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Dear Holmes Families:
Good afternoon! I hope that you and your families are safe and sound after this week's past storm. I know that many are still waiting for power to be restored and for damage to be repaired. All is well at Holmes...we just lost a small tree.
Holmes will open on time tomorrow; FCPS has just sent a message to check HEREfor bus delays.
WTOP 2018 Click for Kids Campaign!
Holmes Middle School is participating in WTOP's Click for Kids Campaign this year, and we need your votes to win! Please rally your family, friends, and neighbors to help Holmes win up to $10,000 to help us purchase enough devices to go one-to-one for 8th graders next year! Voting begins Monday, March 5th and goes through 5 PM on Friday, March 16th. All voters must be 13 or older and can vote once a day. See details below. Please help us by spreading the word on social media! #WTOPClickforKids
PTA Meeting
We hope to see many of you at our next PTA meeting this Thursday, March 8th, at 6:00 PM in the cafeteria. This is the same night as the chorus concert, so for parents who are dropping their students off early for the concert, come by the cafeteria for a pizza dinner and a quick PTA meeting. In addition to PTA business, we'll have information about summer opportunities for students in our area.
NJHS Induction Update - Save the Date
Students who applied for NJHS received their notification letters last week. Students accepted into our first chapter of NJHS are invited to attend an Induction Ceremony on Thursday, March 15th, at 6:30 PM in the Lecture Hall!
In our newsletter this week:
- This Week's Schedule of Classes
- This Week's After School Program Schedule
- Next Week's Writing SOL Schedule - 8th Graders
- Testing Information for Parents/Guardians
- School Health Services Survey
- STEMTastics 2018 - March 10th
- Just World Festival - March 16th
- Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge & Wellness Expo - March 17th
- Important Dates
- May/June SOL Schedule
- How To Stay In Touch
Thank you, and have a wonderful week!
Sincerely,
Margaret Barnes, Principal
[[email protected]][email protected]
This Week's Schedule of Classes*: 3/5-3/9
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This week:
Mon., 3/5= White Day w/ ER 7 & 8 (ER 8 Lesson: Literacy)
Tues., 3/6 = Blue Day
Wed., 3/7 = White Day w/ ER 1 & 2
Thurs., 3/8 = Blue Day
Fri., 3/9 = White Day w/ ER 3 &4
*NOTE: Students can always find the blue-white calendar in their agendas or on the website HERE.
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After School Program (ASP) - Week of 3/5
NOTE: I'm having some technical difficulties and am unable to upload the image of the this week's After School Program schedule, so I'll send it through another program in a few minutes.
8th Grade Writing SOL Schedule
This week, the vast majority of 8th graders will take both parts of the Writing SOL (students who are exempt will be notified). The Writing SOL has two parts:
- Part 1: Multiple Choice - All 8th graders taking the test will take it in the morning or afternoon on Tuesday, March 6th.
- Part 2: Short Paper - Students will be split up by teacher over two days to do the short paper (essay) portion of the exam.
We typically receive results in early May for the Writing SOL. For more information on the Virginia Writing SOL, you can visit this site.
 Testing Information for Parents/Guardians
New public FCPS Student Assessment webpages are now available for parents/guardians to access basic information about their children’s required assessments. In compliance with Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) testing transparency, these webpages give an overview of:
- Right to refuse participation in state testing (e.g., SOLs)
- Required assessments at each grade level
- Resources for accessing and understanding assessment results
The Grade Level Tests webpage may be especially helpful to school staff in responding to questions from parents/guardians about required assessments. For each grade level, parents/guardians will find a chart that summarizes the source of the testing requirement, the purpose of the test, amount of time needed to complete testing, timeframe for testing within the year, and how and when results will be distributed. Schools are welcome to share this web resource with families.
School Health Services Survey
The Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) employs school health aides and public health nurses who provide school health services to the students in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). To determine the quality of these services, a survey has been developed by the FCHD to be shared with all parents or guardians and school staff members who interact with the school health rooms. This may include principals, school counselors, and main office staff members. The survey has been approved for distribution by the FCPS’ Internal Survey Advisory Committee.
