Good evening, Holmes Families, and Happy New Year!

I hope that you all had some time to rest and relax during the winter break and enjoyed the holidays. 

This week (January 4th-8th), we start back to school the way we ended in December: 100% virtual for all students in all groups.  All students need to complete the SOAR Monday Minute tomorrow and each Monday for the remainder of the school year.  Students can find the Monday Minute in their SOAR teacher's Google Classroom and must complete the Google Form at the end of the slides for attendance purposes.  We will follow the virtual bell schedule that we have been using since September for classes on Tuesday through Friday of this week.  

The timeline for returning groups of students to school will be determined by health metrics , and the School Board will vote on the new proposed phase-in timeline (pictured below) on Tuesday, January 5th.  Once we are closer to finalizing a return to school date for in-person students, we will share information with parents of 6th graders about a special orientation that will be done for them to get comfortable in the building.

Please scroll down for the revised bell schedule with an end time of 2:00 pm that will begin on Tuesday, January 12th.  

Parent Meeting This Week

For updated information about returning to school, I will be holding a parent meeting this Thursday, January 7th.  Use this link to access the meeting in Spanish at 6:00 pm and in English at 7:00 pm.  

Here are today's newsletter topics:

Holmes Updates

• Student Services - Important Information
• Jan. 4th-8th = Last week for 2020-21 Virtual Bell Schedule 
• Revised Bell Schedule beginning 1/12/21
• Academic Advising for the 2021-22 School Year
• Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions
• Important Dates
• Reporting Student Absences
• How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS

FCPS Updates

• New Employment Opportunity in FCPS: Classroom Monitors
• FCPS Seeking Individuals to Serve as Substitute Teachers
• FCPS CARES Program
• Heads Up & Talk It Out
• CTE Summer Academy

Thank you, and have a great week!

Sincerely,

Margaret Barnes

Proud Principal, Holmes MS

@email

HOLMES UPDATES

January 4th-8th = Last Week for Bell Schedule Below

Revised Bell Schedule Effective Tuesday, 1/12/21

Each year, the Office of Transportation Services reviews the bell schedules for all Fairfax County public schools and makes minor adjustments as necessary to improve on-time arrivals. 

As you can imagine, developing this school year’s bell schedule has been extremely challenging due to the pandemic.

You may remember that new school bell schedules were announced in July. Our school’s bell schedule was changed. However, given the all-virtual start to the school year, there was no need to implement the new bell schedule.

At the School Board Work session on December 10, Superintendent Brabrand presented a revised phased- plan to return all students who have selected the in-person option starting in January, 2021.  Staff worked to improve start times and end times for all levels.

Barring any changes to the plan that may be impacted by the pandemic, the following bell schedule will be in place effective January 12, 2021 for both virtual and in- person instruction.

Return to School Bell Schedule

Middle School	7:30-2:00
Secondary School	8:20-2:50
High School	8:20-2:50
Thomas Jefferson	8:40-3:45
Elementary School	9:00-3:30 or 9:45-4:15

We feel this plan is a significant improvement and less disruptive over what was presented in the original plan last summer.

The fifteen (15) minute reduction in the school day is due to the increased cleaning time required between bus runs. Additionally, as more students return to school, the number of students allowed on each bus will be reduced substantially to meet social distancing requirements. With fewer students able to ride a bus at the same time, FCPS has no choice but to adjust the times that our buses are transporting students.

We understand that changes may present a hardship to some of our families and staff. However, it is the only way we can return all our grade levels to in-person learning, while following the critical guidelines to help keep our students and staff safe.

The bell schedule for Holmes that will begin Tuesday, January 12th is below.  Rotating lunches will be added to this bell schedule when in-person students begin to phase in on January 26th.  

After School Program Schedule - January

Virtual after-school activities will be a blend of school clubs, community service, arts and crafts, leadership, recreation and sports, and other activities. 

For any specific questions related to the After School Program or to share new ideas for after school activities, please feel free to contact Ms. Taylor, our After School Program Specialist.

January schedule coming soon.

Academic Advising for the 2021-22 School Year

Academic advising season is quickly arriving!  Please see below for important dates!

• January 27 (6:45PM-8PM) – Hybrid Curriculum Night (see attached flyer)
• January 28  (9-10AM) – Curriculum Night Q’s and A’s (see attached flyer)
• February 1 – Tentative date for Office hours with Annandale High School Counselors (by alpha)
• February 2-5 – During SOAR classes, students will participate in an academic advising lesson.  
• February - Holmes Counselors will meet individually with students for academic advising virtually through breakout rooms in SOAR and PE.  Students will fill out a Google form (that will replace the traditional paper form)  for selecting classes for the upcoming school year.  Students will be given directions on how to select classes using the online portal during advising.  Students are encouraged to select courses based on teacher feedback, progress in current courses, academic strengths, and personal . During this time, they will discuss the student’s course selections and answer any questions they may have.  You can view the information about the courses they selected through a SIS ParentVue account.  You can login to your Parent Vue account to VIEW course selections at any time, and all changes need to go through the school counselor.  If you do not have a Parent Vue account, please contact Ms. Asma Hindi, @email or call 703-658-5940.
• February 26 – Deadline for all students submitting course requests.

Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s counselor with any questions about this process. We look forward to working with you!

Last Name	Counselor	Email	Phone
A-C	Mariam Amarir	@email	703-658-5942
D-K	Bessie Fealey	@email	703-658-5941
L-P	Kelly Murphy	@email	703-658-5911
Q-Z	Erika Davis	@email	703-658-5943
Director of Student Services, Serena Giron, @email 703-658-5944

Virginia School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions

Important Dates

• January 4th-8th - VIRTUAL CLASSES FOR ALL STUDENTS
• Thursday, January 7th  - Parent Meeting - Use this link
  • 6:00 pm - Spanish
  • 7:00 pm - English
• Tuesday, January 12th - New bell schedule begins (7:30 am - 2:00 pm)
• Monday, January 18th - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day / NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, January 20th - Inauguration Day / NO SCHOOL
• Friday, January 22nd - Last day of 2nd quarter / 2-hour early release / No in-person instruction
• Monday, January 25th - Teacher Workday / STUDENT HOLIDAY
• Tuesday, January 26th - Start date (subject to change based on health metrics) for 6th graders receiving in-person instruction to come to building (2 days a week)
• Wednesday, January 27th - Hybrid Curriculum Night for 2021-22 School Year Course Selection
• Tuesday, February 2nd - Start date (subject to change based on health metrics) for 7th and 8th graders receiving in-person instruction to come to building (2 days a week)

Reporting Student Absences

Do I need to report my student's absence during the virtual classes?

• Yes, please call our attendance line at 703-658-5919 or submit an attendance form.

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

New Employment Opportunity in Fairfax County Public Schools: Classroom Monitors

FCPS schools and centers are hiring classroom monitors to provide in-person classroom assistance for students when some staff members continue to work virtually. If you would like more information about the position, review the job description online and apply if interested. Please share information about this opportunity with anyone else you think may be interested. 

FCPS Is Seeking Individuals to Serve as Substitute Teachers

Are you or somebody you know interested in substitute teaching with FCPS? Apply online or attend one of our Friday information sessions to learn more. To sign up for a session, visit the FCPS substitute teacher information page.

FCPS Cares Program

The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.

Watch this video to learn more. 

Heads Up & Talk It Out

CTE Summer Academy