Principal's Note - May 6, 2018
Dear Holmes Families:
Good afternoon! With just 6 weeks left, we kick off our SOLs this week with the Reading SOL exam for all grades. (See below for the SOL schedule.) Students in World Languages classes will also be taking their PALS exams over the next few weeks. We know that testing season can be a stressful time, so we encourage our students to focus even more on making healthy choices between now and the end of the year - get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, eat healthy, be physically active, and find healthy ways to de-stress and decompress.
Thank you so much to our PTA and parent volunteers who provided our staff with a delicious taco lunch on Friday! We appreciate the time and energy that it took to coordinate and plan for it and to be there setting up and serving! We are excited to celebrate our staff this week for Teacher Appreciation Week, and that was a great way to kick it off! Special thanks to Alyssa Getsey for coordinating it all!
Thank a Teacher
Do you or your child have special teacher you would like to thank? Go to Thank a Teacher VA between now and Friday, May 11th to send a note to the teacher, which also enters them into a contest to win prizes!
8th Grade Celebration
1 more day to purchase items from Pampered Chef to raise money for the 8th grade celebration! 25-30% of the order will be donated. https://pamperedchef.com/go/HMS8th
May 14th PTA Meeting
Join us on May 14th at 6:30 PM for our next PTA Meeting where the slate for the 2018-19 PTA Board will be presented. We'll start with PTA business, and then highlight our plan to go one-to-one with laptops for 8th graders for next year! Even if your student is not a Rising 8th grader, come join us to learn more about FCPSOn and Blended Learning. The 8th Grade Celebration committee will meet afterwards.
Holocaust Remembrance Project
Over the past few weeks, our History 7 students have been learning about WWII and the Holocaust. As part of this year’s Holocaust Remembrance Project, students were divided into teams and tasked with creating a “memorial” in order to honor the victims of the Holocaust and raise awareness about intolerance.
On April 30th and May 1st, groups presented their projects and three expert judges selected the top 3 projects based on creativity, thoughtfulness and empathy.
Along with a trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C., the winning teams will receive a copy of Elie Wiesel’s Night.
Voices of Now Performance - Arena Stage
We are very excited to see our Holmes actors perform at Arena Stage in DC on Thursday, May 17th! Get your free tickets HERE to come out and support our students as they share a performance that they created themselves!
Celebrating Our Students
Check out these 3 8th graders - Ethan Bryant, Joseph Johnson, & Joshua Hairston - as they perform a cover of Adele's "Someone Like You"! Just another example of many of our talented students at Holmes!
More in our newsletter this week:
- May/June SOL Schedule
- Next Week's Schedule of Classes
- Next Week's After School Program Schedule
- Register your student for FCPS VIP Summer Camp!!
- FCPS, Northern Virginia Community College Offer Summer STEM Camps
- FCPS and Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (DNCS) have teamed up to offer a 5 week camp for rising 7th and 8th graders
- Annandale Atoms 5K Run/WalkImportant Dates
- Annandale High School Summer Sports Camps
- TJ Prep Camp Summer 2018
- How To Stay In Touch
Thank you, and have a wonderful week!
Sincerely,
Margaret Barnes, Principal
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)
Next Week's Schedule of Classes: 5/7-5/11
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This week: Mon., 5/7= White Day w/ ER 5 & 6 Tues., 5/8=Blue Day Wed., 5/9 = White Day w/ ER 7 & 8 (ER 8 Lesson: IB School-wide Lesson) Thurs., 5/10 = Blue Day Fri., 5/11 = White Day w/ ER 1 & 2 *NOTE: Students can always find the blue-white calendar in their agendas or on the website HERE. |
After School Program (ASP) - Week of 5/7
Please note that the last day for clubs in After School will be Friday, May 25th.
For any questions you have about the After School Program, please contact German Cabezas at [email protected].
FCPS, Northern Virginia Community College Offer Summer STEM Camps
Fairfax County Public Schools is partnering with Northern Virginia Community College to offer more than a dozen one-week STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) summer camps during the summer break.
Open to students currently enrolled in grades 3-12, these one-week camps emphasize hands-on learning, teamwork, critical thinking, and career awareness in a fun and engaging way. Topics include robotics, coding, forensics, cybersecurity, app design, aviation, and pre-health.
