Loudoun County Public Schools

03/26/2021

03/26/2021

Several Loudoun County Public Schools students placed in the top 10 in various categories during the recent Technology Student Association Regional Fair.

Congratulations to the following students, advisors and schools. They will be moving on Technosphere April 29 through May 2:

To view full article visit, https://tinyurl.com/3wus973h

03/25/2021

Brian Minnick, a senior at Loudoun Valley High School and the Academies of Loudoun, has received the prestigious Cutler-Bell Prize in High School Computing. This honor is given annually to a maximum of four students nationwide.

Minnick attends the Academies of Loudoun as part of the Academy of Engineering and Technology program.

Minnick’s winning project is “Controlling a Fully 3D Printed 3D Printer Without Microprocessors.” Minnick has created a self-replicating printer as a stepping-stone toward a self-replicating spacecraft.

To view full article visit, https://tinyurl.com/e74fbpvp

03/24/2021

School Board members, Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Interim Superintendent Dr. Scott Ziegler and members of the Superintendent’s Cabinet participated in a virtual School Board meeting on Tuesday, March 23, 2021.

School Board Chair Brenda Sheridan (Sterling District), Vice Chair Atoosa Reaser (Algonkian District), Harris Mahedavi (Ashburn District), Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge District), Leslee King (Broad Run District), John Beatty (Catoctin District) and Jeff Morse (Dulles District) participated in-person at the LCPS Administrative Offices in Ashburn. Denise Corbo (At-Large) and Beth Barts (Leesburg District) participated virtually from home.

As part of the Interim Superintendent's Report, Dr. Ziegler read his update “Rumors Concerning LCPS Equity Work” (https://vimeo.com/527047930) into the record.

The full agenda (https://tinyurl.com/d4hkbym7) for this School Board meeting can be found on the LCPS website. The video replay of the meeting, indexed to specific agenda items, also is available on that webpage.

The School Board approved four action items during this meeting: an Autism Acceptance Month Proclamation; a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Day Proclamation; a resolution providing up to 10 paid leave days on an as-needed basis to full-time employees for the time missed between when an employee responds affirmatively to the Daily Symptom Checker questionnaire and subsequently tests negative for COVID-19; and a resolution affirming the Interim Superintendent’s plan for LCPS students to be learning in-person, five days a week during the 2021-2022 school year.

The School Board heard three information items:

• Dr. Ziegler presented the Interim Superintendent's Operational Update.
• Assistant Superintendent for Business and Financial Services Sharon Willoughby presented the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Update
• Director of Communications and Community Engagement Joan Sahlgren addressed the History of the Résumé created by the Public Information Office.

Giancarlo Acevedo, a freshman at Rock Ridge High School, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

03/23/2021

A Proclamation Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy in Boulder, Colorado

As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colorado, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, March 27, 2021. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

03/23/2021

River Bend Middle School_Official Principal David E. Shaffer has been named as the director of Virginia Schools to Watch®. The Schools to Watch (STW) program is sponsored by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, the Virginia Middle School Association and the Virginia Department of Education.

This appointment is in addition to Shaffer’s duties at River Bend, where he has been principal since 2014.

Schools to Watch is a national and international program that recognizes academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structures and processes in middle level education. Virginia joined the Schools to Watch program in 2003. Of almost 600 public middle schools in Virginia, only 43 schools have received this prestigious recognition.

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is the only school division in the Commonwealth to have all 15 of its eligible middle schools receive the Schools to Watch designation. (Brambleton and Willard middle schools are not yet eligible.)

The Schools to Watch designation must be earned every three years. Eagle Ridge, Blue Ridge and Farmwell Station middle schools have each been redesignated four times.

Shaffer received two bachelor of arts degrees from Cedarville University, one in sports management and one in health and physical education. He received his master’s degree in educational leadership from Shenandoah University. Shaffer is currently a doctoral candidate in educational leadership and policy studies at Virginia Tech.

03/22/2021

The Family and Community Engagement Office of the English Learner program will offer a ninth virtual “Family Room” for Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) parents.

The “Family Room” is a virtual safe space for families and school staff to come together to build strong partnerships and be in community.

The ninth “Family Room” session will be held Wednesday, March 24, at 6 p.m. The topic of the session is “Language is Not a Barrier: Navigating LCPS Resources in Your Preferred Language.” Topics to be covered include:

• Families will know how to work with their student’s Parent Liaison to access school and community connections;
• Families will understand their rights and opportunities to receive school information in their preferred language.
The session will be translated into Spanish.

