Principal's Note - August 22, 2021

By Margaret Barnes
Principal's Note
August 22, 2021

Good morning, Holmes Families!  

The moment has arrived, and we are ready to welcome back all of our Holmes Hawks tomorrow for the first day of school!  In today's newsletter, you'll find everything you need for the first two weeks of school.  

We had a great turnout at Wednesday's Open House and Thursday's Jumpstart sessions.  If you were unable to attend one of the two parent sessions, the recording is HERE, and you'll be asked to enter a passcode: t^nE!=6kQ! 

Be sure to read through today's newsletter to learn more about the calendar and bell schedule, getting your child to and from school, meals, Back to School Night, Schoology, and how to join the Holmes MS PTA!  

What Bus Will My Child Ride?

The FCPS Department of Transportation sent bus assignments to families a little over a week ago via email.  If you have not received it, and your student should be assigned to a bus, you may want to check your junk mail.  It can also be viewed in ParentVue.  

As we prepare for children to come to school and go home on buses this fall, we ask you to be aware of possible adjustments to routes and scheduling. A national bus driver shortage is impacting FCPS and some routes may be longer or occasionally delayed as we work through the situation. We will keep you informed of changes as soon as information is available. Your patience and understanding as we make adjustments is appreciated.  FCPS is working hard to address the need for drivers and plan for transportation in a way that has the least impact on students. 

You may consider driving, walking, or biking to school while we work through the driver shortage and adjust routes. Car pools or group walks and bikes are also encouraged for those who are able to help relieve pressure on buses. If you plan to walk or bike to school, watch this short video on pedestrian safety with your child.

Find out more about bus routes on our website , check the bus delay website if your child's bus is late, and download the Here Comes the Bus mobile app.

If you or someone you know has interest in becoming a bus driver for FCPS, now is a great time to come on board! FCPS is offering up to $2,000 in a signing bonus for new bus drivers who meet eligibility requirements and complete the new driver employment criteria. Find out more and apply today!

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Kiss-n-Ride Information

Parents/Guardians who drive students to school should use the entrance closest to Braddock Road, make an immediate right into the parking lot, loop around the cars, and pull up to the curb (see picture below. A member of our school staff will be there to greet you each morning and afternoon. Please do not use the other entrance for student drop-off, and please do not drop students off on Montrose Street. Please do not park and walk into the school building with your student. (NOTE: Students being picked up in the afternoon are picked up in the same location.)  Please do not drop off students an leave them unattended before 7:10 am.  

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Free Breakfast & Lunch This Year & MySchoolBucks App

Every student is eligible for one no-cost breakfast and one no-cost lunch each school day. However, if your student would like to purchase additional meals or a la carte items, they will need to pay. The best way to purchase items this year is to use MySchoolBucks. Set up your student’s MySchoolBucks account and help them memorize their pin. If you have questions about MySchoolBucks, our Holmes front office staff can help.

Setting up a MySchoolBucks account for your student is especially helpful during the current nationwide coin shortage. FCPS cash registers will have limited coins available at the start of the school year to provide change for cash purchases. Purchases made with MySchoolBucks also keeps lines moving quickly.

Your child may choose to bring their meals and snacks to school this year. Holmes encourages this practice for students who have specific dietary requirements or are particularly picky. Bringing food from home ensures your child will have the meals and snacks they enjoy to fuel their day of learning.

Be ready on day one by setting up your child’s MySchoolBucks account and looking over the menus.

NOTE: Even though breakfast and lunch is free for all students this year, we still strongly encourage families to complete the Free & Reduced Application Form if needed.  This will help to ensure that fees for certain classes like electives are waived for your student if you are found eligible.  

Back to School Night (BTSN) - Wednesday, September 1st, 5:30-8:00 pm

Please join us on Wednesday, September 1st, to get to know your students' teachers!  Thank you so much for the questions that many of you asked about virtual options for BTSN that will allow families to avoid large crowds.  As a result of your questions, we are rethinking what BTSN will look like this year:

  • All Virtual Option - Each teacher will make a pre-recorded video with information about their courses, which will be posted to the website and can be watched at your own pace.  We encourage you to reach out to teachers directly via email with any questions you have.  
  • In-Person Option - Rather than having families circulate through all 8 classes for 10-15 minutes each, our in-person BTSN will be more of an Open House style to meet teachers who will be available in their classrooms to introduce themselves and answer questions.  

Here are today's newsletter topics:

Holmes Updates

  • Student Services - Important Information
  • 2021-22 Blue-White Calendar
  • 2021-22 Bell Schedule
  • This Week's Schedule
  • Schoology
  • How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS

FCPS Updates

  • Stay Connected with FCPS

Please feel free to reach out and let us know what questions you have.  Thank you, and we hope your students have a great first week back!

Sincerely,

Margaret Barnes

Proud Principal, Holmes MS

@email

HOLMES UPDATES

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This Week's Schedule - 8/23-8/27

To help families and students keep track of the Blue-White Day calendar, I will also have a section in the Sunday update with the week's schedule.  The Blue-White Calendar will also be on the inside cover of student agendas and can be found HERE on our school website. 

  • Monday, 8/23 - BLUE DAY (SOAR only, no ER)
  • Tuesday, 8/24 - WHITE DAY
  • Wednesday, 8/25 - BLUE DAY (SOAR only, no ER)
  • Thursday, 8/26 - WHITE DAY
  • Friday, 8/27 - BLUE DAY (SOAR only, no ER)

 

schoology

Make Sure You Sign Up for Schoology!

Students, families, and staff throughout FCPS and in our school community will use Schoology (pronounced /SKOO-luh-jee/) as our learning management system. 

Here is what you need to know now:

How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS

Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:

FCPS UPDATES

Stay Connected with FCPS

Being connected to your school and division is important every year, and even more so now as we navigate our return to school. The best way to stay informed is to sign up for newsletters through News You Chose. 

Your school and FCPS have a variety of topics you can choose from, including:

  • School Newsletters- featuring everything you need to know about your child’s school
  • FCPS This Week- a weekly newsletter featuring news and happenings from across the division, published Wednesday mornings
  • School Board Meeting Update- a recap of important news coming out of school board meetings, published the Friday morning after the meeting
  • FCPS Employee News- weekly updates just for staff, published Tuesday mornings