LBSS Weekly News - May 16, 2025

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Principal's Message

The past week has been marked by significant activity across our school community, including district and region playoffs in Athletics, Spring concerts in Performing Arts, and the enjoyable Parent Chorus performance directed by some of our alumni. The breadth and depth of these talents are consistently remarkable.

We extend our sincere congratulations to the High School Theatre program for their exceptional accomplishment of receiving 16 Cappie nominations for their production of The Trojan Women. We await the Cappie ceremony with anticipation in early June.

The End-of-Year Calendar is provided below for your reference. Graduation is now just over two weeks away, and Seniors will transition to half days immediately following Memorial Day. The conclusion of the academic year is rapidly approaching.

Go Bruins!

Lindsey Kearns



In this Issue

What's Happening at Bruin Nation
Upcoming Events

New Information and Important Reminders
End-of-Year Calendar
Student Wellness Survey
Spring Testing
MS After School Program
Jumpstart
8th Grade Formal Dance
Yearbook
MS Theatre
Parent Tech Talk

Athletics and Activities
VIP Summer Camp

Class of 2025 News
Class of 2025 ANGP Tickets

Family Liaison News



What's Happening at Bruin Nation



Upcoming Events
May 26 - Memorial Day Holiday (school closed)

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Mental Health Awareness Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
National Speech-Language-Hearing Month



New Information and Important Reminders



End-of-Year Calendar

Our End-of-Year Calendar is now available. Please note that half days for Seniors begins on Monday, May 27. All other students will start half days on Thursday, June 5. The last day of school is on Wednesday, June 11 and the day will end at 10:00 am.


Student Wellness Survey

We need your feedback! We are looking to gather some parent perspective about student wellness here at Lake Braddock. Can you please take a moment to fill out our short survey.


Spring Testing

The Spring Testing continues through the end of May! All-important testing information and the testing calendar can be found on the Lake Braddock Testing Website. Please note important dates your student may be testing and make every attempt to avoid testing interruptions during the testing blocks.

If you have specific questions about testing, please reach out to your student’s counselor or subject specific teacher.


MS After School Program

The MSASP is starting to wind down. The last day of the program will be Friday, May 30th.

  • All clubs will be concluded by Friday, May 23rd except for the following:
    • Track
    • Theatre
    • Special events

Thank you for an amazing year and congrats to the rising 9th graders! 


Jumpstart

Save the date! Registration for Jumpstart will open Wednesday, May 28th, 2025.

  • What is Jumpstart – An interactive one-day experience that will help your student get acclimated to Lake Braddock Secondary School.
    • When: August 4th-7th, 2025
    • Where: Lake Braddock SS
    • Who: Teachers from LB will hep usher in the new Bruins.
    • Why: Meet other rising 7th graders, teachers they will be interacting with daily, and learn a good bit about the school along the way.

dance

The Middle School Student Council Association (SCA) will host the 8th Grade Formal Dance on Saturday, June 7 from 6PM to 9PM in the school cafeteria. Appropriate attire for this occasion is formal wear. The theme for the dance is, “A Night in New York.”

Tickets are $15 and will be sold during A and B lunches on Friday, May 30, Monday, June 2, and Tuesday, June 3.  Tickets will be sold before school from 7:30-8:00 AM in L115 on Thursday, June 5 and Friday, June 6. Tickets must be purchased in ADVANCE and will NOT be sold at the door. The dance ends at 9 PM, and your child must be picked up at 9 PM. Lake Braddock will not provide any form of transportation. If a student needs to leave early, parent(s) must enter the school and speak with an administrator.

As we want this dance to be safe and enjoyable for all students who wish to attend, ONLY students currently enrolled in 8th grade at Lake Braddock will be admitted.

This dance is a Fairfax County Public Schools sponsored event and all Student Rights and Responsibility Guidelines must be followed. School administrators will use discretion in determining students who may be denied admission to the dance based on disciplinary violations or improper dress.

Snacks, small desserts, bottles of water, and soda will be served at no additional cost.

WE NEED DONATIONS! To sign up for donations, please visit this SignUp Genius:  8th Grade Dance Donations. You may bring in donations on Saturday, June 7 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm in the cafeteria or drop them in the main office the week beginning June 2.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! We need parents/guardians to help set up, chaperone, and clean up. If you are interested in helping with any aspect of the dance, please go to this SignUp Genius:  8th Grade Dance Volunteers

We would truly appreciate help! We look forward to seeing your child at the 8th Grade Dance on Saturday, June 7, 2025!


yb

MIDDLE SCHOOL - Teachers, students, parents!! Only 50 books left!

Time is running out to order your middle school yearbook. The online deadline for ordering is Wednesday, May 21.

So, go to https://yearbookordercenter.com  to reserve your book today. Use our middle school code: 13596. The cost of $40 gets your child the memories they will cherish a lifetime, with pictures showing teachers, fun, friends,  academic and after school activities!


hs yb

HS Yearbooks

HS Yearbooks are now available on My School Bucks for $75. They can still be purchased on the www.yearbookordercenter.com site as well for $75.

Questions? Please contact the HS Yearbook Advisor, Ms. Poquis at tbpoquis@fcps.edu.


little prince

MS Theatre

Join us on our journey in The Little Prince May 29-June 1! This show is held in our smaller performance space, the Recital Hall (P141) and we often sell out this space so get your tickets early.

