Fredericksburg City Public Schools

Last night, our 8th graders attended their promotion ceremony, highlighting their hard work over the last academic year that has led them to growth and success. As majestic as it felt is as magic as these kiddos are, and we couldn't be happier to boast about them! Go Tigers!

Reminder: FCPS schools and offices will be closed Monday, May 25. Students return Tuesday, May 26.

Friday, May 29, is the last day of school and will be an early dismissal day for students. 🎉

☀️ Superintendent’s Summer Scholars Program ☀️

The registration deadline has been extended to June 1, 2026!

Summer Scholars is a great opportunity for students to continue learning through engaging activities, hands-on experiences, and exciting field trips this summer.

📍 Lafayette Elementary School
📅 July 7-24, 2026
(Monday-Thursday only, no Fridays)

⏰ 8:45 AM-12:45 PM
⏰ Mondays, July 13 & July 20: 8:45 AM-3:00 PM

👧 Open to current FCPS K-5 students

💲 Program Cost:
• $100 per student
• $50 per additional child
• Family maximum: $200
• Field trip entrance fees not included

Payment is due at the time of registration unless preapproved payment plans are in place.

❓Questions?
Please contact your school’s summer program administrator:

• Gladys West: Tony Lewis | (540) 372-1140
• Hugh Mercer: Brian Cannavo | (540) 372-1115
• Lafayette: Matthew Bailey | (540) 372-1135

Program Coordinator: Dina Vales
📧 dvales@cityschools.com

By submitting a registration form, you are giving permission for your student to attend all Summer Scholars field trips. Families are responsible for notifying the school of any medical needs prior to the start of the program by emailing the program coordinator.

🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/4dQl7kq

Locked in and mission ready 🫡🧡🖤 JM teachers and staff showed up in their “Mission Ready” shirts for the first day of SOL testing to cheer on and support our Jackets. You’ve got this, Jackets, we’re all rooting for you! #MissionReady

On Friday, May 8th, the WGMS track team traveled to King George for the 2026 Battlefield Middle School Championship to face some pretty great teams in our local area, but both our Girls and Boys teams came in FIRST! 💪🏽🏆 We also now have the honor of being the first school to hold the Track and Field District Championship Cup (IT IS COMING SOON) for BOTH teams!  We had many amazing PRs and the athletes were absolutely fantastic and really represented Walker-Grant Middle School. Overall our boys won by about 100 points and our girls won by over 50 points!  Here are some of our top finishes!  Devon Pinkney - 1st in 100m, 200m, Long Jump, and Triple Jump!  Davian Bowles - 3rd in 100m Max Rico - 2nd in 1600m George Taft - 1st in 3200m Markel Robinson - 1st in 100m and 200m Hurdle Elijah Dunn - 3rd in 100m Hurdle Aaron Carter-Grant - 1st in High Jump, 2nd in Long Jump Jamari Robinson - 3rd in Long Jump Omari Thompson - 2nd in Triple Jump, 1st in Discus and Shotput Amyr Coward - 3rd in Triple Jump Ben Asare - 2nd in Discus Jack Dougherty - 3rd in Shotput Jaida Holmes - 3rd in 100m, 2nd in 200m Lily Owusu - 2nd in 400m  Zoe Getscher - 2nd in 800m and 3rd in 1600m  Vivienne Furrow - 1st in 3200m  Kennedy McCarthy - 2nd in 100m Hurdle, High Jump, and Triple Jump and 1st in Long Jump Lundyn Taylor - 3rd in High Jump, 1st in High Jump, 2nd in Discus Kaedyn Washington - 2nd in Long Jump Gabby Johns 3rd in Shotput!  Our Boys 4x100 Relay team came in 1st!  Our Boys 4x400 Relay team came in 3rd!  Our Boys 4x800 Relay team came in 2nd!  Our Girls 4x100 Relay team came in 2nd!  Our Girls 4x400 Relay team came in 1st!  Our Girls 4x800 Relay team came in 2nd!  Thank you all for always supporting the track team and athletes! 🐯

What an AWESOME Field Day! ☀️🎉
We could not have asked for better weather, better families, or better supporters to share this special day with us! From exciting games and lots of laughter to cheering each other on, our students had an amazing time making memories with friends and loved ones. 💙
A huge thank you to all of our families, volunteers, and supporters who helped make the day such a success. Your encouragement, energy, and smiles made Field Day extra special for our preschoolers!
Here’s to great times, happy hearts, and unforgettable moments together! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🌟 #FieldDayFun #PreschoolMemories #FamilySupport #GreatDay #LearningAndLaughter

Looking ahead!

