Good morning, Holmes Families!

Yesterday, I spent the day in the school building with a couple members of our office team.  I want to share a huge thank you to Ms. Campbell and Ms. Hicks for working tirelessly on refund checks from field trip fees for families.  I have only visited the building a few times since March 12th, and it is hard to believe that we are now in week 7 of this "new normal", as many have referred to it.  Being in a school building without students and teachers is not a normal I am ready or willing to accept, but I know that it is what we must do right now to help to keep each other healthy and safe.  I love seeing my students' and teachers' faces online, but there is nothing like checking in with them in person. I look forward to the time when we can do that again. 

There is a lot of information to process in this week's newsletter. I will be hosting a virtual parent coffee at 10:00 am on Friday, May 1st to answer any questions you have.  Parents/guardians may use this link to access the session.  If you cannot attend, that's okay.  I will record the session and send it out to families afterwards.  I will also conduct a session in Spanish at 12:30 pm; the same link may be used, and the session will also be recorded. 

Monday Lunch Bunch One way I would love to continue connecting with students is through my Virtual Monday Lunch Bunch.  With the technical challenges we had in the last 2 weeks, I have not been able to hold it, but I will be able to start again on Monday, May 4th.  If your student would like to participate in Monday Lunch Bunches with me at some point, please have them complete this form, which is also on their grade-level Google Classroom sites. (Note: Students must be logged into Google with their fcpsschools.net login to complete the form.) I will enroll them in my course, and they will receive a link that they can use on any Monday that they would like to join me for lunch bunch.

Questions to Ask Your Student About Distance Learning After checking in with your student about how they are feeling and how they are staying connected with friends and taking care of themselves, check in with them about how they are doing with distance learning.  Use a few of these questions to help you:   Have you completed everything you need to complete for 3rd quarter and submitted it to your teacher? Have you checked this week's new lesson grids for each class (posted by Tuesday mornings)? Have you completed this week's Must Do activities for each class? Have you chosen some Can Do activities to do as well?  Which of your teachers are using Blackboard Collaborate for classes and/or office hours?  Which ones are using Google Meet? (Note: Most teachers are using Blackboard Collaborate and have sent links to students.)  Which of your teachers are all asynchronous (posting weekly lesson grids and available by email for questions)? Are you using the student schedule template to organize your links and teacher office hours? (Note: Template is also posted to each grade-level Google Classroom, and students must be logged into Google with their fcpsschools.net login to access it.) Have you reached out to your teachers with any questions you have?  Have you heard back from them? What are you reading right now?  Tell me about it!  Not reading anything?  Join Ms. Haywood's Library Google Classroom using this code: x25yxtm

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4th-8th!

Help us to show appreciation to our teachers and school staff by doing one or both of the options below:

• Submit this form to send a positive message to a teacher or other school staff member who has supported your student during the school year: 
  • The form can be submitted by students and parents/guardians
  • The form should be submitted once for each person you would like to recognize (you can send as many as you would like)
  • You have the option to upload a positive picture or video along with your message that will be shared with the teacher or other staff member.
• You can also send a note to a teacher using this link, which will enter the teacher into a statewide contest: https://thankateacherva.com/

Thank you for helping us to recognize the hard work of our school staff!!

End-of-Year Activity for 8th Graders

I have had a few students, parents, and staff ask about an end-of-year activity that we can do for 8th graders.  If you or your students have ideas to share or would like to help plan something, please feel free to email me and let me know.  My main requirement is that whatever we do is done in a safe and secure virtual environment. 

Grading Information If you are like me, you will probably need to read over this grading information a few times to process it all.  Please don't hesitate to let me know what questions you have about it.  One primary concept to keep in mind is that our goal with 3rd and 4th quarters is to do no harm to a student's grades and academic standing that they had prior to March 12th.   3rd quarter The 3rd quarter has been extended to Friday, May 1, 2020.  Teachers will continue to work with students to close out the third quarter and accept assignments through that date. Access in ParentVUE and StudentVUE, to view the report card module, will be closed from Friday, May 1st at 4 pm to Saturday, May 9th, at 6 am. 4th quarter  Fourth Quarter Timeline:  While third quarter work is being accepted until May 1st, fourth quarter work has been assigned to students.  Any new work will be entered into fourth quarter gradebooks beginning Monday, May 4th. As previously communicated by FCPS, all students will receive a NM (No Mark) for the 4th quarter. In order to provide students and parents feedback about 4th quarter progress, teachers will input three types of marks in SIS.  Proficient Attempted Not Attempted   Remember: Student work completed during 4th quarter can have a positive impact on a student’s final grade in a course.  It is important that students keep up with learning and academic skills for the future. As always, please email teachers if you have specific questions about an assignment or your child’s progress.

Calculating Final Grades

Final Exams: There will be no final exam and/or culminating activity included as part of the final course grade calculation this year.

Year-Long Courses

Calculating Final Grade

• Teachers have the discretion of raising a student's final grade by one grade distribution (e.g., B to B+), based on demonstrated proficiency of 4th quarter learning.
• A student’s final grade will be the highest of the following:
  • Average of 1st, 2nd, & 3rd quarters
  • Average of 1st, 2nd, & 3rd quarters with 1 grade distribution increase consideration
  • 1st Semester Grade 
  • 1st Semester Grade with 1 grade distribution increase possible 

Current Semester Courses 

Calculating Final Grade

• Teachers have the discretion of raising a student's final grade by two grade distributions (e.g., B to A-), based on demonstrated proficiency of 4th quarter learning.
• A student’s final grade will be the highest of the following:
  • Quarter 3 Average
  • Quarter 3 Average (with up to a 2 grade distribution increase possible)  

Report Cards Report Cards will be mailed centrally for both third and fourth quarters.  Parents/Guardians may opt into “Go Paperless” for report cards by following the below instructions: Parents/Guardians can take advantage of the paperless option, by logging into ParentVUE, then going to “My Account” and selecting "Go Paperless!". This is the only way to keep a paper report card from being generated for students at the secondary level. All parents who share the same address as the student must have a SIS ParentVUE account and must select the paperless option. This option must be selected prior to May 12th to prevent the 3rd quarter report card from being mailed. Last Day of School Friday, June 12 Summer Courses Additional summer offerings and support through FCPS summer learning programming are being discussed and will be shared as soon as available pending developments with the state-wide closure of schools.

