Superintendent's Weekly Reflections

Hello Team FCPS,

I trust this note finds each of you well, especially as we deal with really cold temperatures this weekend. I want to share that staff have been driving our roads this afternoon and evening and all looks ready for school tomorrow. I trust that you each will dress warmly and travel safely in the morning. Please give yourselves plenty of time to drive given our winter conditions.

In reflecting on the tragic events both in our country and abroad this weekend, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the countless others affected by these horrific acts. Understandably, these tragic events are evoking a range of emotions and feelings of vulnerability for many individuals both here and abroad. Here in FCPS, the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain top priorities. We recognize the need for support as we cope with such tragic situations and are ready to assist anyone in need. For families with students who are struggling, services can be accessed at this link . For FCPS employees needing assistance: the FCPS Employee Assistance Program (EAP) , is a 24/7 free and confidential service available to you and your family. Learning continues to happen best in community and together we must stay in the light. 

I recently had a visit from Falls Church High School’s Craig Day (pictured below from left to right with Mary Bermingham, assistant principal; and Carolyn McBride, alumni author). Craig is Falls Church's track coach as well as a 1977 graduate and the school’s resident historian — wow! We met to discuss an Alumni Author Mentorship Program at the school that is scheduled to begin in April 2026. 

Craig shares, “FCHS is leading once more … with a wonderful initiative bringing together FCHS alumni authors and current students — to spark and inspire our students to write! Our slogan, ‘You too can write books!’ is profoundly true and synergistic to all involved! All alumni also benefit by being reengaged with their alma-mater FCHS!! The immediate goal is to show FCHS students they come from a long tradition of alumni authors!” I can’t wait to see this program in action. Go Jaguars!! 

I’d also like to share a video sent by Michael Walton, American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Falls Church Academy. Recently, Academy ASL students went to Washington, D.C. for a tour of Gallaudet University. They also went to the “signing” Starbucks where they were able put their ASL skills to use. The signing Starbucks’ entire staff is deaf, so this was a unique experience for them to practice their skills in the real world. You can see the video of their tour online . Very inspiring!

With snow day season underway and winter break fast approaching, I encourage you to share these fun winter learning activities for students on days when there’s no school. We also have a special literacy adventure calendar for our elementary school students and their families. The calendar features 10 different winter-themed activities to help students practice specific literacy skills over winter break so that they can return to school confident and ready to dive back into learning. Thank you to our Equitable Access to Literacy team and Office of Communications for putting these resources together. Go Team FCPS!!

Jae Lee, assistant principal at Annandale High School, shared this news with me about a recent Special Olympics professional development session: “This year’s momentum around the Special Olympics has been one of the most energizing parts of our work in FCPS.” He told me the October 13 professional development for this program at Annandale High School included administrators and teachers fully engaged, collaborating, and imagining new possibilities for their students. We both agreed this continues to be truly inspiring. 

“The excitement in that room showed just how ready our schools are to expand inclusive opportunities. Every time I see a school take its first step into the Special Olympics, I’m reminded that we’re building something bigger than a program — we’re building a culture where every student is seen, valued, and included,” Jae told me. “My hope is that this work continues to spark joy, leadership, and belonging across our entire division.” This spirit of collaboration and commitment reminds us that when we center inclusion, we create schools where every student can thrive. This work matters!!

On Monday evening, we held a meeting of the Military Family Advisory Council at Gatehouse Administration Center. Our military connected families are the backbone of those who patriotically serve in our country. As we have approximately thirteen thousand military connected students in FCPS, it is important that we continue to support the many transitions created as a result of our military family service. I also appreciate the efforts each of you are making in supporting our purple star goals, it matters. 

On Tuesday morning, I visited Graham Road Elementary School, which is led by Principal Lauren Badini. We started with Walk to Read, where every student goes to a specific learning space for focused reading instruction. My tour began in the classroom of Third Grade Teacher Stephanie Jutz and Advanced Academic Resource Teacher Alex Poole, where students were working in small groups on blending sounds, reading smoothly, and understanding what they read. In Reading Teacher Sarah Endorf’s room, students practiced skills to help them become more fluent readers. 

When we moved on to math, it was exciting to see Graham Road’s work as one of five schools piloting Clear Math, a new math program that both teachers and students shared they truly love. We visited the classroom of Kindergarten Teacher Lindsay Rodriguez and Instructional Assistants Ruba Saah and Pamela Boatman, where students used plastic chips to practice subtracting within 10. I even helped by acting out some of the math problems! In Kindergarten Teacher Julie Kercher’s room, students used their counting skills to solve subtraction problems and shared their thinking with one another.

Next, we stopped in the second-grade classroom of Annie Otarola and Special Education Inclusion Teacher Carolyn Vachon, where students worked in groups to review and strengthen their understanding of addition and subtraction. Finally, in the second grade classroom of Taylor Swen and Multilingual Teacher Casey Policy, students used a “hundreds chart” to make connections to subtraction. Yay math! ;>) I left Graham Road feeling energized by the creativity and dedication of the students and staff. Go Roadrunners!

On Tuesday and Thursday, we also held the final Community Conversations of 2025 at Fairhill and Bull Run elementary schools respectively. We had great discussions on topics including the Boundary Review, security checks for volunteers, technology use, and the FCPS budget and federal and state funding. I want to thank everyone who took the time to join me over the last few months to share their thoughts and ask questions. As a listening leader, I value this time to connect and engage with our parents, students, staff members, and the community. A new set of Community Conversations meetings will be held in the spring — I can’t wait!

