Newsfeed Archives

There was so much excitement yesterday morning as the senior class of James Monroe walked the halls of Hugh Mercer Elementary School, Lafayette Elementary School, and Walker-Grant Middle School. The energy that emitted from the senior class definitely gave the students a great deal to look forward to in the years to come. Congratulations, James Monroe Class of 2022. We can’t wait to see you all walk across the stage next Thursday, May 26, 2022.

Click on the link below to enjoy a short video.

https://youtu.be/CCaI-4RaO44

1. If your child has a medication in the school clinic, this must be picked up by the last day of school.  Medications are not stored over the summer. Unused medications that are not picked up by the last day of school, will be destroyed per school policy. 

 

2. If your child needs their medication for summer school, please arrange this with your child's school nurse before the last day of school, so their medications are not inadvertently destroyed.

We invite our FCPS families, Fredericksburg residents and businesses to join our 8th Grade Make it Your Business classes’ culminating project for the 2021-22 school year. Our students have worked hard learning the elements of business and entrepreneurship. Now, they are putting their skills in action by hosting a Pop-Up Shop (vendor fair) to celebrate small businesses and entrepreneurship here in the Fredericksburg area. The event will be held on Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 11am to 3pm, here at Walker-Grant Middle School. Our students are busy making products to sell to earn money for our WGMS Career & Technology Education program. Even some of our 6th graders are helping out with a seedling table (plants, vegetables/fruits and herbs), so you don’t want to miss it!

If you have any questions about the event OR you have a product/service to offer and would like a table at the event, please contact Ms. Sprow at: rsprow@cityschools.com or 540.372.1145 Ext 2202 by Wednesday, May 4th. As always, we thank you for your support in educating our next generation of local leaders!

Students from FCPS, Superintendent Dr. Catlett, AP's from our schools, teachers, and other staff had a blast representing FCPS at the FredNats Education Day on May 11. Teachers and students were invited to take part in the inaugural Education Day with the FredNats, where they had an educational experience through a baseball game. FCPS and FredNats have a proud partnership, and appreciate everyone coming out and having a good time.

FCPS Kinder Camp is designed to help Pre-K students prepare for their upcoming kindergarten year. This ONE-Week camp will be filled with a variety of learning experiences during story time, music, art, visits to the library, and computer time. Our Pre-K students will discover how much fun it is to be a kindergartner!

To view the application and flyer from the thumbnail, click the buttons below.

Application

Flyer

Rising 12th graders are required to have a current dose of Meningococcal (MenACWY) before the first day of grade 12.

Rising 7^th graders are required to have Tdap,  Meningococcal (MenACWY) and HPV before the first day of 7^th grade.

On Thursday, May 12, at the Walker-Grant Center, a meeting was held with local community members (all were invited), to solicit input and feedback on the new middle school.

The meeting was facilitated by Moseley Architects, who will be building the new middle school, as they were selected as a result of Fredericksburg City Public School's procurement process (PPA).

There will be an additional meeting held on May 18 from 6:30 to 7:30PM, at Walker-Grant Middle School (1 Learning Lane, Fredericksburg, VA, 22401), and all community members are invited to attend that meeting as well.

FCPS thanks Moseley for hosting these meetings, and for our wonderful community members taking their time to give feedback.

1. If your child has a medication in the school clinic, this must be picked up by the last day of school.  Medications are not stored over the summer. Unused medications that are not picked up by the last day of school, will be destroyed per school policy. 

 

2. If your child needs their medication for summer school, please arrange this with your child's school nurse before the last day of school, so their medications are not inadvertently destroyed.

We invite our FCPS families, Fredericksburg residents and businesses to join our 8th Grade Make it Your Business classes’ culminating project for the 2021-22 school year. Our students have worked hard learning the elements of business and entrepreneurship. Now, they are putting their skills in action by hosting a Pop-Up Shop (vendor fair) to celebrate small businesses and entrepreneurship here in the Fredericksburg area. The event will be held on Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 11am to 3pm, here at Walker-Grant Middle School. Our students are busy making products to sell to earn money for our WGMS Career & Technology Education program. Even some of our 6th graders are helping out with a seedling table (plants, vegetables/fruits and herbs), so you don’t want to miss it!

If you have any questions about the event OR you have a product/service to offer and would like a table at the event, please contact Ms. Sprow at: rsprow@cityschools.com or 540.372.1145 Ext 2202 by Wednesday, May 4th. As always, we thank you for your support in educating our next generation of local leaders!

FCPS Kinder Camp is designed to help Pre-K students prepare for their upcoming kindergarten year. This ONE-Week camp will be filled with a variety of learning experiences during story time, music, art, visits to the library, and computer time. Our Pre-K students will discover how much fun it is to be a kindergartner!

To view the application and flyer from the thumbnail, click the buttons below.

Application

Flyer

On Monday, members of the Walker-Grant Band Program traveled to James Monroe to rehearse a combined piece with the high school band students. Come on out to the Spring Band Concert this evening in the JM auditorium at 7pm to hear these amazing musicians as well as the JM Jazz Band and WG and JM Concert Bands individually! We hope to see you there!

Today honors the daily efforts of school nurses to ensure all students’ wellbeing, safety, and academic ability. School nurses are the very heartbeat of FCPS schools. They stand ready to help every child all day, every day. They serve a pivotal role that bridges health care and education that is critical to student achievement.

FCPS received a $40,000 grant from Transurban, the Transurban grant will help Fredericksburg City Public Schools create outdoor learning spaces to make nature more accessible to the school community and help to educate students about environmental stewardship. Below is a photo collage from breaking ground on the first of these outdoor learning spaces at James Monroe High School. FCPS also thanks Tree Fredericksburg and the Ceili Leahy Service Project for their partnership in bringing these outdoor learning spaces to life. As more progress is made on these spaces, continued updates will be provided. 

To view the dates for upcoming Spring Showcases, view the PDF below.

May 6 is National School Lunch Hero Day. We want to thank all our amazing school lunch staff for the hard work they do every single day. They help keep all our students energized and ready to learn, and are an invaluable part of what keeps FCPS moving. Thank you again to all our school lunch staff!

On May 5, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced more than $14 million in funding for public schools throughout the Commonwealth to replace old diesel school buses with all-electric buses.

Eleven school divisions received grant funding. FCPS completed the grant application in the spring and will receive $2,597,240 to purchase 10 electric school buses.

These awards, made through the Clean School Bus Program (CBSP), complement more than $10 million awarded last August to replace 72 diesel school buses in 17 districts with electric and propane buses.

Deputy Superintendent Matt Eberhardt said that “there are significant benefits to electric buses like reduced fuel costs, zero emissions, reduced noise pollution and longer life expectancies of the vehicles with less maintenance.”

“It’s important that we remove older buses in order to reduce air pollution and reduce the carbon footprint,” Eberhardt said.

This is a significant step toward City Council’s 100% Renewable Energy Resolution and commitment to the goal of powering municipal and operations with 100% renewable energy by 2035, or earlier. This FCPS effort would help the city’s sustainability commitments by working together to increase energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions.

“This electric bus initiative will educate students in an authentic way about the importance of clean fuel solutions, healthy air, and personal and public economic opportunities and fiscal responsibility. We have already begun energy audits and opportunity reviews for solar, electric vehicles, reduced energy usage, etc.; however, we want and need to go farther by doing more in concert with the City and UMW to maximize potential,” stated Dr. Marci Catlett, Superintendent of Schools.

To view the official PDF release for this announcement, click HERE.

Dear Fredericksburg City Public Schools Families and Community,

 

Fredericksburg City Public Schools invites you to our upcoming Community Meetings to solicit input and feedback on the new middle school. The meetings will be facilitated by Moseley Architects.

 

Thursday, May 12, 2022

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Walker-Grant Center

210 Ferdinand Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

 

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Walker-Grant Middle School

1 Learning Lane, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

 

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to Fredericksburg City Public Schools.

 

To view the PDF of the official release for this announcement, click HERE.

1. If your child has a medication in the school clinic, this must be picked up by the last day of school.  Medications are not stored over the summer. Unused medications that are not picked up by the last day of school, will be destroyed per school policy. 

 

2. If your child needs their medication for summer school, please arrange this with your child's school nurse before the last day of school, so their medications are not inadvertently destroyed.

Have you had a chance to visit our Community page? It is filled with tons of resources for food, housing, and more. It also has a news feed for upcoming community events that families might be interested in, like summer programs (Culture Rebirth, VFW, basketball programs, etc.). It has info on how to volunteer with FCPS, who our community partners are, and much more! Check it out below!

