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In This Issue
Last Weeks News
🌍 Black History Month Kick-Off Celebration (Note: Date Change)
FCPS’ Chief Equity Office invites the community to an Inaugural Black History Month Kickoff Celebration on Wednesday, February 19, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Carter G. Woodson High School.
The event begins with a light reception followed by a formal program, From the Threads of Our Past to the Fabric of Our Future. The program will honor the enduring contributions of Black history and culture while envisioning a future rooted in equity and excellence. It will include inspiring performances, personal stories, reflections, and opportunities to connect and celebrate. The event is open to the entire community.
For more information, contact Nina Thomas, senior manager for Professional Learning and Cultural Responsiveness.
☕️ Employment and Transition Parent Coffee
This event is for parents of students with special education services in the 7th or 8th grade.
Join us on Thursday, February 27th from 9:30-10:30AM, to meet our Herndon Middle School Employment and Transition Representative (ETR), who can help you and your family navigate the transition to high school.
Topics to be covered:
- Graduation Requirements and Options
- Self-Advocacy and Student Involvement
- Course Selection and Career Pathways
- Transitioning from Middle School to High School
- Planning for Life After High School
- High School Support Services
Interpreters will be available.
RSVP by Friday, February 21st. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and ask questions. We look forward to seeing you there!
Questions? Please email Aimee Conrad, Special Education Department Chair, at [email protected].
💉 Make Sure Your Children Are Up-to-Date on Immunizations
Attention families - are you looking for a flexible and part-time position at Herndon Middle School? FCPS is hiring AVID classroom tutors for the 2025 spring semester. AVID tutors work with small groups of approximately 5-7 students during the school day in an academic elective class called Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). These groups use questioning strategies to help students develop a variety of college preparatory skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. Tutors earn $20.13 per hour and should either be a college graduate or currently enrolled in college. If interested, please email your resume to [email protected].
Please make sure your child has all of their necessary immunizations. Remember, all students are required to be immunized against certain diseases to attend school in Virginia. This is an important part of keeping children healthy!
Starting Monday, May 19, students who have not provided proof of immunization may not be allowed to attend school. You can check your child’s immunization status and submit updated immunization information by accessing SIS ParentVUE.
Please check with your healthcare provider to make sure your child is up to date on required immunizations for the 2024-25 school year. If your child needs an immunization, make an appointment with your healthcare provider, visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of child immunization clinics, or view other Immunization Resources. Be wise and immunize!
🏅 Advisory Committee for Students With Disabilities Seeks Nominations for First-Class Awards
First-Class Awards are presented each year to individuals who support, design, and/or implement inclusion activities that result in positive outcomes for students. The Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) is seeking nominations for the 2025 First-Class Awards. This is a great opportunity for the community to recognize and celebrate the inclusion efforts of educators, administrators, and students who demonstrate the inclusion of students with disabilities in all facets of education.
Nominees should model excellence in their role relative to special education, have a positive impact that benefits disabled and non-disabled students alike, and be committed to creating an inclusive environment and mindset.
Nominate an administrator, staff member, student, or community partner who has made an exceptional contribution to inclusive practices in Fairfax County Public Schools. Nominations close Wednesday, February 19.
🎮 Calling All Retro Gamers!
Do you have any old video game consoles, games, or controllers gathering dust? Herndon Middle School's After-School program is looking for donations to enhance our Wii Club and provide more gaming opportunities for our students. Your unused gaming systems and games can make a real difference! Help us create a fun and engaging after-school experience. Thank you for your support!
This Weeks News
📊 Breaking Down the Budget: Investing in Our Classrooms
Did you know that more than 85% of FCPS’ budget stays in our classrooms? Currently, 92.5% of FCPS staff are school-based, more than neighboring school districts.
We are in the middle of FCPS’ annual budget process, which includes opportunities for you to give feedback. Learn more about the proposed FCPS FY 2026 Proposed Budget and see the budget timeline.
🏗️ FCPS’ Construction Projects Offer Community-Wide Benefits
The Fairfax County School Board approved the annual update to FCPS’ FY 2026-30 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at their regular board meeting last week. A CIP is a working budget document that shows the timing and costs of improvement to school buildings, such as renovations, additions, and new schools. Learn more about planned improvements. Fairfax County Public Schools’ updated plans for new school construction, capacity enhancements, and renovations are outlined in the CIP. Projects include constructing two new elementary schools; renovations at 18 elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools; and relocation of modular buildings.
