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Dear Lee District Families,
Welcome back to school! I hope that everyone had a great first week!
Thank you for your patience as we navigated the first few days of school for the 2021-22 School Year.
I wanted to share the latest information on bus transportation, additional steps FCPS is taking to make our schools safer, School Board news, and important upcoming dates.
I encourage you to participate in your child's upcoming Back To School events. This year more than ever, it’s important to get to know your child's teachers and the school's administrators—they will be your partners throughout the coming year. Click on the image below to watch my Back To School message for this school year.
Please visit our website for more photos to enjoy some highlights from our first days of school this week. We know great things happen in FCPS schools every day. Our strong return this August builds upon a foundation of success, and we’d like to share just a bit of that with you. Take a look at Sharing Our Success, stories and highlights from the 2020-21 school year.
A special thank you to all our teachers who provide our students not only with lesson plans and knowledge, but also inspiration.
Stay well!
Tammy
Recent School Visits
One of my favorite things to do as a School Board member is to visit our Lee District schools. I had the wonderful honor of visiting Forestdale, Groveton, and Riverside Elementary schools for their open houses. I am looking forward to more Back To School visits later this fall.
 Top row left to right: Forestdale and Groveton elementary schools. Bottom row left to right: Groveton and Riverside elementary schools.
Thank You Apple Federal Credit Union and NBC4 for Supporting Our Students
It was an honor to attend the Supporting our Schools event last week in Alexandria, VA.
I want to thank the Apple Federal Credit Union (AppleFCU) Community Engagement Officer, Ms. Katie Knight, their Kingstowne Branch team, NBC4 and Ms. Lauryn Ricketts of NBC4 for their wonderful partnership over the years to collect backpacks and school supplies for our local schools. A huge thank you to the Fairfax County Fire Department and Fairfax County community who joined us again, this year, to show their support for our students and teachers.
The donated backpacks and school supplies from the event and the Kingstowne branch will help support the students at Rose Hill Elementary School and set them on the path for great success this school year! Just a few more days to still donate backpacks and school supplies - just stop by any Apple Federal Credit Union branch by August 31.
Earlier in the day, Principal Dawn Hendrick from Rose Hill Elementary School and other staff members joined NBC4 and AppleFCU to help cheer on this event. Watch the video here.
School Board Meetings
The Fairfax County School Board held a Work Session on Tuesday, August 24. Click here to access the meeting materials and watch the video.
The School Board held a Regular School Board Meeting last evening. You can watch the meeting here. For the agenda and meeting materials, click here.
Last evening, the School Board approved a $188.6 million spending plan for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) grant funds at its Board meeting on August 26. Read the full press release here.
I am proud to announce that FCPS is increasing starting bus driver pay to $22.91 per hour. Our bus drivers are critical and valued members of the school community, and I thank them for safely transporting our students every day.
Upcoming School Board Meetings
- Thursday, September 9, 7pm: Regular School Board Meeting (Luther Jackson Middle School)
- Tuesday, September 21, 10 am: All-Day Work Session (Gatehouse Administration Building)
- Thursday, September 23, 7pm: Regular School Board Meeting (Luther Jackson Middle School)
Visit the citizen participation webpage to sign up to speak at a regular meeting. Visit BoardDocs for more meeting logistics, agendas and handouts.
Meetings are recorded for future viewing and posted to the FCPS School Board YouTube page.
The Latest on Bus Transportation
Thank you for your patience and understanding these first few days of school as we work to address the impact the national bus driver shortage has on FCPS and your students. On the first morning of school FCPS saw 7,000 bus runs with just a handful of delays.
However, if these delays impacted you or your family, we understand your frustration. As we continue to recruit drivers and make adjustments to routes to be more efficient, there are three things you can do:
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- Check the The Here Comes the Bus® app, a school bus tracking app that can simplify morning and afternoon routines for parents and students by giving them real-time bus location and text or email notification alerts, helping them get to the bus stop on time. Here Comes the Bus® utilizes FCPS GPS data and an easy-to-use customizable map that works on one or multiple devices, such as a tablet or smartphone. More information about the Here Comes the Bus app is available online.
