FAUQUIER COUNTY

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SUPERINTENDENTS
SUMMER
NEWSLETTER
AUGUST 2016

Hello, Friends of FCPS!

If youre like I am, youre wondering where in the world the summer has
gone! While it has passed way too quickly, at least the summer has passed
productively with many amazing activities occurring in our schools.
Hundreds of our students were actively engaged in learning this summer
through STEM camps, Camp Moss Hollow, music camps, career and
technical education competitions, STARTALK, etc. Its very exciting to see
what goes on in our schools during the summer!
Additionally, we filled 993 seats in over 64 different professional
development sessions this summer. Youll find out more about the Students
s
topics later in this newsletter, but suffice it to say, we have been busy! Explore Enveirarch for anima
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The goal of any professional development activity is to improve the
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service that we provide to our kids. I am very proud that over half of our teaching
or
staff took advantage of opportunities to improve.
As summer activities wind down, however, and we move toward the start of a new school year, I am thankful for this
opportunity to share a wealth of information with you through this 2016 Superintendents Summer Newsletter. I hope
you find it useful. Please know that I remain committed to a meaningful flow of communication with stakeholders in
our school division so if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at (540) 422-7020 or djeck@fcps1.org.
I hope you will enjoy time with family and friends during these final days of summer break. Join with me in looking
forward to a terrific 2016-2017 school year!

Dr. David C. Jeck

www.fcps1.org
Please allow me to begin my list of important topics by drawing your attention to the school divisions new website. We
went live on August 3 with a fresh design that I hope you will find visually appealing. Even more, I hope you will find
the website to be helpful, useful and welcoming. It is no easy task to redesign and reconfigure a website with as much
information as ours contains so my hat is off to Director of Technology Louis McDonald and the project co-leaders,
Instructional Technology Project Manager Patti Kershaw and Business Analyst Patty Allen, for making it all happen. By
the way, when you visit the home page, be sure to scroll down to the bottom left and check out the newly produced,
60-second video that touts our great school division!

Aspirations 2.0
If youre interested in an update on the school divisions strategic plan, Aspirations 2.0, youll find it under Quick Links
toward the bottom of the home page.
The school divisions initial Aspirations strategic plan was developed in 2010 as a five-year plan and was refreshed in
2015 thanks to the work of a 26-member planning team of students, teachers, business representatives, educational
specialists and parents from this community. Now, in 2016, we continue to be guided by the plans principles. Executive
Director of Budget and Planning Prashant Shrestha gave an update on the plan to the School Board in late June and that
update is housed on our (did I say new?) website.

Its a New Day and Change Can Be Good!

I dont believe that change for the sake of change is necessarily good, but change with a purpose can be an act
of impact. Since May, change has been afoot regarding where some of our elementary school and middle school
administrators are serving. While the shuffling around may look like musical chairs to some, in actuality the moves
provide an opportunity for new experiences for our highly qualified instructional leadership team and an opportunity
for these administrators to stretch their capabilities. I believe its beneficial to everyone to bring fresh ideas and faces

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to schools and to that end you may see new administrators at your elementary or middle school. Stay with me now
following is a list of the changes.
Tim Gardner, interim principal at Greenville Elementary School (moved from AP at Ritchie Elementary)
Dennis Adkins, interim principal at Miller Elementary School (moved from AP at Miller)
Michelle Breslin, assistant principal at Miller Elementary (came here from Prince William County Schools)
Patricia Apicella, assistant principal at Bradley Elementary School (moved from AP at Greenville Elementary)
Mark Rendell, assistant principal at Pearson Elementary (came here from Prince William County Schools)
Tony Dandrea, assistant principal at Ritchie Elementary (taught at Warrenton Middle School)
Kimberly McKinney, assistant principal at Taylor Middle School (moved from AP at Bradley Elementary)
Karyn Spahr, assistant principal at Warrenton Middle School (moved from AP at Pierce Elementary)
Jasmine Carpenter, assistant principal at Greenville Elementary School (came here from Loudoun County
Schools)
Laura Hoover, assistant principal at Pierce Elementary School (served as instructional supervisor of second
languages for our school division)
I hope you will help these administrators feel welcome in your school(s)!

