Rachel Carson Student Services

Welcome back, everyone!

It’s so wonderful to hear the joyous sound of students, teachers and staff interacting through our halls and classes.

The 2023-24 school year is off to a tremendous start! We are very happy to see all our new and former students back in school.

The Counseling team is committed to providing every student with the care, support, and encouragement needed to be successful in middle school. It’s an exciting time as our students develop independence, pick their own electives, develop strong advocacy skills, learn lots of new things, and meet new friends. We also look forward to meeting parents through our back-to-school nights, parent coffees, and other meetings. We believe parents are students’ best advocates, and we are here to form collaborative and supportive relationships with you.

Please don’t hesitate to connect with us by email or phone for questions or concerns. We look forward to working with you this year!

Your student’s well-being is our top priority. One way we ensure that everyone is taken care of is through our SEL (Social Emotional Lessons). Throughout the year, students receive lessons during 4th Block / Advisory. These cover a variety of topics to support middle schoolers.

Another way we delivery important information is through class lessons. Counselors borrow class time to meet their new students and give helpful information, such as executive functioning skills, self-advocacy and resilience, study skills, bullying, plus much more!

During the year, we will host small groups (6-8 students) focused on specific areas. If you think your student would benefit from joining a small group, please let your counselor know. Counselors are providing students with a Needs Assessment survey. The information provided will help counselors understand what our students need, both individually and in small groups.

We are working to teach students about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend. We are using a program called Signs of Suicide (SOS). The program teaches seventh grade students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help, using age-appropriate video clips and guided discussions about depression, suicide, and what to do if concerned about a friend. Following the video, students will complete a response slip which asks whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns, and a brief depression screening tool. School staff will conduct brief meetings with any student asking to talk. For additional information, please contact a member of RCMS Student Services.

Does your child speak, read and write a language other than English? You may consider having your student take the World Language Credit Exam offered in November. Students who pass the exam will earn their high school World Language credit without having to take a language course in school. More information can be found here. Students will complete this form to be registered for the exam by the counselor.

Parent Resources

FCPS offers a parent Information Line Available in 8 Languages. Parents who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese can call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS and to receive support if they are having difficulty communicating with their children's schools due to a language barrier.

Additionally, view this graphic for a quick view of available telephone numbers for translation: Translation Services

What Is Schoology?

Teachers use Schoology to post their classroom materials online; to provide a secure forum for students to discuss their ideas and collaborate on projects; and to assign and collect homework electronically. It helps students stay organized and it keeps the class connected. A Schoology Parent Account gives you access to, your child’s classes, your child’s upcoming assignments and grades, and school, class, and group announcements. Parent accounts are now available. To access Schoology, parents will need to have an active SIS/ParentVUE account. More information on how to login and use Schoology is available online.

Lightspeed

FCPS has tools to help parents know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided at no cost to families by Lightspeed, the school division’s internet content filtering service. Parents may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. The report also offers parents the ability to sign up for free access to the Internet Use Parent Portal. Through the portal, parents may pause their child’s access to the internet on their FCPS device during non-school hours.

Parent Coffee

Several times a year, RCMS will host a parent coffee. We invite you in (sometimes in person, sometimes virtually) to engage with us on topics relevant to middle school families and students. We invite you to take part in our first one, September 26th at 9AM-10AM. We hope to see you there!

FCPS Tutoring Options

Students have unlimited access to 24/7, on-demand, online tutoring support services through Tutor.com at no cost to families. Students can connect online any time, any place, and in most K-12 subjects for however long they need. Tutoring may be on-demand and/or scheduled at a time convenient for the student and/or family.

Tutoring is focused instruction provided to students in a one-on-one format (voice and/or text chat). Tutors will focus on developing student’s strengths and capabilities in reading, mathematics, or other specified subjects. Tutoring services may be accessed before, during or after school hours and/or weekends.

Children go through a lot of changes, and it can be hard to tell if their behavior is developmentally appropriate or if they could benefit from mental health support. It’s important to talk to your child and pay attention to their actions, especially these warning signs:

• Increased irritability, hyperactivity, energy, and/or aggressive behavior.
• Excessive sadness, hopelessness, or worries.
• Loss of appetite, or significant weight gain or loss.
• Lack of sleep or too much sleep.
• A decline in grades, school avoidance, or attendance concerns.
• Alcohol or drug use.
• Withdrawal from activities and/or friends and family.
• Thoughts of harming themselves or others.

If you notice any of these warning signs or feel your child may be experiencing a mental health challenge, help is available. All Fairfax County public schools have at least one school counselor, school psychologist, and school social worker.

Please reach out to one of these staff members to discuss your concerns and identify resources. Call your school or visit their website for staff members’ contact information. Find additional information to support your child’s wellness.

If you or someone you care about is experiencing a mental health crisis such as thoughts of harming themselves or others, please take action right away. Call 988, go to the nearest emergency room, or contact the Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health Emergency Services at 703-573-5679.