The Liberty Ledger

Weekly newsletter providing families with the important updates and report of events happening at Liberty Middle School.

Important Dates:

• Wednesday, January 14- Curriculum Night
• Friday, January 16- Class Registration Day (Rising 8th)
• Friday, January 16- No After-School Program
• Monday, January 19- School Closed (Holiday)
• Wednesday, January 28- End of Quarter 2-Hour Early Release
• Thursday, January 29- School Closed (Staff Development Day)
• Friday, January 30- School Closed (Teacher Work Day)

Curriculum Night TONIGHT! :  Liberty Middle School Families, We are excited to invite you to our annual Curriculum Night on Wednesday, January 14th. This evening is a great opportunity to step into your child’s learning environment, explore our classrooms, and gain insight into the year ahead. Event Format (Open House):  All rising 7th grade families are invited to attend and learn more about course options and academic programs. This year’s Open House format allows you to move through the building at your own pace, ensuring you can visit the areas most relevant to you and your student. Event Details: Date: Wednesday, January 14 Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM What to Expect: Visit classrooms Meet teachers Explore curriculum offerings Campus walkthrough Additional details will be shared as the event approaches. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your assigned counselor. We look forward to seeing you!   Valerie Peters Director of Student Services Liberty Middle School

WIDA Testing: 

Liberty Middle Families, 

All students identified as multilingual learners (MLs) are assessed annually to monitor their progress and proficiency in English as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In Virginia, all divisions use the WIDA ACCESS for this purpose.

The WIDA ACCESS is aligned with the WIDA English Language Development standards and assesses English in the four language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The assessment will:

• Determine students’ English language proficiency level and eligibility for ESOL services and testing accommodations.
•  Help students and families understand students’ current level of English language proficiency along a developmental continuum.
• Provide teachers with information they can use to plan for and support student learning.
• Determine whether MLs have met English language proficiency criteria and exit ESOL services.

All MLs, including those who have opted out of ESOL services, participate annually in the ELP assessment until they reach English language proficiency criteria (ELP level 6). Alternate assessment formats are available for certain students with disabilities.

If you have questions about the annual ELP assessment, please contact the school’s test coordinator for more information.

Amber Wickstrom

Liberty Middle School School Test Coordinator

AKWickstrom@fcps.edu

703-988-8130

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For a translation of this document, please visit the webpage at https://www.fcps.edu/node/43961 or contact your student’s school.

Rising 8th Graders:

Important Dates!

Liberty Middle School Curriculum Night

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

All rising 8th grade families are invited to attend Curriculum Night at Liberty Middle School to learn about course options and the transition to 8th grade.

Liberty Class Registration Day (Rising 8th)

Friday, January 16, 2026

Counselors will meet with students to complete their 8th grade course selections.

Course Verifications Sent Home

March 13, 2026

Families will receive course verification forms to review student selections.

Last Day for Course Change Requests

March 27, 2026

This is the final day to submit any course change requests for the 2026–2027 school year.

Counselor Assignments:

• Last Names A–F, Cat B, CSS

               Counselor: Mr. Wigfall – qjwigfall@fcps.edu

• Last Names G–Moo, ELP Levels 1–2

               Counselor: Ms. Alvarez-Leon – salvarezleon@fcps.edu

• Last Names Mop–Z

               Counselor: Ms. Hart – rlhart@fcps.edu

More details will be provided as we get closer to each date. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your assigned counselor.

Mark your calendars and get ready — exciting curriculum events are on the way!

Valerie Peters

Director of Student Services

Liberty Middle School

Graduation Status Now Available in ParentVUE & StudentVUE:

A new Graduation Status section is now available in ParentVUE and StudentVUE. The Graduation Status is a tool that helps parents and students monitor and track their progress in meeting graduation requirements. This feature includes progress towards the Standard or Advanced Studies diploma for high school students and middle school students who have enrolled in one or more high school courses. This new graduation status section is available in addition to the course history and unofficial transcript options in ParentVUE and StudentVUE. To view the graduation status section, please take the following steps:

1. Login to your SIS ParentVUE Account
2. Go to “Course History” for your middle or high school student
3. Go to “Graduation Status” and toggle “on” 

For questions about graduation requirements, please contact your school counselor. Additional information about ParentVUE is available on the following website:  https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/student-information-system-sis-fcps/sis-parent-account-overview 

Additionally, a resource guide with frequently asked questions (FAQ) for the Graduation Status section is available for school counseling professionals on the Graduation Requirements site.

