Principal's Note - Feb 4, 2022
Good evening, Holmes Families!
I hope that you all had a great week! I am still having a hard time believing that we are already halfway done with this school year, but here we are in February!
I was pleased to read the FCPS announcement this afternoon about the Arlington Circuit Court upholding the mask requirement for school districts in Virginia who challenged the governor's executive order. Many of you have expressed concerns about us continuing to ensure we have strategies in place to keep students and staff safe while we navigate this ongoing pandemic, and this will allow us to continue to do so.
Honor Roll Announcement
On February 10th during SOAR & ER 5, we will be hosting the Quarter 2 Honor Roll Celebration in order to acknowledge the hard work and academic achievement of our students who earned all A’s or A’s & B’s on their 2nd quarter report card. Students will receive passes for the celebration during SOAR that day. A big congratulations to all our students that earned Honor Roll this quarter, keep up the amazing work!
Academic Advising
Academic Advising is in full swing at Holmes! Counselors have been meeting with 6th and 7th grade students for one-on-one academic advising sessions through science classes, Annandale and Edison High School counselors have met with our 8th graders, and our counselors are visiting 5th graders in our feeder elementary schools! Course selection sheets for current 5th graders should be turned into the elementary school by February 22nd, and course selection sheets for current Holmes students who will attend Holmes next year are due March 4th. Continue to check our website for the most up-to-date information.
Here are today's newsletter topics:
Holmes Updates
- Student Services - Important Information
- 2021-22 Blue-White Calendar
- 2021-22 Bell Schedule
- Next Week's Schedule
- After School Program Next Week
- From Ms. Oncho, Our Family Liaison
- Rising 9th Grade Open House at Annandale High School - February 10, 6pm
- Early Identification Program (EIP)
- Job Opportunities at Holmes & in FCPS
- Important Upcoming Dates
- How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS
FCPS & Community Updates
- Back to School Special Immunization Clinic
- Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications
- Free COVID Testing
- 2022 FCPS Summer Learning Information
- Stay Connected with FCPS
Please feel free to reach out and let us know what questions you have. Thank you, and have a wonderful weekend!!
Sincerely,
Margaret Barnes
Proud Principal, Holmes MS
HOLMES UPDATES
This Week's Schedule: 2/7-2/11
The Blue-White Calendar can also be found on the inside cover of student agendas and can be found HERE on our school website.
- Monday, 2/7 - WHITE DAY
- Tuesday, 2/8 - BLUE DAY (SOAR & ER 4)
- Wednesday, 2/9 - WHITE DAY
- Thursday, 2/10 - BLUE DAY (SOAR & ER 5)
- Friday, 2/11 - WHITE DAY
After School Program Next Week
We are very excited to announce that Matthew Kruk will be our new After School Program Specialist beginning Monday, February 7th! Mr. Kruk is currently a Health & PE teacher at Poe Middle School, where he has worked for 9 years and supported the after school program there as well.
NOTE: An updated after school program schedule will be sent early next week.
Reminders:
- Students should check Schoology for messages about how to sign up for specific activities
- Late buses run Monday through Thursday. Friday is pickup only.
- Late buses typically arrive between 4:30 and 5:00, so students could arrive home as late as 5:30 or 6:00. You are also welcome to pick them up any time from after school by 5:00.
- Your student's late bus is DIFFERENT than the regular late bus. We will go over late bus assignments with students each day after school.
- For any and all questions related to the after school program, please contact me at @email through February 4th, and Mr. Kruk at @email from February 7th and afterwards.
From Ms. Oncho, Our Family Liaison
Family Needs Survey
Please take a moment to complete this short survey. We would like to know your needs and your interest area for workshops and training.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3zwdaWSU9t1Uf4JIxvVlhs-W4vULQW7xI_E9KSH2svEAIpw/viewform.
 Sign Up for TalkingPoints App to Receive Information in Your Language TalkingPoints is an application that allows you to receive information in your home language from the Holmes Family Liaison. You can sign up for TalkingPoints by using a web app or a mobile app. All you need is an email address. To sign up on the web, go to www.talkingpts.org and click on ‘Sign Up For Free’ button. To sign up on your cell phone, go to the app store and search for "TalkingPoints for Parents" and install the app. The join code for the Holmes families is KXJPTH. |
Donate to the Holmes Closet
A big thank you to all who donated during Christmas! Your generous donations, love and compassion helped to support 34 families with gift cards, toys and clothing!
To continue supporting Holmes families during this challenging time, our Family Liaison, SCA (Student Council Association), NJHS (National Junior Honor Society), and School Social Worker are teaming up to gather items each month for the Holmes Closet Outreach Program. Please consider donating to the Holmes Closet!
