City of Fairfax Schools
About the City of Fairfax Schools — Since 2002, Hope Gibbs has been the director of communications for the City of Fairfax Schools. She is the editor of City Schools Close-Up, a newsletter that circulates to 14,000 City of Fairfax residents and businesses. The goal was to educate them about the issues, programs, and accomplishments of the K-12 program, and to pass an $86 million bond to rebuild Lanier Middle School and Fairfax High.
Success Story — Whereas an earlier bond referendum to rebuild the schools had failed, in 2004 the bond request to rebuild Lanier and Fairfax passed with an 81% approval rate. In the years that followed, Close-Up kept residents up-to-date on the reconstruction project at both schools. The newsletter won six awards for writing and design from the National School Publications Association, and residents repeatedly informed then-Superintendent George Stepp and City School Board Chairwoman Janice Miller that they appreciated the information provided in the newsletter. For more, visit www.fairfaxva.gov/school/CloseUp.asp.
By Victoria Tran
Senior, Fairfax High School
2010-2011 Student School Board Representative
Like the other articles in this month’s issue of Close-Up, I wrote about diversity — but from a student’s point of view. When I think about what has it been like growing up in a multicultural community such as Fairfax City, my answer is simple. it has defined who I am. Because of my exposure to different people, ideas, and beliefs at an early age, I have become more open-minded and more knowledgeable of the many different cultures that coexist in our community. I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to grow up in one of the most diverse regions in the world.
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By Janice Miller
Chairman, City of Fairfax School Board
As we welcome students and staff back to school this September, we are thrilled to invite you to celebrate the 75th anniversary of our beloved Fairfax High.
Festivities will begin with a Homecoming Parade on Friday, September 24, at 4:15 and continue through the evening. (See the entire list of events, at right.)
A new school year brings some other changes, including the redesign of our City School Close-Up newsletter. We’ll be publishing six issues this year, and in each one you’ll learn about something new and exciting in the field of education.
In upcoming issues, we’ll be interviewing local and national experts and writing about:
- The Importance of Diversity in Our Schools (November-December)
- The Value of Cultivating Creativity (January-February)
- How to Prepare Your Kids for College (March-April)
- The Power of Resilience (May-June)
- Graduation 2011 (July-August)
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By Janice Miller, Chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
This school year ended with much celebration at each of our four City Schools. Many of our students achieved at high levels this year in academics, activities, athletics and the arts. We are proud to be able to share some of these accomplishments in this issue of Close-Up Online.
The graduation at Fairfax High School was once again a very special event. I am always happy to sit on the stage and look out at the senior class, ready to go on to the next phase of their lives — so different from the children they were just a few years before.
Scott Mattock, the student graduation speaker selected by his peers, spoke of how much he, his classmates, and the world had changed in the four years that they had attended Fairfax High School (read his speech by clicking inside).
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By Janice Miller, Chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
jmiller@fairfaxva.gov
Each year, we take time to thank the community members who work with the schools because their hard work and dedication not only make what we do easier — it makes it possible.
Volunteers assist in classrooms, chaperone field trips, help improve the school grounds, mentor and coach children, raise money to fund student activities — and the list goes on and on.
Let me take a moment to publicly thank four community members.
Each of these individuals took on the responsibility of representing the City on Fairfax County Public Schools advisory committees. They attended many meetings, participated in the important work of each committee, and reported on the committee’s work to the City School Board.
They include: Joan Rizak, who represented us on the Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities; Laura Welke, who was the City’s representative on the Advanced Academic Programs Advisory Committee; Pam Jones, who sat on the School Health Advisory Committee; Mitch Sutterfield, former Fairfax High School teacher and the City’s delegate to the Superintendent’s Advisory Council.
Here’s to a great summer! We’ll talk to you again in July.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, send me an email: jmiller@fairfaxva.gov
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What Do Our Students Really Think About School?
By Ann Monday, Superintendent
City of Fairfax Schools
amonday@fairfaxva.gov
It was my honor to be at the April School Board Work Session where we heard from more than 20 middle and high school students about their perceptions of school.
This annual event is always enlightening, for as administrators we work hard to do the right thing for our students. Listening to their perspective is a welcome experience.
Click inside to hear what the students have to say.
