Dear PWCS Families, Employees, and Community,

Family engagement and communication are core aspects of our division’s Strategic Plan. As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, starting next week, we will begin using a new communication platform to enhance outreach from the division and schools. You may see texts and calls with an area code of 833, and emails with “SchoolStatus” in the email address. As we further deploy the system in the coming weeks and months, the ability for two-way communication, with automatic translations, including texting will be introduced. Thank you for your patience and collaboration as we move forward with deploying this new tool.

Prince William County Public Schools recognizes October as National Bullying Prevention Month (website). One of the best ways to resolve bullying is to foster a positive and inclusive school community. Grounded in Commitment 2: Positive Climate and Culture, PWCS encourages each school to become a No Place for Hate designee. No Place for Hate is a student-led school climate improvement program that provides PreK-12 schools with an organizing framework for combating bias, bullying, and hatred, leading to long-term solutions for creating and maintaining a positive change. PWCS currently has 32 designated No Place for Hate schools, and we are working toward having all schools participate. We also encourage our educators, students, and families to practice positive conflict resolution, be more accepting of others, and learn ways to reduce bullying in our schools and communities.

In observance of Energy Action Month, a national campaign to raise awareness of the use of energy in our society, I would like to share what PWCS is doing to positively impact our environment. In 2020, the School Board adopted a sustainability resolution which formalized the school division’s commitment to sustainability, the environment, and reducing the carbon footprint. Over two years, we have earned three notable achievements: winning the 2020 Green Schools Challenge, earning the 2021 Green Ribbon School District Sustainability Award, and receiving the 2022 Leadership in Greener Purchasing Award.

We are proud of these accomplishments as they recognize the environmentally conscious direction of PWCS. Looking toward a clean future, the implementation of our Strategic Plan ensures that 100% of schools actively integrate environmental literacy into all grade levels, five schools earn the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School designation, a reduction of 10% of greenhouse emissions year over year, and the completion of the first Net Zero school. PWCS is committed to building a more sustainable and responsible future for our students to thrive.

As a reminder, the 2023-24 school calendar survey will be available for comment until Sunday, October 9. The school calendar consists of the instructional calendar, for students and parents, and the work calendar, for all PWCS staff. After October 9, the results will be compiled and presented to the School Board, who will make the final decision in November. At your availability, please complete the survey.

I would also like to share information about the Impact Aid survey which is available in ParentVUE. Through participation, the federal Impact Aid program financially assists local school districts. The results of the survey provide additional revenue to the school division to support the unique needs of our military connected families. All parents and guardians who are military-connected or work on federal property are encouraged to read the instructions for filling-out the survey and complete the survey for each PWCS student in their household.

Have a restful weekend and remember that Monday is a divisionwide professional development day, which is a non-attendance day for all students.

Sincerely,

LaTanya D. McDade, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Prince William County Public Schools