 

Community Page

We invite our FCPS families, Fredericksburg residents and businesses to join our 8th Grade Make it Your Business classes’ culminating project for the 2021-22 school year. Our students have worked hard learning the elements of business and entrepreneurship. Now, they are putting their skills in action by hosting a Pop-Up Shop (vendor fair) to celebrate small businesses and entrepreneurship here in the Fredericksburg area. The event will be held on Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 11am to 3pm, here at Walker-Grant Middle School. Our students are busy making products to sell to earn money for our WGMS Career & Technology Education program. Even some of our 6th graders are helping out with a seedling table (plants, vegetables/fruits and herbs), so you don’t want to miss it!

If you have any questions about the event OR you have a product/service to offer and would like a table at the event, please contact Ms. Sprow at: rsprow@cityschools.com or 540.372.1145 Ext 2202 by Wednesday, May 4th. As always, we thank you for your support in educating our next generation of local leaders!

Teachers change the world by opening the minds of their students, expanding their horizons, and creating new paths of possibility and achievement.  Teachers sow seeds of creativity that blossom into inspiring thoughts that kindle their imaginations.

 

Please thank teachers for their patience, inspiration, and understanding.  Continue to support them in their efforts and appreciate them for their expertise and dedication.

 

Thank you for giving so unselfishly of your time and for the dedication you have shown in ensuring that our wonderful students are encouraged to reach their fullest potential.

 

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Although FCPS recognized Principal Appreciation Week, we also want to recognize Principals Day! For Principal Appreciation Week, we ran interviews with all our principals, which you can read by clicking the button below. FCPS thanks all our amazing principals for their hard work and dedication!

Principal Appreciation Week Interviews

Autism and education are intertwined for school systems. FCPS has SPED programs, and is committed to ensuring students with autism get the help and resources they need for an amazing education. The Autism Society has a wonderful page describing the many ways autism intertwines with the education system, resources available, and more. Click the button below to view.

Autism Society - Education

Awards for "Excellence in Teaching" were given out yesterday! These are the division recognitions, for Mentor Teacher of the Year, Novice Teacher of the Year, and Teacher of the Year. Congratulations to all recipients! FCPS is proud of all the amazing work our teachers do each and every day, and look forward to even more excellence to come!

Ms. Bunn is always available for her mentees and always has time to sit down and talk them through anything they need. She has mentored new mentors as they guide their own mentees. She has helped the entire Special Education department as a senior team member and stands out in a group of wonderful mentors. She is the recipient of the Mentor Teacher of the Year, and is a special education teacher at Hugh Mercer Elementary School.

Mr. Williamson radiates passion and a zest for learning that is reflective in his superior classroom management and student-centered learning environment. He is the recipient of the Novice Teacher of the Year, and he is a first-grade teacher at Lafayette Elementary School.

Mrs. Willging demonstrates her dedication to students' achievements and employs a "can do" approach to teaching. Parents, colleagues, and the administrative teams recognize her highly structured organization and her impressive ability to motivate others. She continues to hone her skills at every available opportunity. She is the recipient of the Teacher of the Year award, and is a special education teacher from James Monroe High School.

Below are the school level recipients of Excellence in Teaching. Let's give them a hearty round of congratulations, keep up the amazing work!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Did you know that in 2017–18, some 90 percent of all public schools had a library media center. Some 95 percent of public primary schools and 80 percent of public high schools had a library media center. To see more cool statistics about school libraries, visit the webpage below!

School Library Stats

JMHS DECA had a successful trip to Atlanta for the International DECA competition. Olivia Adams received a medal for placing in the top 8 for the Restaurant Marketing Promotion role play. In the past 14 years of attending ICDC competitions, JMHS has only had 5 other students make it on stage in this International competition to receive a medal. Please congratulate her on this tremendous accomplishment! JMHS DECA was also received a ribbon for their chapter membership campaign.

We invite our FCPS families, Fredericksburg residents and businesses to join our 8th Grade Make it Your Business classes’ culminating project for the 2021-22 school year. Our students have worked hard learning the elements of business and entrepreneurship. Now, they are putting their skills in action by hosting a Pop-Up Shop (vendor fair) to celebrate small businesses and entrepreneurship here in the Fredericksburg area. The event will be held on Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 11am to 3pm, here at Walker-Grant Middle School. Our students are busy making products to sell to earn money for our WGMS Career & Technology Education program. Even some of our 6th graders are helping out with a seedling table (plants, vegetables/fruits and herbs), so you don’t want to miss it!

If you have any questions about the event OR you have a product/service to offer and would like a table at the event, please contact Ms. Sprow at: rsprow@cityschools.com or 540.372.1145 Ext 2202 by Wednesday, May 4th. As always, we thank you for your support in educating our next generation of local leaders!