FCPS 2 E Series Registration: 

FCPS is having a twice exceptional (2e) information series presented by Dr. Nonye Oladimeji, our AAP Twice Exceptional Specialist.   Here are the blurbs. Question: Should I target 2e families or should this go out to all families? Can the following information be included in the community newsletter and the school webpage?

February 20: The Social Lives of Twice exceptional (2e) Students: Friendship, Belonging, and Identity

Families will understand how some 2e students navigate peer relationships and how to support them establishing authentic connections.

May 15: Beyond High School: Preparing Twice exceptional Students for College, Career, and Adult Life Through Executive Functioning and Essential Life Skills.

Families will learn strategies to support 2e students in developing executive functioning skills and essential life skills while empowering them to navigate college career, and independent adult life successfully.

Register here for the webinar series

Scoliosis Fact Sheet:

Please see the FCPS website for more information and resources to support our community with scoliosis. 

For questions, please contact FCPS Community Liaisons. 

Liberty Yearbook:

Don't miss out on capturing all the great memories from this school year! Now's the perfect time to order your yearbook and lock in the best price.

Yearbook prices will increase throughout the year, so the sooner you order, the more you'll save. Here are the deadlines and pricing:

Payments can be made online in MySchoolBucks:
https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/login/postlogin.action

• September 16, 2025 – January 9, 2026: $26

• January 10, 2026 – April 10, 2026: $30

• April 11, 2026 – June 30, 2026: $38

Materials Review Committee:

We are seeking parent volunteers to serve on our Materials Review Committee. Committee members will read or watch the texts that teachers submit for approval to ensure that it is age appropriate for students. We will also meet monthly to discuss the texts prior to completing the required forms.

Please reach out to Maggie Wickham at mpwickham@fcps.edu if interested in serving on the committee this year.

Liberty Library:

Want to know what's happening in the Liberty Library? Check us out on the Liberty Middle website! Click here to visit our website!

After-School Program:

AFTER-SCHOOL REGISTRATION

Student Services Team

Shirley Alvarez-Leon, Liberty Counselor (Last names G-Moo)

Valerie Peters, Director of Student Services 

Quesuan Wigfall, Liberty Counselor (Last names A-F)

Raychal Hart, Lead Liberty Counselor (Last Names Mop-Z)

Free and Reduced Meal Eligibility

If your children qualify for Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRM), they may also be eligible for:

• Waivers or reduced fees for other FCPS fee-based programs.
• Information about scholarships, classes, and services from non-FCPS agencies and organizations.

To receive these additional benefits, you must give written consent allowing FCPS staff to share your children's meal eligibility status with administrators, school counselors and the school's finance technician. This information will not be shared with any other parties.

The Consent to Share is available here in multiple languages.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the application, feel free to contact our Family Liaison, Jaime Fajardo, at jefajardo@fcps.edu or 703-988-8234. All applications and related conversations will be handled confidentially.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions regarding resources like food and family assistance, please contact Sarah Hughes, School Social Worker at shughes@fcps.edu or visit our Social Worker Page. 

Helpful Resources

• Get more information about food distribution
• Watch this video to learn how to set up SIS ParentVUE
• Liberty MS Staff Directory
• Technology Help Desk:1-833-921-3277

Liberty MS Website Blogpost:

Check out what’s happening at Liberty! Read our latest website blogposts: https://libertyms.fcps.edu/features

LMS Administrative Team

Principal: Justine Klena |  JKKlena@fcps.edu

Director of Student Services: Valerie Peters |  VCPeters@fcps.edu

Assistant Principal: Jennifer Filsinger | JLFilsinger@fcps.edu

Assistant Principal: Sarah Letina |  SCLetina@fcps.edu

Assistant Principal: Gregory Hall |  GHall3@fcps.edu 

After-School Specialist: Sandy Donlon |