A Message from our Administrators

Happy Friday Hunt Valley Families,

Although November felt like a short month with days off and holidays, we managed to pack in a lot of special events; see pictures below.

Saturday was our pyramid challenge. We had several dedicated Hawks run their hearts out around the track! A huge shout out to our Wellness Committee, especially Mrs. Dunne, Mrs. Huntley, and Mrs. Carr for helping to organize and coordinate this event.

Tuesday, we celebrated Thanksgiving in the cafeteria! Families had the opportunity to eat lunch with their child(ren). Our cafeteria staff worked tirelessly to prepare a fantastic meal.

Thursday, our SCA officers and classroom representatives were inducted during an assembly. Thank you to our SCA sponsors, Mrs. Dunne and Mrs. Tampio. Friday, under the direction of our music teachers, Mrs. Shumaker and Mr. Bennett, our Kindergarten classes performed fall songs for their families.

Tonight, our PTA is hosting a games night! There will be lots of fun activities and food trucks! We hope to see you there.

Hunt Valley ES Food pantry update:

Thanks to the donations we have received from all of you, we are now ready to make these resources available to those in need within our school community.

We will close the pantry for now. Thank you for all your support!

Next week will be a short week (school on Monday and Tuesday). There is no school Wednesday, November 26th-Friday, November 28th in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Whether you are traveling or staying local for Thanksgiving, we hope that you have a fun and relaxing holiday. 

In this edition of News You Choose you will find information about:

-upcoming dates

-Impact Aid--ACTION REQUIRED

-Full-Time AAP Referral Deadline

-Principal Chat

-Toy Donation Drive

-WSHS Winter Dance Clinic

-Fiscal Year 2027 Budget

-Early Release Wednesdays

-Volunteer FCPS

-Winter Closings

-Community Conversations with Dr. Reid

-Updates to Digital Consent

-MTSS

-SEL Screener

-Tutors

-Sign-up to eat lunch with your child

We hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving Break!

Sincerely,

Keieownna Hightower, Principal

Chrissy Gibbs, Assistant Principal

Eric Kopacz, Assistant Principal

Mark Your Calendar November 26-28--Thanksgiving Break--NO SCHOOL December 4--Principal Chat 5:30-7:00 December 10--3-hour Early Release December 22-January 2--Winter Break--NO SCHOOL

Impact Aid ✅ Please Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey FCPS is asking all families to complete a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets, which is in the upper right corner of the screen after logging in. Please complete the survey as soon as possible. Our school will provide paper forms to families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE. For more information, please visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page or watch this video about why Impact Aid matters.   Register for ParentVUELearn how to activate your SIS ParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey and have access to other helpful information about your child’s education at FCPS.

Full-Time AAP Referral Deadline

Window for Full-Time AAP Referrals Closes on December 15

Parents and guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services must submit the AAP Full-Time Referral Form to Ashley Huntley at arhuntley@fcps.edu no later than December 15, 2025.

Each year, families can submit a referral for full-time AAP services any time from the first day of school through December 15. No late referrals for full-time AAP services will be accepted.

Once a referral is received, our school will compile information related to the student. Then, a committee of six trained professionals from across the county will review materials to determine eligibility for full-time AAP services. 

Next Steps for Parents

Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Parents may request a copy of their child’s materials after February 20, 2026, by emailing Ashley Huntley at arhuntley@fcps.edu. At the elementary level, referrals for subject-specific and part-time AAP are screened by our school. If you miss the full-time referral deadline, your student can still be screened for subject-specific or part-time AAP services for the remainder of the year. 

For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs webpage.

Toy Drive Donation

SCA is sponsoring its first service project of the year! ECHO is in need of new, unwrapped toys for children ages 0–15. Toys can be placed in the large bins located in the lobby, or you may ship them directly to ECHO by ordering from their Amazon Wish List. The toy drive will run from Monday, November 17th through Friday, December 5th.

Help Us Write Hunt Valley’s Next Chapter: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget There’s a story behind the success of every FCPS student — a story about what’s possible with the appropriate funding for world-class teachers, rigorous academics, and future-ready learning experiences. At FCPS, student success starts with a strong budget! FCPS is currently developing the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget, which is for the 2026-27 school year. In January, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid will present a proposed budget to the School Board.  During this process, we’ll be sharing FCPS’ budget story with you. The different chapters will explain the impact of chronic underfunding, why strong funding benefits all of Fairfax County, what’s at stake when Hunt Valley and other FCPS schools don’t get the support we need, and more.  We invite you to follow along and learn how you can help write our next chapter!