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By Janice Miller, chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
The fundamental responsibility of any school is to provide a safe and secure environment for learning. This month’s Close-Up Online will focus on how our schools maintain positive environments and promote good citizenship.
Below, you’ll find information from City of Fairfax Police Chief Rick Rappoport, who at our March School Board Work Session shared information from the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force, which showed that community efforts to prevent gang activity are working.
Linda Burke, the Fairfax County Cluster Superintendent who supervises our schools, talked with us about how the County assesses school climate and what is in place in each of our schools to ensure student safety and positive behavior.
Scroll down for a recap of their presentations from Superintendent Ann Monday.
Read the entire issue here.
As always, the City School Board welcomes your feedback. If you have any questions or comments for us, email me at jmiller@fairfaxva.gov.
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By Janice Miller, chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
jmiller@fairfaxva.gov
At our last School Board Work Session on February 22, we were privileged to hear a presentation about “Best Practices for Teaching and Learning,” by Fairfax County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Peter Noonan and his colleague, Kim Dockery, the FCPS Assistant Superintendent for Special Services.
In this issue of Close-Up Online, we begin with an interesting Q&A between Mr. Noonan and Superintendent Ann Monday as they discuss how teachers can best build relationships and engage students.
As part of the discussion, Mrs. Monday also talks with Marcy Miller, the former Director of Student Services at Fairfax High, who shares information from the American School Counselor Association on the framework used by our school counseling programs.
Further below you’ll find information from our four City School principals who explain how school counselors and other support staff at their schools are an essential part of the academic team.
Enjoy this issue! It’s filled with insightful information about what makes schools work best. The School Board agrees this approach is critical for student success.
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By Janice Miller, chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
jmiller@fairfaxva.gov
In the February issue of Close-Up Online, we focus on the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in the City Schools, and the impact that this program has on student achievement.
At the City School Board’s January Work Session, Dr. Terri Breeden, FCPS Assistant Superintendent for Professional Learning and Accountability, explained: “A professional learning community is when people work together collaboratively to continuously improve student and adult learning. The fundamental purpose is to focus on learning rather than teaching”.
I found that definition particularly interesting, because it summed up what we’ve known for years: PLCs help teachers do their jobs better.
Click here to read the entire issue.
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By Janice Miller, chairman
jmiller@fairfaxva.gov
When Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jack Dale presented the FY 2011 budget earlier this month, few were surprised to see the dramatic cuts. We have been hearing for months that next year’s budget will be worse than this year’s – and it looks like this prediction was right.
So in our newsletter this month, our City Schools Superintendent Ann Monday will provide us with an overview of the cuts we’ll likely see next year. You’ll also read about the impact of the potential cuts from the four principals who run the City of Fairfax schools. Simply scroll down for that information.
Before you do, I’d like to share some of the thoughts that FCPS’ Dr. Dale wants the community to know:
- The proposed budget of $2.3 billion includes $104.8 million in program cuts and cost avoidances and $3.4 million in increased and new fees. The cuts and fees reflected community and employee feedback, as well as School Board priorities.
These cuts will have a long-term and far-reaching impact on maintaining our high student achievement and excellence for which FCPS is widely known and respected.
- This is not a budget based on FCPS’ actual needs. That budget would require a $248.4 million transfer from the county. It is a budget based on the fiscal realities of dismal local and state economic conditions.
- Without a needs-based budget, we face: decreasing student achievement, diminishing academic excellence, losing high caliber teachers, eliminating innovative programs, not meeting individual student needs, tarnishing FCPS’ reputation, and negatively impacting business relocations.
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Photo illustration and design by Michael Gibbs
Concept and writing by Hope Katz Gibbs, Inkandescent Public Relations
Client: The City of Fairfax School Board
Assignment: Create a postcard to mail to the 14,000 residents and business owners in the City of Fairfax, VA to inform them that the newsletter the School Board had been publishing since 2001 was going online.
Solution: By using an image of the homepage of the new website, and text that explained the reason for the shift from a printed newsletter to an online version, the School Board was able to inform its constituents of the change in an affordable, timely manner. In turn, the City residents responded by signing up to receive the electronic version of the newsletter. This enhanced the School Board’s reputation, and maintained the reach of Close-Up Online — a publication with important information about what is happening in the four City of Fairfax Schools. “Click here to read the back of the postcard”:
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December 18, 2009 — The City of Fairfax Schools launched its December newsletter today, featuring an introduction by Janice Miller, Chairman of the City of Fairfax School Board. She wrote:
When the City School Board first began working on the Road Map to Academic Success in 2005, our mission was to develop a document that provided information to parents regarding the curriculum students need to take from kindergarten to 12th grade to succeed not only in school — but to be prepared for life.
