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Dear Franconia District Families -
I hope that everyone is enjoying these sunny, summer days!
As you may have noticed - I am addressing this newsletter with "Dear Franconia Families". For your information, on June 28 the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved to rename Lee District to Franconia District. This was a unanimous vote and the new name reflects the neighborhood area in and around the Franconia Government Center.
To learn more about the BOS renaming process, visit: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/redistricting-advisory-committee-recommends-lee-and-sully-districts-be-renamed.
I wanted to share with you that I have been elected to serve as the vice chair for the Fairfax County School Board for the 2022-2023 school year. I am truly humbled and honored to have this opportunity to serve our School Board. My goal is to work to bring out the strengths and leadership abilities in each of us, so that we can be the best possible Board.
Earlier this week, I had the privilege of attending the Foundation for Applied Technical Education, Inc. (FATE) open house with Dr. Michelle Reid. Every year, I am amazed to learn about the talent and hard work our students put in to build these beautiful homes. More information is provided below to learn more about this amazing program.
Finally, I wanted to let you know that I have two citizen advisory committee openings in the Franconia District - Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) and Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC). See details below.
Stay well,
Tammy
New School Board Leadership: Rachna Sizemore Heizer Elected Fairfax County School Board Chair; Tamara Derenak Kaufax Elected Vice Chair
The Fairfax County School Board has elected Rachna Sizemore Heizer (Member-at-Large) as chair and Tamara Derenak Kaufax (Franconia District Representative) as vice chair for a one-year term. The chair and vice chair assumed office at the July 14 School Board meeting; they are elected by School Board members during the Board’s annual organizational meeting.
“I am honored to serve as chair of the Fairfax County School Board and look forward to working with our new superintendent to ensure an excellent education for all students and supporting our staff,” said Sizemore Heizer. “I would also like to express my thanks to Stella Pekarsky who served so admirably as chair during the challenges of the past year and to my colleagues for their trust in me.”
Sizemore Heizer was elected vice chair of the School Board last year. She began her term as one of three At-Large members on Dec. 12, 2019.
She is a college professor, lawyer, and disability justice advocate. As a South Asian American daughter of immigrants, she understands the immigrant experience and hopes to use that experience to be a voice for our growing diverse population of students and families.
Sizemore Heizer brings a passion for strengths focused education, arts education, and robust civics education to her role on the School Board. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy and her law degree from the University of California at Berkeley. She started her career as an attorney practicing corporate law, was a criminal justice professor at George Mason University, and currently oversees a Human Resource minor degree program and teaches college classes in employment law; diversity and cultural competency in the workplace; and American government.
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Sizemore Heizer has previously served on the School Board’s Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities and on the board of the Falls Church-Fairfax Community Services Board, provided free trainings to families on effective advocacy, and presented to educational groups on “Strengths-Based Education for Students with Disabilities,” to workplace organizations on “Cultural Competency and Workplace Accommodations for People with Disabilities,” and to political organizations on “Disability Inclusion across Political Movements.” In 2019, she received Fairfax County’s Martha Glennan Disability Inclusion and Equality Award.
Derenak Kaufax is a long-time advocate for children’s causes and education issues with over 20 years of experience as a marketing professional and small business owner.
Derenak Kaufax’s Board service began in January 2012. Her leadership roles on the Board include: serving as the Chair for the Public Engagement Committee in 2012; elected as the Vice Chair for the School Board in 2013 and 2019; elected as the Chair in 2014; serving as the Budget Chair in both 2015 and 2018; serving as the Co-Chair for the Successful Children Youth Policy Team (SCYPT) in 2016 and 2018; serving as the Chair for the Governance Committee in 2017; and serving as the Governance Chair in 2021.
“I am both humbled and honored to have this opportunity to serve our Board”, said Ms. Derenak Kaufax. “I will work to bring out the strengths and leadership abilities in each of us, so we can be the best Board possible.”
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Derenak Kaufax has served with the Fairfax County Childcare Advisory Council (former chair); Superintendent’s Business and Community Advisory Council; School Board’s Advanced Academic Programs Advisory Committee; Parent Linkage Committee; Fairfax Citizens for Better Schools Committee; Lee District Budget Advisory Council; Springfield Estates Elementary School PTA (vice president); Springfield Estates and Bush Hill Elementary Schools’ PTA (cultural arts chair); AGC Pre-School (board member and chair); and Make-a-Wish Foundation (wish granter).
In addition to the chair and vice chair, members of the Fairfax County School Board, whose terms run from 2020 to 2023, are: Karen Keys-Gamarra (at-large), Abrar Omeish (at-large), Megan McLaughlin (Braddock District), Elaine Tholen (Dranesville District), Melanie Meren (Hunter Mill District), Ricardy Anderson (Mason District), Karen Corbett Sanders (Mount Vernon District), Karl Frisch (Providence District), Laura Jane Cohen (Springfield District), and Stella Pekarsky (Sully District).
