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Hello MUES Families,
This week, our Mustangs have been busy building their reading stamina, have started curriculum in all four core subject areas, are continuing to practice the school-wide routines they learned about last week, and have begun taking either the iReady reading assessment or MAP math assessment. Data from these diagnostics will help teachers understand each student’s strengths and areas for growth so they can provide targeted instruction and support to help every Mustang succeed throughout the school year.
We hope you will join us for Back to School Night this evening as we begin another exciting school year together! This special evening is an opportunity for families to connect with their child’s teachers, learn more about classroom expectations and learning experiences, and gain valuable information to support their child throughout the year. Your partnership and involvement are an important part of your child’s success, and we look forward to working together as a school team and family to help every Mustang learn, grow, and thrive!
We will offer two sessions- Session #1: 5:30-6:15 p.m. and Session #2: 6:15-7:00 p.m. Please select only one to attend.
Lastly, please don't forget that school is closed both tomorrow, Friday, September 4th and Monday, September 7th in celebration of Labor Day. We look forward to seeing our Mustangs back at school on Tuesday, September 8th when we reopen our school doors at 8:35 AM.
Have a wonderful long weekend, Mustang Family!
Your Proud Principal,
Mrs. Goddin
MMGoddin@fcps.edu
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- September 3rd: Back to School Night
- Session #1: 5:30-6:15 PM
- Session #2: 6:15-7:00 PM
- September 4th & September 7th: Labor Day Break; school closed
- September 21st: Yom Kippur; school closed
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 Below are some new announcements and updates for you to read through.
Here is the link to access this month's McNair AAP Community Newsletter:
September AAP Community Newsletter
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. A continuum of Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services is available to students in Grades K-12 and is designed to match services to each student’s unique academic needs.
Identification for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP services occurs throughout the school year. Full-Time AAP services have two identification cycles:
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Fall identification: Students in grades 3-7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January may be referred by October 15, 2026.
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Spring identification: Any FCPS student in Grades 2-7 may be referred by December 15, 2026.
FCPS uses ability testing as one consideration in the holistic identification process for AAP services.
- All students in Grade 2 take the Naglieri General Ability Test (NGAT).
- Students in Grades 3-6 who do not have a multi-domain ability test score take the NGAT.
- Students in Grades 3-6 may retake an ability test one time. Families may request the ability test retake by contacting Mrs. Janofsky, School Testing Coordinator, at mljanofsky@fcps.edu by September 30.
Families are invited to attend two AAP information meetings, led by Mrs. Janofsky and Mrs. Burg, the McNair Upper and McNair Primary Advanced Academic Resource Teachers (AART):
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AAP Continuum of Services: Tuesday September 29th at 5:30pm in McNair Elementary School Cafeteria (Primary). Families will learn about the continuum of advanced academic services available to FCPS students.
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Full-Time AAP Identification: Tuesday October 20th at 5:30pm in the McNair Upper Elementary School Cafeteria. Families will learn about the referral and identification processes for Full-Time AAP services.
For more information, please contact Kaitlin Burg, AART at McNair Elementary, at kmburg@fcps.edu or Mallory Janofsky, AART at McNair Upper Elementary, at mljanofsky@fcps.edu, or visit the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs website.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) believes in supporting social and emotional learning (SEL) for all students. In FCPS, students use a tool called the SEL Screener to think about their own SEL skills and experiences at school. McNair Upper Elementary School students in grades 3-6 will be participating in the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener in the Fall and Spring.
After each screening, results are available in the Documents tab of SIS ParentVUE and mailed to families without a ParentVUE account. For more information about the SEL Screener, including information on opting out, please see the attached Parent Notification. You can also learn more on the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage.
 Join us on Sunday, September 20th, for the Asha-Jyothi 18th Annual 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run at Fairfax Corner! How to Support McNair Upper:
Register here
Use coupon code AJ4SCHOOLS at checkout.
Using this code sends a direct donation straight to our school.
 Below are some friendly reminders for you to read through.
Remember to Complete Permission Forms for School Resources
Families can now easily grant consent for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. This online tool can be accessed using your SIS ParentVUE account login. Parents can easily opt their child in or out of a variety of resources, including online educational tools, school counseling services, and more.
Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. Watch this video to see how to use the tool.
Opt In or Out to Student Devices Being Sent Home for Grades 1-6
New this year, families can opt out of having student laptops sent home with their student.
- If you do not want your student to bring their FCPS-issued device home, please toggle the Opt Out button to a check mark and confirm by pressing Save Selection.
- If you would like your student to bring their FCPS device home, no toggle action is needed. Confirm by pressing Save Selection.
Students whose families opt out will continue to have access to an FCPS-issued device during the school day. Please reach out to your student’s teacher to understand expectations for homework and any learning activities that may require access to technology outside of the school day.
You Can Make Student Web Access at Home
At McNair Upper, we acknowledge that parents/guardians are our students' first and most important teachers. Parents/guardians 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/guardians 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/guardians 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/guardians 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.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms will be included in your child’s back-to-school/orientation packets and are available online for Elementary (K-6) Please fill in the opt-out form and return it to your child’s school prior to Family Life Education instruction.
Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6) . FLE grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in Schoology. Parents/guardians login to Schoology using the same username and password as their Student Information System (SIS) Parent account. Grade level-specific lessons are also available at the City of Fairfax Regional Library (this location does not have media). Grade level-specific lessons and media that is not streamed online are available for review at your child’s school library. Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media online. You are invited to attend an evening opportunity to preview the Family Life Education media and lessons and to talk with school staff about the program. The meeting will be held on Thursday, September 3rd at 4:30pm in the library. All program materials and media for all grade levels will be available for your review at this time.
Program questions may be addressed at your child’s school or by contacting Instructional Services at 571-423-4550 or fle@fcps.edu.
 McNair ES PTA Updates & Back-to-School Announcements
- Please click on the link below to find out how you can become a member of the McNair PTA and what your membership does for our school community:
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2026–2027 PTA Memberships & Pre-Orders: Support our students and staff by joining or renewing your PTA membership today! Options include:
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Family Membership ($60): 2 adult memberships, stickers, magnet, early competition sign-ups, and a McNair insulated lunch bag.
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Adult Membership ($35): 1 adult membership, sticker, magnet, and early competition sign-ups.
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Teacher/Staff Membership ($15): 1 staff membership, sticker, and priority access to classroom supply grants.
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Reduced Dues Pre-Order ($15): Discounted pre-order for families on free/reduced lunch or facing financial need (confidential honor system). Email board@mcnairespta.org for the private link.
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Join or Renew Here: https://mcnairespta.givebacks.com/shop?category=25434
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Volunteer Opportunities: We are running with a small, nimble team this year and need your help with newsletters, social media, events, welcoming new families, corporate partnerships, or flexible tasks you can do from home. Learn more and sign up here: https://www.mcnairespta.org/volunteer
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