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1. Important Dates
April 21 - No School (Teacher Workday/Elections)
May 1 - 7th Grade Field Trip
May 5 - Reading SOL
May 7 - Science 8 SOL
May 13 - Math SOL
May 15 - Music Department Field Trip
May 18 - NJHS Pinning Ceremony, 3 PM
May 21 - Last day of After-School Program & Late Buses
2. A Note from the Principal
Dear Rocky Run Families-
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Chantilly Pyramid Art Show on Thursday, April 9 at Chantilly HS. Rocky Run was well represented and I was blown away by the talent of our students. It was great to see many of our alumni continuing their artistic journeys throughout high school. Congratulations to our amazing art teacher, Juliette Valade for working to showcase our Ram artists.
On Monday, April 13 all of our 8th grade students attended activities fairs at the high school they will attend next year (Chantilly, Centreville, Westfield, and Skyview). This was a great opportunity to tour the buildings and learn about clubs and activities at the high school level. Our goal is to create a smooth transition for our rising 9th grade students. Special thanks to Shannon Campbell and Lorraine Marshall for spearheading the organization of the event.
Next, we capitalized on the amazing weather on Wednesday, April 15 by hosting an ice cream social for our military connected students. April is designated as the Month of the Miliary Child. The recognition highlights the adaptability and resiliency of military connected students. Our rams embody the notion of "bloom where you are planted". Thanks to Lorraine Marshall and Katelyn Hagen for organizing the event.
Finally, the PTA is seeking community members to serve on the 2026-2027 Executive Board. Specifically, they are seeking dedicated members to serve as President, Vice President and Secretary. Please consider participating in this wonderful organization that supports the students and staff at Rocky Run. No experience needed—just jump in and help make great things happen at RRMS. Please express interest by emailing rockyrunmspta@gmail.com. We will be holding elections at the May 14 PTA meeting.
Thank you for your continued support and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Peter Kownacki
Principal
Rocky Run Middle School
@pakownacki
3. Action Items for Families
April Statewide Election: No School for Students
There will be no school for students on Tuesday, April 21, for the Virginia statewide election. Student activities, athletic practices, and events may proceed as scheduled.
FCPS will offer lunch and a snack at no cost to children aged 18 and under on April 21 at participating schools. The meals must be eaten on site. For more information, visit the FCPS Food and Nutrition Services webpage.
We Want Your Feedback! Principal Evaluation Parent/Guardian Questionnaire
On Monday, April 6, parents and guardians of Rocky Run Middle School received an email with a link to the FCPS Principal Evaluation Parent/Guardian Feedback Form. This questionnaire is part of the Performance Evaluation Program and provides an opportunity to share anonymous feedback about our school’s leadership and environment.
Topics covered in the survey include:
✅ Instructional leadership
✅ School climate
✅ Management (human resources and organizational)
✅ Communication and community relations
✅ Culturally responsive and equitable leadership
✅ Professionalism
The questionnaire will be open April 6 - April 19 and will be collected online. When you receive the email invitation, please take a few minutes to complete it. Your input is valuable and helps shape the future of our school. Thank you for your time and feedback!
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FCPS CARES Nominations
Want a quick way to recognize an employee or team? Share an FCPS CARES! Families, colleagues, and students are all invited to submit. The FCPS CARES is automatically sent to the recipient(s) and their supervisor, and is posted on fcps.edu. Additionally, each month one school in our region wins a staff celebration from HR. Encourage your community to show our staff that their hard work is appreciated!
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4. Student Celebrations
RAISE the Ram Card Winners
At Rocky Run, students can earn RAISE the Ram cards for exhibiting our RAISE attributes: Rams are Respectful, Accountable, Inclusive, Safe, and Engaged. At the end of each week, we randomly select one winner from each team.
Congratulations to this week's RAISE the Ram card winners:
Meteors: Katherine Montgomery (Respectful and Engaged)
Platinum: Dillon Stoffer (Accountable)
Emerald: Lincoln Niblock (Respectful and Engaged)
Kryptonite: Juan Ortiz (Engaged)
Tiger's Eye: Kem O'Sullivan Lewis (Accountable)
Sapphire: Teagan Burke (Engaged)
Great job Raising The Ram this week!
5. Student Services Updates
Spring SOL Testing
State assessments measure the extent to which students have learned the content and skills reflected in state standards and may also be used to measure growth in learning state standards. These include:
- Spring Standards of Learning (SOL) standardized tests in reading, mathematics, and science, including an integrated reading and writing (IRW) component;
- Ongoing local alternative assessments (LAAs) completed as part of classroom instruction in science, and social studies;
- SOL-aligned growth assessments completed as part of classroom instruction in mathematics and reading;
More information about these assessments can be found on the following webpages:
Test Dates for Rocky Run Middle School are scheduled as follows:
- May 5 – Reading SOL (7th and 8th)
- May 7 – Science SOL (8th grade only)
- May 13 – Math SOL (Math7 – Algebra 2)
Retake Parent Permissions Needed:
Retesting is available with parent permission when a student fails their first SOL attempt with a score of 375-399. (A score of 400 is considered passing for SOL tests.) To better facilitate the remediation and retake process, we need to know ahead of time if you give your child permission to retest. If you haven’t already, please submit your decision using the Parent Digital Consent application (https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/technology/digital-resources/consent). (You will need your SIS ParentVUE account login.) Alternatively, if you do NOT have a ParentVUE account, you can submit your decision on this Google form (https://forms.gle/5J8gbwBxnwdJXCqF7). We will notify you in May if your child qualifies for a retest.
