Marty Smith Named Asst Superintendent of Cluster I  New!!

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Jack D. Dale has named Marty Smith, director of Cluster I since January 2007, as the new assistant superintendent for Cluster I, effective July 1. Smith replaces Audra Sydnor, who is retiring from the school system.

“Marty Smith is very well-suited and well-prepared to lead Cluster I,” says Dale. “He began his career as a classroom teacher and has a working knowledge of the challenges faced each day by teachers and principals as well as experience dealing with issues at the cluster level. We congratulate him on his new position.”   (SOURCE: FCPS)
  
         FAIRGRADE Update on Dr. Dale's Recommendation to
             Change Honors Course Grade Point Weight   New!!

On June 25th, Superintendent Dale recommended that FCPS retroactively provide an extra weight of 0.5 quality points to courses in math, science, english and social studies taken for high school credit during high school or middle school. Superintendent Dale did not recommend that FCPS weight any foreign language courses or music/art/drama courses, other than AP or IB courses in those disciplines. According to Assistant Superintendent Peter Noonan, the general idea was to weight core academic and not to weight "electives."

Superintendent Dale did not recommend weighting science or technology electives such as DNA science and quantum physics at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology (TJ), but recommended weighting all of TJ's social studies electives. School Board members questioned why FCPS should weight an unlimited number of TJ's social studies electives but not TJ's challenging science and technology electives, many of which are prerequisites for TJ's required senior research laboratories.

The complete list of courses recommended for 0.5 honors weighting, the list of approved dual enrollment courses that are retroactively weighted by 1.0 quality points, and the official FCPS news release on weighting are posted on FAIRGRADE's website at www.FAIRGRADE.org

FAIRGRADE will send an additional update as soon as we obtain accurate and consistent information about the implementation process and timeline that FCPS will follow in weighting honors courses.

• CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN

In response to FAIRGRADE's request, FCPS has stated that it is planning for post-implementation analysis of the new grading scale and grading policy.  FCPS officials informed FAIRGRADE that FCPS will analyze how grade distributions under the new grading policy compare to grade distributions under the old grading policy. FAIRGRADE will also continue urging School Board members to establish a task force that includes parents and FAIRGRADE representatives, to ensure that the post-implementation data is collected in a transparent and unbiased manner. FAIRGRADE will also urge FCPS to make this data available - by high school - to parents in the years to come.

• FAIRGRADE's FUTURE

FAIRGRADE will continue to keep parents informed of all developments surrounding implementation of the new grading policy. In the coming weeks, we also will send an update about FAIRGRADE's plans to transition into a broader organization that will continue serving the parent community by providing information about the many policy and budgeting issues challenging our school district in these difficult economic times, and information about upcoming School Board elections.

Thanks to you and the 10,000+ coalition of FCPS students, parents, supportive teachers and principals, we all made real and positive changes to Fairfax County Public Schools through FAIRGRADE!

Please stay involved! FAIRGRADE needs you and our schools need you!

• QUESTIONS FOR FAIRGRADE?

Contact Co-founders Megan McLaughlin at macfiveva@gmail.com, Louise Epstein at lepstein@cox.net, or Communications Director Catherine Lorenze at clorenze@verizon.net.

          Attention McLean High School Parents/Shoppers!! 

At the end of May, Giant presented Dr. Jackson with a check for $9, 867.45 which represents the Bonus Card donations to the school.  Thank you for registering your Bonus Card with the PTSA and designating McLean High School to receive the funds.  The PTSA plans to continue to administer this program for the next school year, so look for the registration form in your back-to-school packets!

                   Host a High School Student from Spain

Compass USA needs families in Fairfax County to host a high school student from Spain from July 6 to July 27.  They are also looking for American students to volunteer as “American Buddies,” and participate in a service project in conjunction with the Spanish students.  For information, go to www.hostfamily2009.blogspot.com or contact Kelly Gerstenberg at 571-228-2931 or hostfamily2009@gmail.com. 

The Safe Community Coalition (SCC) Needs a
Recording Secretary

Are you interested in an opportunity to volunteer with an organization that "works together for our youth?"  If so, the SCC needs you!

The Recording Secretary is an elected officer position on the Board and is responsible, "for accurately recording, disseminating, and maintaining the minutes of all membership and Board of Directors' meetings."  There are seven Executive Board meetings starting September 3, 2009, and four Community Meetings during the school year.  The last meeting of the year is May 20, 2010.

For more information on the mission and work of the SCC, please visit the website www.safecommunitycoalition.net.  Interested people may contact Cameron Edgar, President, at cameron.edgar@safecommunitycoalition.net; 703-356-4677.       

College Career Center

 

The College Career Center, located in Student Services, is the hub of all post secondary resources at McLean High School.  The Center hosts over 125 colleges yearly as well as providing information and material for college and career planning. 

 

You can get to the College Career Center web site by clicking on the following link:

http://www.fcps.edu/McLeanHS/guidance/New%20Career%20Center/Newcareercenter.htm. There is general information and links to sites having to do with the college planning and application process, testing, and college funding as well as career and military information.  Information specific to McLean High School students is located in the students’ Blackboard (Bb) account by grade level.  Forms for the college admission process as well as local scholarships, jobs, summer programs, volunteer programs, testing, grade level plans, on and off campus college programs   If you don’t have access to your student’s Bb account, please go to http://www.fcps.edu/McLeanHS/parents/To%20get%20your%20own%20FCPS%2024.htm

 

Family Connection (FC) is an FCPS sponsored web-based resource that supports academic, career, and college planning.  FC is specific to McLean High School and is linked with Counselor’s Office, a service we use in the counseling office.  It is accessed through the students’ Bb account.  For more information on using FC visit

http://www.fcps.edu/McLeanHS/technology/co_fc_presentationtostu_parent_ppt.pdf

 

Don't forget about Career Connections www.fcps.edu/ss/CareerConnections. This site, maintained by FCPS, provides a variety of resources for students and their families to assist with career and post high school planning. The scholarship and summer data bases are searchable. Some of these resources are web based software programs that require school-specific logins and school IDs. Others are free.