As part of school library month, we are highlighting all our amazing school libraries. Part of that, is having the librarians speak a little bit to promote their library. Some talk about what's going on at their library this month, others tell a cool story about a kid having a fun time in the library, and others share what's important about school libraries in general. This week's highlight is Walker-Grant, so enjoy. Click the button below to view.

Walker-Grant Video

On April 26, 2022, James Monroe High School students who signed up attended the Intern Expo at the Fredericksburg Expo center. Students came with their resumes ready to go, and prepared to network. They attended breakout room sessions (Germanna Linked-In Center, Pitch to Me!, Creating An Elevator Pitch, Quick Career Assessment, What’s Next?), met with local businesses and organizations at their respective booths, and helped inundate themselves in local business and work culture. Way to go Jackets!

Wednesday, April 27

Lafayette Elementary School

3 Learning Lane

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

FCPS invites all of our Military Families to join us for an opportunity to meet fellow military families, talk with division staff, and receive more information on resources specific to supporting military families.

Please RSVP by emailing the school representative below, or filling out the military survey available on our resources page; https://www.fxbgschools.us/resources/military-family-resource

Hugh Mercer Elementary School - Kelley O’Neill koneill@cityschools.com

Lafayette Elementary School - Ciera Clark cclark@cityschools.com

Walker-Grant Middle School Delia Clayton-Fulcher dclaytonfulcher@cityschools.com

Military Family Night Division Coordinator Sandy Gillenwater (sgillenwater@cityschools) (540-372-1130) 

Walker-Grant's library has an awesome new creation zone with all sorts of supplies for kids to create art and challenge their minds in a variety of ways, but it's also got the good old fashioned books too! To see all of this and get a good idea of what Walker-Grant's library offers, click the link below to a photo gallery.

Walker-Grant Library Photos

The FCPS Family and Community Engagement Team enjoyed participating in EARTH DAY on the Rappahannock, sponsored by Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation. Each FCPS school participated in the day’s events.

Preschool Programs planted Lima Beans!

Hugh Mercer Elementary School planted vegetables!

Lafayette Elementary School made mosaics of the world!

Walker-Grant Middle School made bird feeders!

James Monroe had a booth for fingerprinting!

Thanks to all that stopped by the FCPS EARTH DAY booth!

 

FCPS Kindergarten Registration Drive-Up Event

May 10, 2022

4:30 - 6:30 PM

Walker-Grant Center 210 Ferdinand St, Fredericksburg, VA

Please bring completed registration paperwork including the documents listed below.

Please remain in your vehicle.

Complete registration so you can sign your student up for the FREE KinderCamp summer program!

Bring these items to the May 10 event to complete registration:

1. Birth Certificate, Original, not photocopy or Passport (if not U.S. Citizen)

2. Immunization Record/School Entrance Physical Exam (dated within 1 year of entering school for the first time.) These documents must be signed by a physician and recorded on a State Health Form, which may be obtained from your physician, Fredericksburg Health Department, or FCPS registrar’s office.

3. Proof of City Residency (mortgage/property settlement agreement, lease AND 1 current utility bill)- Driver’s license cannot be accepted.

4. Tuition Form (if out-of-city resident)

5. Photo ID for parent/guardian

6. Parent/guardian will also be required to submit registration paperwork—Forms can be found online— fxbgschools.us

Any Questions? Call the FCPS Registrar at 540-940-8380 or email ataylor@cityschools.com

Need the info in this flyer in a different language? Click below.

Dari Flyer

Pashto Flyer

Spanish Flyer

Have you had a chance to visit our Community page? It is filled with tons of resources for food, housing, and more. It also has a news feed for upcoming community events that families might be interested in. It has info on how to volunteer with FCPS, who our community partners are, and much more! Check it out below!

 

Community Page

Join us at one of our kick off events and enjoy refreshments from the FCPS mobile food truck. SOL test study materials will be distributed. Brought to you in partnership with; Boys and Girls Club, Family Life Center, Hazel Hill community, Heritage Park community. Packets available at the Mayfield civic center. 

 

Dates:

Tuesday, April 26 at Boys and Girls Club (4:00pm)

Hazel Hill at 4:30pm

 

Wednesday, April 27 at family life center (4:00pm)

Heritage Park at 4:30pm

 

Don't miss it! 

Wednesday, April 27

Lafayette Elementary School

3 Learning Lane

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

FCPS invites all of our Military Families to join us for an opportunity to meet fellow military families, talk with division staff, and receive more information on resources specific to supporting military families.

