Annandale Students, Parents, and Community,
Happy Mother’s Day! Today, we celebrate all the mothers and mother figures who have impacted our lives. I hope you are able to celebrate with the special people in your life.
This past week, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you to everyone who contributed gift cards, breakfast items, treats, or time to help make the week so special for our staff. Your generosity and support were deeply appreciated. I could not think of a staff more dedicated or more deserving of celebration than the one we have here at Annandale.
As I reflect on all the ways our staff goes above and beyond each day, I am incredibly grateful for their relentless commitment to the success of our students. Let me share just a few examples of the many ways our teachers and staff support students throughout the year.
✓ PRIDE Time: Our embedded intervention period, held on White Days, uses student data to identify students in need of additional academic support and provides targeted time to practice and strengthen essential skills.
✓ After School Academic Program (ASAP): This after school program supports students’ academic success and helps prepare them for end of course assessments and state required SOL tests.
✓ Super Saturdays: Super Saturdays provide students with additional SOL and IB exam preparation opportunities led by Annandale teachers on the Saturday prior to testing.
✓ Responsive SOL Retake Remediation: PRIDE Time 4.5 is our most responsive intervention period, during which students receive targeted instruction and support as they prepare to retake an SOL.
✓ Academic Coaching: Annandale teachers are available on select Saturdays from 8:30am-11:00am to support students in prioritizing their work, completing outstanding assignments, and facilitating assessment retakes. This focused, distraction free environment gives students individualized support to improve grades and stay on track.
✓ W4 Academic Check Ins: Multiple times throughout the year, advisory teachers hold one-on-one conversations with students. These W4 check ins help build caring and trusting relationships while giving students an opportunity to reflect on their progress, review current grades, and create plans to finish the year strong.
These efforts reflect just a small part of the dedication our staff brings to Annandale every day. Their commitment to high quality instruction and unwavering support for students is what makes our school community so special. As we head into the final stretch of the school year, I am proud of the work we are doing together to help every student finish strong.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. As always, please reach out if you have any questions.
Shawn DeRose, Principal
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Parent Volunteers and Donations Needed!
The month of the school year includes several important events and opportunities to support Annandale High School through donations or volunteering. Community involvement helps make these events possible and strengthens the experiences we provide for students. Thank you for considering how you may be able to contribute. Detailed opportunities are listed below.
Now through May 20 - Proctors Needed for IB Exams: Calling all Volunteers! The IB exams are starting soon and we are in need of help to proctor the exams. Volunteers are needed to walk around the testing room occasionally and sit/monitor students. No special training is needed ahead of time. Each testing room will have at least one experienced proctor that will be in charge of administering the test. We just need additional adult supervision. Volunteers must be 21 or older. Bring your driver’s license to check-in at the main office. Dress casually with comfortable shoes! If you are available to assist, please sign up here. Reach out to Linda Bradshaw with any questions.
June 9 - Volunteers Needed for the All Night Grad Celebration: We also need volunteers to support the All Night Grad Celebration! Lets keep the legacy of this amazing event, providing a safe environment for our Seniors to celebrate their graduation. Sign up here to support the day of the event.
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End of Year Testing Calendar
Important Dates
May 11-12 - Senior Survey
May 12 - Band Concert
May 13 - SOL Testing, Reading
May 14 - Senior Art Show, 6pm
May 16 - Saturday Academic Coaching
May 16 - Super Saturday: Science
May 19 - PTSA Meeting, 7pm
May 20 - PTSA Pantry Distribution, 3:30pm
May 21 - Student of the Month Celebration
May 21-22 - Broadway Desserts, 7pm
May 25 - Memorial Day (No School)
May 26 - Teacher Workday (No School)
May 26 - Academic Coaching
May 27 - Eid-al-Adha (No School)
May 28 - Senior Exams Begin
May 28 - Rising 9th Grade Activities Fair
May 30 - Saturday Academic Coaching
June 8 - Graduation (Early Release, 10:30am)
June 8 - Graduation, 7pm
May 12 - Band Concert, 7pm: The Annandale High School Bands will wrap up their successful 2026-2027 year with a fantastic Spring Concert. The Percussion Ensemble, Beginning Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble will perform a wide range of exciting music. From works like “Dragonstone” and “Starfall” to “Star Trek” and the emotionally challenging piece, “(not) Alone”. This concert will feature several student soloists and allow the bands to say one final farewell to our graduating seniors. Please join us for this FREE concert! Doors open at 6:45pm!
May 16 - Saturday Academic Coaching: Annandale teachers will be available on Saturday, May 2 from 8:30am to 11:00am to support students in prioritizing their work, completing outstanding assignments, and facilitating assessment retakes. This is a focused, distraction-free window to get individualized help, improve grades, and stay on track. Additional academic coaching sessions will be offered on May 30, June 6, & 13. Reach out to Cass Hersh with questions.
