School news roundup: A COVID update and a different kind of board meeting

FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand and school members visit Columbia Elementary School in Annandale on the first of school on Aug. 23. From the left: school board member Rachna Sizemore Heizer (at large), school board member Ricardy Anderson (Mason), Brabrand, and Columbia Principal Michael Astudillo.

The following news items are from Fairfax County Public Schools and other sources.

COVID in the schools – Keesha Jackson-Muir, the principal of Braddock Elementary School in Annandale, sent an email to parents Aug. 24 informing them that a student tested positive for COVID-19.

The Fairfax County Health Department will identify and communicate with close contacts of the student and tell them what action to take, such as testing or quarantine, Jackson-Muir said.

A close contact is any person, regardless of vaccination status, who was within six feet of a COVID-positive individual for at least 15 minutes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, K-12 students will not be identified as close contacts if they are at least three feet apart and consistently wearing masks.

Between Aug. 13 and Aug. 25, there have been 85 COVID cases among students and 46 among staff at all Fairfax County schools

In addition to the Braddock students, there have been five students in the Annandale/Mason District area that tested positive for COVID-19, including two students at Canterbury Woods Elementary School, two students at Woodson High School, and one student at Weyanoke ES.

Of the school staff who tested positive for COVID, four are in Mason District/Annandale-area schools, including Justice HS, Woodson HS, Poe MS, and Bailey’s ES.

Vaccines for youths – Fairfax County has seen large increases in youths vaccinated against COVID since July 19, Superintendent Scott Brabrand states in a back-to-school report to the school board.

Among 12-15-year-olds, 63.5 percent are fully vaccinated, an increase of 25.8 percentage points since July 19, and 76.9 percent have had one dose (up 21 percentage points).

Among youths age 16-17, 75.4 percent are fully vaccinated (up 10.2 percentage points), and 85.7 percent have had one dose (a 5.7 percentage point increase.

There will be a COVID vaccine clinic Saturday, Aug. 28, at Annandale High School, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Those who want to be vaccinated should register in advance. Free transportation will be provided from Poe and Holmes middle schools and Annandale Terrace, Braddock, Bren Mar Park, Columbia, and Weyanoke elementary schools.

The clinic will be held during a Public Safety Day event hosted by the Communities of Trust Committee.

Another vaccine clinic will be held Sept. 1 at Glasgow Middle School, 4-6 p.m.

Skating into the new school year – Glasgow Middle School Principal Victor Powell had a surprise in store for teachers and he was determined to keep it a secret, states a feature story on the FCPS website.

A week before the start of school, Powell summoned 170 staff members to the cafeteria to gather in groups of 12 for what was billed as a “board meeting,” Instead of another boring meeting, though, each team of teachers was asked to assemble a skateboard for a Glasgow student.

At the team-building workshop, teachers were given pieces of a skateboard – wheels, deck, and design equipment – and were encouraged to think through all elements of product delivery as a united group. That includes the importance of time management, collaboration, what individual skills each person brought to the process, and the customer’s specific needs and wants.

“It was a great introduction to learning the strengths and weaknesses of ourselves and other teachers, as well as a reminder of how to function as a team,” Sarah Boudart, a sixth-grade language arts teacher, said. “We solved skateboard design challenges together.”

Glasgow students and teachers decorate skateboards.

Powell had chosen a group of 18 students, mostly incoming sixth-graders, many of whom had spent the entire past school year receiving virtual instruction, to play the role of the client in the “board meeting.”

The students suggested design elements – such as the Batman logo, the puzzle piece that represents autism awareness, anime characters, or the Glasgow logo – and offered input as the staff worked to deliver the results.

“What we’re all aiming to do is make sure we put in the time, effort, and planning for our ‘clients,’ our students, to ensure as smooth a delivery as possible this school year,” Powell said. “And then we want our kids to take what they learn and pay it forward, a concept that is important to our community.”

Students were allowed to take one skateboard home and were asked to think of someone else who should receive a second skateboard created by their team.

School opening stats – About 400 students have been approved to remain with virtual learning this year due to COVID-related health needs, Brabrand said.

Forty-two percent of them are students with disabilities, 21 percent are English learners, and 38 percent are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Everyone else is attending school in person five days a week.

While FCPS had filled 98.8 percent of teaching positions on the first day of school, it still has 183 vacancies, Brabrand said. The greatest need is for special education teachers. The school system still has an acute shortage of bus drivers, with 152 vacancies.

Free meals – Fairfax County schools are offering healthy no-cost breakfast and lunch to all students this year.

FCPS is also providing free bulk meal kits for students attending virtually and community members at eight locations, including Falls Church High School. The meals can be picked up on Wednesdays, 8:30-10 a.m.

All FCPS students regardless of age are eligible for free meal kits, as well as other county children age 18 and younger.

Esports coming to schools – FCPS is preparing to launch an eSports program. The Virginia High School League approved esports as an “emerging activity,” which puts it on a path to becoming a fully sanctioned and sponsored school sport.

According to the Tysons Reporter, students can participate in a popular soccer-like game called Rocket League, in which players drive futuristic cars. Bill Curran, director of the FCPS Office of Student Activities and Athletics, predicts there will be 25 highly competitive schools in the esports league.

Students will play at school computer labs, rather than remotely. They will register through the PlayVS company, and there will be a $64 fee. To participate, students will have to meet academic and attendance requirements.

A planned esports club at Annandale High School last winter never got off the ground, the A-Blast reports, because FCPS banned Fortnite at school esports events, citing the game’s excessive violence.

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