Alert Update
<bt>As of Monday Oct. 21, Fairfax County Public Schools was continuing to enforce the security measures that had been put in place Oct. 10. The restrictions will continue until further notice.
Under the restrictions, schools continued to open on time with all students expected to report; all outdoor activities are to be moved indoors or canceled; indoor activities such as sports practices, dances and craft fairs are to be held at the discretion of the principal; all field trips within the Washington D.C.-metropolitan area are canceled; all Adult and Community Education classes are to be held as scheduled with the following exceptions: Behind-the-Wheel driving classes are canceled until the outdoor-activities ban is lifted and History-on-Location classes are also canceled.
Students who were scheduled to take the Oct. 12 SAT test and failed to report can call the College Board, 609-771-7600, and request a transfer to another date. Affected students should let the board know they are from Northern Virginia and request a transfer to the November testing.
In addition, there is a continuing increased police and school security presence at the schools. Extra supervision is being provided to oversee the "change of classes." Parents and staff are being encouraged to volunteer as back-up school patrols and counselors continue to be available at the schools for students and staff members.
The weekend's football and field hockey events took place at alternative sites located outside the Washington D.C.-metropolitan area.
A message confirming the restrictions is scheduled to be posted on the school system's Web site at approximately 5 p.m. daily. Parents and interested community members can receive emergency messages from the school system by e-mail through the FCPS "Keep In Touch" program. To register, go to the school system's Web page at www.fcps.edu, and click on the yellow "Keep In Touch" box. Updates are also available on the FCPS hotline at 703-246-2500.
<sh>GT Centers Boundary Meetings
<bt>Fairfax County Public School has scheduled a series of town meetings on school attendance boundaries associated with the opening of several new proposed gifted and talents (GT) centers. The new centers are proposed for Clearview Elementary in Herndon, Oak Hill Elementary in Herndon, Providence Elementary in Fairfax, Riverside Elementary in Mount Vernon and Mosby Woods in Fairfax. In addition the new schools under construction at the Andrew Chapel site in Vienna and the Lorton Station site in Lorton will also have GT centers. The GT center boundary meetings for those two schools will be held in conjunction with the overall schools' attendance boundary meetings. All meetings are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
The meetings for the existing schools are as follows:
* Clearview, Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Monday, Dec. 2, at Hughes Middle School cafeteria, 11401 Ridge Heights Road, Reston.
* Oak Hill, Monday, Nov. 4 and Monday, Dec. 9, at Carson Middle School cafeteria, 13618 McLearen Road, Herndon.
* Providence, Wednesday, Nov. 6 and Monday, Dec. 16, at Rocky Run Middle School little theater, 4400 Stringfellow Road, Chantilly.
* Riverside, Monday, Nov. 4 and Monday, Dec. 9, at Sandburg Middle School auditorium, 8428 Fort Hunt Road, Mount Vernon.
* Mosby Woods, Wednesday, Nov. 6 and Monday, Dec. 16, at Kilmer Middle School group instruction room, 8100 Wolftrap Road, Vienna.
<sh>Salute to Bus Drivers
<bt>The students at Key Center in Springfield, which serves students with disabilities, will have a special reception Wednesday, Oct. 23, for the 30 bus drivers and attendants who transport them to and from school.
The reception is part of the school system's observance of National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 20-26. The school system has a fleet of 1,470, making it the largest publicly-owned fleet in the United States, and transports more than 104,000 students on more than 5,000 separate routes across 399 square miles each day.
<sh>FCPS Events Calendar
<bt>Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m.
School Board regular business meeting. Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.
Thursday, Oct. 24, 8 a.m.
Professional Technical Studies Advisory Committee meeting. Walnut Hill Center, 7423 Camp Alger Ave., Falls Church.
Monday, Oct. 28, 6 p.m.
Fairfax County Public Schools high-school principals reception. Burkholder Center, 10700 Page Ave., Fairfax.
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 5:30 p.m.
Fairfax County Public Schools elementary-school principals reception. Oak View Elementary, 5004 Sideburn Road, Fairfax.
Friday, Nov. 1
First grading period ends for standard calendar and secondary-school, modified-calendar Fairfax County Public Schools.