Later on Tuesday, I visited Hayfield Secondary School for a Winter Concert performance by its Orchestra. Not only were there an amazing number of students involved in the orchestra program, but their talent also continues to inspire me. Each performing group played their selections well and I found myself thoroughly enjoying both the student musician enthusiasm and the talent demonstrated. Grateful thanks to all those who teach and support our fine and performing arts, it matters. 

Wednesday afternoon, we had a meeting of the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee for 2e ( Twice-Exceptional ) Programming at the Gatehouse Administration Center. We discussed the Advanced Academic Program identification process, reviewed the 2025-26 Project Plan and the multi-year plan, and reviewed student focus group questions. I appreciate the teamwork and commitment of this group that allows us to better serve each and every student — it really does make a positive impact! Student academic inclusion and engagement are part of the 2023-30 Strategic Plan’s Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.

On Wednesday evening, I met with parents from the Bren Mark Park Elementary School, Parklawn Elementary School, and Glasgow Middle School communities about potential boundary adjustments. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts, concerns, and questions with me. 

On Friday morning, I attended the Regional Elected Leaders Initiative Awards Luncheon at George Mason University. The awards are dedicated to celebrating our region’s commitment to working together and advancing civility, collaboration, and effectiveness in governance. Celebrating our elected leaders for their service remains a thoughtful tradition and recognizes the many hours of service so many provide to support our amazing community. 

On Friday evening, the  Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee had its final meeting. As I’ve previously mentioned, I will review and consider their input before presenting my final recommendations and a proposed implementation plan to the School Board. School Board members will review the final proposal, hold a public hearing, and approve any boundary adjustments in January. I encourage you to learn more about the comprehensive boundary review and sign up for our School Boundary Review newsletter .

On Saturday morning, I started my day by attending a girls’ wrestling tournament at Madison High School. I continue to be so inspired by our student athletes and all they are accomplishing. The sport of girls wrestling continues to grow!! I appreciate all those who support our student athletes and their competition opportunities.

Next, I went to a LEGO Robotics competition at Hayfield Secondary School. These kinds of competitions give students the opportunity to design and program robots to solve real-world challenges — an experience that builds creativity, collaboration, and essential STEM skills for their future and career yet to be imagined! The Oakton Elementary School team was definitely in their zone as they competed. The Garfield Elementary School team also competed well with cheerleading during the operation of the robot. ;>)

I very much appreciate all those current and former students who become the team to support these young engineers, it matters that we pay it forward. I know that learning happens best in community and both the staff and students at Hayfield Secondary School, led by teacher and Hayfield alumnus Joseph Kerns, are supporting the hopes and dreams of our youngest engineers. 

As you may have heard last week, the first ratings from Virginia’s new School Performance and Support Framework were recently released. Thanks to the hard work of our students, dedication of our staff, and support from our families, all Fairfax County public schools remain fully accredited under these new performance standards, which place greater emphasis on standardized test mastery and less emphasis on individual student growth

As I shared in a news release , FCPS is a world-class school division with nationally-recognized schools, and we will continue to build on our success and meet the needs of each and every student. But in order to do so, we need funding for the world-class educators, rigorous academics, and future-ready learning experiences that make our schools among the best in the nation. Our development process for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget is well underway, and in late January I’ll be presenting FCPS’ FY27 Proposed Budget during a School Board meeting.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to visit our Budget Story webpage to learn more about our budget and the funding challenges that schools across Virginia, not just FCPS, face because of outdated funding formulas. I encourage each of you to stay involved in our budget process and help our community write the next chapter of our budget story. Together, all things are possible!

As we enter this season of gratitude, I want to highlight the tremendous impact of our community’s generosity—especially from our FCPS employees. One example is teacher Sally Milian (pictured with her students as they harvest kale in their garden), who donates to Educate Fairfax after seeing how our classroom grants enrich instruction, spark curiosity, and open doors for students. As Sally shared, these grants help turn “limited resources into limitless learning,” giving students opportunities they might not otherwise have.

Educate Fairfax plays a vital role in student success, directing over $1.27 million back into FCPS last year. Just this week, they announced the results of the 2025–26 cycle: 129 new grants totaling over $210,000, benefiting nearly 47,000 students across 117 schools. If you feel inspired by stories like Sally’s, I encourage you to consider supporting Educate Fairfax’s year-end campaign , which directly funds next year’s classroom grants. Together, we can continue empowering teachers and enriching learning experiences for students across our division. Read more about Educate Fairfax here: Annual Impact Report .

On Saturday afternoon, I went to South County High School for its performance of  It’s a Wonderful Life . This is a seasonal favorite for sure.  The story is timeless, and the acting was incredible. Director Jewel Schrader Orem reminded us that “At its heart, this story is about the strength of the human spirit and ultimately, about community – people coming together to support one another. …  It’s a Wonderful Life  reminds us that every life touches countless others. Through George Bailey’s journey, we are reminded that one person can make an immeasurable difference – and that recognizing our impact helps us understand the worth of our own lives. May we all remember the value we bring to those around us: to the people we love, and even to the strangers whose lives we touch. What greater gift could there be?” Well said…

As I sit down to share my thoughts this evening, I invite you to consider with me the amazing gifts we each have to be thankful for this winter season. It is so easy at times to fuss about things that pale in comparison to the challenges others around our dear world face. This evening, I wish for each of you that you are able to be wholly present for the beauty and joy of this winter season and that you find those peaceful and meaningful moments of reflection and contemplation. With the clamor of our daily lives, it is often refreshing to pause and find the quiet. "It is in the stillness that we save and transform the world." -- Eckhart Tolle

Take good care,

Michelle Reid, Ed.D. Superintendent