In today's newsletter, scroll down for information about:

• Holmes MS Distance Learning Schedule
• Affordable Internet Options
• Field Trip Refunds Update
• Food Resources
• Community Resources
• Social-Emotional and Wellness Resources for Families
• Important Dates
• How to Stay in Touch

Thanks, everyone, and have a wonderful week!  Please feel free to reach out to me or anyone on my team with any questions you have!

Sincerely,

Margaret Barnes

Proud Principal, Holmes MS

[email protected]

#SoarTogether

Holmes MS Distance Learning Schedule

Field Trip Refunds Update

Our finance technician and administrative assistant at Holmes have been working very hard over the last 6 weeks to process refunds for families who paid for the theater trip to New York City, the music trip to Williamsburg, and the music trip to Kings Dominion.  The refunds for the theater trip have been completed, and checks have been mailed home to families.  The checks for the Williamsburg and Kings Dominion trips are being printed today and will go out this week.  

Affordable Internet Options

If you or someone you know is in need of free or low-cost internet, please explore the options below: 

• Comcast/Xfinity: Internet Essentials
• Cox: Cox Connect2Compete supplies broadband internet access to low-income, unconnected families in Fairfax County. Households who meet income and other guidelines will be offered free Internet service through July 15, ($9.95 per month afterward), free modem rental, free installation, and a price guarantee for two years. More information is available on the Cox website
• Verizon: Lifeline

Food Resources

FCPS Continues to Provide Breakfast and Lunch to Students

Click HERE for details.  

Free Hot Meal Courtesy of Chef Jose Andres & World Central Kitchen

Weekend Meal Sites for Families

Below is information about two weekend meal sites for families:

• No ID or proof of need is required. 
• Family members may pick up meals on behalf of their entire family – children do not need to be present. 
• Meals will be served during the below-listed timeframes, while quantities last. 

ACCA Child Development Center 7200 Columbia Pike #2, Annandale, VA 22003 Individual whole-grain crust pizzas with vegetable toppings, fresh fruit Saturdays, 2:30 PM while quantities last

John Calvin Presbyterian Church 6531 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003  Individual whole-grain crust pizzas with vegetable toppings, fresh fruit Sundays, 2:30 PM while quantities last

These weekend sites also offer an opportunity for those who would like to help sustain this program. With a minimum donation of $50, you can order a Pizzeria Paradiso Pizza Kit which includes all of the ingredients needed to make two wholesome 12” pizzas at home (and a link to instructions and a video!).  Each donation will provide meals for four additional families in our area! Kits may be Pre-Ordered and picked at the ACCA Child Development Center on Saturday or John Calvin Presbyterian Church on Sunday between 3:30 and 4:30 PM. More details at the link above.

Community Resources

Social-Emotional and Wellness Resources for Families

School-Based Social Emotional Learning and Wellness Resources During Distance Learning

School Counselors, School Psychologists, and School Social Workers are available to support students, families and staff during distance learning. They are supporting students, families and staff in many of the same ways as they did prior to distance learning, but it may look different now.

Here is what schools are doing to continue social emotional learning and mental wellness:

● Instructional activities addressing social and emotional skills and mental wellness topics are embedded in instruction to include school counseling and Health & PE lessons/activities.

● Consultation for teachers is provided to support students’ social, emotional, and mental health needs in an instructional setting.

● Individualized student and family support is available at all school levels to address social emotional learning, mental wellness, and access to basic needs.

● Mental Wellness Consultation: Parents may schedule a 30-minute phone consultation with a school psychologist or school social worker, for either themselves or their middle or high school student. This is an opportunity for parents to receive guidance on how to support their student’s emotional well-being. For more information, click the following link: Mental Wellness Consultation

To learn more about these activities, please contact your student’s school counselor, school psychologist, or school social worker.

Here is more information on what you can do to support your student at home:

• The FCPS Learning from Home: Support for Families webpage is updated frequently and has many helpful links: FCPS Learning from Home: Support for Families

• The FCPS COVID-19 Website contains valuable information regarding how to talk with your child about the Coronavirus, managing stress, healthy coping, community and emergency mental health resources. For more information, click the following link: COVID-19 Mental Health & Community Resources website

• Online training simulations are available to help you learn and recognize signs of distress, manage conversations, and connect your student/family to support services. For more information, click the following link: Kognito

• Video clips of FCPS students sharing their thoughts and tips on coping with Coronavirus. To view these videos, please click the following link: Student Voice: Coronavirus

• Our Healthy Minds Blog will also be updated with entries throughout the closure: Healthy Minds Blog

• In case of an emergency or for immediate assistance, please click on the following link: Mental Health Resources and Emergency Services Information

Important Dates

• Fri., 5/1 - All missing/incomplete work for 3rd quarter due to teachers
• Mon., 5/25, - Memorial Day Holiday
• Fri., 6/12 - Last Day of School

How to Stay In-Touch

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

Newsletter Archive

• Principal's Note - April 22, 2020
• Principal's Note - April 20, 2020