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Principal's Message |
Greetings Tiger Families!
March 2-8 is National School Social Work Week. Social workers throughout FCPS help to prevent social, emotional, and behavioral factors from affecting a student's ability to perform at their best. We are very fortunate to have Ms. Joanna Ahlering and Ms. Katie Basinksi as the social workers that support Twain students and families. Their primary goal is to remove barriers that prevent a student from fulfilling their academic potential. Social workers provide individual and group counseling, engage in crisis intervention, and support students and families who may have extended absences. At Twain, we firmly believe that for our students to have academic success, we need to address their needs holistically, and our social workers are key members of the team to meet those needs. Social workers are assigned to every school and center in the school system. Most social workers serve one to two sites. Learn more about the role of social workers in FCPS.
Thank you, Ms. Basinski & Ms. Ahlering, for serving our Twain community!
Sincerely,
Matt
Twain’s Weekly Schedule
Monday, March 9: Anchor Day Schedule
Tuesday, March 10: Odd Day Schedule
Wednesday, March 11: Even Day Schedule
Thursday, March 12: Odd Day Schedule
Friday, March 13: Even Day Schedule
After School Program
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1st Block
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2nd Block
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Monday, March 9:
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2:30 - 3:35
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3:35 - 4:40
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Tuesday, March 10:
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2:30 - 3:35
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3:35 - 4:40
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Wednesday, March 11:
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2:30 - 3:35
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3:35 - 4:40
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Thursday, March 12:
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2:30 - 3:35
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3:35 - 4:40
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Friday, March 13:
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2:30 - 3:35
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3:35 - 4:40
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Calendar Reminders: Daylight Saving Begins (Spring Forward)
Daylight saving time begins Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m. Don’t forget to move your clocks ahead one hour!
As a result of the time change, many students will be walking to school or to bus stops in the dark. Help your child stay safe by having them wear reflective clothing and bright or light colors, or add reflective items to their backpacks or clothes. Also, encourage your child to be especially alert for cars that are turning or backing up, and to not run into the street or cross between parked cars.
On-time Attendance Reminders
Being on time is an essential habit that supports success in school and beyond. Whether it is arriving to class, reporting to work, or keeping an appointment punctuality reflects responsibility and respect for others’ time. When students arrive late to class they not only miss out on important items to start the class period, but they also disrupt the learning of their classmates who already have arrived ready to learn.
Every day our faculty, staff, and administration collaborate to support our students on-time arrival to school and to class. We review tardy data weekly and when students reach 5 tardies to class in the same week we begin our progressive approach to help them improve. We also do unannounced “tardy sweeps” where students who are not in class on time are directed to the cafeteria or lecture hall, where we discuss the importance of on-time attendance, document their tardiness, and send them to class. Students who continue to have challenges arriving to class on time are subject to parent notifications/warnings, lunch detentions, after school detentions, and loss of after school event privileges.
As is often the case, once spring arrives we need to reiterate expectations with our students. Earlier this week we reviewed Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) with all students through their health and physical education classes. On time attendance and safe hallway decisions were a main point of emphasis.
Please speak to your student about the importance of arriving to school and to each class on time. If they already regularly arrive class on time, please thank them and congratulate them on this simple, but important action. If they struggle to regularly be on time, please encourage them, set your expectations, and let us know if there are things we can do to support. If you transport your student to school and are frequently late or arriving at the last second, please review your morning routines so that your student can successfully start the day on time. We will be making announcements on the news and during lunches in the coming days to emphasize on-time attendance as well. Thank you so much for your ongoing partnership to make Twain a safe, and productive learning environment for our Tigers!
Fairfax County School Board Adopts FY 2027 Advertised Budget
At its February 26 meeting, the School Board voted to adopt FCPS’ Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Advertised Budget.
“This proposal focuses on essentials — restoring at least in part, critical supports, honoring our commitments to appropriate compensation, and continuing strategic investments that directly benefit students,” said Superintendent Michelle Reid. “It is a disciplined, responsible plan that keeps our attention where it belongs: on delivering strong outcomes for every student.”
Over the past 10 years, FCPS has implemented reductions, including staffing, cost avoidances, and fee enhancements of more than $800 million to align with the funding levels provided.
Read more about FCPS’ FY 2027 Advertised Budget.
Share Your Feedback on the Budget
Visit the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors website to learn how you can share feedback and provide input on the county’s FY 2027 Budget. Engagement opportunities for the county budget in March and April include public hearings and town hall meetings.
The FCPS FY 2027 Approved Budget is scheduled to be adopted by the School Board in May. Follow the budget process.
Fairfax County Health Department Measles Update
Measles is a highly contagious virus that infects 9 out of 10 people who are exposed, if unvaccinated or not immune. It has been in the news lately due to cases in Northern Virginia and among people who have traveled through local airports.
If your spring break or summer plans include traveling abroad or to an area in the United States with high measles activity, the Fairfax County Health Department encourages you to ensure your family is protected.
Children 12 months and older should have one or two doses before traveling. Depending on your specific travel plans, your health care provider may also advise you to vaccinate infants 6 to 11 months old. Read more about these recommendations.