- Stay up-to-date on school bus arrivals with FCPS' bus delay notification system. This system provides parents with timely notification of late bus route information. Parents may access the Bus Delay Notification System online or use the Here Comes the Bus mobile app (mentioned above) to receive the delayed bus report. Morning route information will be available until noon. Afternoon bus route information will be available from 1 to 7 p.m. e-Notify (SchoolMessenger) email messages will also be sent to announce bus delays of at least 30 minutes. Need assistance or have questions? Contact the Transportation office listed for your school. For any concerns after hours (after 5:30 p.m.), contact Safety and Security at 571-423-2000.
- Carpool, walk, or bike to school if you are able to do so. If you plan to walk or bike to school, watch this short video on pedestrian safety with your child.
More information about transportation to and from school is available online
Telephone Parent Information Line Available in Eight Languages
 Parents who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese can call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS and to receive support if they are having difficulty communicating with their children's schools due to a language barrier.
Making Our Schools Even Safer
 Last week, FCPS announced that all employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by late October or submit to routine negative COVID-19 tests, a move that reinforces existing layered prevention strategies and the division’s commitment to safety.
Safety Drills During the School Year
 Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for all of us. Each school has an emergency preparedness plan to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills, each year. Schools are required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. However, schools are not required to give the specific date and time of the drill in advance.
The first lockdown drill of the school year must take place within the first 20 days of school. Preschool and kindergarten students are exempt from practicing the first lockdown drill.
Your child may come home and talk about their experience during the drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Here are some helpful tips for families to use to support their students before and after school lockdown drills.
Working together, we can create a safe, secure environment for students to learn and grow in our schools.
In Case You Missed It: What Is Schoology?
 Fairfax County Public Schools’ new learning management system, Schoology, is a learning space that enhances face-to-face and distance learning through communication, collaboration, and personalized learning.
Teachers use Schoology to post their classroom materials online; to provide a safe forum for students to discuss their ideas and collaborate on projects; and to assign and collect homework electronically. It helps students stay organized and it keeps the class connected.
Parent Accounts
A Schoology Parent Account gives you access to:
- Your child’s classes.
- Your child’s upcoming assignments.
- School, class, and group announcements.
Parent accounts will be available in mid-August. To access Schoology, parents will need to have an active SIS/ParentVUE account.
More information on how to login and use Schoology is available online.
Remembering 9/11 Through FCPS Service Learning and Volunteer Fairfax
VolunteerFest 2021 will be held on Saturday, September 11, to align with Patriot Day, a National Day of Service and Remembrance. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of 9/11. While we will each remember and reflect on this somber day in our nation’s history in our own ways, we want to provide the community with ways to come together through volunteerism as we remember those we lost.
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A community collaboration effort between Volunteer Fairfax, Fairfax County Public Schools, local community nonprofits, and government agencies has formed to provide opportunities for teens and families to participate in a community wide day of service event called VolunteerFest. Come and lend your support, strength, and talents by joining thousands of others around the country in participating in service projects on this day. We will do good as we remember those lost that day and honor the heroes who continue to serve the country and community post-9/11.
Volunteer sign-ups are now open. For more information, please visit the Volunteer Fairfax website for more information.
Calendar Reminder: Labor Day Holiday, Rosh Hashanah
Please make a note of these upcoming important calendar dates. Friday, September 3, and Monday, September 6, are Labor Day holidays for all FCPS employees and students. We hope everyone takes the long weekend to celebrate a strong start to the school year and enjoy time with family and friends.
Tuesday, September 7, is a religious and cultural observance day for Rosh Hashanah, the start of the two-day celebration of the Jewish New Year. The FCPS 2021-22 School Year Calendar ensures students do not have to make choices between honoring their cultural or religious beliefs and missing tests or school activities. Tests, quizzes, field trips, graduation, homecoming, or FCPS-scheduled athletic events cannot be scheduled on any religious and cultural observances. Tests and quizzes will be given prior to any of the 15 days, so that students will not be expected to study on these days. Employees wishing to observe religious/cultural observances on these dates should request a religious accommodation as outlined in Regulation 4817 – Religious Accommodation for Employees. Employees will be permitted to make up 16 hours of any time missed for religious or cultural observances.
 Vax Up! Vaccination is the key to moving us all out of the pandemic and reducing the need for pauses in in-person learning. If you haven’t done so already, get vaccinated today.
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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.
© 2020 Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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