Category: FWSU

This year has been a year like no other. As a learning community we have encountered numerous obstacles, adapted and reinvented many different ways that we engage in learning; demonstrating resiliency and flexibility daily.  I am so proud of our students, staff and community for their responses to this extraordinary event. As we have been … Continue reading We Are Looking Forward to Next Year

W.I.N. is the acronym for "What I Need" and there has never been a time when personalized instruction and support has been so important. Focusing on individual needs socially/emotionally and academically is critical. Research studies indicate that the depth of learning loss throughout the pandemic has been widespread and evident as students participate in local grade level … Continue reading W.I.N. Time at Gems

In February, thousands of dedicated and well-meaning educators just like myself scour their classrooms and school libraries for books on Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and other famous Black Americans.  And, it’s not enough. Rosa Parks I fell into the trap, too, big time this year, as I visited many classrooms in … Continue reading Black History Month, Every Month

As part of art class with Mrs. Dorsey Hogg, 4th Grade students learned about American painter, sculptor and printmaker, Frank Stella. Students found inspiration in Stella's minimalist work and use of technology in his design process. You can learn more about this modern artist by accessing the Frank Stella's Retrospective Page. The students began the … Continue reading GEMS Use Technology to Fabricate Frank Stella Inspired Artwork

FWSU’s Three Rs Plan: Reconnect ⇼ Reimagine ⇼ Reinvent FWSU wants to hear from you! Join us on May 6 at 6:30pm via Zoom to share your ideas about the kind of educational experiences you want your children to have in FWSU as we look forward, together, to the 2021-2022 school year!  *Click the image … Continue reading Save the Date for the FWSU Community Forum

Music and the arts are an essential part of life and who we are as a BFA Fairfax community.  This month, I asked Mr. Wallace and Ms. Maynard to share some thoughts on our music program this year. I hope you will join me in thanking them (and all of our music and choral students!) … Continue reading The Show Must Go On!

The job description for principals includes many of the tasks you would expect-supervise teachers, manage the budget, maintain student discipline- but, like every other job description, it includes “other duties as needed”. In a typical year, these “other duties as needed” might include supervising a school dance, cleaning up a hallway mess, or substituting for … Continue reading Other duties as needed…

As I walked the hallways of our school the other day, I was noticing and appreciating the quantity and quality of information on display throughout our school. One of the important design features of the elementary school were bulletin boards throughout our hallways. It seems simple, but bulletin boards serve many purposes. I value our … Continue reading Bulletin Boards Help Tell Our Story