May 21 & 22 - Broadway Desserts, 7pm: Broadway Desserts will feature all five of the AHS Choirs performing songs from the stage and is a Broadway Review of sorts. Both group and individual acts will be featured from auditions held earlier in the semester. The students prepare the music, pick their costumes, and coordinate their choreography for a fantastic evening of entertainment. Please join us on either Thursday, May 21 or Friday, May 22 at 7:00pm in Watson Auditorium! Get your tickets here!
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Awesome Atoms
PACE Pours visits the Sprague Center: Students in our PACE Pours program took their learning on the road with a pop-up coffee shop at the Sprague Center. They practiced real-world skills like customer service, teamwork, and communication while representing Atom Nation!
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Thirteen Students Earn Scholarships to Study Abroad: Annandale High School is proud to celebrate students who have been selected for the CIEE Global Navigator Program, where they will study abroad this summer in locations around the world. Through programs in areas such as language, culture, engineering, and the arts, students will engage in hands-on learning while building global skills and perspectives. This opportunity reflects their hard work, curiosity, and readiness to explore beyond the classroom. Congratulations to these students as they represent Annandale on a global stage.
Atoms Visit Poe Middle School: Atoms Ambassadors visited Poe Middle School for a special Lunch Bunch with future Atoms! Students had the opportunity to share advice about transitioning to high school, answer questions, and help build connections with incoming students. The visit was also a meaningful chance for our ambassadors to reconnect with former teachers and spend time catching up with the staff who helped support them along the way. It was a great day of leadership, mentorship, and community building between Poe and Annandale!
Annandale Teacher Featured in Education Week: Annandale High School teacher Anna Kyle was recently featured in an Education Week article highlighting schools that are rethinking math instruction for multilingual learners. The article recognized Annandale’s Algebra I Plus program and the ways teachers build classroom community, provide language supports, and create engaging learning experiences that help students build confidence and succeed in mathematics. Ms. Kyle shared how collaboration and meaningful peer conversations help students feel supported while mastering challenging concepts. The feature reflects the innovative and student centered work happening every day at Annandale.
Academic Support & Tutoring Opportunities
Kaplan PSAT & SAT Prep Access: All students in grades 9-11 now have access to Kaplan online PSAT and SAT preparation resources. Students should log in at https://tinyurl.com/FCPSKaplan using their FCPS username and password. Access will remain active through October 31, allowing students to prepare for multiple SAT administrations as well as the October PSAT.
Need Help in Your Class? Stay After School With Your Teacher: Stay With Your Teacher After School! Annandale High School offers late bus transportation three (3) days per week: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. All teachers stay after school at least one day a week to provide academic support for students. Please refer to this list to see which day your student’s teacher is available after school.
Need to Make Up a Test? Sign Up for the Retake Room! To support students in retaking assessments or making up missed assignments, the retake room is located in room 299 at the end of the Social Studies hall. Retakes are available on Late Bus Days after school, and every White Day during PRIDE Time. Students who would like to take advantage of the retake room must work with their teacher to sign up.
Varsity Tutors Provides On-Demand Support at No Cost: FCPS is partnering with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors’ services at no cost, including weekly live online classes; on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring; essay editing; and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests. Learn more about online tutoring with Varsity Tutors.
Saturday Academic Coaching: Annandale teachers will be available on select Saturdays from 8:30am to 11:00am to support students in prioritizing their work, completing outstanding assignments, and facilitating assessment retakes. This is a focused, distraction-free window to get individualized help, improve grades, and stay on track. Academic Coaching sessions will be offered on May 16, & 30, June 6, & 13. Reach out to Cass Hersh with questions.
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Follow Us on Social Media
Stay connected with Annandale High School by following us on social media! It's the best way to keep up with our latest news, celebrate student achievements, and keep up with everything going on in #AtomNation.
Links: Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Important Information
SOL Retake Support: At Annandale, we are proud that we have many systems in place to support our students. To that end, when students do not pass their first-attempt SOLs, we double down on our academic support during class time and through PRIDE Time and ASAP to ensure students are successful with additional testing opportunities. Students who qualify for a retake (and their families) will receive an email with information about the retake date as well as the additional support we will provide. Please reach out to your student’s teachers with any questions you may have.
Student Acceptable Use Policy Update: The Department of Information Technology has identified an increase in students using proxy services to bypass school network filters, which violates the Student Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and impacts network security. In response, enhanced monitoring is now in place to better identify these activities. In the event of a violationThe school will receive notifications from the IT Security Office when a student is identified. Each incident will be reviewed, and appropriate disciplinary action will be applied. Students with repeated violations (3 or more) will require additional follow-up.
Class of 2026 News: Graduation is quickly approaching and we wanted to share important information and dates that will assist seniors, parents and community members in preparing and planning for the end of the school year. Last week we sent out important information in our latest Class of 2026 Newsletter. If you have any questions about upcoming senior events, please contact our senior class sponsors, Erin Mahoney and Chase Cole or our senior class administrator, Jae Lee.