Education Foundation
If youre not familiar with the efforts of the Fauquier Excellence in Education
Foundation (FEIEF), their mission statement says a lot: To create, enrich, and expand
educational opportunities for Fauquier County Public Schools. Were excited that
the spring and summer have really heated up with opportunities for this nonprofit
foundation that is so dedicated to our students and teachers! Despite the technical
issues during Give Local Piedmont, their fabulous donors came through with 180
donations totaling $9,695. FEIEF also won the $5,000 first place grand prize for small
organizations, and all told, including funds from the PATH Foundation bonus pool,
the event raised $15,441!
Speaking of PATH, they awarded FEIEF with a $96,000 planning and programming
grant to be used for a major facelift to the outdoor lab adjacent to Fauquier High
School, as well as a part-time teacher and teaching materials. The space will be
renovated and expanded to include an environmental sciences academy, which will provide Fauquier County students
of all ages with hands-on environmental experiences throughout the year.
But wait, theres more! Make plans to attend the First Friday on Aug. 5 from 6-9 p.m. on Main Street in Old Town
Warrenton. Learn more about the foundation when you stop by the FEIEF table, where there will be goodies and a
craft activity for kids, as well as raffles and gift card giveaways for adults. And while school bells will be ringing before
we know it, before they do, we look forward to one of our favorite annual events. The 33rd new teacher dinner will be
held on Aug. 11, when well welcome new teachers to Fauquier County Public Schools and honor the 11 outstanding
teachers and guidance counselors that received Fellowship Award grants this past spring. Stay tuned for more sizzle in
the fall!

Middle School Modernization

Forty-five citizens and school-division employees have agreed to help Fauquier County Public Schools develop a middle
school modernization plan by serving on a Middle School Modernization Advisory Committee.

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FCPS recognizes the need to modernize our two oldest schools Taylor Middle (below left) and Warrenton Middle (below
right) and an advisory committee has been formed to lead this modernization planning process. The committee will
be charged with recommending which of these two schools should be the first one modernized and then proposing a
design for the school that best meets the needs of students, staff and the community. Upon completion of the process
the school division will seek funding for the selected school from the county board of supervisors.

Parents, teachers, administrative staff, students and community members who have agreed to serve on the advisory
committee are as follows: Earsaline Anderson, Carol Arnold, Barbara Bannister, Greg Bengston, Angela Castaldy,
Blair Conner, Randy Corpening, Christopher Coutts, Tony Dandrea, Joanne Duncan, Joyce DUrso, Sarah Frye, Thelma
Gaskins, Brian Gorg, Chris Granger, Donna Grove, Donna Guzman, Laura Henson, Laura Hoover, Madison Humphries,
Michele James, Wes Kennedy, Bob Kravetz, Ben Maas, Susan Maharidge, Mark Marchinetti, Mary Leigh McDaniel, Erin
Meadows, Larry Miller, Leah Morton, Sally Murray, Sam Myers, Ruth Nelson, Jon Nuckles, Mark Ott, Jessica Polak, Nicole
Polster, Conway Porter, Nancy Premen, Brandie Schaeffer, Robby Settle, Walter Story, John Toler, Melissa Wiedenfeld
and Becky Yates.
The committee will meet from late August through November. DeJong-Richter, an educational planning firm, and RRMM,
a school architectural design firm, will facilitate the planning process. The committee will review demographic and
facility data, examine future trends that will impact education, assist in engaging the community in dialogue regarding
facility priorities, formulate options for addressing program and facility needs, and present recommendations to school
division leadership.
You may find more information on the modernization project on our (did I say new?) website on the facilities and
construction departments page.

Parent Portal
Simply by creating an account, parents and guardians of our students may have access to their childs records through
the Infinite Campus Parent Portal (or Campus Portal). Access to the portal is a service offered at no additional charge
to parents and guardians of actively enrolled students.
Infinite Campus is the student information system FCPS uses; it contains administrative records of students including
contact information, schedules, official grades (report cards and transcripts), and attendance records. As the school
divisions official keeper of students administrative records, Campus Portal differs from Blackboard with which parents
may already be familiar; Blackboard is used for students day-to-day instructional activities.
Each parent/guardian who has an email recorded in Infinite Campus may have a Campus Portal account. FCPS staff,
who already access Campus for work, will not be given a separate account as a parent. At the risk of losing Campus
Portal privileges, parents should not share an account. To protect their childs information, parents are advised not to
save their passwords on their device and not to allow the browser to remember their password.