Spearheaded by former City Schools Superintendent George Stepp, he designed the Road Map over the course of a year with the assistance of Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jan Mulvaney, former Fairfax High Student Services Director Carole Kihm, and other educators from Fairfax County Public Schools.
“The key to student success lies in parents knowing what all the options are for their children,” explains Dr. Mulvaney. “We aren’t advocating pushing students beyond what they can handle — emotionally or academically — but it is amazing to see what they can do given the chance.”
Click here to more about the Roadmap and what the four City of Fairfax Schools are doing to ensure all students are on a path to success.
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WEBSITE — City of Fairfax Schools
Click image for larger view In November 2009, Inkandescent PR was proud to launch a new website for the City of Fairfax Schools, www.cityoffairfaxschools.org.
In the letter posted by School Board Chairman Janice Miller, she explained: “We’ll be using this powerful online tool to post current information about the four City Schools with the goal of doing an even better job of communicating with our parents, residents and business owners about the good work being done by the students, teachers, and the City of Fairfax School Board.”
The School Board also had Inkandescent PR revamped its award-winning newsletter, City School Close-Up Online. Click here to view the inaugural issue.
Hello, and welcome to the new City of Fairfax Schools website, www.cityoffairfaxschools.org.
We’ll be using this powerful online tool to post current information about the four City Schools with the goal of doing an even better job of communicating with our parents, residents and business owners about the good work being done by the students, teachers, and the City of Fairfax School Board.
We’ve also revamped our award-winning newsletter, City School Close-Up. Click here to view the November 2009 issue We hope you find the new layout easy to scan, and as equally informative and useful as our traditional 8-page printed newsletter has been since we created it in 2001. Be sure to sign up here to receive future issues in your email inbox.
In this, our inaugural issue of Close-Up Online, we have very good academic news! The Standards of Learning (SOL) scores for the City of Fairfax Schools are on the rise (see graphs and stories below).
“The City Schools are making good progress academically,” says Fairfax County Public Schools Cluster VII Superintendent Linda Burke, who presented the scores to the City of Fairfax School Board at its October work session. “While test scores do not tell the whole story about the quality of a school, they do reflect how well students are learning the core curriculum.”
Superintendent Ann Monday also explains what those SOL scores mean. You’ll also find graphs of the stellar scores for the City Schools, and an analysis of what they mean for our schools and our students from each of our four City School principals.
We’ll look forward to reaching out to you each month through “Close-Up Online“http://cityoffairfaxschools.org/closeup/, and encourage you to click the “Tell A Friend” tab at the top of this newsletter so all of your friends, neighbors, relatives, and fellow city residents can learn about what is going on in their local schools.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving, and continued school success.
Janice Miller, Chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
Click here to read the November issue of Close-Up
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Writer: Hope Katz Gibbs
Designer: Michael Gibbs
Client: City of Fairfax Schools
Each of the four City of Fairfax Schools has a special focus, and this brochure outlined what makes each school unique.
Providence and Daniels Run Elementary: Focus schools for math, science, communication arts, and technology. Plus, Latin is taught at both schools, and starting in 2007 Chinese classes begun for 1st graders. Each year, another grade level will be added. University affiliations and business partners include George Mason University, Costco, and the IRS.
Lanier Middle School: SmartBoards in each classroom and three foreign language programs (German, French and Spanish). University affiliations and business partners include Lyceum, Oracle, George Mason Univ., and Lockheed Martin.
Fairfax High School: More than 18 Advanced Placement classes, inclusive honors in all areas of study, and an award-wining music program. There’s also the Academy for Communication Arts, and more than 28 boys and girls sports teams. University affiliations and business partners include George Mason University, George Washington University, and BTG Business Partnerships with scholarships for seniors.
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OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Fairfax, VA, July 2007 —School Board Chairman Janice Miller got the good news on June 18 that, for the second time, the City Schools Close-Up newsletter has won an Award of Excellence from the National Schools Public Relations Association (www.NSPRA.org).
