What You Need to Know Before Starting School on Sept. 6

Students return to city schools on September 6 for the start of the 2011-2012 school year. Here's a quick cheat sheet to the new face of city school enrollment and how to prepare for a successful first quarter.

As of Sept. 30, 2010...

• 3,009 total city students.
• 299 of those students were enrolled in county schools. The rest (2,711) went to city schools.
• 2,612 total county students enrolled in city schools.
• 5,423 total students (city and county) enrolled in city schools.

Anticipated for the new school year...

• 5,469 total students (city and county) enrolled in city schools.
• That's an increase of over 40 students from the last school year.
• City school staff predicts the enrollment to continue to grow, reaching 6,013 in 2015.

What's new:

• All athletes and their parents must complete this online concussion education program before playing sports in the fall.
• The Fairfax County School Board faces election in November. Many incumbents are not seeking reelection making the school board races some of the most exciting this year.

What does the Fairfax County Public School system have to do with city schools?

• Fairfax City pays FCPS to run city schools. All teachers, administrators, regulations, curriculum is courtesy of the county school system.
• The city's school board is in charge of paying the county service contract (via taxpayers), as well as maintaining and upgrading city schools.
• City residents can't vote for county school board members, even though the county school board that decides changes to school curriculum and rules.
• City residents can vote for city school board members. Get to know the city school board here.

The changing face of Fairfax students...

• The majority of students in Fairfax County (city included) are now minorities. This serves as a testament to the sweeping changes to the county's population in the past 40 years.
• Seventy percent of the folks in the county have no school-aged children. Another testament to the historic population changes.
• Don't have a child in school? You still pay taxes...
• More than 1 in 4 students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. ESOL services are increasing by 16.5 percent.

How to prepare for high school:

• Register your child at Fairfax High School by calling the school's registrar, Jackie Anderson, to make an appointment: 703-219-2202.
• Get a student parking pass.
• Attend Rebels Reunite. Parents can purchase gym uniforms, sign-up for PTSA and Parent View on Blackboard, receive information about Fairfax High School clubs and activities, and receive student schedules and locker combinations.
• Can't make Rebels Renite? Turn in required forms, pay financial obligations and receive schedule with locker information at FHS from August 31 to September 2, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Click here for Emergency Contact Form.
• Click here for Health Information Form.
• Click here for Sports Physical Form. Check out the school's athletic website for info on tryouts and practice schedules.

How to prepare for middle school:

• Pick up items from your student's school supply list.
• Plan a course of action for the inevitable. What to do if your student is late, absent, needs to be picked up early?
• August 31 is Locker Night (4-6 p.m.) at Lanier MS.
• 7th Grade Orientation is September 2 at Lanier MS.
• Click here for Emergency Contact Form.
• Click here for Health Information Form.

How to prepare for elementary school:

• September 1 is Open House at Providence Elementary School.
• September 2 is Open House at Daniels Run Elementary School.
• Click here for Providence ES school supply list.
• Click here for Daniels Run school supply list.
• Do you need to register your student? Click here for some answers and a checklist.
• It is past time to register your child for kindergarten this school year. Click here for more information.
• Take a tour of what your kindergartener will see and do at Providence ES.
• Click here for Emergency Contact Form.
• Click here for Health Information Form.