If you have questions about state assessments, contact your student’s counselor or Ashleigh Quinn (asquinn@fcps.edu), the school testing coordinator.
Expunge Form
Middle school offers the unique opportunity to expunge a high school credit course (HS math courses and World Language Courses). This means that there would be no record of this year’s grade on their high school transcript. Please review your child's third quarter grades and contact your child's school counselor for any questions. If you would like to start this process, here is the link to the Expunge Form.
2026 Summer Camps and Learning Programs
Registration for the Summer 2026 Online Campus courses is available until Friday, June 5. Courses are open to middle and high school students who meet prerequisites. The Online Campus provides an opportunity for students to take one high school level course for new or repeat credit over the summer.
Students need to have a computer and make sure their computer is ready for the online course. Students will not be able to take online courses using tablets and smartphones. Please note that students wishing to enroll in a summer course must notify their counselor in order to ensure a seat in the desired course for 26-27 school year.
6. Instructional Updates
Library Happenings
April is National School Library Month! This year’s national theme is Find Your Joy at the Library. The Student Library Advisory Team created an amazing month of activities for our students and staff. This week, students explored our virtual makerspace and tried virtual escape rooms, participated in Rocky Run Library Trivia, and we had a Read In for quiet reading during Rock Time on Wednesday. Each week’s activities are posted on Schoology on Thursday before the week starts so students can preview the next week’s events. We are really excited for Tiny Art after school next week and the Uno Tournament coming on April 29!
This week, Mr. Williams’s science 8 classes visited the library to review several skills, including annotation, plants and photosynthesis, and the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning writing format. We combined these skills with students observing the different plants around the library and after reading a nonfiction text about their plant, deciding whether their plant was an appropriate choice for the library environment. This is a meaningful activity because not only does it offer students the opportunity to combine skills they have learned in various classes, but they are also using them for real-world situations. Students worked together in table groups to observe and wrote their own claim, providing their independent evidence and reasoning for their claim. Students were goal-directed, resilient, effective communicators, and collaborators through this important work.
7. After School Program Information
After-School Schedule for the week of 4/20
High School Sports Interest Meetings
- Interest meetings will be scheduled through the After-School Program as Mrs. Campbell hears from the high school coaches. Watch for updates!
- Chantilly HS Field Hockey Interest Meeting at RRMS on 4/20 during 2nd session (3:20-4:05) in Room 84
- Chantilly HS Girls Flag Football Interest Meeting at RRMS on 4/22 during 2nd session (3:20-4:05) in Room 84
Current after-school club offerings - More clubs will be added throughout the year so check back frequently.
Review the late bus routes that are posted on the After-School Schoology Course
For now, here are some steps to complete:
- Review this general After-School Information.
- ALL families must complete the After-School Consent Form (via the Parent Digital Consent System). Students cannot stay after until this is submitted. Almost all of our Rocky Run students will stay after at some point this year, so please make sure the form is completed ASAP so your student has the flexibility to participate.
Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell, After-School Program Specialist, at SLCampbell@fcps.edu.
VIP Summer Camp
What are your rising 7th and rising 8th grades doing this summer?! The FCPS Middle School After-School Program & Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services are again teaming up to offer our 5 week camp. Students will be engaged in sports/games, fitness, art, STEM, field trips, and plenty of other activities.
- VIP Camp information can be found here. Registration opened on 3/17.
- Western Fairfax VIP is full with a waitlist. Families who registered will be notified of acceptance by 4/17.
- July 1 - July 31, 8 AM - 4 PM (no camp on July 3)
- This year, the Western Fairfax VIP Camp will be held at Liberty MS. Transportation will be provided.
- Email Shannon Campbell (SLCampbell@fcps.edu) with any questions.
Spring Track & Field
- A student interest meeting was held on Monday, March 9. Here are the meeting slides and important dates.
- Track & Field Registration Google Form
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Middle School Sports Physical- one page requires a doctor's signature, so do not delay! If your student submitted a sports physical packet for Cross Country or Basketball, that same packet will work for Track & Field. Not sure if you submitted one this year? Email Shannon Campbell to check your student's status.
8. Community Corner
Love, Disguise, and Second Chances: Chantilly High School Drama Presents William Shakespeare’s As You Like It
As You Like It follows Rosalind, a young woman who flees persecution and disguises herself as a man in the Forest of Arden alongside her cousin Celia. In this modern-day corporate America setting, she encounters Orlando and tests his love while navigating questions of identity and power. This play deeply explores themes of love, identity, and drama. The Chantilly High School Theatre Department will present a bold, modern retelling of As You Like It by William Shakespeare on April 23-26, 2026, in the Chantilly High School auditorium. Filled with romance and humor, this dynamic production features a cast of 32 and a production crew of 35. “What really comes across to the audience is that sense of finding joy by embracing your own identity.” said Andy Shaw, director of the production. “There's some comedy, interesting philosophical conversations, alongside the classic romantic plot. Overall, this show is great for all ages.”
Location: Chantilly High School Auditorium
Show Dates and Times:
Thursday, April 23 at 7:00 PM
Friday, April 24 at 7:00 PM
Saturday, April 25 at 7:00 PM
Sunday April 26 at 2:00 PM
For tickets and more information visit chantillydrama.org
PTA Needs You! Join the 2026–2027 Executive Board
A little organized, somewhat available, and email-capable? That’s all it takes. We’re looking for a few fantastic parents to step into: President • Vice President • Secretary
No experience needed—just jump in and help make great things happen at RRMS.
Want to learn more? Email us: rockyrunmspta@gmail.com
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