Principal's Note 

Good evening, Holmes Families!  

WE DID IT!!  Thank you for an incredible year!  It was sad to see the students go on Friday afternoon, especially our 8th graders!  We will miss them and wish them well as they move onto high school.  If your 8th grader was not able to come on Friday afternoon to get their Holmes swag and turn in his/her laptop, feel free to come by tomorrow or Tuesday (details below).  

Presentations of Learning 

Last week, I also had the pleasure of hearing from six students (pictured above) selected by their teachers to present their portfolios of learning, Google sites that they developed throughout the year to reflect on the Portrait of a Graduate skills and IB Learner Profile Traits!  Ismail Ali, Yasmeen Chawki, Melanie Decareau, Josie McElveen, Megan Murray, and Thuy Trinh,  presented to our full admin team and to three members of the Region 2 admin team who supervises schools in the Annandale Pyramid!  They did such an amazing job representing Holmes and their classmates, all who worked on their portfolios of learning over the course of the year.  We will continue this in the upcoming year to equip and empower our students with the skills and traits that will help them to continue their academic success and that they can carry into the workforce!

End-of-Year Laptop Collection

All students' laptops will be collected at the end of the school year, including those students who will be returning to Holmes next year.  (A few exceptions below.) This will allow us to update our inventory and update the software on the computers.  

Students will turn in their laptops and chargers at the following times: 

• Monday, June 14th, 10 am - 6 pm - All students
• Tuesday, June 15th, 8 am - 3 pm - All students

Students who participate in the summer program (more details below) will keep their laptops until the last day of the program on Friday, July 30th.

Summer Plans?

I have had a few families ask me what students should do over the summer to prepare for the upcoming school year.  Here is my standard answer:

• REST!  
• HAVE FUN!
• READ, READ, READ!!!

I would also add...come have fun and read at Holmes!  We still have PLENTY of space in our summer programs (scroll down for details and registration forms), and we would love to have your students join us, even if they were not on our original list of identified students.  If you'd like a longer program and a full day, sign your student up for VIP!  They can still participate in the Holmes summer programs even if they are also registered for VIP...transportation will be provided to Glasgow for the 2nd part of the day during the 3 weeks of the Young Scholars and Imagine programs.  Scroll down to register!

MyON & Fairfax County Public Library's Summer Reading Adventure!

• I just signed my daughter up for Fairfax County Public Library's Summer Reading Adventure!  Children and youth of all ages can sign up HERE to log their summer reading and win prizes!  
• Students also still have access to MyOn over the summer!  Students just type in the school name and use their FCPS username (their student ID) and password to log in.  See below if tech support is needed:

Summer support for parents will be provided by MyON, as done in previous years.  MyON support will only direct users back to FCPS Support for login issues. 

MyON Tech Support:  

Live Tech Support: 888-728-1266

Hours: 7:30 am – 5 pm (CT), Monday – Friday only

Note: Closed on July 5th  in observance of Independence 

Email: @email

Summer Opportunities at Holmes MS

While our summer opportunities at Holmes will be limited, we are excited that we have been staffed for over 200 students to attend!  Many families received emails about the July opportunities last week, but if you did not, it's okay!  Please let us know if you are interested in the Imagine Program for your current Holmes students.

Here are the programs we will have (all at no cost):

• Young Scholars
  • Who is eligible?  Current 5th, 6th, and 7th graders who are identified as Young Scholars
  • How Many?  24 total
  • When?  July 12th-30th, Monday-Friday, 7:20-11:20 am (breakfast, lunch, and transportation provided)
  • What?  Project-based learning and STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, & Math)
• Imagine
  • Who is eligible?  Current 6th, 7th, and 8th graders whose attendance and grades suggest they need additional support in the summer
  • How Many?  192 total
  • When?  July 12th-30th, Monday-Friday, 7:20-11:20 am (breakfast, lunch, and transportation provided)
  • What?  Strengthen math and literacy skills
• Jumpstart
  • Who is eligible? 
    • All rising 6th graders (current 5th graders)
    • All rising 7th graders who were virtual in 2020-21 school year
    • All rising 7th/8th graders who are new to Holmes
  • How Many?  No max
  • When? 
    • Thursday, August 19th, 7:30-11:30 am for 6th graders (breakfast, lunch, and transportation provided)
    • Thursday, August 19th, 12:30-2:30 for 7th & 8th graders who are new to Holmes & 7th graders who were all virtual as 6th graders (snack and transportation provided)
  • What?  Orientation to Holmes Middle School

Here are today's newsletter topics:

Holmes Updates

• Student Services - Important Information
• Summer VIP Camp Registration
• Annandale Sports Camp - June 21-25
• How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS

FCPS Updates

• Rec-Pac Summer 2021 for Grades 1-6
• Fairfax Summer Recharge: Free Child Care

• Important Immunization Requirement: Do You Have a Student Entering Seventh Grade or Twelfth Grade This Fall?

My next update will not be until after the July 4th weekend.  Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,

Margaret Barnes

Proud Principal, Holmes MS

@email

HOLMES UPDATES

Summer VIP Summer Camp Registration Information

Click  HERE to register.

Please make sure you register online to reserve your place because space is limited. 

Annandale Sports Camp - June 21-25

Annandale Sports Camp - June 21-25: Annandale will be hosting a summer multi-Sport camp on June 21-25 from 8:30-3:00pm. The camp will focus on football (touch), basketball, soccer, baseball, and volleyball. Lunch will again be available for purchase. Camp is open to rising Grades 3 thru 9. Cost is $125. Sign up here.

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 UPDATES

Rec-Pac Summer 2021 for Grades 1-6

Fairfax Summer Recharge: Free Child Care

Important Immunization Requirement: Do You Have a Student Entering Seventh Grade or Twelfth Grade This Fall?

While the COVID-19 vaccination is NOT required by schools for the 2021-22 school year, many other vaccinations are.

Seventh-grade students need:

• One dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) given at age 7 or older.
• One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) given at age 10 or older.

Twelfth-grade students need:

• One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) given at age 16 or older.

More information on new immunization requirements is available online.