Please save the dates for our upcoming Special Education Advisory Committee meetings in October and December.

Recently, local school board members were treated to an impressive display of creativity and faced some tough decisions in selecting the 2026 winners in the Virginia School Boards Association’s Northeastern Regional Art Contest on May 12, 2026. Student art from the elementary, middle, and high school levels representing each school division in the competition, were judged at the regional forum for area school board members.

FCPS is proud to celebrate our own 2026 VSBA Art Contest Winners, who will be recognized at the June 8th School Board meeting.

Mental health matters, and you are never alone.

Students and families can reach out to our mental health staff, counselors, and teachers for support.

If you need immediate help, call or text 988. The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7.

Together, we can support each other and break the stigma. 💚

James Monroe High School was proudly represented on May 6 at the public reception for the 23rd Annual Claudia Emerson Teen Poetry Contest, sponsored by the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Out of more than 100 high school entries, our JM poets, all multilingual learners, earned incredible recognition: Adrian Hernandez Tapia received an Honorable Mention, Helen Hernandez earned 3rd Place, and senior Kimberly Santos Dominguez took home 1st Place in the 2026 contest. We are so proud of these talented Yellow Jackets! 🧡🖤

In January 2025, we launched a new tool called Alongside. This app provides an extra layer of support to provide students with helpful mental health resources and help our staff catch signs that a student might be struggling. It helps by providing access to tools, check-ins, goal setting, and optional chatbot support. It’s meant to supplement, not replace, real human help, like school counselors, therapists, or crisis services.

Since its launch, the app has already helped us identify students in immediate need and connect them with important support services.

2026-2027 Kindergarten Registration

Make sure you complete your student’s registration for the 2026-27 school year! Register now so your rising kindergarten student can enroll in our FREE KinderCamp program this summer. Space is limited!

Visit this link for more information: https://www.fxbgschools.us/o/fcs/page/new-student-registration

Contact the FCPS Registrar with any questions.
ataylor@cityschools.com; 540-940-8380

⚾ Play ball this summer, FCPS!

Registration is now open for the Fred Nats Baseball League, running June 1 through August 31.

Open to boys and girls ages 8–18, this league is a great way for students to learn the game, build confidence, and stay active all summer long.

✔ Scholarships available (free entry for qualifying students)
✔ Local fields at James Monroe High School
✔ Welcoming environment for all skill levels

📲 Register using the link below.
https://clubs.bluesombrero.com/sunshinebaseball

Every student deserves support when they need it. Thanks to our partnership with Hazel Health, FCPS students can connect with licensed therapists through free telehealth services, at school or from the comfort of home.

🔗https://www.hazel.co/get-started

Students in Mrs. Leech's class, Mrs. Obert's class, Ms. Phipps's class, and Mrs. Keeka's class are patiently awaiting the arrival of some new adorable classmates. They are expected to be here on or around May 18th

Earlier this week, Instructure Inc., an international provider of educational software, announced that it had suffered a cybersecurity incident in late April affecting Canvas. Although the security of the Canvas system has been restored, data related to students and educators at hundreds of school systems and universities around the country were subjected to unauthorized access.

Canvas has assured us that they are investigating the matter.

Fredericksburg City Public Schools utilizes Canvas as our online learning system. According to the information currently available, the data potentially involved may include certain personal information; however, Instructure has indicated that passwords, dates of birth, government-issued identification numbers, and financial information do not appear to have been affected.

Planning and preparation have been at the forefront of our actions. We have spent considerable time monitoring and discussing this situation as well as collaborating with neighboring school divisions, insurance companies, and data experts.

Again, the breach was limited to Canvas internal systems, while the security of our network was never disturbed.

We are taking the Canvas data breach seriously and will continue to keep you informed as we learn more.

📰Fredericksburg School Division Chosen to Participate in National Student Mental Health Initiative📰

🔗https://www.fxbgadvance.com/p/fredericksburg-school-division-chosen?utm_source=publication-search