WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!!
As we close out our first week of Back to School virtual learning, I am hopeful that it went as smoothly as possible. I thank all of you for getting prepared at home, attending our virtual orientations and supporting our teachers and principals in our schools.
We all held our breath on Tuesday hoping our technology would hold up as thousands of users got online. Thank goodness our technology worked. We had a peak of 140,000 users on Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and a peak of 30,000 users on Google Meet and all systems worked well with no slow downs. Our new help desk helped over 900 users with password set ups, lost class links, etc.
I know the amount of screen time and long schedule is tough for all our learners especially the youngest without the added benefit of seeing friends and having time to play or connect. Please stay in touch with your teachers and principals with suggestions or thoughts on what will work best for your student. We are all working toward the day we can be back in school safely. We will have a Return to School update at our September 22 work session so please watch that. We are monitoring the county’s child care program carefully to make sure their use of our school buildings does not contribute to an increase in COVID cases. If that appears to be working well, we will look at moving other small groups into schools soon.
Hang in there. Please be sure your students take some needed time away from their screens.
Do not hesitate to reach out to me. I have office hours scheduled through September and October, and you can sign up HERE for a 15 minute phone conversation. Students are encouraged to contact me.
Please watch my Facebook page and Twitter account for announcements regarding other public events.
FCPS has a number of resources to help you as we get Back to School and I have summarized a few below.
I hope your second week goes well,
Elaine
Upcoming School Board Meetings
- All Day Work Session - September 15th, 11 a.m. (Virtual) TJ admissions
- Regular Meeting - September 17th, 7 p.m. (Virtual)
- All Day Work Session - September 22nd, 4 p.m. (Virtual) Return to School Update
- Audit Committee Meeting - September 23rd - 5:30 p.m. (Virtual)
How to Watch Meetings
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Livestream: Meetings are live streamed here -https://www.fcps.edu/tv/ch99.
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Recordings of Meetings: Meetings will be recorded and available to view on the FCPS YouTube page here
School Counselors, Psychologists, and Social Workers Are Ready and Willing to Help
As you and your family begin the school year, school counselors, psychologists, and social workers are here and ready to support you. These professionals work with students in a variety of different capacities, whether through virtual classroom lessons, groups, individual counseling, or connection with community resources to provide support in the areas of social-emotional learning, academics, and college and career planning. College and career planning is also supported by the college and career specialists in each FCPS high school.
Contact information for your student’s school counselor, social worker, psychologist, and college and career specialist (high school only) are available on your school's website under Student Services, found by clicking on the Full Menu button on the toolbar on the upper left side.
Parent Resource Center
The FCPS Parent Resource Center provides access to information and resources to support the success of all students. They host a variety of free seminars and have a wealth of free resources, including for those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities. In addition, they are available via phone or email for consults.
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Webinars are from 10:00 -11:30 am or 6:30 – 8:00 unless otherwise noted. All Webinars will be recorded and can be accessed at the Parent Resource Center YouTube Channel. Register online here. Registration will be open approximately one month before the workshop date.
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Tutor Lists and Free Resource Guides Contact us via phone or email to get the list of available tutors. Additionally, we have free resources on topics such as: Executive Functioning, Parenting & Basic Needs, Adults with Disabilities, Mind in the Making, Mental Health, Fairfax County Government Resources, Military Connected Resources, Kindergarten Readiness, Adapted Sports and Recreation, and many more.
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Contact them at prc@fcps.edu or 703-204-3941.
Old Firehouse Learning Connection
The Old Firehouse Center is offering a new program! Old Firehouse Learning Connection is a supervised e-learning program held at the Old Firehouse Center, supervised by our staff, designed for students in 7th -12th grades Tuesday- Friday 7am - 5pm. The sessions run for 4 weeks starting 9/8/20. The program will provide a supervised environment for students to complete their school led virtual instruction. Staff will provide limited socially distant recreation opportunities for students during their breaks. Program waivers, participant contracts and additional information will be sent to all registered participants prior to the start of the program. A number of spaces have been reserved for families that have financial needs to attend. If you need a scholarship to attend for a free or reduced cost, please send an email to oldfirehouse@mcleancenter.org as soon as possible.
