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Principal's Message |
Greetings Tiger Families!
It is hard to believe that the new school year starts in just a few days. This week has been exciting as final preparations have been made to positively welcome all our Tigers back to school on Monday morning. Thank you to our very generous PTA for feeding our staff a delicious breakfast on Monday as everyone returned from summer break! Please consider joining our PTA for the upcoming school year. You can learn more about our PTA and join as a member on our website.
I am also especially grateful for the amazing hard work our custodial team has done to prepare our school for Monday. The work that our small, but mighty, team does throughout the school year, but especially over the summer months, is simply miraculous. Thank you Rosa, Albert, Willian, Jason, Maria, Brenda & Vilma!
At Tiger Fest on Wednesday, excitement was in the air as over 800 of our families arrived on campus to kick-off the school year. We look forward to more opportunities to connect with our families throughout the school year. Please don’t forget, that on Thursday, September 17th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, we are excited to host our annual Back to School Night where families can travel their student’s schedule and meet their teachers.
Sincerely,
Matt
Twain’s Weekly Schedule
Monday, August 24: Anchor Day Schedule
Tuesday, August 25: Odd Day Schedule
Wednesday, August 26: Even Day Schedule
Thursday, August 27: Odd Day Schedule
Friday, August 28: Even Day Schedule
To see Twain’s Bell Schedules and the full daily schedule for the year, including changes to the typical Anchor, Odd, Even, Odd, Even Weekly Schedule, you can visit the Bell Schedule page on the Twain Website
After School Program
The first day of the After School Program will be Tuesday, September 22. More information to come.
Calendar Reminders
First Day of School
Monday, August 24, is the first day of school for the 2026-27 school year.
Labor Day Holiday
Friday, September 4 and Monday September 7 are student holidays for Labor Day.
Twain Back to School Night
Back to School Night will be on Thursday, September 17th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
View the 2026-27 school year calendar for additional important dates.
Twain Student Electronic Device
Cell phone/electronic devices, phone/electronic device accessories, and all smart devices must be off and personally stored (i.e., backpacks) for the duration of the school day: bell to bell in accordance with the FCPS cell phone/electronic device policy. Smart devices include watches that serve a dual purpose, such as smart watches, as well as earbuds, headsets, smart glasses, and other items connected to the internet. Bell to bell means after the first bell rings at the start of the school day (7:00 AM) until the dismissal bell rings at the end of the school day (2:15 PM).
Daily Process
- Each morning after the bell rings and before entering the building students will turn off their devices or place them on airplane mode in order to prevent noise and/or vibrations coming from the phone/electronic device. Smartwatches also need to be placed in silent or airplane mode.
- Devices (including cell phones, smart watches, earbuds, headsets, smartglasses, etc..) will then be placed inside the students backpack or secured for the day.
- The cell phone/electronic device policy will be enforced bell to bell each school day.
Yondr Pouch Assignments
At Twain, students will be assigned a personal Yondr Pouch when they have repeatedly violated the cell phone/electronic device policy. While the Yondr Pouch is considered school property, once it is assigned it is the student’s responsibility to bring their pouch with them to school every day and keep it in good working condition. It is the student’s responsibility to check in with their administrator with their phone/electronic device and Yondr Pouch. Students arriving late or leaving early will need to go to an administrator’s office or the B-Wing office to secure/release their phone/electronic devices.
If a student damages or loses their assigned pouch, the student will be assessed an $18 replacement fee for a damaged or lost pouch. If a student deliberately destroys a pouch and it can no longer be used, an Administrator will meet with the parent/guardian, and a replacement fee will be assessed.
Examples of damage include:
- Deep scratches on the globe and on the green ring around it
- Intentional pen marks on the inside of the pouch
- Bent pins
- Pin and button not fully recessing, due to pin damage
If a student forgets their pouch, they will check in with an administrator. The administrator will confirm the student has a pouch assigned due to cell phone/electronic device policy violations and secure the device. The phone/electronic device will be returned to the student at dismissal.
You can learn more about the applicable Commonwealth of Virginia laws and FCPS Cell Phone Policies at the links below. Thank you for your partnership in helping our young Tigers actively engage in their learning and responsibly use technology.
Kiss & Ride Procedures
Earlier today you received an enotify message from Mr. Fitzgerald regarding our Kiss & Ride map and procedures. Whether you regularly plan to utilize Kiss & Ride for drop-off or pick-up, or if this would be a rare occurrence, please review these details to ensure the safety of our students and staff (which is our first priority) and an efficient morning and afternoon (which is our second priority).
School Board Welcome Videos
Please take a moment to review from Fairfax County School Board. Specifically, you can view the videos from our two magisterial members – Marcia St.John-Cunning and Mateo Dunne. To enable closed captions or dubbed audio in other languages, check out YouTube's official guide to watching videos in your preferred language.
Marcia St.John-Cunning - for Franconia District Schools
Mateo Dunne - for Mount Vernon District Schools
Help Your Child Navigate the Lunch Line
Check out some tips to help your child get through the lunch line quickly and have more time to eat:
- Teach your child their student ID number to receive meals at school.
- Sign up for and add money to MySchoolBucks to purchase meals at school.
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Apply for free and reduced-price meals. Students who were approved for free and reduced-price meals last year are eligible for the first 30 days of school this year (or until a new application is processed). Families should submit a new application as soon as possible, so eligible students continue to receive meals at no cost.
If your child has any food allergies, learn how to submit accommodations for dietary restrictions and allergens. Access menus for breakfast, lunch, and other school meals, as well as allergen and nutrition information.
Lightspeed Updates
You Can Manage Student Web Access at Home
At Twain we acknowledge that parents are our students' first and most important teachers. Parents now have greater control over their child’s FCPS-issued device outside of school hours through Lightspeed Parent Portal.
In addition to monitoring weekly internet activity, parents can now also customize web access at home on FCPS devices through Lightspeed using Schedules and Web Rules.
With Schedules, you can set tailored times to automatically pause or restrict internet access. This makes it easier to enforce rules around homework time, family dinners, weekends, or bedtime.
In Web Rules, you can create Custom Block Lists to block specific, individual websites they do not want your child accessing at home. This allows parents greater control over what is happening online, under their own roof.
These new custom controls take effect at home, outside of school hours, and when the device is off the FCPS network. They will not override standard district filtering policies during the instructional day.
Customize Your Lightspeed Settings
All parents should be receiving weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report emails. To set up these new features, click the “Log in or Register” button at the bottom of your weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report email.
Visit the FCPS Lightspeed Parent Portal Guide for more information. If you have additional questions, submit a Parent Technology Support Ticket.
Parents are encouraged to discuss internet boundaries with their children so that they can understand the reasoning behind any limits and the differences between access at home and at school. Get tips on talking to your children about technology safety.
Family Information Line Available in Nine Languages
Parents/caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS. View the list of phone numbers.
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