Tickets available at 

https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/15616/ or LBTheatre.com 

This beautiful family-friendly show is a must-see!

May 29 - 7:00pm
May 30 - 7:00pm
May 31 - 2:00pm
May 31 - 7:00pm
June 1 - 2:00pm


tt 4 11

Parent Tech Talk

Talking to Teens About Sexting: An Open and Honest Conversation

How Do the Offenders Gain Access? The victim often knows their offender, who is typically a current or former romantic partner. In other instances, the offender is someone the victim only knows online. In financial sextortion, the offender often makes initial contact online and victimization happens quickly after that. Additionally, the offender might create explicit content using generative AI and use it to victimize the child.

Approach: The offender typically initiates contact with a victim on a social media platform, using it to learn about the child’s interests, friends, school, family, etc. They then ask the child to move to a second or third platform that uses encrypted messaging systems. The sextortion may also be perpetrated by an ex-romantic partner who received the image from the victim.

Coercive: Tactics Offenders use various tactics, such as offering something of value (money, drugs) in exchange for sexual material, pretending to work for a modeling agency, pretending to be younger and appear to have a romantic interest, creating fake sexual material of the child or hacking accounts to steal sexual images.

Threats: The offender may use the threat of spreading the image to force the victim into staying in or returning to the relationship, acquiring additional sexual content or obtaining money from the child. They may also threaten to physically assault the child or their family, or ruin the child’s life with false narratives.



Athletics and Activities



VIP Summer Camp

Registration for VIP is officially open, and camp is filling up FAST! You can find the form to register you student here: 2025 VIP Registration



Class of 2025 News



Important Information

Senior Fees
$70 due no later than May 30, 2025. Please see email dated January 8 for payment options.

Senior Breakfast
May 30

Graduation
June 4

All Night Grad Party- St James
June 4 at 11pm


LBSS Class of '25 ANGP Tickets

June 4 at the St. James Springfield 11 PM - 5 AM

https://lbssptsa.regfox.com/-lake-braddock-class-of-2025-angp

Class of 2025, you are invited to come together, have fun and celebrate your accomplishments at this years All Night Grad Party!  The All Night Grad Party is organized by the LBSS PTSA in partnership with the ANGP Committee, chaperoned by parents and members of the community, and staffed by the St James. Activities include a casino night, fun inflatables, and raffles with sought after prizes.  In addition, we use the amazing facilities at The St. James which include the field house, volleyball, pickleball and basketball courts, Super Awesome and Amazing, and an Olympic sized swimming pool and the arcade! We will have caricature artists and tons of photo ops!  There will also be plenty of food and drinks all night long! The evening is an alcohol-free and drug-free event that takes place in a safe and supervised environment. 



Family Liaison News



Please stay up-to-date with our Family Liaisons on our web site. There you will find our weekly newsletters.

https://lakebraddockss.fcps.edu/student-services/information-our-family-liaisons



FCPS News



Student Bus Passes Offer Free Transportation All Year

All Fairfax County middle and high school students can get a Student Bus Pass SmarTrip card to ride the Fairfax Connector and Fairfax CUE buses for free! With the pass, fares are free from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, all year. Learn more about the Student Pass. Complete the application and return it to our front office. 

Our students can ride Metrobus for free, in addition to the Fairfax Connector and City of Fairfax CUE. Visit the Fairfax County website for details and approved Metrobus routes. Complete the application and return it to our front office. 

Children 12 and younger ride for free on Fairfax Connector with a paying adult. 


Summer Internship Program for Students

FCPS is launching a Summer Internship Program. This six-week, paid, in-person opportunity is for FCPS high school students or recent alumni enrolled in post-secondary education. This program is designed to provide valuable hands-on work experience, professional development, and project-based learning across various FCPS departments.

Interns will support professional staff in their selected department with projects and participate in weekly professional development workshops on topics such as personal finance, communication skills, resume writing, and networking. Interns will shadow staff completing mission-critical projects that prepare the division for the upcoming school year.

Learn more about this internship program, which supports FCPS’ Strategic Plan Goal 5: Leading for Tomorrow’s Innovation


Let's Finish the School Year Strong!

Student attendance at school is important all year long, up to the last day of school. Attendance has an effect on student performance and on school accreditation. See how to:

  • Check your child’s attendance record.
  • Help your student stay engaged at school.
  • Report future absences.
  • Understand the FCPS school calendar.

Learn more about attendance resources


Your Child's Mental Wellness Matters: Access Comprehensive Services

Reach out to the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) for specialized youth mental health services designed to help your child succeed. The CSB has individual and family counseling, psychiatric diagnostic evaluations, medication management, parenting groups, peer support, crisis response, recovery supports to include medication assisted treatment (MAT), intensive services, and more. 


No-Cost Virtual Therapy for High School Students

Virtual therapy sessions are available to FCPS high school students at no cost to provide a safe space to address concerns such as:

  • Mood/behavior changes, motivation, grief/loss.
  • Anxiety, worry, fears.
  • Social skills, bullying, peer and family relationships.
  • Academic stress.

Students can be referred by a guardian or designated school staff member. You may refer your child by calling 571-749-2940 or by contacting an FCPS school counselor, social worker, psychologist, or director of Student Services. Visit the FCPS Teletherapy webpage for more information.


FCPS This Week

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