Registration is open now. See all the details here or call 703 448 8336.
Special Education Resources
The Special Education Return to School webpage has been updated and includes the latest information for families. Another excellent resource recently suggested from the Office of Special Services is the Family Guide to At-Home Learning. Additional supports for our special education community can be accessed through these resources:
You can also contact the Assistant Ombudsman for Special Education, Dawn Clements, at ombudsman@fcps.edu or the Parent Resource Center at prc@fcps.edu and 703-204-3941. Superintendent Brabrand held a special education focused town hall on August 26, 2020, and you can access the video here.
Also, the Virginia Autism Council (VAC) is offering a free webinar series on supports and services, transportation, trauma and resilience oriented care, communication with first responders, and a review of the 2021 VAC skills competencies. These free seminars are held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. The next seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, 2020- The Spectrum of Transportation with Mary Breister and Anne Brie – register online here.
Want to be more connected? Join your school’s PTA/PTO/PTSA
PTA, PTSA, and PTO are organizations where teachers and parents work together to create an environment providing best experiences for all of our children. They are a way of "meeting" other parents in this virtual start of school and provide avenues to volunteer for your school. Most school websites have a PTA/PTSA/PTO button under the 'upcoming events" tab connecting you to their PTA/PTSA/PTO website. Join them at their next meeting!
Advanced Academic Program Level IV Screening Updates for 2020-21
Due to the ongoing pandemic, there will be a few adjustments to the Advanced Academic Program (AAP) level IV screening processes for the 2020-21 school year. Additional information is available here.
SAT, PSAT, and ACT Testing
SAT/PSAT Testing
FCPS will cover the cost of the SAT School Day for any twelfth-grade student who wishes to test on Wednesday, September 23. Additionally, we are moving forward with plans to host the PSAT/NMSQT test for all juniors in October. FCPS will cover the cost for the PSAT/NMSQT for any interested eleventh-grade students. Schools will share additional details about the specific test date and registration process in September. In the spring, we will offer tenth-grade students an opportunity to take the PSAT -- additional information will be shared in the future.
Preparation is underway for weekend testing options for SAT and ACT throughout the 2020-21 school year. Registration for these weekend tests is available directly through ACT and College Board. Changes based on health conditions for future SAT or ACT weekend tests throughout the 2020-21 school year will be communicated directly to registered students by ACT or by the College Board for the SAT.
ACT Testing
In recent years, the county has noticed an increase in popularity of the ACT among our students and families. As a result, more schools are becoming ACT approved testing sites. However, not all of FCPS High Schools are currently approved ACT testing centers, and therefore, a division-wide ACT testing day is not possible. When determining the test that we could administer during the day, we chose to host the SAT. To support the needs of our students who wish to take the ACT, Chantilly, Fairfax, Hayfield, Lewis, and Mount Vernon all plan to offer the ACT on additional dates this fall.
Free online test preparation is available at the following links: Khan Academy Official SAT Practice and ACT Academy.
Grab and Go Food Service Details
Under waivers granted by the US Department of Agriculture, FCPS free breakfast and lunch program for all FCPS students is being extended through December 31, ensuring that students have access to nutritious food during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.FCPS has distributed more than 2.3 million Grab and Go meals since schools closed in March.
Grab and Go service hours will be extended to 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) with both breakfast and lunch being served at the same time. Bus routes for food distribution are being added and the current routes updated. Meals on buses will be distributed Monday through Friday beginning at 6:30 a.m.
Get more information about food distribution here.
Save the Dates for Fairfax County Government Stuff the Bus Food Drives in September
On Saturday, September 12, and September 26, Fastran buses will be parked at 21 locations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to collect food donations. For more information, including donation sites, a list of most-wanted items and information about donating virtually, visit bit.ly/FfxStufftheBus.
Free Student Bus Pass Program
The Fairfax County School Board has joined the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors by passing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Free Student Bus Pass Program that provides bus passes to all Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) middle and high school students to ride local buses at no cost. This successful partnership enables students to attend extracurricular activities, stay after school for tutoring and extra support, get to and from jobs and internships, and visit libraries and museums while helping them learn about public transportation.