Camps will run June 18 through August 3 at the following locations: Edison High School, Marshall High School, Westfield High School, and Hughes Middle School. Discounts are available to parents who sign up their child for multiple camps or sign up multiple children.
Additional information and registration is available online or by contacting STEM Outreach Coordinator Charles Britt at @email or 703-425-5917.
FCPS and Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (DNCS) have teamed up to offer a 5 week camp for rising 7th and 8th graders
What is your middle school child doing this summer?
Like you, we believe your child is a Very Important Person and deserves a summer experience that is safe and full of fitness, friends, fun and enrichment. FCPS and Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (DNCS) have teamed up to offer a 5 week camp for rising 7th and 8th graders.
Our camp will be a combination of students from the following middle schools: Glasgow, Holmes, Jackson, Kilmer, Poe, and Thoreau. Bus transportation will be provided from various pick-up locations which will be communicated in June prior to the start of camp.
There is a $50 registration fee. We will take weekly field trips and pricing information for that will be released after we have notified students of acceptance. Students who do not attend the field trips will not need to pay the field trip fees, but will need to stay home from camp that day as all of our staff will attend the trip. Students will also have the option of choosing which trips to attend.
The staff is led by your local After-School Specialists and trained DNCS staff. Campers will have a great time playing sports, games, doing arts and crafts and exploring concepts in science and technology.
Details
Dates: July 2, 2018 - August 2, 2018 (campers are encouraged to attend all 5 weeks)
Times: 8:00am-4:00pm
Location: Thoreau Middle School
Registration: Begins on Monday, March 19th, and will close on Friday, April 20th. You can expect to receive notice of acceptance or waitlist status soon after registration closes in late April. Registration fee payment information will be communicated at that time. Sign up by picking up a registration packet from Thoreau's main office or visiting this link: https://goo.gl/forms/lEikoWujZQ06I5eh2
Cost: $50 registration fee plus field trip fees (admission plus transportation cost)
With limited spaces available, it’s important to submit your registration as soon as possible.
Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell at @email or 703-846-8089.
Annandale Atoms 5K Run/Walk
The Annandale HS Booster Club is hosting it's annual fundraiser to benefit and support scholarships for our student athletes. If you have questions, you should contact Terry Adams at @email Phone: 703-615 0651.
Annandale High School Summer Sports Camps
Important Dates
- Thursday, 5/10 - Friday, 5/11 - Music Department Trip to Williamsburg
- Monday, 5/14 - Clemyjontri Park Field Trip
- Monday, 5/14, 6:30 PM - PTA Meeting
- Wednesday, 5/16 - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Visit (History 7 students who worked on Holocaust Remembrance Project)
- Thursday, 5/17 - Capital One Coders App Fair
- Thursday, 5/17 - Voices of Now Performance, Arena Stage
- Tuesday, 5/22, 7:00 PM - Chorus & Orchestra Spring Concert (Annandale HS)
- Friday, 5/25 - Music Department trip to Six Flags America
- Friday, 5/25 - Last Day for Clubs
- Monday, 5/28 - Memorial Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL
- Wednesday, 5/30 - Little Feet Meet for Special Olympics at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School
- Wednesday, 5/30, 7:00 PM Band Concert (Gym)
- Thursday, 5/31, 7:00 PM - Advanced Theatre Showcase (Cafeteria)
- Tuesday, 6/5, 7:00 PM - Music Recital (Gym)
- Thursday, 6/7 - Last Day for Late Buses
- Friday, 6/8, 7:00-9:00 PM - 8th Grade Celebration (Cafeteria)
- Monday, 6/11, 8:00 AM - 6th Grade Awards Ceremony (Gym)
- Monday, 6/11, 6:30 PM - PTA Meeting
- Tuesday, 6/12, 8:00 AM - 7th Grade Awards Ceremony (Gym)
- Wednesday, 6/13, 8:00 AM - 8th Grade Awards Ceremony (Gym)
- Thursday, 6/14 - SCA Schoolwide Activity Day
- Friday, 6/15 - Last Day of School / 2-hour early release