There were 1121 entries in this year’s contest, and only 125 publications from school districts around the country received this prestigious honor, Miller explains.
The issues submitted for consideration included the May-June 2006 cover story featuring Fairfax High’s graduation speaker Colin Powell, as well as four cover stories that were part of a series entitled “Building Blocks: Insights Into Education K-12.”
“We knew we had a great story to tell when General Powell spoke at graduation last year, but I believe the reason we on this award is due to the Building Blocks series that we published from November 2006 to June 2007,” Miller explains. “Our editor, Hope Gibbs, interviewed more than a dozen teachers, and in the articles they explained to our readers exactly what kids need to know by the end of each grade.”
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
photos by Steve Barrett
design by Michael Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
Cover Story, May-June 2007
*INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS
What students need to know by the end of 12th grade*
FOURTH in a four-part series
This cover story marks the last in our four-part series to help parents prepare for their child’s future by having them “Begin at the End: 12th grade.”
That is the advice of Superintendent George Stepp, who retires June 30 (see page 5 for details). His outgoing wish is for students to work as hard as possible and take the most challenging classes.
“My hope for every City School student is that they take at least three Advanced Placement classes in their four years at Fairfax High,” he explains. “To do that, they need to have worked hard in elementary and middle school, and developed excellent study skills. I promise, though, that their hard work will pay off.”
Fairfax High Principal Scott Brabrand says students also need to be highly motivated. “Many students think of high school as an ending, but it is truly the beginning of independent inquiry and thought. In reality, high school is the end of learning for school’s sake and the beginning of learning for life’s sake.”
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
photos by Steve Barrett
design by Michael Gibbs
Cover Story, March-April 2007
INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS What students need to know by the end of 7th and 8th grade
THIRD in a four-part series
In the last two issues of Close-Up we have offered guidelines to help parents prepare for their child’s future by having them “Begin at the End: 12th grade.”
With that goal in mind, we started our discussion at the beginning. In the November-December issue we talked about the Foundation Years: Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades, and teachers from Daniels Run and Providence Elementary provided tips on what children need to know as they head into 3rd grade.
Then, in the January-February issue, we described the Formative Years: 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, and teachers discussed the milestones students need to hit by end of elementary school. In this issue, we embark on the critical Middle School Years — when students get their first taste of independence and responsibility. On the following pages, the chairs of the science, math, English and social studies departments at Lanier Mi
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
photos by Steve Barrett
design by Michael Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
Cover Story, May-June 2007
Cover Story, January-February 2007
INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE FORMATIVE YEARS What students need to know by the end of 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Grade
SECOND in a four-part series
Superintendent George Stepp wants to help parents Begin at the End. So in the last issue of Close-Up we offered some guidelines by reviewing The Foundation Years: Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. In this issue we’re tackling the Formative Years: 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.
“The ultimate goal is to keep every door open for students,” Stepp says, and suggests parents do this by envisioning what their kids will be doing the September after their senior year of high school — then start planning accordingly.
“The elementary school years set the stage for how well children will do in the critical middle and high school years,” he says. “They need to be able to read well and they need to have mastered the basics of math. With those skills under their belts, I am confident they’ll be able to take honors and Advanced Placement classes.”
On the following pages, you’ll meet teachers from Daniels Run and Providence elementary schools who offer insights into what children need to master by the time they finish elementary school.
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by Hope Katz Gibbs
Editor / City School Close-Up
Cover Story, November-December 2006
INSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION: K-12—THE FOUNDATION YEARS
What students need to know by the end of kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade
FIRST in a four-part series
In the last issue of Close-Up we talked about the importance of Beginning at the End. For no matter what grade a child is in today, Superintendent George Stepp believes parents need to start thinking about the courses that child will be taking in 12th grade.
“Parents need to envision what their kids will be doing the September after their senior year of high school and start planning accordingly now,” Stepp explains.
To help families accomplish that goal, this article and following three cover stories of Close-Up will focus on Building Blocks: The milestones children need to hit by the end of each grade so they can successfully move to the next level — and eventually take the toughest courses they can handle in high school.
We begin with the first of four Building Blocks: Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade. On the following pages, you’ll meet terrific teachers from Daniels Run and Providence Elementary schools who offer insights into what children need to master.
Each one also suggests a practical tip that parents can try with their children at home to help keep them on target.
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