Sleep Awareness Week
The National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Awareness Week is March 8 to 14. The observance highlights the critical link between sleep and health, both physical and mental. Read more about sleep health and sleep strategies you can try at home.
Family Engagement Survey to Open March 9
FCPS is administering our Family Engagement Survey, which will be open from Monday, March 9, to Monday, March 23. Your feedback is critical in helping us to better recognize, understand, respect, and address family strengths and needs in our schools.
Survey topics include:
- Welcoming environment.
- Communication.
- Student success.
- Advocacy.
- Family and school partnerships.
- Community partnerships.
The survey will be available in English, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Pashto, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Parents/caregivers will receive a survey link via email from FCPS on March 9. A survey link will also be posted on FCPS’ website. Paper surveys will be available at each school. Please stay tuned for more information.
Odyssey of the Mind is going to States!
Two teams from Mark Twain Middle School made a strong showing at the regional Odyssey of the Mind competition on Saturday, Feb. 28. Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving group activity that culminates in an annual competition series. In addition to solving a Spontaneous Problem on the spot, both teams presented their solutions to a Long-Term Problem that required them to write an original play and design and construct sets and costumes.
One of the teams won first place in their division on Problem 3 and will move on to compete in the state competition on March 14. The team wrote an epic quest in which the hero and his sidekick vanquish a beast, rescue other characters, and overcome an epic challenge, incorporating original poetry and music in their performance. The coaches for this team are Jennifer Jones and Amanda Litvinov.
The other Twain team placed second in their division on Problem 5, which asked them to create and perform an original tall tale in which the hero achieves an incredible feat and the weather reflects characters' emotions and this team is coached by Anne Baynes.
Congrats to both teams, and good luck to the team representing Twain at the state competition!
Kingstowne Cup Basketball Team Tryouts!
If your child would like to participate in the Kingstowne Cup Basketball Team tryouts this year vs Hayfield, they will need an up to date physical on file from this past August on. This is a new requirement for our event as it is being grouped into the sports that FCPS is already running in the county. Please use this Physical form if your child would like to try out.
All interested students must also fill out the Kingstowne Cup Registration Form before tryouts.
Girls Tryouts – Monday March 16th
Boys Tryouts – Wednesday March 18th
Thank you for your support and please Contact Dominic Amato, Twain’s After School Specialist at dfamato@fcps.edu or 703-313-3760 if you have any questions
Support Twain NJHS at Chipotle!
Join us for a delicious way to support the Twain National Junior Honor Society!
Where: Kingstowne Chipotle Mexican Grill, 5955 Kingstowne Towne Center, Ste 160, Alexandria, VA 22315
When: Saturday, March 14th
Time: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Grab dinner for your family and help raise funds for Twain NJHS service projects and school initiatives!Dine in or Order online for pickup. For online orders use code: WL4CXJ4
Bring this Chipotle Fundraiser flyer or be sure to mention Twain NJHS at checkout so your purchase counts toward our fundraiser!
Every burrito, bowl, and taco makes a difference. Thank you!
Moving?
If you are moving, please update your address with us as soon as you’ve moved. If you are moving during the current school year and your student’s last day will be prior to May 22, you can find the withdrawal process on the Registrar’s Corner page of the Twain Website. If you are moving and your student’s last day will be May 22 or later, please follow the process below to submit the Student Intentions for Next School Year form.
Student Enrollment SY 26-27:
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For students returning to Twain, any forms which need updating will be indicated in future correspondence leading up to Tiger Fest in August.
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If your rising 7th or rising 8th grader will NOT attend Twain next school year, or your rising 9th grader will not be attending FCPS for high school, please complete the Student Intentions for Next School Year form and submit it to Christina Spencer cmspencer@fcps.edu as soon as possible.
- If transferring to a non-public (private) school, please indicate the location and whether it is religiously or non-religiously affiliated.
- If transferring to a DODEA/American school outside of the US, select the option for “Public School Division in the US”
- If attending a non-DEDEA school in another country, select “I do not intend to enroll in any public or nonpublic school next year” and name the school/country in “Other”.
Obtaining Student Records for School Transfer:
Should you indicate that your child(ren) will NOT attend Twain/FCPS for the 2026-2027 school year, the submitted form serves as your official withdrawal notice and no further action will be required. If their last day in attendance will be prior to the last day of school, June 17, you must still communicate their attendance.
Once you have registered your child(ren) at another school:
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Rising 7th and 8th Graders: The new school should be advised by you to send an official request for student records to your child’s previous school. For rising 8th grade students, that’s Christina Spencer cmspencer@fcps.edu at Twain. Rising 7th - If you notified the elementary school prior to the end of the school year that your child would not go to Twain, the new school should be referred to the elementary school where your child’s file will remain.
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Rising 9th Graders: If you notified us prior to June 17 that your child will not attend FCPS for 9th grade, the new school should be advised by you to send an official request for student records to Christina Spencer cmspencer@fcps.edu. If you did not notify us prior to June 17, they should be referred to contact the high school where your student would have attended if they remained in FCPS.
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