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Parents/guardians should receive an account activation email from FCPS. If not, they should contact their childs school
to be sure that the parent email address is correctly recorded in Infinite Campus. Parents who do not wish to have
access to Campus Portal should notify the school that each of their children attends. We are sending weekly account
activation emails to parents/guardians who have not successfully created an account.
Campus Portal also provides a link for parents/guardians giving them access to electronic annual enrollment forms.
Creating an account now is the first step towards paperless annual enrollment through Campus On-Line Registration,
which just went live!

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

Every Fauquier County Public School is eligible to earn $1,000 by training 20 faculty and staff members in Youth Mental
Health First Aid (YMHFA) training. By offering the financial incentive, the PATH Foundation is partnering with Fauquier
County Public Schools and the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County to encourage increased participation in
YMHFA training, which is designed to teach participants (adults over 18) how to help adolescents (ages 12-18) who
are experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or are in crisis. In addition, PATH is offering a $500 incentive
to youth-serving nonprofit organizations (such as athletic leagues, scout groups, etc.) which train five staff members
or volunteers. PATH will distribute the funds on a first-come, first-served basis, capping the contributions at $30,000.
Visit the school divisions (did I say new?) website for the schedule of Youth Mental Health First Aid training (browse
around the Student Services page).

School Quality Surveys

Three years ago we conducted School Quality Surveys (SQS) in all our schools. At that time I indicated that we would
survey stakeholders again in two years. When it came time to administer the survey this past school year, I decided
to delay the survey until this fall. Why? I felt we had perhaps over-surveyed parents seeking your opinions on the
school calendar, the school climate and school start times. The SQS is important enough that I didnt want it to be
pushed aside as just another school survey. Therefore, please watch for the SQS this fall. The purpose of the survey is
to collect trend data related to student learning, school safety, organizational quality, and customer service. SQS results
are critically important to us as we seek to improve the quality of the education we are providing to our students.
The surveys will be administered electronically through our (did I say new?) website and at each school, and hard
copies will also be made available. Please watch for further announcements regarding the upcoming School Quality
Surveys.

Weve Been Published!

The power of we is, indeed, greater than the power of me, and the leadership team
of Fauquier County Public Schools just proved it. Each member of the team was asked
to write a two-to-five-page paper about their personal philosophy of education, advice
for new teachers and/or administrators, an influential teacher or individual, etc. The
goal, I think, was very straightforward: to demonstrate that we can, indeed, accomplish
anything, achieve anything, do anything as long as we believe in ourselves and in each
other. A portion of the books introduction describes it this way:
We can do anything. We can accomplish anything. We can move mountains. We can
provide a challenging and rigorous curriculum to our neediest studentsand we can
write a book. In fact, we just did! I repeat: we can accomplish anything if we simply
believe that we can! Our kids, all of them, can achieve at extremely high levels if we
believe that they can and if we put them in classrooms with teachers who believe
that same thing. Believe. Believe. Believe. Sound a bit clich? Sure, of course it is
but it is also true.
What was produced, however, exceeded even my greatest expectations. The book
contains stories, ideas, lessons, and poignant prose that are sometimes tear-jerking and

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frequently inspirational. Our leaders have tremendous stories to tell and advice to give. When I unveiled the book
during administrative academy, right at the end of the last day, no one moved. Typically at the end of this event, people
are anxious to call it a day and head to the parking lot; however, no one moved. About 70 people sat and read, then
began milling around the room asking others to sign their books. It was an amazing and exhilarating moment one
that I will not soon forget.
The book is called Trust, Care, Believe, Belong, a fitting title for a book about our team, our experiences, and our
vision. If youd like to purchase a copy, please feel free to contact Carol Hollinger at FCPS (540-422-7020).
Remember: We can do anything. We can accomplish anything. We can Move Mountains. All we have to do is BELIEVE
that we can!

Professional Development of Our Staff

This summer we have filled 993 seats in over 64 different
professional development sessions. The topics were
varied and included these sessions: Youth Mental
Health First Aid, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia:
An Integrated Approach, Engineering is Elementary
for First-Grade Teachers, Closing the Achievement
Gap, and a librarians roundtable with our colleagues
from Culpeper County. Fauquier County teachers
were able to learn from several national speakers:
Alan November, Laura Robb, John Almarode, Rick Wormeli, John
Strebe, and Pete Hall. Fauquier County is a learning community who believes
that learning does not end after the certificate or degree has been earned; we believe
learning is a lifetime commitment.

