Good afternoon, Holmes Families!

Thank you for such a great turnout to our laptop distribution this week!  We gave out 852 laptops and still have about 120 left to distribute.  We will be offering a makeup day tomorrow - Monday, August 31st, between 12-6 pm - for you to come with your student to pick up the laptop.  Please come to Door 2.

Just one more week to go!!  This week's newsletter is focused on the phases of our orientation this week that we have planned to help you and your student be prepared for the first day of school on September 8th.  Scroll down for details.  

Parent/Guardian Consent Needed for Digital Resources

In addition, we need your consent for your students to use many of the digital resources that our teachers will be using for instruction.  Click HERE to see a list of resources that we will be using, and HERE to fill out the form to provide consent.  

Here are today's newsletter topics:

Holmes News

• Countdown to September 8th: 1 Thing to Know with 1 Week to Go
  • This Week's Orientation
• 2020-21 Virtual Bell Schedule
• Student Services - Important Information
• What is a Rolling Gradebook?
• Virtual School Supply List
• Order Holmes Spirit Wear!
• Important Dates
• How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS

News from around FCPS

• How to Correctly Wear a Cloth Face Covering: A Student’s Guide
• Visitors to FCPS Buildings: Please Note
• Parents, Please Update Your Contact Information
• Special Education Newsletter Features News, Support for Families
• Parent Resource Center Offers Workshop on Virtual Learning
• Collect for Kids
• Healthy Minds Podcast Debuts
• New Videos Feature Help with Google Classroom, Padlet, Flipgrid
• FCPS 24-7 Learning: Parent View
• Apply for Free/Reduced Meals
• Low-cost / Free internet access
• Fairfax County Public Library's Summer Reading Adventure
• Free School Physicals for Uninsured Children
• Back to School Health Coverage
• Public Library Equity Access Pass

Thank you and have a great week!

Sincerely,

Margaret Barnes

Proud Principal, Holmes MS

@email

HOLMES NEWS

Countdown to September 8th: 1 Thing to Know with 1 Week to Go

Holmes Middle School Orientation for ALL Students & Families

It is our goal to ensure that every, single student at Holmes is ready to go with everything they need to successfully log into all of their classes on the first day of school, September 8th.  Here are the steps we are taking to meet that goal:

Step 1: Student Schedules Emailed Monday, 8/31.  Ms. Giron will be sending an email to all students and their enrolling parents/guardians with their schedules for the 2020-21 school year.  In addition to the school, there will be an organizer for students to keep track of the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra links for each class. (Note: Student must be logged into Google Chrome with their @fcpsschools.net account to access the organizer.)  There will also be a video with instructions about the organizer, and a reminder about the orientation.  This organizer will also be available on each grade level's Google Classroom, which your students logged into when they received their laptops. 

Step 2: SOAR (3rd Period) Teachers will individually contact their students by phone or videoconference.  On Monday, 8/31 and Tuesday, 9/1, you may receive an email from your student's SOAR Teacher to set up a time to have an individual conversation with you and the student together.  All SOAR teachers will have a conversation with you and your student either by phone or videoconference.  If it is by phone, you may see a number come up on your phone that says "Private" or that is from an out-of-state number.  That is because most of our teachers will be calling from their personal phones, and are using Google Voice or *67 to make the call.  They are excited to connect with you!

Step 3: ALL Teachers will send Blackboard Collaborate Ultra (BBCU) links to students' FCPS emails.  Between 8/31 and 9/1, all teachers will send all students their BBCU links for each class.  So each student will receive a total of 8 links in their @fcpsschools.net email inboxes (which has the same password that they use to log onto the computer).  

Step 4: Town Hall for ALL Parents/Guardians.  My admin team and I will host a town hall on the evening of Tuesday, 9/1, for all parents and guardians to learn more about what to expect from your child's classes and how things will be organized.  Please use THIS LINK to access the videoconference at 6:00 for English and at 7:00 for Spanish.  

Step 5: Virtual Orientation for All Students.  All students will log into their 1st period teacher's BBCU classroom at 1:00 on Wednesday, September 2nd, and will meet each of their teachers through the schedule below:

Tuesday/Thursday classes

• 1:00-1:10 - 1st Period
• 1:15-1:25 - 3rd Period (SOAR)
• 1:30-1:40 - 5th Period
• 1:45-1:55 - 7th Period

Wednesday/Friday classes

• 2:00-2:10 - 2nd Period
• 2:15-2:25 - 4th Period
• 2:30-2:40 - 6th Period
• 2:45-2:55 - 8th Period

We are looking forward to this week to connect with you and our students and help you feel prepared and equipped for the first day of school on Tuesday, September 8th!! 

What is a Rolling Gradebook?

This year and in future years, all teachers at Holmes will be using a rolling gradebook for their classes, a cumulative gradebook that is being used in schools throughout Fairfax County.  Here's a little more information about what it means to use a Rolling Gradebook:

A rolling gradebook allows for progress towards a final mark that captures the total picture of student grades, regardless of length of quarter or number of assignments in each quarter. To best support our students in this very unusual year and in years to come, we believe it is important to utilize a gradebook type that provides maximum flexibility and ensures equitable grading practices to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of all students.

