And, as of Monday, they’re off!
This Monday, Aug. 19, the new year formally commences for the Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS), as classes at all five campuses in the Little City will commence.
“We’re ready,” exclaimed Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan in remarks to the first meeting of the School Board Tuesday night. He said that the two days of events this week held in the auditorium of Meridian High School, constituting a “convocation” of all the system’s employees, was “super fun.”
Noonan was particularly upbeat at this week’s convocation events, his eighth year leading them and spearheading them with his annual report to the assembled Monday morning.
He began by exclaiming “This is my favorite day of the year!” praising the “collegiality and commitment” evident among the “community of educators” assembled in the room.
He cited the polling of the U.S. News & World Report and the online Niche.com organization showing the Falls Church system, which is now a full International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum system from preschool through 12th grade, is ranked No. 1 in Virginia and among the top in the entire U.S., and that includes the critical ranking of “Best Places to Teach” in the state, where among 300 systems in Virginia, the Falls Church system ranked third. In terms of the “college readiness” of students, for those coming through the Falls Church system, the system was ranked second in Virginia.
Noonan also pointed out that the No. 1 ranking in the entire U.S. for the City of Falls Church in terms of “healthiness” that made major headlines last week, the ranking of the “education” component to that ranking was a big part of how the City came in tops in the U.S. overall.
The strategic focus for the system is centered on its extraordinary IB focus that involves “international-mindedness, critical thinking, conceptual understanding and rigorous academic standards” that are “a way of developing our students by nurturing curiosity and collaboration to do good things,” Noonan said.
“We no longer refer to ‘IB Infused’ teaching and learning, removing now the word ‘infused’ to fully embrace the IB way, and a major goal this year will involve our efforts to ‘demystify’ the IB curriculum for everyone.”
He said that the “journey from Pre-K to graduation includes lots of options along the way to preparing our kids to be college ready.”
Noonan said the “secret sauce” that accounts for the success of the Falls Church system is its “relational work.” He said that “we face difficulties by digging in, and confronting differences with care, gentleness, support, kindness and open hearts and minds, always presuming positive intentions and always remaining humble.” The system begins its new year “in a wonderful position,” he said.
The still brand new Meridian High building and campus was showcased by the events this week as well, with nearby parking being adjacent the massive West End commercial development project built on top of where the old high school was once located, drawing the eye to what’s paying for this school thanks to the deft leadership of the Falls Church city government.
While the new high school was getting built and major improvements added to its adjacent Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School as well as Jesse Thackrey Preschool, Mt. Daniel and Oak Street elementary, it was tax and other revenues from the West End project and other large-scale projects now dotting the 2.2 square mile landscape of Falls Church that has paid for it all, even while City residents have enjoyed major cuts in their real estate taxes the last few years.
The system’s overall budget that was approved by the City Council last May includes funding the results of the system’s first ever collective bargaining agreement, as well as “longevity steps” in the employee salary scales aimed at both rewarding and incentivizing educators to continue their work in this system over the long haul.
At all the F.C. campuses, student performance scores are way up, Noonan noted. At the high school level, 92 percent of all IB Diploma candidates passed (there are 74 enrolled in that program now, though IB courses are taken by all), and accreditation scores for English and math have advanced to the 96-98 percent range.
At the Henderson Middle School, 100 percent of students passed its algebra and geometry programs, and science scores for students at Oak Street have jumped from 76 to 84 percent, and there are many more indicators of the excellent education that students here are receiving.
This was even to the point of an extensive round table public discussion among leaders from all five campuses at Tuesday night’s School Board meeting on how to best craft regulations for restricting student use of cell phones, smart watches and air pods during the instructional periods of the school day. Under the slogan, “Off and Away Throughout the Day,” alternatives discussed boiled down to contrasts between enforcement and social modification models.
The Tuesday follow-on convocation gathering celebrated the longevity of the system’s teachers and other employees.
Honored as they reached five-year interval milestones were:
25 Years — Annette Folks, Extended Day Care; Ronnie Henderson, Meridian High; Aracely Paez, Custodial Services; Alejandrina Sanchez-Martinez, Custodial Services; Norma Sorto, Oak Street Elementary School.
20 Years — Lori Audi, Transportation Services; Robin Borum, Oak Street Elementary School; Eng Chuan, Transportation & Food Services; Norma Contreras, Custodial Services; Al DeFazio, Meridian High; Jennifer Jayson, Meridian High; Josh Kingsley, Extended Day Care; Steven Knight, Curriculum, Instruction and Achievement; Liz McCarthy, Meridian High; Lisa Mueller, Oak Street Elementary; Shelly Skomra, Oak Street Elementary; Yuling Zhang, Food Services & Transportation.
15 Years — Silvia Argueta-Recinos, Custodial Services; Sally Ding, Food Services & Transportation; Mary Manzione, Jessie Thackrey; Amanda Morey, Mt. Daniel Elementary; Gina Thacker, Mt. Daniel Elementary.