Access the English/Spanish room at http://bit.ly/lcpsfamilyroom.

The Family and Community Engagement Office also has announced the full schedule of Family Room offerings for the spring 2021 semester. The schedule includes:

April 21--Safe and Supportive Environments at School
May 19--Safe and Supportive Environments at Home
June 2--Part 2 of the Literacy Series

03/22/2021

Graduation Update

LCPS Schools are in the process of planning for graduation. All high schools will hold graduation at their school. Details will be shared from your school as planning progresses.

VDOE and the Governor’s Executive Order will continue to guide planning.

To view full article visit, https://tinyurl.com/2bycrn3t

LCPS Schools are in the process of planning for graduation. All high schools will hold graduation at their school. Details will be shared from your school as planning progresses.

03/19/2021

The Loudoun County School Board will hold a virtual meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, with some School Board members participating in the School Board meeting room at the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Administrative Offices in Ashburn, and some participating remotely.

The full meeting agenda (https://tinyurl.com/d4hkbym7) is available on the LCPS website.

The School Board will accept public comment three ways – in-person (https://tinyurl.com/pbnh656p), live virtually (remote) (https://tinyurl.com/3c98j4st) and written (https://tinyurl.com/5akwsats) – at this meeting. The cut-off time to sign up for all comments will be 90 minutes before the meeting. (Sign up for in-person comment will be accepted at the Administrative Offices until 4:55 p.m.)

Note: To more efficiently serve the public, comment registration forms will be limited to the current School Board meeting. Please sign up for only one method of public comment. Speakers will not be allowed to use multiple methods to comment.

Telephone registration for in-person public comment will open at 8 a.m. Monday and close at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Telephone registration will be accepted at 571-252-1030.

The board will consider action five items during the meeting: an Autism Acceptance Month Proclamation; an Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Day Proclamation; Additional Leave Information; a Resolution on Fall Instruction; and Collective Bargaining.

The agenda contains four information items:

• Superintendent's Operational Update
• Tentative Revision of Policy 8155, School Assignment
• Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Update
• History of Board Summaries Created by the Public Information Office

The meeting will be live-streamed on LCPS.org and televised on Comcast channel 18 and Verizon FIOS channel 43.

03/19/2021

If you need to know a Latin word meaning embroidered or decorated with gold, ask Ashrita Gandhari.

The Stone Hill Middle School eighth-grader correctly spelled auriphrygiate to capture the 39th Annual Loudoun County Regional Spelling Bee. (Ashrita previously won the Regional Spelling Bee as a sixth-grader in 2019.)

There was a huge difference between Ashrita’s two spelling bee victories. The 2021 bee, held on Thursday, March 18, was the first to be held virtually. The top 20 spellers competed in a closed online platform. The tension and drama associated with spelling bees remained, however, with a few new twists. Computers running low on batteries and some unexpected log-offs were among the challenges that had to be overcome.

To view full article visit, https://tinyurl.com/26vf5szr

03/19/2021

Members of the Dominion High School Global Ambassadors Club are taking part in the Global Online Aspiring Leaders for Sustainability (GOALS) from Saturday through Wednesday.

This is a forum for young leaders around the world to address the most pressing challenges facing the global community. The five-day online event brings together 60 students from 10 countries to participate in a student-designed simulation centered around addressing real-world issues related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The conference was designed from scratch by students in the Dominion Global Ambassadors Club. Students recruited and trained 20 student facilitators for the event and created a website promoting it.

Students from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Costa Rica, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Poland, Singapore, South Korea and the U.K. will join Loudoun students online for four hours each day to engage in synchronous (real-time) activities with their peers.

The COVID-19 crisis has created dramatic transitions in the delivery of education in Loudoun and around the world, prompting schools to embrace technology in new ways, including communicating and collaborating in an online environment. These skills, along with critical thinking and creativity, are vital to confronting the challenges of an ever evolving planet and yet-to-be-known challenges of the future. Student organizers hope this conference will launch a new era of global cooperation, citizenship and leadership.

Conference details can be found on the GOALS website (https://tinyurl.com/dafzapkn).

03/19/2021

03/18/2021

The second annual Loudoun Student Environmental Action Showcase (SEAS) will be held virtually during SEAS Week, April 19 - 25. The event is co-hosted by the Loudoun Environmental Education Alliance (LEEA) and the Northwest Virginia Regional GREENetwork.