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Opportunities
May 15 Mason Arts 250 Poetry Contest: As part of the Mason District Arts Council’s “Mason Arts 250” celebration honoring the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a poetry contest is now open to both students and adults, inviting original submissions of up to 30 lines and offering an accessible opportunity for writers of all experience levels; winners will receive a small award and may be invited to perform their work at several Mason Arts 250 events taking place in June. Learn more and submit at: https://masondistrictpoetry.org/
Yearbooks On Sale Now! The yearbook is on sale and at our lowest price! Don’t let the memories fly by! This year, our yearbook is capturing the moment permanently for students and families for years to come! Preorder at yearbookforever.com.This is currently the lowest price that is offered ($95). It is highly recommended to preorder our yearbook as prices will increase for in-person sales and supplies will be limited! If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Vera.
All Night Grad Tickets On Sale Now! Tickets are now on sale for this year’s All Night Grad Celebration, a long-standing Annandale High School tradition made possible by the Annandale High School PTSA and the parent community. This safe, fun, and adult-supervised event is entirely volunteer-run and provides seniors with a memorable way to celebrate together.
The All Night Grad Celebration will take place on June 9, beginning at 11:00 PM, with doors closing at midnight. Tickets are available for $55 but will increase to $65 soon. Students can look forward to great food, games, a DJ, top-notch entertainment, and exciting door prizes, including computers and televisions.
Discounted tickets are available for students in need, and interested students are encouraged to speak with their school counselor for more information. Parent volunteers are also essential to the success of this event, and families are encouraged to sign up to help if they are able. Email Annandale.angc@gmail.com with any questions.
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News from Students Services
Longwood EPF Dual Enrollment - Fall 2026: Longwood University will offer Economics & Personal Finance (EPF) Dual Enrollment (DE) for the Fall 2026 semester. This option will transfer back to satisfy the Economics and Personal Finance graduation requirement and will come with a 1.0 GPA bump for a Dual Enrollment Course. The fee is $62.50. This is open to all rising juniors and seniors, and to select students in grades 9 & 10 who meet certain GPA and math readiness requirements. Longwood asks that interested students complete this interest form using a personal email address. The official registration opens in July. Students who register will also need to complete this request form prior to the start of the course in order to have the credit transferred back to FCPS. For more information, please contact your student’s counselor or Erin Crowley.
Earn Credit Toward Graduation This Summer: Take advantage of the opportunity to earn a high school course credit via this summer’s Online Campus program. Registration is now open. Students must register by Friday, June 5. Mathematics, health and physical education, career and technical education, English, science, social studies, and world language courses are available to eligible middle and high school students. For more information, visit this Summer Learning page.
Summer is also an excellent time for high school students to fulfill the Economics and Personal Finance graduation requirement through the self-directed course option. In this format, students work independently to complete all course requirements while maintaining flexibility over the summer months. For additional details and registration information, please visit the Summer Learning information page.
Career and Technical Education and Institute for the Arts Camps: Career and Technical Education camps and Institute for the Arts camps will be held in July at Robinson Secondary School from 8:30am to 2:00pm. Bus transportation will be available from select FCPS middle and high schools. Tuition assistance is available to FCPS families eligible for free or reduced meals.
CTE Summer Academy (CSA) is a week-long enrichment program that allows students in grades 6-11 to dive deeper into CTE program areas, develop skills, and begin career exploration. Watch this video about CTE camps. Registration is open for these programs through Friday, June 5.
Institute for the Arts (IFTA) is a two-week camp for students currently in grades 6-11. Students select from nearly 60 classes in art, dance, music, and theater. Rising freshmen have the option to take Health and PE 9 through IFTA as well!
Production Camp is a four-week summer theatre intensive for students in grades 6-11. Students in performance or technical theatre tracks rehearse, design, and build a musical in a collaborative atmosphere. The show is presented to the public at the end of camp.
College & Career Planning Site: Check out Student Services: Annandale High School | Schoology (fcps.edu), which offers a variety of postsecondary planning resources including the college application process, community college, military and trade pathways, financial aid and scholarship opportunities. The Student Services Team also uses this platform to share updates on new college and career opportunities, so be sure to check it regularly for the latest information. Parents should use SIS ParentVUE account to login.
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News from the Activities Office
At Annandale, we foster belonging both inside and outside the classroom. Sports and activities are another way for students to deepen a sense of belonging at school. Check out their weekly newsletter to learn more about Annandale's activities, clubs and sports programs. You can also visit their website, AHS Athletics Twitter or Instagram page.
June 1 - Athletic Physical Exams: On Monday, June 1, Annandale High School will host an opportunity for student-athletes to complete their Pre-Participation Physical Exam (PPE) for the 2026-27 academic year. This exam will ensure eligibility for all sports through June 30, 2027. The event also serves as the primary fundraiser for the Annandale Athletic Training Program, which relies entirely on donations to cover essential medical supplies and equipment. Your support makes a tremendous difference for our athletes and trainers!
Appointments will run from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, and slots are expected to fill quickly, so don’t wait. Walk-in exams are $60; however, if you pre-register, the cost is reduced to $50. To take advantage of the discounted rate and secure your appointment, register today! Contact | |
