Fairfax High School PTSA
DONATE TO THE PTSA TODAY!
Your generous donations are the primary source of funding for all PTSA activities. Please consider donating to our NO FUSS FUNDRAISER going on now! Our goal is the raise $3000 to help fund our operating budget for the 2022-23 school year. Thank you for your generous support of the FHS Community!
Don’t forget to sign up to receive the weekly PTSA emails when you’re signing up to receive FHS News and Announcements through “News You Choose.” Fairfax County Public Schools (govdelivery.com)
Why FHS PTSA? PTA ValuesCollaboration: We will work in partnership with a wide array of individuals and organizations to broaden and enhance our ability to serve and advocate for all children and families.Commitment: We are dedicated to children’s educational success, health, and well-being through strong family and community engagement, while remaining accountable to the principles upon which our association was founded.Diversity: We acknowledge the potential of everyone without regard, including but not limited to: age, culture, economic status, educational background, ethnicity, gender, geographic location, legal status, marital status, mental ability, national origin, organizational position, parental status, physical ability, political philosophy, race, religion, sexual orientation, and work experience.Respect: We value the individual contributions of members, employees, volunteers, and partners as we work collaboratively to achieve our association’s goals.Accountability: All members, employees, volunteers, and partners have a shared responsibility to align their efforts toward the achievement of our association’s strategic initiatives.
PTA's mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. Every Child, One Voice
Mission
The Parent Teacher Student Association PTSA welcomes ALL parents to create a supportive community. The PTSA supports the ENTIRE school community, including students, staff, and parents. Help us continue to provide excellent programming and fund student activities and teacher grants - join the PTSA today.About Us
The Parent Teacher Student Association keeps you informed and involved at FHS! Membership dues directly support FHS students and teachers, funding school functions like guest speakers, Teacher Appreciation and student scholarships and awards. Let us help you get connected with the things that your student enjoys and build a supportive community.Join us at PTSA meetings the 3rd Tuesday of the month to add to the conversation, hear valuable updates and a report from our principal.All parents can get involved at Fairfax. Volunteer opportunities are year-round, daytime, evenings and weekends!Fairfax PTSA is a 501(c)(3) organization so your donation is tax deductible.UPCOMING PTSA & FHS EVENTS
PTSA Meeting
Join us at 7pm in the FHS Library for our November/December meeting. Hear updates from our principal, committee chairs, student and booster representatives and plans for the rest of 2022. All FHS families are welcome!
All Night Grad Committee Meeting Wednesday Night
Senior Parents are invited to join us at 7pm in the FHS Library to get involved in planning the most amazing graduation celebration for the class of ’23! We are working hard to raise funds to make it accessible and affordable for ALL students. Please come share your ideas and take a task to create a memorable and safe event!
Principal’s Coffee this Friday
Please join us for the monthly Principal’s Coffee this Friday, December 2nd, at 7:30am in the FHS library. This is an informal way to meet the principal and other staff members, chat with fellow parents, and find out what's going on at school. All FHS parents and guardians are welcome!
Last Parent Support Circle of 2022 next Tuesday
The FHS Counselors have offered several wonderful freshman parent support circles and are
expanding the offerings to offer one specifically in Spanish, and one virtually at nighttime. Both were
at the request of parents. The last Parent Circle of 2022 is on December 6 th from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m.
As usual, folks need to RSVP by 12/5 either to Ashley Curl ( amcurl@fcps.edu ) or our Freshman
Transition Counselor, Dara Markenson ( dmmarkenson@fcps.edu ) so we can give out the Zoom link,
if its virtual, and plan accordingly for space if in person. We hope to see you there!
ASVAB Aptitude Test
We will be offering the ASVAB at Fairfax!
The ASVAB is the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. It is an aptitude test that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success. It is used in the recruitment process for students who wish to enlist in the military after high school. The test scores are good for up to two years. More information about the ASVAB can be found here: www.asvabprogram.com
The test will be held at Fairfax High School on December 13th in the Multi-purpose Room (C105) and will promptly start at 8:30am. The test will take approximately 3 hours and is offered for students in grades 10-12. There is no fee for the test.
Students must sign themselves up for the ASVAB using only their FCPS account, other accounts will not work.
Please sign up for the test here: https://forms.gle/5UTzAvdTF1veXpyG7
The deadline to sign up for the test is December 2nd.