With a rolling gradebook, grades for individual assignments from each quarter carry over and build upon the previous quarter; therefore, quarter grades are a snapshot of a student’s current progress in the course and demonstrate performance to that date, not just for that quarter. Final grades are determined from all assignments and assessments throughout the year, regardless of the quarter the work was completed.

A rolling gradebook is an approved gradebook type per Secondary Grading & Reporting Policy and numerous FCPS schools/teams/teachers already utilize a rolling gradebook. 

Benefits associated with using a rolling gradebook include:

• Allows time for demonstrating mastery of content and opportunities for remediation, completing make-up work & retakes (following established school, department or collaborative team policies)
• Helps students maintain positive mental health when setbacks occur
• Reports long-term progress to students as the year progresses, not just short-term achievement in each quarter
• Provides a more accurate reflection of the student grade at any given point in time
• Reduces number of tests or large projects due at the same time over multiple classes (usually at end of quarter)
• Negates imbalance of quantity of assessments within each quarter and timing challenges at certain times of year
• Encourages content units to end naturally and not get rushed due to quarter breaks

To learn more details about a rolling gradebook to include how it will look in SIS Student/ParentVUE, please take time to review the following video. Teachers will communicate grading design and policies via the course syllabus.  Additional questions will be addressed in our parent/guardian orientation on Tuesday, September 1st.  

Virtual School Supply List

Order Holmes Spirit Wear!

Order Holmes Spirit Wear HERE!   There is an option to have it shipped to your home this year, and the deadline has been extended to September 20th.  For questions, please email: @email. 

Important Dates

• Monday, August 31st 
  • Student schedules will be emailed to students and families
  • Teachers will begin to send Blackboard Collaborate links to students for their classes.  An organizer will be provided for students to keep track of the links
  • SOAR Teachers will make phone or videoconference contact with ALL students and families on their 3rd period class roster. 

• Tuesday, September 1st - Virtual Orientation to the 2020-21 School Year for ALL Parents/Guardians 
  • 6:00-6:50 pm - Virtual Parent/Guardian Orientation in English
  • 7:00-7:50 pm - Virtual Parent/Guardian Orientation in Spanish
• Wednesday, September 2nd
  • Student Schedules will be visible in ParentVue and StudentVue
  • 1:00-3:00 pm - Virtual Bell Schedule Practice for ALL students
• Tuesday, September 8th - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
• Thursday, September 24th (New date) - Virtual Back To School Night (More details to come)

How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS

Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:

• keeping your contact information up-to-date throughout the year
• visiting the Holmes MS website
• signing up for News You Choose
• following us on Twitter  
• monitoring your student's progress with SIS Parent Account
• join the Holmes MS PTA and attend meetings

NEWS FROM AROUND FCPS

FCPS Launches New Parent Technology Help Desk, Readies Students and Families for Virtual Learning

The following News Release was published by Fairfax County Public Schools today:

FCPS Launches New Parent Technology Help Desk, Readies Students and Families for Virtual Learning

The following School News item was published today:

Photos 8-24-20

To support families who are working with their children during virtual learning, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is launching a new Parent Technology Help Desk, effective today, Monday, August 24. The help desk can be reached at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS) and will be answered by staff members between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., seven days a week.

Parents or guardians who need help in a language other than English can inform the help desk staff when they call, and an interpreter will join them live on the call.

If help desk staff members are unable to solve the issue, they will request help from the appropriate FCPS team.

FCPS has also set up an online portal to allow older students and parents/guardians to request technology help directly. 

Tips for online learning success can be found on the FCPS website. 

FCPS school-based employees are in the process of distributing approximately 55,000 laptops to students this summer, using strict health procedures to ensure health and safety.

Virtual Orientation 
Teachers will conduct a virtual orientation prior to the first day of school for students and families to:
•    Build relationships and community.
•    Learn how virtual learning will work, including how to log into students’ FCPS accounts to access virtual classroom links, and how to use Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, GoogleMeet, and Schoology.
•    Ensure students are prepared for a successful first day of school.
Teachers will contact their students directly.  Please direct questions to your child’s school.
 
Back to School Nights
Each school will host a virtual Back to School Night during September or October. Included will be: 
•    An overview of curriculum.
•    A review of attendance, schedules, procedures, and routines.
•    An explanation of grading and assessments.

FCPS Parent Information Phone Lines are available in eight different languages. 

How to Correctly Wear a Cloth Face Covering: A Student’s Guide

Correctly wearing and removing a face covering is important information for all students. The following video addresses the steps that each student must take to keep themselves safe as they wear and remove their required face covering.  Additional translations will be available soon.

https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/school-health-services

Visitors to FCPS Buildings: Please Note

Anyone visiting FCPS schools and facilities should be aware that there are new health screening protocols in place. Advance appointments are strongly encouraged. These are for the health and safety of all staff and visitors to FCPS. Please make yourselves aware of them prior to your visit.