Careers in Construction Course

2016 was the inauguration year for the Careers in Construction course offered at Southeastern Alternative School.
Students learned about a host of topics related to the full construction industry; some of them included architectural
design, cost estimating, scheduling, landscape design, carpentry, creating a positive work ethic, public speaking, active
listening and asking effective questions. The course brought 18 organizations as consultants to Southeastern to teach
students about the varied careers in the construction business. Among the businesses were Golden Rule Builders, Leo
A. Daly, The Story Group, Miller Brothers, Hughes Group, and Grimm and Parker Plumbing. On the course development
committee were Josh Iorio, professor, Virginia Tech Myers-Lawson School of Construction; Miles Freidman, director of
Fauquiers workforce development; and FCPS employees Sarah Frye, Dr. Shelly Neibauer, and Mark Marchinetti.

FCPS Recognized as VTSS Trailblazer

In late July in Richmond, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) recognized Fauquier County Public Schools five
schools in particular as a Virginia Tiered System of Supports (VTSS) Trailblazer. VDOE honored Bradley and Brumfield
Elementary Schools, Marshall and Cedar Lee Middle Schools, and Liberty High School as the original five schools from
FCPS to begin participating in VTSS two years ago. The award was largely due to the hard work and inspiring leadership
of those five schools. Their dedication, commitment and courage to make innovations in the process of expanding
tiered supports in our schools serves as an inspiration and model for others. They are, indeed, blazing a pathway for
meaningful impact for student outcomes. Building on the success of VTSS in the five FCPS Trailblazer schools, four
other Fauquier County elementary schools joined the VTSS cohort last school year: Miller, Pierce, Ritchie and Smith.
The VDOE website defines VTSS as a data-driven decision-making framework for establishing the academic, behavioral
and social/emotional supports needed for a school to be an effective learning environment for all students. VTSS
provides professional development and coaching support for school divisions; VTSS schools analyze outcomes of their
instruction in academic skills (reading, writing, math, etc.) as well as instruction in behavioral skills for social-emotional
wellness (including communication, cooperation, problem-solving and self-management skills). The schools frequently

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monitor progress and analyze the effectiveness of their tiered supports (tier one/universal instruction, tier two/targeted
support, and tier three/intensive support) in order to provide a rich menu of instructional and behavioral supports that
have a proven track record of getting results.
VTSS cohort school teams continue to participate in VTSS statewide conferences, on-site professional development
and planning.

New Mobile App & More

This year I am excited about the expansion of Blackboard into a new learning experience that empowers our teachers,
administrators, students, parents, and community members to engage in open communication enabling our students
to reach far beyond their potential. We are bringing a total communication and learning package to Fauquier County
schools that will include a new mobile app, social media connections, a new website, messaging system and Blackboard
Learn (our digital learning platform) all under one umbrella.
Work has already begun on this large project. The new website launched earlier this week along with major updates
to Blackboard Learn. In the fall, work will begin on the new mobile app that will include integration with Blackboard
Learn. The final piece will be the messaging system which is expected to launch next summer. The new technology
that is accompanying this package will allow students, parents, teachers, division staff, and community members to
receive information about events, programs, and student academics anytime, anywhere, and on any device (with an
Internet connection).

Just Two Examples of Our Great Employees

Sometimes I wish that every citizen of Fauquier County could wander through our schools and come face to face with
our awesome employees. Im truly awed and inspired every day by the great work our employees do, so I just wanted
to take a little time and space in this newsletter to highlight just two of them. But the fact is you could walk into any
one of our schools and youd come across many more whose stories could also proudly be told here:

Lois King: She Drives Our Future

1960 was the year that President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act, the
United States launched its first weather satellite, Cal Ripken Jr. was born, and Clark Gable
died. It was the year To Kill a Mockingbird won a Pulitzer Prize, Ben Hur was named best
picture, Cassius Clay won a gold medal in light-heavyweight boxing at the Summer Olympic
Games, and The Flintstones premiered on ABC-TV.
It was also the year Lois King started driving a school bus for Fauquier County Public
Schools. For 56 years now (yes, you read that right 56 years), the 82-year-old has been
transporting students to school. She totes teenagers to Fauquier High School every morning
during the school year, waits a few minutes to collect the Fauquier High JROTC students
and carries them over to Liberty High School, goes about her business for the day, and then
returns for her afternoon bus run.
Ive seen a lot of changes, she said, looking back over more than a half century of driving a bus in Fauquier County.
The biggest one is the discipline. Young people actually want and need discipline. As acceptable forms of discipline
have morphed over the years, Ms. King has found a recipe that works for her. I keep them on the bus and give them
a little talking to not scolding, she said, but one-on-one talking like, Youre older than this kind of behavior. From
then on they get on the bus and say, Good morning, Ms. King, and Bye, Ms. King. I thought, This is what kids want
someone to care enough about them to tell them theyve done something wrong.
Why did she start driving a bus lo those many years ago? In a word money, she said, and because at that time I had
one or two kids. I had seven kids altogether; almost all of them were born on a dad-gum bus, she said with a laugh. I
figured, Okay, I can take my kids with me; I dont need a babysitter.
What began as a job of convenience became a job she enjoyed.

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I had the best relationship with those kids. And because I was young, I fit right in with them and they looked up to me.
I was 24. I was a young 24, and I dont think Ive ever matured, she said.
King says she enjoys the routine associated with driving a bus all these years and she plans to continue as long as her
health permits.
Ill keep doing it as long as Im able, she said. Its just a way of life. Besides that, King has a goal shed like to meet:
She says, I looked up on the computer to see the longest anybodys been driving a school bus in Virginia, and it was
56 years so Ive at least got to make it to 57, right? But well see. Who knows whats ahead for any of us? I dont quit
things. I tend, when I get ahold of something, to keep on doing it. I dont plan to quit.

Marisa Pappas: Hers is a Can-Do Canvas

Marisa Pappas, Warrenton Middle School art teacher, is the Virginia Middle School Art Teacher of the
Year, an honor bestowed annually by the Virginia Art Education Association (VAEA). Each year Pappas
helps organize and coordinate the Fauquier County Youth Art Month (YAM) observance including an
Art Walk on Main Street in Warrenton. She began the National Junior Art Honor Society (NJAHS) at her
school in 2013, and students in the society volunteer to teach art lessons to pre-kindergarten students.
She has presented at both national and state art conferences, sharing her knowledge and expertise with
fellow art educators.
I was both touched and honored that the judging committee selected me from the group of talented, hardworking
candidates, said Pappas, who admitted, When my name was called, I had to pause for a moment not quite believing
what I had heard.I got teary-eyed.
Jessica Beach, art teacher at Brumfield Elementary School, said Pappas is always there to support Fauquier Countys
art program: She volunteers her time to come to elementary school curriculum meetings to share the work she has
done with the VAEA committees, she said.
The Warrenton resident earned a bachelor of fine art at the Massachusetts College of Art, a certificate of design from
the Paris Fashion Institute in France, certification for vocational education in fashion design from the University of
Massachusetts, and a master of art in teaching from George Mason University. Teacher of the year for Warrenton
Middle School in 2014, Pappas has sponsored an after-school art club at WMS since 2012.
Before entering the field of education, Pappas worked as a fashion design technical consultant, quality control manager,
patternmaker for a number of fashion syndicates in the private sector as well as an adjunct instructor of fashion design
at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. She taught art at the elementary level for four years, including three years at Walter
Elementary, and has taught art at Warrenton Middle for the past five years.
Everything I do I do for the students, Pappas said. I try to inspire and motivate the students to be the best they
can be in all that they try.As I plan my lessons, the choices for my National Junior Art Honor Society students, and
the afterschool activities that I sponsor, I always think of the needs of the students will what I am planning help and
expand their experiences and learning?
Pappas has a habit of helping whenever and wherever shes needed: When asked by a colleague to help with a
student or to present to a group of teachers, I have a hard time saying no, especially if I know it will make a difference.I
do need to work on that, she said.
Thats exactly the can-do spirit exhibited by so many of the employees of this great school division. We should all be
proud of the staff weve assembled in Fauquier County Public Schools.

In Conclusion
.thanks for the time you took to read this letter. I know it was a lot of information, but there are so very many good
things to share about this great school division!