Please contact Ms. Tiffany Haddock with any questions: tdhaddock@fcps.edu
Upcoming events:
November 29: PTSA Meeting 7pm FHS Library
November 30: ANG Meeting 7pm FHS Library
December 1: FHS Orchestra Pyramid Concert
December 2: Principal’s Coffee 7:30am FHS Library
December 9: Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
December 15: FHS Winter Band Concert
December 19-January 2: Winter Break
January 3: Return to School
January 6: Principal’s Coffee
January 12: FHS College and Career Night
January 16: MLK Holiday
January 17: PTSA Meeting 7pm FHS Library
UPCOMING FHS EVENTS
The Parent Project: Empowering Parents and Transforming Teens
Parents learn and practice specific prevention and intervention strategies to help improve their ability to change challenging behaviors. Learn how to build a positive relationship with your child and stop the arguing. Prevent or intervene in alcohol and drug use, disruptive behaviors at home and possible gang affiliation. Improve school attendance and academic performance.
This is a: 10 Week Parent Project Training
Dates: Tuesday, October 11, 2022- December 13, 2022
Class will meet every Tuesday for 10 weeks from 6:30-8:30pm
Where: 1st and 10th Meeting will be held at the Cedar Lane School, 101 Cedar Ln, Vienna, VA 22180. Meetings 2-9 will be held virtually.
REGISTER NOW! Please use the portal link below to register. There is a $30 Material Fee per family.
Scholarships available as needed.
Contact: Mary Valad (703-426-7332) at mary.valad@fcps.edu or Dianne Stansbery (703-208-2406) at DEStansbery@fcps.edu if you have any questions. Thank you.
Anonymous Tip Line Puts Safety First
If you or your child have concerns or information relating to feeling unsafe in any way at school, we encourage you to reach out to a member of the security or administrative team so that we may quickly address the issue.
Students and parents may also utilize the FCPS Office of Safety and Security safety tip line, which you can access anonymously online , by text (888-777; Keyword TIP FCPS), or by phone (571-423-2020).
If your tip is an emergency and immediate assistance is necessary, please dial 911.
Students, staff, and community members should report school safety issues such as threats, unsafe or dangerous situations, illegal drug activity, theft, gang activity, the existence of weapons, vandalism, and concerns about student wellness. Tip line users may identify themselves or remain anonymous.
Concerns that do not impact the safety of our schools—concerns or information about programs, regulations, or policies—can be sent to the FCPS ombudsman online , at 571-423-4014, or ombudsman@fcps.edu .
Important Information for Parents
Did you know that we are still in an opioid epidemic? Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine, and many others (NIH).
The opioid epidemic began with an increase of prescribing these highly addictive medications in the early 1990s.The increase of these medications in society created the issues of overuse and misuse that contributed to the ongoing opioid crisis. In 2010, there was a similar influx of continual problematic opioid use. As a result of the rising opioid overdoses in the community, Fairfax County developed the Opioid Task Force in 2017. Fairfax County created the Substance Abuse Prevention Program in response to the need for prevention education in the schools in 2018. This effort placed Substance Abuse Prevention Specialists in each pyramid.
Opioid abuse is now the leading cause of unnatural death in Fairfax County according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. It is in our community and often goes unnoticed. In 2017, over 100 deaths were attributed to opioid overdose in Fairfax County. Over 1,200 opioid overdose deaths were reported in the State of Virginia. The 2021 data from the first and second quarters indicate there has been a slight decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. How does this affect our families?
Prescriptions in the home are one of the primary ways children gain access to opioids (i.e. OxyContin), and other addictive and harmful medications, such as benzodiazepines (i.e. Xanax). You can make a beneficial impact on this issue by not saving medication for future use, properly disposing of unused medication, and not giving your prescriptions to children. You can access drug disposal boxes at designated locations throughout the county. For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270.
Resources:
Safe Disposal Medication Sites: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/drug-disposal
Truth Initiative Student Opioid Story: https://youtu.be/FiqPh38dtd4
Narcan Training (English & Spanish): https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/community-services-board/heroin-opioids/revive
Fairfax County Youth Substance Use Trends: https://youtu.be/FiqPh38dtd4
Rainbow Fentanyl: https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2022/08/30/dea-warns-brightly-colored-fentanyl-used-target-young-americans
For further information & support:
De’Ja Ruffin (McNeil), MSW
Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist
Welcome Parents! 2022.pptxFairfax City state of the schools report
Every summer, Fairfax City Schools publishes the State of the Schools Report. Please click below to learn more about our school board, our schools and our community!
https://www.cityoffairfaxschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1662463&type=d&pREC_ID=1810804
2022stateoftheschools-2.pdf