Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County school board considers revised proposals for TJ

TJ students in the school’s robotics lab. [File photo] The Fairfax County School Board is considering two revised proposals for changing the admissions process to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.  The board has been discussing TJ admissions for months in response to concerns that the current system for the elite school discriminates … Continued

Annandale High School featured in TV news report on failing grades during pandemic

A screenshot from a “Good Morning America video, shows reporter Alex Presha interviewing Annandale High School teacher Catie Bishop in front of the school. Annandale High School was featured in a segment on “Good Morning America” Dec. 5 on how students across the nation are failing academically due to the challenges of online learning during the … Continued

Westlawn Elementary School has a new principal

Christoph Hill [FCPS] Christoph Hill, the former assistant principal at Westlawn Elementary School in the Falls Church area of Mason District, took over as principal of Westlawn on Nov. 30.  Hill has previously worked in other Mason District schools. He was a reading specialist at Parklawn Elementary School in Lincolnia and instructional coach and assistant … Continued

Some Fairfax County students who had returned to school are back to all-virtual learning

Veterinary sciences students at the Edison Academy returned for in-person learning briefly and are now back to all-virtual instruction. [FCPS] Just four weeks after Group 4 students returned to school for in-person instruction, they went back to all-virtual learning on Nov. 23 because of the rise in COVID-19 cases.  Fairfax County reported a record-setting 455 new … Continued

Increase in COVID cases could delay the return to school, FCPS superintendent says

Employees at the FCPS Forte Support Center in Springfield prepare plexiglass shields for delivery to schools. [FCPS] As COVID cases rise in Fairfax County, Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand is rethinking the schedule for bringing more students back for in-person learning.  Brabrand told the community at a virtual town hall Nov. 19 that he understands families … Continued

Annandale High School students launch an Equity Team to combat racial bias

The Annandale High School Class of 2021. Students at Annandale High School formed an Equity Team with the goal of creating a climate at the school that is more responsive to students from diverse backgrounds. “I see so many instances where people from underrepresented groups are not supported or face implicit bias from teachers, coaches, and … Continued

FCPS offers more details on concurrent learning

The concurrent instruction approach, although total class sizes won’t be this small. [FCPS] Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand and other FCPS officials provided more details on concurrent learning and other aspects of the return-to-school plans at a town hall Oct. 19.  Several school board members, however, are not happy with the concurrent learning … Continued

Under FCPS return-to-school plan, all students won’t be back until February

The Fairfax Federation of Teachers held a car rally Oct. 15 at the FCPS Gatehouse Administration Center in Merrifield.  The Fairfax County School Board has deadlocked, 6-6, on whether to endorse Superintendent Scott Brabrand’s schedule for bringing students back for in-person learning.  Under Brabrand’s plan, presented at a school board work session board Oct. 15, … Continued

Hackers post sensitive FCPS information on dark web

The hackers responsible for a ransomware attack on Fairfax County Public Schools last month posted information they stole on the dark web, Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced Oct. 9. “It appears as though certain personal information for some students and employees may have been impacted,” Brabrand acknowledged.  According to news reports, that includes a spreadsheet from 2014 … Continued

Fairfax County Schools superintendent says admission to TJ can’t depend on test-taking skills

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is in Mason District, but few students from Mason  District Schools go there.  Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand, speaking at a virtual town hall Oct. 7, said the admissions process for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has to change to give students … Continued