What's Bruin in the Den

Bruin Families,

We are quickly entering September, and we are still dealing with SUMMER weather. Oh my, Fall, where art thou? I am ready for the changing colors of leaves.

We opened the school last Monday and successfully welcomed 2280 students. Students are practicing entering the building through the designated doors and walking through our new school screening system. We can also see the students becoming more comfortable finding their way around the building and arriving to class on time. Thank you to everyone (students, teachers, teacher assistants, security, cafeteria staff, counselors, admin assistants, administrative team, custodians and librarians) for a great start to Forest Park’s 25th Anniversary.

This past Wednesday we hosted our annual Back to School night. We thank everyone who attended and hope that you had the opportunity to understand more about the great things Forest Park achieved in 2023-24 and where our 2024-25 focus is. You can find the Forest Park Back to School Night presentation on our website, forestparkhs.pwcs.org. Within the presentation you will find a link to our 2024-25 Continuous Improvement Plan which will be an agenda topic at our first Principals Advisory Council meeting on September 16 at 7 p.m. located in the Library. All are welcome to attend. I would also like to thank our Potomac School Board member, Mr. Justin Wilk, and Director of High School Management, Dr. Tanganyika Millard, for attending and supporting our evening.

Our athletic schedule has begun and I encourage you to come out and support our student athletes as they work to grow as individuals, athletes and teams. You can always see what is going on by visiting our website and clicking on the Forest Park calendar link to see what is going on each day.

A reminder that school offices are closed on Friday, August 30, and Monday, September 2. School reopens on Tuesday, September 3.

Below is additional information that has been shared with students. Please review below of upcoming changes after the holiday break.

Tardies:

Starting Tuesday, September 3, teachers will begin counting tardies. Please remember that it is the expectation that students will be in the classroom when the late bell rings. Students who enter the classroom after the tardy bell will be considered unexcused tardy, unless they have a signed verifiable pass from a staff member.

Students will be given three warnings and required to sign a tardy form. After a student’s forth tardy, and any subsequent tardies, there will be an administrative referral. Tardies will reset at the start of each quarter.

Cell Phones:

Also starting on Tuesday, September 3, the Prince William County Schools Cell Phone Pilot regarding will be in full implementation. Cell Phones are only allowed to be visible and used before school, after school, during lunch and in between class period changes. All cell phones should be silenced and put away during instructional time which is during each class period. This includes students who are in the hallway during a class period.

Students, please comply when teachers and other staff members ask you to surrender your phone if you have it out and visible during instructional time, including when you are in the hallway. Refusal to comply will be seen as defiance and students will be subject to corrective action per the Code of Behavior.

Solar Panels at Forest Park HS

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) will install solar power systems at nine schools. Forest Park High School is one of the schools selected to participate in this solar project. In the upcoming weeks and months, our school will begin the implementation of having solar panels installed on the roof of our building. This project should be completed by December 31, 2024.

On-site solar provides our schools a new opportunity to bring clean energy education into the classroom. This solar project will offer a classroom curriculum that aligns with Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) from grades K-12. The curriculum includes teacher training, lesson plans, and hands-on kits for science experiments on energy.

Please know that safety continues to be one of our top priorities. Here are a few safety measures put in place during the installation:

• Crews working on the project will work outdoors and will work around student drop-off and pick-up times.

• Outside areas where crews are working will be blocked off and not accessible to students or parents.

• Anyone entering the building must enter through the main doors and must present a badge or sign-in in our front office.

This solar project continues to ensure the fulfillment of PWCS’ commitment to sustainability, the environment, environmental literacy, and reducing the carbon footprint. We are excited about this project. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the installation of our solar panels, please give us a call at 703-583-3200.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday morning.

Richard Martinez

Principal

Below is a map of our morning drop-off pattern. Please follow the guidance of our security/administrative team who will be assisting with the traffic flow. We also ask that you drive the speed limit and do not pass cars. Lastly, please be patient the first week of school. We have an increase in parent drop-offs but we also have new student drivers. Together, we can make this successful.

Having up-to-date emergency contact information for our families is vital. We need all families to complete the annual Back to School Packet. Until this packet is complete, parents/guardians will be unable to access important information in ParentVUE to start the new year (including student schedules and bus information). If you do not have an active ParentVUE account, please call our office. For questions about ParentVUE, please contact the Help Desk at 703-791-8826.

