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Dear Lee District Families,
It’s a big, long weekend coming up!
The leaves are changing colors, princesses and pirates may be seeking some sweet treats from you this Saturday on Halloween, and on Sunday, at 2 AM we “Fall Back” to standard time. For FCPS our quarter ends on November 2nd. This is an extension from our original calendar and you can find out more information about this below.
With our in-person student groups and pilot programs beginning, but COVID cases rising around the country, we must all stay informed to make our best decisions. On November 2nd, our COVID dashboard will begin to publish data by school and case type (student, staff, visitor). You can also find more details about our Dashboard below.
You have my promise that the health and safety of our students, teachers and families remain my top priority!
Enjoy this long weekend and exercise your civic duty by voting on Tuesday, November 3!
Stay well!
Tammy
Upcoming School Board Meetings
- Forum - Wednesday, November 4 - 10 a.m.
- Work Session - Wednesday, November 4 - 11 a.m.
- Regular Meeting - Thursday, November 5 - 7:30 p.m.*
- Work Session - Tuesday, November 10 - 4:00 p.m.
- Work Session - Thursday, November 12 - 6 p.m.
Click here for meeting logistics, agendas and handouts.
*Effective November 5, 2020, the School Board will return to in-person Regular Meetings at Luther Jackson Middle School. For more information, click here.
Meetings will also be live-streamed on the FCPS website and televised on FCPS Cable Channel 99. For more information about signing up to speak at a regular meeting, click here.
End of First Quarter Message from Superintendent
Dear FCPS Families,
As we near the end of the first quarter, I have been taking time to review your feedback, specifically around assignments and grading. I recognize that many of our students are stressed and feeling overwhelmed, trying to manage their workload in the virtual environment. I want you and your students to know that I am taking initial steps today to address this issue. We are extending the first quarter, allowing students additional time to complete assignments. The quarter end is now Monday, November 2nd at 5 p.m.
I have also asked teachers to look at ways to reduce assignments given to students outside of class time, and to provide more time during school hours to work on assignments. This short video (below) includes more information about what you and your students should expect.
Thank you for all that you have been doing to support your students during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Scott S. Brabrand, Superintendent
Fairfax County Public Schools
New FCPS COVID-19 Dashboard
FCPS has launched a COVID-19 dashboard to share weekly COVID-19 cases that have been self-reported to us. Data is updated weekly on Friday by 1 p.m. Any cases occurring after that time are reported for the following week.
This data should be interpreted with caution as it only reflects cases that have been shared with FCPS through self-reporting and may not be aligned to future epidemiological investigations. This data is currently being shared from a division level, as opposed to school or work site, so that it does not jeopardize sharing personally identifiable, confidential health information involving FCPS students and staff. Case reports indicate the total number of COVID-19 cases self-reported to principals, administrators, and program managers. Reports were shared with the Fairfax County Health Department to initiate contact tracing.
Effective November 2, the FCPS COVID-19 dashboard will be disaggregated and will present case data by school and case type (student, staff, visitor) and data will be updated daily.
Updated information is available on the FCPS website.
How Are Things Going? Complete Our Brief Check-In Survey
How are things going? Tell us between now and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4; our brief family survey is now live and posted on the FCPS website. Families will receive a message via email and text on Monday, October 26, with a link to complete a short check-in survey about how learning is going so far this year.
Your voice is important to FCPS as we examine strengths and areas of improvement related to teaching and learning during this unusual year. You can respond to the survey once for each child in your family.
Healthy Minds Podcast: Online All the Time; Finding Balance in Our Virtual World
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In this week's Healthy Minds podcast, hear FCPS Instructional Technology Specialist Tammi Sisk, a 26-year FCPS veteran, for a conversation on how to create balance and well-being given our current virtual learning—and living—environment.
Tammi shares practical strategies for students, families, and educators, who are looking for ways to find balance and increase their knowledge of digital citizenship. Listen online.
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Information for Prospective Substitute Teachers
In response to the state of Virginia’s mandated closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Human Resources, Office of Substitute Employment, is holding virtual orientation sessions until further notice.
Given the unique nature of the closures related to COVID-19, Fairfax County Public Schools have made the following adjustments:
- To become a substitute teacher, a minimum of 30 college credits is required. An exception may be provided for applicants who do not have a minimum of 30 college credits but are enrolled in an approved teacher education preparatory program or participated in a teacher introduction course in high school.
- FCPS will suspend, for this school year, its requirement that substitutes sub a minimum of ten days per school year in order to remain active.
The substitute hiring team will provide information around the benefits of substituting, application and procedural instructions, as well as information on technology resources. Information sessions are held weekly on Fridays, are informal, and are not required. You do not have to participate in an information session to sub this school year. Register online for an information session.
Five Schools Awarded Funds from VDOE for STEM Competition
Five Fairfax County public schools have been awarded a total of $10,000 in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Competition Team Grants from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). The grants support project-based, team activities that increase student awareness of careers in STEM. STEM Competition Team Grants are available to schools with at least 40 percent of students qualifying for free and reduced-price meals.
A special congratulations to Saratoga Elementary School for being awarded one of these grants. Saratoga Elementary School will offer students the opportunity to use technology by coding and programming micro:bits through obstacle courses, engaging 20 students in robotics. The funds will enable students to experience first-hand how technology helps professionals in different types of STEM careers to solve a problem according to Beth Polanksy, advanced academics teacher.
Click here for the full press release and to learn more about the other four schools.
NCS Connects: A Way to Keep Students Engaged
Looking for a way to keep your children engaged during remote learning? A new program from Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services called NCS Connects is offering live activities remotely each weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. Offerings include crafts, sports, and art classes.
More information is available online.
Teens and Young Adults Can Enroll in Free E-Cigarette Quit Program Through a Collaboration Between Fairfax County and Truth Initiative®
While it is too soon to know the specific impacts of COVID-19 on people who use e-cigarettes, we do know that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 attacks the lungs and there is growing evidence that vaping can harm lung health overall. This is why it is more important than ever for young people to quit vaping to protect their health. Young people who use e-cigarettes may be vaping even more to cope with stress and social isolation, or they may be experiencing difficult nicotine withdrawal symptoms because of limited access to e-cigarettes.
In light of this vital need, Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) are proud to partner with Truth Initiative to offer its free quit vaping text message program, This is Quitting, designed specifically for teens and young adults. The innovative, first-of-its-kind program was created with input from teens, college students and young adults who have attempted to or successfully quit e-cigarettes. The program is tailored by age group to give appropriate recommendations about quitting vaping.
Since its launch in January 2019, This is Quitting has enrolled more than 206,000 teens and young adults nationwide. Preliminary peer-reviewed data published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research from Truth Initiative show encouraging results, with more than half of users (60.8%) reporting that they had reduced or stopped using e-cigarettes after just two weeks of using the program.
For the full news release and to learn more about Truth Initiative, click here.
GrandInvolve: Fall Into Volunteering
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GrandInvolve’s mission is to:
- Support the education of our most vulnerable populations through in-person and virtual volunteering
- Reduce ageism by growing intergenerational relationships between our youngest and oldest community members
- Increase intercultural understanding.
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Reminder that our website homepage includes a New Program Info button, where we are posting the latest updates about COVID-19 policies that impact our programs. Check it out at this link.
For more information from their October 26, 2020 e-Newsletter, click here.
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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