The purpose of Loudoun SEAS is to amplify youth voices in environmental problem-solving by showcasing to a real-world audience how students have meaningfully contributed to environmental stewardship in Loudoun County.

This week-long event will showcase student-created video exhibitions of environmentally themed projects and ongoing activities. Individual students, green/eco-action teams, environmental clubs and youth groups are invited to share their work on reducing waste, conserving energy, improving water quality, preserving natural habitat and other sustainability-minded projects or activities in their schools and communities.

To view full article visit, https://tinyurl.com/47ne7des

03/18/2021

Katherine Corrado, a social science and global studies teacher at Woodgrove High School has been selected by National History Day® (NHD) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as one of only 15 teachers to contribute to “Building a More Perfect Union.”

“Building a More Perfect Union” is a new collection of lesson plans and essays in support of the NEH’s special initiative to advance civic education and the study of U.S. history and culture in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. These classroom materials will help middle school and high school social studies teachers engage students with unique primary sources and themes of democracy and citizenship throughout United States history.

Corrado’s lesson plan, "The Monroe Doctrine: Debating America’s Defense of Independence Abroad," challenges students to analyze the debates surrounding the Monroe Doctrine and evaluate the short-and long-term effects of the doctrine on American identity at home and abroad. Her lesson plan offers compelling and guiding questions, inquiry-based activities, opportunities to consider multiple and competing perspectives and supplementary materials. The 15 educators chosen to contribute lesson plans represent NHD affiliates in California, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Korea, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

To view full article visit, https://tinyurl.com/7fcwn78r

03/17/2021

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) will begin offering in-person instruction four days a week on Tuesday, April 20, to students currently enrolled in the hybrid model.

This expanded instructional model will modify some of LCPS’ mitigation strategies. These adjustments are explained in an FAQ document. (https://www.lcps.org/4DayFaqs)

Interim Superintendent Dr. Scott Ziegler further discusses the school division’s plans and highlights some of the major accomplishments achieved by LCPS during the past year in this video. (https://tinyurl.com/ryew9wvs)

03/17/2021

LCPS Human Resources and Talent Development will host a virtual career fair for Special Education teachers interested in summer contract positions during June 28-July 30.

The virtual career fair will be held Monday, March 22. Registration closes Sunday, March 21, and is available at https://bit.ly/LCPSSummer.

Summer program Special Education teachers will provide specially designed instruction as outlined in students’ individualized education plans (IEPs), will manage student behavior, will assess and evaluate student achievement and will modify instructional activities as required.

Qualified applicants hold a valid Virginia or out-of-state teaching license in Special Education or will be eligible for a Virginia teaching license in Special Education.

Those interested in these positions should apply online to position IRC29765.

03/16/2021

Access Denied

The Special Permission window for students to attend a school outside of their attendance zone for the 2021-2022 school year will open at 10 a.m. on April 1, 2021. The special permission window will remain open from April 1 – June 30, 2021, for those applying for Special Permission for the first time.

Per School Board Policy 8155, School Assignment (https://tinyurl.com/w7bdbafs), special permission for middle and high school students may be approved for multiple years, until the student completes the highest-grade level at the school where special permission was granted; however, parents are required to renew annually if they wish to remain on special permission at the school. Renewal applications for middle and high school students should be submitted by April 30, 2021. Renewal applications received after April 30 will go through the regular special permission approval process and may be denied if space is not available at the requested school.

To view full article visit, https://tinyurl.com/sd5sew9b

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03/16/2021

LCPS Reduces County Budget Request by $6.5 Million

An increase in state funding has allowed the Loudoun County School Board to reduce the County Government’s share of funding for its adopted Fiscal Year 2022 Budget by $6.5 million.

The increased funding also allows Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) to meet new state standards for specialized support positions.

The final state revenue projections for LCPS are $15,278,248 more than what was included in the Fiscal Year 2022 School Board Adopted Budget. The School Board adopted its Fiscal Year 2022 Budget on February 2. The General Assembly adjourned its legislative session on March 1 with these funds in its approved budget. Gov. Ralph Notham has until March 31 to sign, veto or amend the General Assembly’s budget. LCPS anticipates no further changes to the school funding section of the budget.

To view full article visit, https://tinyurl.com/3wjs3fjc

An increase in state funding has allowed the Loudoun County School Board to reduce the County Government’s share of funding for its adopted Fiscal Year 2022 Budget by $6.5 million.