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Dear Lee District Families,
Happy New Year! I hope that you had time to relax and recharge with your family over the winter break!
The start of this year has already had its troubling moments. We know that many people are feeling confusion, fear and anger due to the unsettling events that took place at the U.S. Capitol last week. Please know that FCPS stands ready to support students, staff and families who may want to talk and process these events. Students and families can contact their school counselors, school social workers or school psychologists. Additional supportive resources can be found here.
On a positive note, Virginia’s Department of Health announced that Fairfax County could begin Phase 1b for COVID vaccinations. FCPS teachers and staff are included in this group and could begin receiving vaccinations as early as this Saturday, January 16. Details will be forthcoming to our teachers and staff later this week. This is truly good news!
Below you will find more information on our School Board’s upcoming meetings, our return to school plan, the proposed budget and more. Tonight, Superintendent Brabrand will be holding a Town Hall at 6PM.
Stay safe and stay well!
Tammy
Upcoming School Board Meetings
- January 12, 2021 at 4 p.m. FY22 Budget Work Session
- January 19, 2021 at 11 a.m. Program Budget Review Work Session
- January 21, 2021 at 7 p.m. Regular School Board Meeting
- January 26, 2021 at 6 p.m. FY22 Budget Public Hearing
Visit the citizen participation webpage to sign up to speak at a regular meeting or public hearing.
The meetings will be broadcast live on Channel 99 (Verizon channel 11) and on the FCPS website. The meeting will be recorded for future viewing and posted to the FCPS School Board YouTube page.
Return to School Plan
At the January 5 Fairfax County School Board Work Session, the Superintendent provided an update on our plan to bring students and staff back for in-person instruction. You can view this work session here.
With the current community transmission of COVID-19 in Fairfax County rising, the Fairfax County School Board and the Superintendent agreed to pause the plan to bring students and staff back into school buildings. The Superintendent will provide an update on the Return to School plan to the School Board on Tuesday, February 2, or sooner if needed. Click here for the Superintendent’s full message regarding the Return to School Plan update.
TONIGHT: Superintendent's Town Hall Scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, January 11
Superintendent Brabrand and guests will cover FCPS safety teams, mitigation strategies, as well as returning to school details at a virtual Town Hall meeting. Submit your questions in advance by email to returntoschool@fcps.edu or call in during the Town Hall at 1-800-231-6359. View the meeting on FCPS Cable Channel 99 (Verizon Channel 11) or the FCPS website.
 Helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 is everyone's responsibility. Let's all commit to doing our part. Visit the CDC's website for more information on stopping the spread.
Superintendent Brabrand Presents FCPS Budget for FY 2022
Last Thursday, Superintendent Brabrand presented a $3.1 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Proposed Budget to the Fairfax County School Board at its business meeting. Overall, the FY 2022 Proposed Budget represents an increase of $0.4 million, or 0.01 percent, over the FY 2021 Approved Budget.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted FCPS in numerous ways,” said Brabrand. “As a result, this budget focuses on our most pressing needs. I have designed the budget to prioritize the instructional and social-emotional needs of our students so they can continue to learn and grow despite the ongoing challenges of this pandemic.”
The FY 2022 Proposed Budget includes funds to continue supporting students’ technology and instructional needs by enhancing digital instructional and web conferencing tools, cybersecurity protection, and the continuation of the lease obligation for FCPSOn. Click here for the full news release.
Revised Grading Policy
FCPS is committed to finding ways to ease the burdens of stress for our students, staff, and community. FCPS is taking the following steps to ensure a smooth transition into the new semester.
The grading policy has been revised for students across the school division. When the data showed that some students were struggling, FCPS took actions to realign expectations and make changes to help students adapt to the current conditions. These changes include:
- Designating a score of 50 as the lowest grade on a 100-point scale.
- Dropping the minimum number of assignments per quarter from nine to six.
- Accepting late work on major assignments with minimal penalty.
- Capping the maximum weight of an assignment or assessment at 20 percent.
Enrollment for Dual Language Immersion Programs
Fairfax County Public Schools’ online registration for the county-wide lottery for Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs will open on Monday, January 25. Current prekindergarten students may apply for the kindergarten immersion program and current kindergarten students may apply for the first-grade immersion programs for the 2021-22 school year.
The kindergarten DLI programs are available in Korean and Spanish. Korean is available at Powell and Spanish is available at Bailey’s Primary, Fort Hunt, Lake Anne, Laurel Ridge, London Towne, and Rose Hill Elementary Schools. First grade DLI programs are available at 12 elementary schools and are offered in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
Information Meetings Start on January 13.
Parents who are interested in the DLI programs in FCPS are encouraged to attend one of the upcoming informational meetings. All meetings are held virtually. Information regarding virtual meeting access will be made available on the Dual Language Immersion registration site by the day of the meeting.
Get more information on Dual Language Immersion programs.
FCPS Releases FY 2022-26 Capital Improvement Program
 Fairfax County Public Schools released its proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-26 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) that focuses on capital projects, including new school construction, capacity enhancements, and renovations, reflecting schools for the current school year (2020-21) and a five-year requirement of approximately $1.1 billion.
The School Board held a work session on the FY 2022-26 CIP last Tuesday, January 5. You can view the CIP work session here. Last Thursday, the School Board held a public hearing on the CIP. You can view the CIP public hearing here. The Board is scheduled to vote on the CIP at its business meeting on Thursday, February 4.
Details about the FY 2022-26 CIP are available online.
FCPS Announces Appointment of New Executive Director of Office of Communication and Community Relations (OCCR)
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Brabrand has named Helen Lloyd, who currently serves as the Executive Director of Communications for Alexandria City Public Schools, as the district’s new executive director of the Office of Communication and Community Relations (OCCR), effective February 1, 2021. You can read the full news release here .
Happy 2021 from GrandInvolve
 A special message from GrandInvolve ...
Happy New Year! The challenges of 2020 have stretched us all and forced GrandInvolve to grow into new ways of thinking and doing. We are looking forward to 2021 as a next new chapter and moving forward to further our mission: connecting volunteers with opportunities to assist vulnerable students, so they can achieve and maintain grade-level skills.
Thanks to all our dedicated volunteers, partners, and supporters like you – we know that the best is yet to come!
With gratitude,
Dorothy Keenan, Executive Director
PS - Read our latest e-newsletter here, including the recap of our recent Volunteer Appreciation Zoom Team Party. All our back issues are available at our website Newsroom
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
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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