 22015).
The evening begins with a reception featuring free food and drink from Braddock-area businesses, followed by the awards ceremony with community members and elected officials. Attire is business casual.
Please RSVP for an evening of celebration.
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The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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