One Team One Mission

January 15, 2021

Welcome to our first staff newsletter of 2021! We hope this newsletter serves as a resource for all employees. We are one team with one mission. It takes each one of us working together to ensure our students are successful.

Message from Dr. Jeck

Fingers crossed, but perhaps with the sooner-than-expected rollout of the COVID vaccine, things may get back to “normal” sooner than expected. Your flexibility and responsiveness regarding the vaccine administration have made a HUGE difference, and FCPS1 is leading the way! Maybe this is the light at the end of a very long tunnel? Maybe yes and maybe no, but, in either case, the vaccines will make our staff safer and will hopefully instill confidence. We desperately needed a “shot in the arm” (pun intended…sorry), and, speaking only for myself, I am greatly encouraged.

I can’t say enough about our local VDH folks. Daniel Ferrell and April Achter have been amazing! They have been instrumental in terms of keeping us informed and in regard to expediting the vaccination process. Many well-deserved “thank yous” to them and the other professionals at VDH.

I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to the day when we can all look back on these awful times and pat ourselves and congratulate ourselves for a job well done! I appreciate you all so very much, and I have a deep respect for each of you. Individual differences are normal and healthy, so our occasional disagreements and frustration are to be expected. We need to remind ourselves daily that we are all trying to accomplish the same thing: helping students and families. This is why we do what we do. How we accomplish this is often the debate, but we need to take comfort in the fact that we have a passionate, child-centered school division that is rising to perhaps the greatest educational challenge in our history. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here is to a great 2021!

Dave

Focus on Learning

Current Thoughts

We want to thank those of you who had a moment to complete the professional learning survey at the end of December, and we look forward to learning with you in 2021! There are several topics that resonate with all of us.

One educator whose blog we've been following is A.J. Juliani. His latest post is Four Learning Models that are Working in Remote and Concurrent Classrooms Right Now.

Another conversation we are having is around the effect of a zero on a student's grade and how we better represent student learning in our grading practices. A great video to push our thinking on the subject is linked here by Rick Wormeli.

We understand that these are difficult times for our school community for many reasons, and we come back to the thought that is often shared with students, "We can do hard things together." Our classrooms are safe places where we can have respectful discussions around challenging topics.

Employee Updates

Mental Health

During this challenging year, here's an article from ASCD to help educators maintain a sense of balance: Coping with Change and Uncertainty

Thanks for the self-care share, @MattYonkey @JGB_Giraffes! #SpottyUp

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Vaccine Information

Thanks again for your flexibility and for making the vaccination process a priority! Here are some important updates regarding the vaccine:

• If you chose “No” in regard to wanting a COVID-19 Vaccine on the recent survey and have changed your mind, it’s not too late. Email Lindsay Flippo; Lindsay.flippo@fauquiercounty.gov or Michael Guditus Michael.guditus@fauquiercounty.gov with your first name, last name, and an email address.

• Vaccines are being distributed via the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District, which is the district Fauquier is in. In order to better accommodate all five counties, vaccination sites are currently located in Culpeper.

• VDH opens appointments based on vaccines they have in hand. Every Monday they receive new shipments and Tuesdays the new appointment are entered into the system. If you can’t find an open date, keep trying – they are added weekly.

• The Reva VFD, Culpeper vaccination site is changing Jan 19th to a new location in Culpeper. This is in order to accommodate a larger number of people. If your appointment is after the 19th the new vaccination site is Germanna Community College. Be sure to choose RRHD Germanna Community College 18121 Technology Dr., Culpeper, VA 22701 as your vaccination site (first and second vaccine).

• VDH has a hotline for questions 877-ASK-VDH3 (877-275-8343) or go to their website www.VDH.Virginia.gov.

• FCPS employees will not be charged leave time to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Staff Spotlight

FCPS Custodians

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We are so thankful to have a custodial staff who is committed to student and staff health and safety!

Want to learn more about the building cleaning protocols during COVID?

Head over to www.fcps1podcast.org to listen to Episode 33 of Now We're Talking. In this episode, Dr. Jeck sits down with a panel of FCPS custodians to talk about the cleaning and disinfecting protocols during COVID.

The panel of FCPS custodians include:

- Steve Wines, Head Custodian at Marshall Middle School
- Dee Britt, Head Custodian at Kettle Run High School
- Roz Carter, Head Custodian at Brumfield Elementary School

Q: Can students be required to turn on cameras?

A: Students may be required to attend and participate in all sessions, even through chat, but will be allowed to turn off their camera and microphone.

You'll find this answer in the FCPS Virtual Guidelines document.