Learn more about the Fairfax County School Board.
Key Votes from July 14 Regular School Board Meeting
Also during last night’s meeting, the School Board voted on FY23 OAG Risk Assessment and Audit Plan, Advisory Committee Charges and Bias Related Incident Reporting.
FY23 OAG Risk Assessment and Audit Plan
The School Board approved the FY23 OAG Audit Plan.
Advisory Committee Charges
The School Board approved the Charges for 2022-2023 for the following School Board Citizen Advisory Committees: Adult and Community Education, Advanced Academic Programs, Career and Technical Education, Facilities Planning Advisory Council, Human Resources, Minority Student Achievement Oversight, School Health, and Students with Disabilities.
Bias-Related Incident Reporting
The School Board has directed the superintendent to develop, as part of the work in preparation for strategic plan development, bias-related incident accountability infrastructure for the division, and to present this to the School Board no later than December 2022.
Watch the full meeting on the FCPS YouTube channel.
Apply for a School Board Citizen Advisory Committee
The Franconia District has two School Board Citizen Advisory Committees openings for start of the 2022-2023 school year. These committees are an essential part of our work on the School Board. The School Board advisory committees is a great opportunity to share your valuable input on FCPS matters and it is an important part of our School Board work.
The two open positions are Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC) and Advisory Committee for Student with Disabilities (ACSD). See below for more details on these two openings.
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Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD)
A local advisory committee for special education, appointed by each local school board, shall advise the school board through the division superintendent. 1 Year Term. For more information visit the ACSD webpage.
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Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC)
The role of the committee is to provide advice and recommendations to the curriculum coordinator as goals, objectives, media, and special instructional materials are developed. 2 Year Term. For more information visit the FLECAC webpage.
Please help me spread the word about these opportunities.
If you have an interest in serving on one of these committees, please share a brief statement and your resume with my Executive Administrative Assistant, Cheryl Austin. You may also reach out to Ms. Austin if you have any questions about these two citizen committees.
Foundation for Applied Technical Education, Inc. (FATE)
 (FATE), a non-profit organization specializes in sponsoring a wide selection of career and technical education courses (CTE) for technical skill development among students throughout Fairfax County, Virginia.
Its holistic education model fosters a comprehensive platform for students to participate in active learning of numerous industry trades, thus paving the way for employment opportunities and a bright future.
This program offers all-inclusive training courses across various industry trades to help students. Here is a brief overview of the technical education courses offered:
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Residential Construction Program – Offering the hands-on working experience to students in several aspects of construction management like framing, estimating, foundations, trim, masonry, plumbing, electrical work, drywalling, inspections, and finishing.
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Student Auto Sales Program – Students are trained to refurbish used vehicles donated by the community, providing them with experience in both automotive technology and automotive collision service programs.
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Entrepreneurship Program – Interactive curriculum designed to empower students with small business ownership skills, developing the basic concepts of financing, and marketing products and services.
For more information on FATE, visit: https://fatefacts.org/about-us/.
Two Outstanding New Teacher Honorees Reflect on Friendship Since College and Path Back to FCPS
 From the days of playing field hockey games against each other (Edison HS vs Hayfield SS), to graduating college together, returning to FCPS as Region 3 teachers, see how these two amazing FCPS teachers - Shelby Press and Amelia Carr - are now being recognized for their outstanding work as new teachers.
Congratulations to both Shelby Press and Amelia Carr. Read more about their journey back to FCPS here.
Registration Open for FCPS Pre-K & Early Head Start
 For more information about FCPS Pre-K and Early Head Start, click here.
Kindergarten Registration Ongoing
If you have a child turning 5 on or before September 30, make sure to get them registered for kindergarten for the 2022-23 school year.
Schools are planning playdates, screenings, teacher visits, and other gatherings for kindergarten students to get to know their teachers and each other over the summer. Register soon to make sure you don’t miss out!
Students should register at the school they will be attending. A boundary locator is available online, along with a list of required documents. Also, additional help for military families, families who need language assistance, and other forms of support is available.
In addition, if you have not already, please be sure to sign up for your school’s newsletter to learn more about school events, celebrations, and deadlines. Find the sign up link on each school’s website, or view the full list online.
FCPS Teacher & Instructional Staff Job Fair – Wednesday, July 20th
 Interested in a job with FCPS as a teacher, counselor, librarian, instructional assistant or other instructional position?
Attend our virtual Instructional Job Fair on Wednesday, July 20, from 11am-2pm.
To learn more and register online:https://app.brazenconnect.com/a/FCPS/e/oPMyv
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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