Please click the link below for more details. Donations can be dropped at the main office or in the donation boxes.
https://sites.google.com/fcpsschools.net/holmes-closet/home
Resources for Parents
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Free IT training, Virtual personal finance, carrier building workshop and Tax Services. By appointments only, for clients with an income of $58,000 or less. Please click the link to get detailed information:
https://mailchi.mp/fecsoco/fec-feb-newsletter-14567626?e=942a929c51
- Free Tax Prep Assistance NVA CASH and AARP TaxAide
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Summer Enrichment Camps
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAEDUFCPS/bulletins/307d574
Rising 9th Grade Open House at Annandale High School - February 10, 6:00pm
Annandale High School is excited to announce we have rescheduled our Rising 9th Grade Open House to February 10 at 6:00pm. The transition from middle to high school can be difficult and stressful for some students. However, Annandale High School takes tremendous pride in ensuring the transition is as smooth as possible. This in-person event will provide students and parents the opportunity to learn more about what high school at Annandale is all about!
We will offer short optional sessions on our various Annandale programs throughout the evening, and teachers will be in their classrooms during the event to share all about our core and elective courses for 9th Graders. The goal is for students and parents to leave this event excited about all the opportunities you will have as an Annandale Atom. The following Breakout Sessions will be offered throughout the evening:
- Welcome to Annandale
- Course Request 101
- IB/MYP Program
- Activities and Athletics
- English for Speakers of Other Languages Program (ESOL)
- Special Education Office
- Student Life
If you have not done so already, we want to encourage students and families to access all the information needed for course selection on our Academic Advising website. This site has grade level information that will be presented by counselors, videos made by teachers describing elective and IB options, the 9th grade course catalog, and the course selection Google form that will need to be completed by each student. In addition, on the website you will find the recording from our Virtual Course Registration Night on January 18 that provides guidance for when students meet with their middle school counselor. If you have any questions, please contact Erik Healey at @email.
Early Identification Program (EIP)
WHAT: The Early Identification Program (EIP) is a multiyear (5 year) college preparatory program for students who will be the first in their family to attend a four-year college in the United States. EIP is a collaborative effort between Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and George Mason University (GMU). The EIP is one of four programs that comprise the College Success Programs in FCPS. EIP goes from 8th grade through 12th grade.
HOW: Nominated students apply to the program at the end of the 7th grade and enter the program in the 8th grade.
DEADLINE: School-based EIP sponsors must submit a list of nominated students to the EIP by February 17, 2022.
ESTIONS? Please complete the EIP Information Google Form if you are interested:
Contact Ms. Amarir, School Counselor and EIP Sponsor at 703-658-5942 or via email at @email with any questions.
Job Opportunities at Holmes & in FCPS
To help us meet these critical needs, here is a reminder of some job opportunities that we have a available at Holmes and throughout FCPS:
- Student monitors (Holmes needs 1 or 2 more)
- Substitutes (short- and long-term) - School Board just approved an increase in pay for short- and long-term substitutes!
If you or someone you know is looking for work and may be a good fit for one or more of these positions, I encourage you or them to apply!
Important Upcoming Dates
- Monday, 2/21 - NO SCHOOL, President's Day
- Wednesday, 2/23 - PTA Meeting, 6:30 pm - Zoom link coming
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
FCPS & COMMUNITY UPDATES
Back to School Immunization Clinic
The Importance of Submitting Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications
School meals provide nourishment that allows students to excel in the classroom and to grow and thrive. This year, FCPS continues to offer no-cost meals to all students, thanks to a waiver granted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
While the meals are no cost for all, it is still important for families to submit the Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRM) application because it impacts much more than meals.
FRM applications help link families to other benefits, such as waiving fees for SAT, ACT, and AP exams as well as other school fee-based programs. Qualifying students may also have access to scholarships, classes, or services provided by agencies and organizations outside FCPS. FRM applications also help determine additional education funding for your child’s school.
Winter break is a great time to complete the FRM application. Find out more on our website.
2022 FCPS Summer Learning Information
Winter Break is a great time to plan your child’s summer learning. Many students participate in summer learning opportunities to advance academically, to sharpen their skills, to learn something new, or to participate in fun fine arts and Career and Technical Education camps, institutes, and academies.
Fairfax County Public Schools summer learning opportunities include a Credit Recovery Academy that offers credit recovery courses, intervention classes, and test remediation classes; programs and institutes at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology that provide credit accrual and enrichment opportunities; and Online Campus courses and classes. Career and Technical Education will offer Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance. Elementary and secondary Fine Arts and Career and Technical Education enrichment camps, institutes and academies will also be offered.
Details about 2022 enrichment camps and institutes, Online Campus, and Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance are now available on the FCPS Summer Learning webpage. Information about other programs will be posted as it becomes available.
Free COVID Testing
Take a look at the flyer below for information about free COVID testing. For more information about testing and vaccination sites in Fairfax County, check out this link.
Other resources for testing and vaccination can be found here:
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