Electronic versions of the survey forms may be accessed at:
Parent Survey (English): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FCPSParent2018
Parent Survey (Spanish): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018SpanishP
STEMtastics 2018 - Saturday, March 10th
To the Parents of FCPS Middle School Students:
We extend a special invitation to middle school girls (boys are also welcome) to participate in STEMtastics 2018 to be held on Saturday, March 10 (8:00 AM - 12:15 PM) at NOVA - Annandale Campus. This event is presented by the American Association of University Women (Fairfax City, McLean Area, Springfield-Annandale, and Vienna Area Branches) in partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools and NOVA Systemic.
The following flyer provides additional information. Online registration is open as of February 1 at mclean-va.aauw.net/stemtastics until March 4 (or earlier if capacity is reached). We suggest you register early for the best selection of workshops, as choices are “first come, first served.”
If you have questions, please look at our Frequently Asked Questions page at mclean-va.aauw.net/stemtastics/faq/. All participants who have registered and paid will receive a final confirmation email approximately 4 days before the event. Any questions can be sent to @email.
 Just World Festival - Friday, March 16th
Sent on behalf of the Just World Interact Club of Annandale HS
Your school is invited to participate in the Just World Festival!
The Just World Interact Club of Annandale High School is holding its 11th Annual Just World Festival on March 16th, 2018 from 4-7 pm at Annandale High School. The festival, which is sponsored by Rotary International, aims to teach youth that they are not only a part of their local community, but a global one. Through our goal, we want to educate both youth and community leaders alike about global issues, environmental issues, fair trade, human rights, and most importantly social action.
You can participate in one of the following ways:
1) Just come to enjoy the festival which includes food, an interactive exhibition hall, fair trade marketplace, workshops, and cultural events.
2) Donate to our festival raffle or general fund to host the event.
Annandale, which is one of the largest schools in Fairfax County, is also one of the most diverse, with students representing 150 nations and speaking 90 different languages. The Just World Festival capitalizes on these strengths, creating a fun and educational environment in which to explore international-mindedness. The festival is focused around an extensive list of exhibits by students, nonprofit organizations, community leaders and national figures. It also includes a Fair Trade Marketplace; dance, music; and a world café provided by the Annandale Bistro.
I hope you will decide to take advantage of this meaningful opportunity. Together, we can make a positive difference in our communities. For more information about the Just World Festival, please visit https://justworldinteract.wixsite.com/justworld or email the student organization at @email
If possible or willing, we hope that you can help advertise this event at your school by making announcements or distributing copies of the flyer (via e-mail or hard-copy) that is attached to this e-mail!
We hope to see you in March!
The Just World Interact Club
#unityindiversity
 Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge & Wellness Expo
The 2018 Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge and Wellness Expo will be held on March 17 at Hayfield Secondary School from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Doors and exhibits open at 10 a.m. The event will feature a public tasting of dishes created by students to be considered for school menus along with a plenary session with speakers, panelists, and special guests sharing insights on food, nutrition, and health. Admission is $15 per person and includes the public tasting, plenary, and exhibits.
Get more information and register to attend.
Important Dates
- Week of 3/5 - Writing SOL for 8th Graders
- Monday, 3/5 & Tuesday, 3/6 - 7th Grade Newseum Field Trip
- Thursday, 3/8, 6:00 PM - PTA Meeting (Topic: Summer Opportunities)
- Thursday, 3/8, 7:00 PM - Pre-Assessment Chorus Concert
- Thursday, 3/15, 6:30 PM - NJHS Induction Ceremony
- Monday, 3/26 - Friday 3/30 - NO SCHOOL / SPRING BREAK
- Monday, 4/2 - NO SCHOOL / STUDENT HOLIDAY
- Tuesday, 4/3 - Thursday, 4/5 - MWEE - 7th Grade Field Trip (Hidden Oaks Nature Center)
- Thursday, 4/5, 6:00 PM - Faculty Basketball Game
- Friday, 4/6 - Beginning Theatre Arts Field Trip (Hayfield SS)
- Friday, 4/13 - Advanced Theater Trip to NYC
- Friday, 4/13 - 3rd Quarter Grading Period Ends / 2-hour early release
May/June SOL Schedule
Interested in learning more about the SOL exams your child will take? Here are links from the Virginia Department of Education for:
- Civics (8th grade only)
- English (all grades)
- Math (all grades)
- Science (8th grade only, but covers content from 6th-8th grades)
  How To Stay In Touch
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
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