Please RSVP by emailing the school representative below, or filling out the military survey available on our resources page; https://www.fxbgschools.us/resources/military-family-resource

Hugh Mercer Elementary School - Kelley O’Neill koneill@cityschools.com

Lafayette Elementary School - Ciera Clark cclark@cityschools.com

Walker-Grant Middle School Delia Clayton-Fulcher dclaytonfulcher@cityschools.com

Military Family Night Division Coordinator Sandy Gillenwater (sgillenwater@cityschools) (540-372-1130) 

(Need the flyer in PDF form due to accessibility? Click HERE)

Earth Day on the Rappahannock

April 23, 20222

FCPS will be there!

11:00 AM- 4:00 PM

FCPS is still recognizing Autism Awareness Month. As part of that, we would like to share some great facts and statistics about autism, ways to get involved, and more. Click the button below to view an amazing flyer by Autism Speaks.

Autism Speaks - Facts, Involvement, and More

First Choice Public-Private Partners met with faculty and staff at Walker-Grant Middle School yesterday to gather feedback about a variety of building design options for the new middle school. 

Did you know that by the seventeenth century the concept of books created specifically for young people was established with such works as the first picture book, Orbis Sensualium Pictus by Johann Amos Comenius in 1657. To learn more about the amazing history of school libraries, visit the web page below!

School Library History

Community leaders attended our first Walker-Grant Middle School "A Seat at the Table" Breakfast on Thursday, April 14th. This event provided an opportunity to bring a group of our future leaders together with some of our current internal and community leaders to share insight and encouragement.  For this particular breakfast, we spent time discussing items at the forefront of our community- Digital Citizenship, Leadership and Civic Duty. A thank you to all who organized and participated in the event, with a special thank you to Ms. Rosella Sprow for her many roles in making this event a success.

 

Yesterday, April 20th was National Purple Up! Day for Month of the Military Child. Hugh Mercer showed support for all our military children. Thanks for participating!

Need to register your student for kindergarten for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year? Come by Lafayette Elementary School (3 Learning Lane, Fredericksburg, VA) tonight, from 5 to 6:30PM. Even if your student will be attending Hugh Mercer, you can still come to the registration event tonight at Lafayette. You will be able to pick up information about registration and the upcoming school year, get your questions answered, meet some of our staff, sign-up for FCPS alerts and Spot My Bus, and more. Please remain in your car and follow the signs as you drive in. Not able to make it tonight? Check out our “New Student Registration” page on our website for how to get registered. Above are just a few photos from our registration event last night at Hugh Mercer Elementary, our staff had a blast meeting families and welcoming them into FCPS. 

Wednesday, April 27

Lafayette Elementary School

3 Learning Lane

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

FCPS invites all of our Military Families to join us for an opportunity to meet fellow military families, talk with division staff, and receive more information on resources specific to supporting military families.

Please RSVP by emailing the school representative below, or filling out the military survey available on our resources page; https://www.fxbgschools.us/resources/military-family-resource

Hugh Mercer Elementary School - Kelley O’Neill koneill@cityschools.com

Lafayette Elementary School - Ciera Clark cclark@cityschools.com

Walker-Grant Middle School Delia Clayton-Fulcher dclaytonfulcher@cityschools.com

Military Family Night Division Coordinator Sandy Gillenwater (sgillenwater@cityschools) (540-372-1130) 

Get Involved!

Would you like to represent your organization or business at one or more of these events in the future? Please fill out this brief form to indicate your interest!

Interested in a recap video of that day? Click HERE to view that.

Want to see a gallery of some photos from the first Roundtable? Click HERE to view that.

As part of school library month, we are highlighting all our amazing school libraries. Part of that, is having the librarians speak a little bit to promote their library. Some talk about what's going on at their library this month, others tell a cool story about a kid having a fun time in the library, and others share what's important about school libraries in general. This week's highlight is James Monroe, so enjoy. Click the button below to view the video.

James Monroe Video

(Need the flyer in PDF form due to accessibility? Click HERE)

Earth Day on the Rappahannock

April 23, 20222

FCPS will be there!

11:00 AM- 4:00 PM

The FCPS fine arts display is from April 21-23 at James Monroe, which will be combined with performances of Disney's The Lion King Kids' Experience (performed by Hugh Mercer and Lafayette Elementary). The Lion King portion of the event will be on the 21st and 22nd, with a 6:30PM showtime at JM. On April 23 the display only will be from 10AM to 2PM. We hope to see you there!