Return to School for Fairfax Academy
Welcome to School Year 2020
Welcome new and returning students and families. Our school year is scheduled to begin virtually on September 8 but we hope to have teachers and students back in the building for hands-on learning as soon as we are allowed after health and safety concerns in our region have diminished. We have created this orientation page to help you get oriented to Edison Academy and the virtual start to the school year.
As our distance learning continues to evolve, please check this page often. We want this page to become a place where students, parents, and community partners can get important information, and a place where we can remain a learning community.
USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT FAIRFAX ACADEMY:
Click on topics below to get more information and/or links to read more about each one.
(Hint - Right Click any links to open it in a new tab on your screen so that you don't lose your connection to the larger drop-down menu of topics)
Virtual Learning Schedule for Fairfax Academy
The Fall Virtual Learning Schedule for the start of school is:
Day of Week | Time of Day | Description |
---|---|---|
Mondays | Morning | Intervention/Enrichment - Select students scheduled for synchronous instruction based on need. |
Afternoon | Student Independent work on tasks assigned by classroom teachers (Teachers have planning or professional development during this time) | |
Tuesdays & Thursdays | 8:10 - 9:30 a.m. | AM Block - Period 1 |
9:45 - 11:05 a.m. | Midday Block - Period 3 | |
11:15 - 11:50 a.m. | Lunch Break | |
12:00 - 1:20 p.m. | PM Block - Period 5 | |
1:35 - 2:55 p.m. | Period 7 (Teacher Planning and Grading) | |
Wednesdays & Fridays | 8:10 - 9:30 a.m. | AM Block - Period 2 |
9:45 - 11:05 a.m. | Midday Block - Period 4 | |
11:15 -11:50 a.m. | Lunch Break | |
12:00 -1:20 p.m. | PM Block - Period 6 | |
1:35 - 2:55 p.m. | Period 8 (Teacher Planning and Grading |
Digital Resources - Parental Consent
Some of the digital resources your child may use this year require parental consent.
For more information on this topic, and to access the digital consent form, go to this page.
(Hint- Right Click the link above to open it in a new tab on your screen so that you don't lose your connection to the larger menu of Orientation topics)
FCPS Parent Technology Help Desk
FCPS Launches New Parent Technology Help Desk, Readies Students and Families for Virtual Learning:
To support families who are working with their children during virtual learning, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is launching a new Parent Technology Help Desk, effective today, Monday, August 24. The help desk can be reached at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS) and will be answered by staff members between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., seven days a week.
Parents or guardians who need help in a language other than English can inform the help desk staff when they call, and an interpreter will join them live on the call.
If help desk staff members are unable to solve the issue, they will request help from the appropriate FCPS team.
FCPS has also set up an online portal to allow older students and parents/guardians to request technology help directly.
Tips for online learning success can be found on the FCPS website.
FCPS school-based employees are in the process of distributing approximately 55,000 laptops to students this summer, using strict health procedures to ensure health and safety.
Virtual Orientation Teachers will conduct a virtual orientation prior to the first day of school for students and families to: • Build relationships and community. • Learn how virtual learning will work, including how to log into students’ FCPS accounts to access virtual classroom links, and how to use Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, GoogleMeet, and Schoology. • Ensure students are prepared for a successful first day of school. Teachers will contact their students directly. Please direct questions to your child’s school. Back to School Nights Each school will host a virtual Back to School Night during September or October. Included will be: • An overview of curriculum. • A review of attendance, schedules, procedures, and routines. • An explanation of grading and assessments.
FCPS Parent Information Phone Lines are available in eight different languages.
Attendance
Attendance is important to a student's overall success in school!
Attendance is Required During Virtual and In-Person Learning School Year 2020-2021
(This is a change from Distance Learning during the Spring of 2020)
During Virtual Learning Return to School - Fall 2020
- Tuesdays - Fridays: Students are reported present by their teachers Tuesday -Friday in their synchronous (live) academy classes when they log in and attend class.
- Mondays: Students are to follow their base high school instructions for check-ins for asynchronous Monday advisory and intervention sessions in order to be counted present on Mondays.
- FCPS takes a multi-tiered approach to supporting students and families during the pandemic. Absences related to technology issues, family support for younger siblings, and required quarantine for confirmed cases of illness/exposure to COVID 19 (SAR CoV-2) will be considered and excused if they are reported.
- See absence reporting instructions below.
Fairfax Academy Attendance Policy:
Fairfax Academy’s attendance policy follows FCPS guidelines. However, we are considered a separate school, so absences must be reported directly to us. Please do not assume your base school will forward your attendance calls to Academy!
We must hear from a Parent/Guardian for ALL absences. We will not accept notices directly from students. The Parent/Guardian must notify both the Academy and the base school when students are absent for any reason.
E-Notify Calls go out each evening to the home telephone number to make parents aware of unverified and unexcused absences.
Please review this page for all attendance information for Fairfax Academy.
Academy Ambassador Program
Are you a born leader? Do you want to be?
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Are you comfortable speaking to people you don't know? Or do you have the desire to become more confident in challenging social and school (professional) situations?
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Do you like to help others? Do you enjoy helping teachers? Or do you seek opportunities to provide service to your school and community?
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Do others say that you are a responsible person? Or are you seeking to take on responsibility to earn recognition and build your leadership experiences?
Did you answer many of these questions with a YES? If so, congratulations! You have what it takes to become an Academy Ambassador!
Student Parking Fee Updates
STUDENTS DRIVERS:
** UPDATE ON PARKING FEES FOR 2021 **
Student parking fees will be waived for FY 2021 (January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021).
Although no parking fees will be collected, Fairfax Academy (and all other FCPS schools) will follow their normal procedures for the issuance of parking passes.
View our Transportation page for more information about shuttles and student drivers/parking.
Academy Administrator, Mrs. Cook
Administrative Assistant, Mrs. Cate
Academy School Counselor, Mrs. Martin
Career Experience Specialist, Ms. Molek
If you have questions about resumes, interviewing, internships, other work-based learning questions, or the Academy Ambassador program please reach out to Ms. Molek