High School Sports Update
VHSL presented the draft 2020-21 schedule for regular season games and state championships for each sports season. The below article has all the details.
https://www.insidenova.com/sports/prince_william/vhsl-presents-draft-discussing-2020-21-schedule-for-regular-season-and-state-championships/article_f2644ac2-e62d-11ea-9468-8fa82a7ff3be.html
FCPS Names New Chief Information Officer
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Scott S. Brabrand has named Gautam Sethi, who currently serves as chief technology officer for the Douglas County (Colorado) School District, as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) overseeing the Department of Information Technology, effective September 21, 2020.
“Mr. Sethi comes to FCPS with 18 years of experience in educational technology,” said Brabrand. “He has administrative and management skills in K-12 education—including experience supporting remote learning—that make him uniquely qualified to oversee our IT functions. For the first time in history we are beginning the school year in a virtual environment, and Mr. Sethi’s leadership will help move our district forward, ensuring that FCPS is at the forefront of innovation and fully supports our students, families, and employees.”
Learn more about Mr. Sethi in this news release.
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Multiple Technology Resources Available to Support Learning at Home
As the school year begins with virtual learning, FCPS has developed resources that can help with basic technology issues.
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FCPS’ YouTube channel has videos on basic technology topics that highlight some of the key FCPS tools, such as Google and Blackboard. These videos are designed to provide solutions for quick, simple questions.
- The FCPS Parent Technology Resource page provides tip sheets and support in multiple languages. These tip sheets provide answers to basic questions about FCPS technologies. These resources will continue to be updated throughout the year; we encourage you to check that page first.
If you can’t find answers in FCPS’ online resources, there are several places to seek help. Below is a guide to help you get information quickly:
- For a child’s schedule or classes, school events, or programs, checking out an FCPS laptop, or updating your information, contact your child’s school directly.
- Broader inquiries about FCPS programs or resources for families may be directed to the Parent Resource Center at 703-204-3941, or use one of our eight Parent Information Phone Lines for information in multiple languages.
- Technical support questions about your online parent accounts, your student’s FCPS laptop, or your student’s online applications, contact the Parent Technology Help Desk (toll free) at 833-921-3277 or enter a support request ticket via the Parent and Student IT Portal. Parents who need help in a language other than English should let help desk staff know, and an interpreter will join them on the line.
Trouble pairing devices with FCPS laptops:
- Parents and students do not have the ability to install any drivers or software on FCPS laptops. However, if you are trying to connect an external device like a printer, monitor, or speaker, and the device is plug and play – meaning that Windows already has the necessary drivers for that device – then you can simply connect the device and walk through a few simple steps to enable it. If the device requires any download/upload of drivers or software, you will not be able to enable it or use it with an FCPS laptop.
Cox Connect2Compete
Connect2Compete supplies broadband internet access to low-income, unconnected families who live in Fairfax County, enabling children to have internet access at home for homework help, online educational materials, and job searches. Qualifying families—those who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals and who meet other qualifications—will be offered Internet service for $9.95 per month, a free modem rental, free installation, and a price guarantee for two years.Cox’s special two months of free Connect2Compete service offer for eligible customers who sign up prior to September 30.
For more information about the program, call 1-855-222-3252 or visit Connect2Compete.org/Cox.
Technology Council Update
Over the past several months, FCPS staff has done a great deal of work to improve online learning platforms and instruction content. Since the council’s formation, approximately 200 work sessions were held about different aspects of technology and virtual learning delivery, resulting in 67 recommendations – 17 with the highest priority.
I encourage you to review the Technology Council’s full report (PDF here) and the Superintendent’s response to the Council’s 17 recommendations for immediate action (PDF here). You can also watch the School Board’s work session (video here) on this subject, including questions and answers with the Council’s co-chair and the Superintendent and his team. The presentation discussed during this work session can be found on slides 2-9 (PDF here). A huge thank you to all who are participating in this work. We reaped the benefits when we started our Fall virtual learning with no technology glitches.
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.
© 2020 Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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