Parents, Please Update Your Contact Information

For parents to stay current on school news and plans, current contact information is essential. This is especially important because schools will need to regularly notify parents about program changes and opportunities, such as laptop distributions, school supply lists, and other essentials. Once school begins, your school team may need to reach parents about student absences and academic and other concerns. Parents may update their information through Parent View.

Special Education Newsletter Features News, Support for Families

The August 14 edition of the Special Education Newsletter has been published and includes information on social-emotional learning, at-home learning tips, and suggestions on how to help build independence. Read it online

Parent Resource Center Offers Workshop on Virtual Learning

Are you worried about managing your child’s virtual schooling this year? Do you hate becoming the “school police” when your child won’t focus? Do you have to balance your child’s schooling with your own remote workload? We hear you, and we’re here to help. 

An free online webinar to provide support for adults will be offered on September 1 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and on September 11 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. 

Learn how to avoid parent-child conflict around academics with practical tips for:

• Establishing routines and expectations that really work.
• Creating ideal spaces for virtual learning.
• Keeping kids focused while learning online.
• Minimizing distractions from video games and other screens.
• Getting your own work done at the same time (Yes, it’s possible!).

Don’t tackle this unusual year without a plan. Instead, join us and feel more prepared and confident for the year ahead, with a toolbox full of practical strategies that actually work. Register online or call 703-204-3941 for more information.

Collect for Kids

The 2020-21 school year will begin in a few weeks, and some students in need are still without basic school supplies. A donation to Collect for Kids will help provide the supplies students need in order to participate fully in class. Nearly 60,000 students whose families may not be able to afford to purchase their own will receive school supply kits this year through Collect for Kids. A $50 contribution will provide school supplies for five students. Please help us make sure all students have what they need to be creative and successful in school. Thank you!

Healthy Minds Podcast Debuts

FCPS has launched a new weekly Healthy Minds podcast to provide relevant, actionable information on emotional health and well-being to parents and teens as they endure the ongoing pandemic and prepare for the school year. Listen here. The first guest was McLean High School counselor Beth Werfel who talked about managing and coping during uncertain times

New Videos Feature Help with Google Classroom, Padlet, Flipgrid

As students prepare for the virtual start to the school year, parents are encouraged to learn some of the technology applications their children and classrooms may be using this fall by viewing videos posted here. The list will be continuously updated.

This week, three new videos have been added to the Virtual Learning Tips and Tricks playlist on YouTube.  

Locating Assignments in Google Classroom: Courtney White, education specialist, created this video to show you where to find your student assignments in Google Classroom. Log into your student's fcpsschools.net account to access Google Classroom.

Padlet Tutorial: Padlet is an online bulletin board for students to post and collaborate. Jenn Choumil, biology teacher at McLean HS, created this resource for parents to better understand how the app works.

Flipgrid Screencast: The Deer Park ES school-based technology specialist is back to demonstrate how to use Flipgrid to make a screencast. It's a fun way for students to share their work with the teacher and classmates. Parental permission is required for students to use this app.

Tips for Online Learning Success

FCPS 24-7 Learning: Parent View

Find out what's happening in your child's classroom

Please note that it is necessary to have an active Student Information System (SIS) Parent Account to be able to login to FCPS 24-7 Learning: Parent View. The same login credentials will be used to access both the SIS and FCPS 24-7 systems.

General Information
FCPS 24-7 Learning provides parents access to available courses the student is enrolled in, Naviance Student to view College and Academic Career Planning (for Middle and High school students), weCare@school to view and update Emergency Care information, and Bus Stop Information via the Bus Stop module.

Support

• Forgot Password – If you need to recover a forgotten password or change your password please visit the password management page.
• Parent Help - Complete this online form to request assistance. 

Content Available to Parents

• Course Information – This includes content areas such as announcements and course specific information. While most classroom sites are pre-set to provide parents access, some courses may have modified settings, or have been created after the course access settings were made and may therefore be inaccessible. If you have a concern, contact the teacher. Also, should you see course information from a previous school year, you may contact the previous year's teacher to ask them to update their course information accordingly. Please note that the following content areas are not accessible by parents: gradebook – grades can be seen through the SIS Parent Account; wikis, blogs, and discussion boards; and organizations.
• Naviance Student - Supports academic and career planning for middle and high school students. Only parents with middle or high school students will see student names in the Naviance Student module.
• Emergency Care Information Management (weCare@school) - Is an emergency care information system, available to FCPS parents and guardians with access to FCPS 24-7 Learning : Parent View.

A Note About Student Data Management

Each student has a unique student ID number which will ensure that a parent is matched to the correct child(ren). Also when a student withdraws from FCPS the student's account on FCPS 24-7 Learning is disabled. Once the student's account has been disabled the parent view will no longer include the student's information.

Need to apply for free or reduced meals?

If needed, complete the Free & Reduced-Price Meals application along with the Consent to Share form, which can both be found HERE in multiple languages.

Need low-cost or free internet access?

Here are some options to consider:

• Comcast Internet Essentials
• Cox Connect2Compete
• Verizon Lifeline

Free School Physicals for Uninsured Children

Back to School Health Coverage

Public Library Equity Access Pass