Behind the Wheel 90 Minute Meetings have been scheduled with PWCS. Please view the PWCS Site for locations and dates. Families may can attend any location. Dates are subject to change, so please check the site for any changes. Meetings begin promptly at 7 p.m.

When entering Forest Park as a visitor, you must have a valid form of ID. This applies to early dismissal requests, meetings, etc. Please have identification available. We can not accept photos of IDs.

Although most PWCS devices are covered by a basic warranty, we highly encourage our families to purchase additional insurance to cover things like loss and vandalism (not covered by the basic coverage), you can purchase supplemental coverage from Securranty.

Forest Park strives to make early dismissals as smooth as possible. All requests must be delivered no later than 1:45 p.m. on the day of dismissal. This helps ensure the pass is provided to your child in a timely manor and helps smooth traffic flow for buses and parents.

Requests can be accepted in many ways. Below are some ways to request dismissals in advance:

1. Have your child bring a note the morning of the dismissal. They will deliver to their alpha administrative assistant to confirm. Please note that we MUST confirm the note with you.
2. Call the morning of the dismissal. You will be transferred to the alpha administrative assistant to confirm. Please note that ONLY parent/guardians may call in for requests. We can not accept calls from emergency contacts.
3. Send an email the morning of the dismissal. Below is a list of the alpha administrative assistants and their emails:

• A-Con: Mrs. Campbell campbeGW@pwcs.edu
• Coo-Hem: Mrs. Mejia mejiaCS@pwcs.edu
• Hen-Men: Mrs. Bambling bambliSE@pwcs.edu
• Meo-R: Mrs. Rocco roccoSM@pwcs.edu
• S-Z: Mrs. Burgos burgosNX@pwcs.edu

Families can report absenses to the school in ParentVue or by sending an email to our attendance assistant at arguetJL@pwcs.edu

Absences must be reported to the school with in five days of absence.

Hylton and Osbourn Park High Schools will host this year's college fairs. Please click below to view more information.

College Fairs 2024-25

Hylton High School
October 9, 2024
6–8 p.m.

Osbourn Park High School
October 17, 2024
6–8 p.m.

Families should register to attend these events.

The Back to School Packet is where parents/guardians can review emergency cards, update contact information, and complete annual policy reviews and acknowledgements. The packet is completed online in ParentVUE.

All families should complete the Back to School Packet as soon as possible .The information you provide will allow school staff to ensure the safety of your student this school year. Parents/guardians will need to complete the Back to School Packet before accessing student information in ParentVUE including class schedules and bus information.

➡️ View instructions for completing Back to School Packet

This year's breakfast and lunch fees are listed below. Student cafeteria balances can be managed at My School Bucks or making a direct payment with the manager via cask/check.

The following are the USDA-approved school meal prices for the 2024-25 school year:

Breakfast

Student full price - $1.60

Adult price - $2.75

Lunch

Elementary student full price - $2.60

Middle student full price - $2.75

High student full price - $2.85

Adult full price - $4.65

A la carte - Milk, $1

If you have questions, please contact the Food and Nutrition Department at 703-791-3151.

The Community Eligibility Provision list is updated for the 2024-25 school year, and the free and reduced-price meals application is open.

Find information on the PWCS School Meals webpage.

If you have questions regarding the free and reduced-price meal application process, contact the PWCS Food and Nutrition Department at 703-791-7314.

PWCS students in kindergarten through 12th grade have access to free online tutoring 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

Throughout our partnership with Varsity Tutors, every student has unlimited access to trained tutors to ask questions or get feedback on their writing, as well as practice independently in a variety of subjects to grow their confidence.

Varsity Tutors is a secure, online tutoring service that provides students with unlimited, 24/7 academic support. Whether you’re stuck on homework, studying for a test, or need someone to read and make suggestions for your essays, there will always be experts available online to assist students in all subjects.

For more information please visit PWCS Varsity Tutor for more details.

Keep in mind that students must have a completed physical form dated after May 1, 2024, have completed their concussion training, and have submitted a completed emergency card. Please contact the Athletics Office for more information by calling the school at 703-583-3200.

PWCS is hiring! Please CLICK HERE to view current vacancies.