🤧 Protect Yourself and Your Community From the Flu
Fairfax County is experiencing very high levels of influenza (flu) illness. The Fairfax County Health Department reports that visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers for flu-like illness have increased, especially among children, and multiple flu outbreaks have occurred in our community and school settings. Read a letter from the health department.
The health department suggests taking the following steps to reduce the spread of flu and other germs:
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Cover coughs and sneezes. If you must be around others while ill, wearing a mask can help reduce spread.
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Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers when soap and water are not available (with supervision for younger children).
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Clean frequently touched surfaces.
According to the health department, to help prevent or reduce the spread of illness it is important for individuals who are sick to stay home and away from others until symptoms improve and until they have been free of fever for at least 24 hours. Visit this Attendance webpage for guidance on when your child should go to school.
✨ Learn More About How Your Child Feels at School
The Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener will be administered to students in grades 3-12 in March. Students use the SEL Screener twice a year to share their perspectives on how well their school and community help them develop the skills they need to succeed. The screener works by asking questions or presenting statements that students can think about and respond to. This gives students a way to share how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
After each screening, results are available in the Documents tab of SIS ParentVUE and mailed to families who do not have a ParentVUE account. For more information, including SEL Screener questions and opt-out information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage.
🔊 Students Invited to Share Their Voices at the 2025 Family Summit
The 2025 FCPS Family Summit will take place on Saturday, March 15, at South Lakes High School. Visit the Family Summit webpage for more information.
At the event, FCPS students are invited to showcase projects and advocacy efforts around inclusivity in schools. This is a great resume-building opportunity, and students can earn service hours as well. Students can share their work in a share-fair environment through posters, essays, videos, songs, or art. They will interact with attendees through conversations about their work, ideas, and efforts to foster inclusivity in school communities.
To participate, please fill out this Google Form — where you can also see a list of possible projects — by Monday, February 17. More information will be provided when your submission is received. Reach out to Manuel Gomez Portillo with any questions.
✨ Centering student voice is part of FCPS’ Strategic Plan Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.
🥗 Student Fasting Meal Kits for February 28 - March 28
Thanks to a new program from the Virginia Department of Education, students who are fasting during the school day between February 28 and March 28 can now take school meal kits home at the end of the day.
Families will need to fill out a weekly Fasting Meals Request Form for their child or children to receive school meal kits. A separate form must be filled out for each week and each student.
To receive meal kits for Friday, February 28, and the week of March 3, please submit the first request form by Monday, February 24. Visit the FNS webpage for more information, including weekly request forms and deadlines.
Resources
❄️ Be Among the First to Hear About School Delays/Closings
Watch this video to see how FCPS makes weather closing decisions.
FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible, including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be among the first to hear about weather delays and closings! Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE. Emails and text messages are sent to parents and caregivers based on the addresses and cell phone numbers entered on this platform.
💻 Try Online Registration
Online registration for the 2025-26 school year is open. Parents/caregivers may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process.
When registering, parents/caregivers will need to create or log in to an existing SIS ParentVUE account.
Activities and Athletics
🏀 The Goods Basketball Camp
The Goods Basketball is a premiere basketball training and development brand in Northern Virginia, committed to enhancing players' skills, mindset, and techniques on the court!
We offer programs for all ages, starting at 4 years old and extending through high school, as well as college and pro levels. With expert coaching and training, we’ll help your player(s) elevate their game and reach the next level in every aspect!
If you are interested in signing up your child for the Spring Break Basketball Camp, please register here!
Rosendin Foundation Summer Camp
The Rosendin Foundation is hosting a summer camp for students in grades 6-8, offering a hands-on introduction to skilled trades. Each day will focus on a different trade, with exciting activities such as building a lamp, constructing and painting dog houses to donate to a local charity, and operating heavy equipment. We are currently accepting applications for 8 boys and 8 girls. The camp will be held at our office, and the best part—it's completely free!
