On January 7, Tate Gould was elected as Chair of the F.C. School Board. (Courtesy Photo) 
THANKS TO a F.C. Education Foundation super grant, this year all Mt. Daniel students will learn to play keyboard. (Photo: Nicole Guimmaraes) 
MERIDIAN ANATOMY students embark on a skeletal inquiry, aiming to master all 206 bones in the human body. (Photo: Kish Rafique) 
FIRST GRADE Ambassadors served the community during “GIVE Day” on January 15, a National Day to Serve which honors the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. through community service. (Photo: Jenn Beck) 
FCCPS SUPERINTENDANT Peter Noonan presented his FY2025 Budget, including a roughly six percent salary increase for faculty, at a School Board meeting this month. (Courtesy Photo) 
MERIDIAN’S FIELD Hockey team was recognized by the F.C. School Board earlier this month for a remarkable 21-1 season, the best in ten years, with 83 goals scored and ten conceded. (Photo: John Wesley Brett) 
On January 7, Kathleen Tysse was elected as Vice Chair of the F.C. School Board. (Courtesy Photo) 
THIRD GRADER Grace Hardy and fourth grader Kylie Fine earned rare perfect scores in the WordMasters Challenge. (Photo: Lisa Mueller)
School Board Elects Leadership for 2024
During its annual Organizational Meeting January 7, the Falls Church School Board unanimously elected Dr. Tate Gould as its Chair and Kathleen Tysse as the Vice-Chair for the 2024 term. While school instructional years operate on a July to June calendar, the School Board follows a calendar year schedule, primarily because school board elections occur every two years in November.
School Board Congratulates the VHSL Runners Up Meridian High Field Hockey Team
Falls Church School Board extended heartfelt congratulations to the Meridian High School Field Hockey team for their remarkable 21-1 season, a record that stands as the finest in the Mustang program’s decade-long history. The team’s journey to success was marked by their incredible performance throughout the season, culminating in an impressive run to the VHSL Championship. The team demonstrated exceptional skill and teamwork, scoring a remarkable 83 goals and conceding a mere 10 in their 22 games.
Dr. Noonan Presents His FY 2025 Proposed Budget
Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) has announced an ambitious budget for FY 2025 aimed at addressing the educational needs of a growing student population. Superintendent Peter Noonan’s proposal includes strategic plans for expanding staff in response to an anticipated increase of 185 students over two years. Critical aspects of the budget involve hiring additional teachers and paraprofessionals, implementing a Step increase for eligible staff, and a 3.5% Cost of Living Adjustment to ensure competitive compensation, representing a roughly six percent overall salary increase for most. The budget is set for final adoption by the School Board on February 21, followed by a presentation to the City Council on April 1.
Meridian Hosts Youth Basketball Night on January 22
Monday, January 22 may be a day off of school, but it will be a fun-filled evening at Meridian as the boys and girls basketball teams host a youth night for all local students as they take on the Herndon Hornets. Elementary kids wearing a youth jersey or school t-shirt will receive free admission with a paying adult. Sugar Creek Ice Cream Vendor as well as Concessions will be available for purchase, giveaways available for the kids, a $1 half court contest and lots of community spirit! Varsity Girls will play at 5:30 p.m. and Varsity Boys will take the court after – approximately 7:15 p.m.
Fifth Grade Ambassadors Serve the Community in Many Ways to Honor the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fifth-grade ambassadors were hard at work preparing for “GIVE Day.” They finally came together on the National Day to Serve, which honors Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy, on January 15. At the F.C. Farmers Market on January 13, they sold baked goods, bracelets, trinkets, and art to raise funds to prepare for the big day. A penny collection contest was also underway at the schools, including an epic Rock, Paper, Scissors contest, with a final showdown taking place on GIVE Day.
Despite the snow, students and community members showed up to make GIVE Day 2024 an awesome success.
OSE Students Shine in National WordMasters Challenge, Earning Top Ranks and Perfect Scores
Several teams representing Oak Street Elementary School achieved the highest honors in the recent WordMasters Challenge — a national vocabulary competition involving nearly 125,000 students annually. The third-grade team scored an impressive 184 points out of a possible 200 in the first of three meets this year, placing fifth in the nation. In addition, the fourth-grade team scored 188 points to finish sixth nationwide, and the fifth-grade team claimed tenth place with 184 points.
Competing in the tough Gold Division of the WordMasters Challenge™, third grader Grace Hardy and fourth grader Kylie Fine each earned a perfect score of 20 on the challenge. Nationally, only 21 third graders and 47 fourth graders achieved this result. Other students from Oak Street Elementary School who achieved outstanding results in the meet include third graders Cordelia Bartley, George “Max” Gilbert, Lena Hanna, and Amara Woodring; fourth graders Charlotte Dewhurst, Max Herzog, Nikhil Kapadia, Rowan Kelly, Layla Shushan and Kate Vernon; and fifth graders Nathan Cannady, Kaitlyn Mathers, Ewan Storm and Benji Zelenka.
Meridian Anatomy Class Embarks on Skeletal Inquiry, Aiming to Master All 206 Human Bones
Students are doing a skeletal system inquiry where they must guess where a list of bones belongs in a group’s skeleton. They will learn where the bones eventually go and be able to name all 206 bones by the end of the unit.