Early Release Wednesdays

⏰ Limited Early Release Days for Elementary Schools 

Limited early release days for elementary schools will shift to Wednesdays for the 2025-26 school year. 

Three-hour early release days for our school will include:

• December 10
• February 18
• March 18
• April 22
• May 13

Read more about the reasons for early release and the proposed early release dates. 

Volunteer FCPS

Volunteer FCPS Helps Community Members Connect With Schools

The new volunteer management system, Volunteer FCPS, allows individuals to search and register for volunteer opportunities at our school or across the school district. 

Volunteer FCPS is how FCPS provides a safe, consistent, and welcoming environment at all of our schools. Anyone interested in volunteering with FCPS must:

• Create a profile in Volunteer FCPS. 
• Register for opportunities through Volunteer FCPS. 
• Sign in and out of schools using the visitor kiosk on EVERY visit – no exceptions.  

Recent Updates to Volunteer Opportunity Levels

Due to the overwhelming response, FCPS is temporarily pausing fingerprint requirements for most Level 3 volunteers. Those who have already been fingerprinted will be processed to be eligible for all Level 3 opportunities. ​​​​​​​

Field trip chaperone opportunities will now be classified as Level 2 (not requiring a comprehensive background check that includes fingerprinting). 

To ensure continuous safety, all new volunteers are required to sign a Volunteer Certification Statement. This statement is a legal confirmation that you have no history of violent felonies, physical or sexual crimes against children, or crimes of moral turpitude (dishonesty, fraud, things that are immoral by society’s standards).

Visit the Volunteer FCPS website to complete a volunteer orientation. View Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about the volunteer levels. 

Weather Closings ❄️ Prepare for Winter Weather Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather closing decisions are made at FCPS.  FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible, including email, text, social media, the new FCPS mobile app, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated. Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange emergency child care if needed. ⛄ Keep Your Child Warm During Outdoor Activities We will monitor the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories that may prevent children from being outside. Make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing, so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. View the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather. If you need assistance getting cold-weather clothing for your family, please call Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at 703-222-0880. Their multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and health.

Join a Community Conversation with Superintendent Dr. Reid Your voice matters, and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid wants to hear from you! At FCPS, parents are partners, working with us to set our students up for long-term success at school and in life.  A series of Community Conversations will be held across the school division to discuss current challenges and future opportunities. These events are also a chance for you to share your thoughts and ask questions. Events are planned for the following dates: Friday, December 5, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Churchill Road Elementary School Tuesday, December 9, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Fairhill Elementary School Thursday, December 11, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Bull Run Elementary School Registration links will be shared soon. Child care and interpretation services will be provided. Events are open to all.

Updates to Digital Consent

Action Required! Update Your Permission for Google Tools

Google recently made changes to how educational applications are managed and accessed on the Chrome Browser and Chromebooks. Many applications are moving from the Chrome Web Store to the Google Play Store. 

To ensure your student(s) can continue accessing all approved instructional tools, FCPS has updated its digital consent platform to include both the Chrome Web Store and the Google Play Store.

Please review and provide your consent for these two new options through our easy-to-use Parent Digital Consent system:

• Additional Google Services – Chrome Web Store
• Additional Google Services – Google Play Store

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting safe and effective digital learning experiences for all students. 

For questions or support, please visit FCPS’ Family Technology Resources page or open a ticket with the Technical Support desk.

MTSS

Monitoring Support for Your Child in ParentVUE

All FCPS schools use an approach called Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to make sure every student gets the help they need to learn. 

MTSS helps school teams deliver high-quality instruction for all students and provide extra time, support, and interventions as needed. Families are partners in this process. We will share information about your child’s individual learning, needs, and progress.

You may view your child's intervention plans and progress in SIS ParentVUE. Expect progress to be updated quarterly, with report card due dates.  

SEL Screener

Social and Emotional Learning Screener: Parent Reports

Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener last month, providing information on skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported. 

Individual student SEL Screener results will be available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE the week of November 17. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be shared by our school.

For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or reach out to school staff.

Tutoring Resources for Families

Some families may be looking for additional resources to help support their child’s academic success. The FCPS Family Resource Center (FRC) maintains a list of FCPS employees who hold a valid Virginia teaching credential and who are available to hire as tutors. This list is a resource offered by the FRC, but families are responsible for contacting and working directly with the tutors. This list is not approved by FCPS and is only meant to be a resource to families.

FCPS also partners with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors' services, at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests.