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

School news roundup

Canterbury Woods Principal Diane Leipzig (second from left) appears on ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ The news items and photos here about schools in the Annandale/Mason District are from Fairfax County Public Schools or individual schools. New classrooms – When students return to Annandale Terrace Elementary School after winter break, they’ll be in new classrooms. The school’s … Continued

School news

Students plan a meditation garden at Belvedere Elementary School. The school news items and photos in this article are from Fairfax County Public Schools. Excellence in Equity – Justice High School has been selected to receive the Superintendent’s Excellence in Equity Award, Principal Maria Eck announced. The award recognizes schools that have made significant gains … Continued

School news roundup

Students at Weyanoke Elementary School play a freeze game. The school news items and photos in this article are from Fairfax County Public Schools. Robotics – Westlawn Elementary School received a $10,000 engineering grant from the Northrop Grumman Corp. to support free after-school robotics instruction and to integrate robotics into the school’s science classes. Students … Continued

School year starts with some big changes

Students get a warm welcome at Justice High School. Some big changes awaited Fairfax County public school students as they headed off for the first day of school Aug. 26: All high school students will get laptops, a new app will let parents track children’s school bus, and some students will get free school meals … Continued

Ravensworth ES gets a new principal

Aspuria Ravensworth Elementary School in North Springfield has a new principal, as of Aug. 14: Erika Aspuria. Aspuria is the former assistant principal at Lynbrook Elementary School and before that held the same position at Little Run Elementary. She began her career with Fairfax County Public Schools at Forestdale Elementary, where she taught English for … Continued

Pinecrest School named ‘best private school’

Pinecrest School Pinecrest School, an award-winning, fully accredited preK-6 private school in Annandale, has won the Best Private Elementary School award in Washington Family magazine’s 2019 Best for Families poll. The school also is a runner-up in Washington Family’s Best STEM Program category. Pinecrest students have lots of hands-on activities.  Pinecrest celebrated its 60th anniversary … Continued

School board candidates discuss school boundary policy

School board candidates Karen Keys-Gamarra and Ricardy Anderson speak to Mason District residents. Mason District School Board candidate Ricardy Anderson and at-large school board candidate Karen Keys-Gamarra, who’s running for re-election, charge that critics of the board’s plan to re-examine its policy on school boundary changes are misguided and misinformed. Anderson and Keys-Gamarra discussed the issue … Continued

School calendar adopted for 2020-21

The Fairfax County School Board has adopted a calendar for the 2020-21 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools reports. The first day of school for students will be Tuesday, Aug. 25. The last day is Friday, June 11. Here are the highlights: There will be a three-day break for Thanksgiving – Nov. 25-27.  Winter break … Continued

Britepaths collects school supplies for kids in need

The nonprofit organization Britepaths is seeking donations of funds, backpacks, and calculators through Aug. 16 to help 2,500 local students in need. Britepaths is partnering with Fairfax County’s Collect for Kids initiative to assist as many students in need as possible. There are 56,000 students eligible for free or reduced-price meals in Fairfax County public … Continued

Jackson MS has a new principal

Magliola Michael Magliola has been named principal of Luther Jackson Middle School. During the past four years, Magliola was an assistant principal in the San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento, Calif. Magliola invites parents to meet-and-greet sessions at Jackson on July 25, 5-7 p.m., and at the Graham Road Community Center on Aug. 1, 5-7 … Continued

Interim principal named for Annandale HS

Merrell Mark Merrell will serve as interim principal of Annandale High School until Fairfax County Public Schools fills the position. Tim Thomas, who had been AHS principal for four years, retired July 1. Merrell was principal of James Madison High School for 14 years before retiring in 2015. Before that, he was an assistant principal at … Continued