🔬 TJHSST Techstravaganza 2025
The leadership of Tomorrow’s Women in Science and Technology (TWIST), a student organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), invites you and your student to this years Techstravaganza!
Techstravaganza is a free, public, hands-on STEM activity fair for elementary and middle school students in Northern Virginia. In previous years, they have hosted more than 4,500 students and 70 labs presenting STEM activities. Their exhibitors range from TJHSST clubs and their own TWIST volunteers to organizations like NASA SCaN, Art of Problem Solving, George Mason University, American Society of Naval Engineers, and the National Air and Space Museum. This year, they will be holding the 21st annual Techstravaganza on Saturday, May 17 from 10 AM-4 PM at TJHSST.
If your student is interested, please register here! Admission is free and there will be food will be for sale.
For more information about the event please visit their website at tjpartnershipfund.org/techstravaganza/.
⚾ Herndon Reston Youth Baseball
Herndon Reston Youth Baseball is a proud member club in the Cal Ripken Baseball Organization, committed to our kids, our communities, and promoting a love of the game. We welcome ALL players with or without experience who desire to have fun and develop skills.
All division ages are determined by the players' age as of April 30 and we welcome boys and girls between the ages of 3-12 years old. We’d love you to be part of our fun community!
Majors
The majors are geared for players who can properly apply fielding, throwing, and hitting fundamentals most of the time. Development focuses on more advanced base running, pitching, and situational skills. Unique to Cal Ripken, our upper tier for our most experienced players introduces 70-foot base paths and a 50-foot pitching distance.
No other house program in Western and Northern Fairfax County offers 50-70 in house baseball!
Benefits
- A smoother transition to the larger 90-foot field
- Runners are allowed to lead off
- Stealing is permitted
- Pitchers get to work on "pitching from the stretch" -- a technique to shorten the pitching motion to give base runners less time to steal a base
- Catchers gain experience on throwing runners out at bases
- Fielders are exposed to constant changing circumstances as runners change positions
Buddy Ball (Spring Only: one hour on Sunday mornings in April and May)
Buddy Ball is a free program that pairs 5-15 year old girls and boys who have developmental or physical disabilities with high school or adult buddies to have fun, build confidence and self-esteem, and learn sportsmanship and love of the game. Practice/games combine elements of tee ball, coach pitch and kid pitch to accommodate children of varying skill levels.
If you are interested, please visit herndonbaseball.com to register!
📽️ Fairfax Public Access: 2025 Teen Summer Camps
As Fairfax County’s community pubic media station, during the summer season Fairfax Public Access offers teens interested in television studio production, post-production video editing, and radio production an outlet to learn, experience and create.
This summer they will be offering three separate camps with various dates to choose from. The TV Studio Production camp offers a chance to learn the ins and outs of creating a television show, use of the equipment, and crew roles and responsibilities. The TV Post-Production camp offers a chance to learn the process of editing video projects using Adobe Premiere. While, the Radio Production camp offers a chance to learn how to produce a radio show, use of the studio equipment, and our programming procedures.
For more information and to register, please visit Fairfax Public Access - Summer Camp Registration.
Calendar
February
Black History Month
20 | Orchestra Pre-Assessment Concert at 7:00PM
27 | Parent Coffee for Special Education Parents at 9:30AM
27 | Band Pre-Assessment Concert at 7:00PM at Herndon High School
27 | Choir Pre-Assessment Concert a 7:00PM
28 | Ramadan Begins at Sundown
Public Schools Week
Public Schools Week runs from February 24-28, which is an annual celebration that brings together school leaders, educators, parents & community leaders to recognize the importance of our nation’s public schools.
Ramadan
Ramadan begins at sundown on Friday, February 28. This day is an evening-only observance day. There is school on these days, but certain activities that cannot be made up can not take place after school.
Throughout the year, as we celebrate and recognize various cultural holidays and observances, families are encouraged to contact their child’s school counselor regarding accommodations, including but not limited to those around lunch, prayer/meditation and silent reflection spaces and times, and instruction.
Helpful Links
FCPS Cares
The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story, so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.
901 Locust St. Herndon, VA 20170 | Main Office: 703-904-4800
Attendance: 703-904-4848 | Web | Twitter | Facebook
