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Fairfax County Public Schools opened September with building improvements, new student-support efforts, staff honors and a division-wide calendar designed to make school events easier for families to track.

Resource teacher Payal Herendeen was selected to receive the Virginia Council of Mathematics Specialists’ 2025 Robert Q. Berry III Equity Award. The honor recognizes a Virginia mathematics education leader who advances equitable teaching and learning. Herendeen was recognized for removing barriers, reflecting on her own practices and helping educators center students’ identities and perspectives in mathematics.

Mathematics specialist Lynne Bursch received the council’s 2025 Virginia Mathematics Leadership Award. The award honors innovative leadership, advocacy for mathematics specialists and efforts to expand access to meaningful mathematics instruction.

Superintendent Michelle Reid also attended back-to-school events at Colvin Run and Waynewood elementary schools, where families toured classrooms and other learning spaces.

At Langston Hughes Middle School, Reid observed the school’s three-minute transition between classes and visited several lessons. Students in Poketha Ruffin’s civics class examined conflicting eyewitness accounts of a fictional lunchroom fight, identified bias and assumed the role of a principal deciding appropriate consequences.

In Jocelynne Jimenez-Rodriguez’s orchestra class, students answered prompts about their weekends through short musical improvisations. An eighth-grade multilingual English class co-taught by Jacqueline Durr and Melanie Witt practiced turning questions into text-based responses, reviewed figurative language and worked with action verbs.

At Aldrin Elementary School, Principal Shane Wolfe, Assistant Principal Barbara Gist and four sixth-grade student leaders welcomed Reid. She visited Ellen Keyser’s kindergarten morning meeting and saw the debut of a student-operated news studio for morning announcements.

Sixth-graders also participated in a co-taught literacy lesson from Amanda Lee and Megan McElrath about root words and vocabulary. STEAM teacher Kevin Curtis outlined plans to continue the school’s trout-release and composting programs and create a cafeteria “Share Table” intended to reduce food waste while helping meet community needs.

Reid’s next visit was Dranesville Elementary School, led by Principal Jamie Gadley. A sixth-grade ambassador named Robert guided her through the newly renovated first phase of the building.

During a second-grade collaborative planning meeting, teachers prepared lessons on Benchmark Unit 1 and addition and subtraction. They considered the strategies students might use and how children could share, question and connect those approaches.

In Lisa Comeau’s first-grade classroom, students learned to use a sticky note to keep their place in handwriting notebooks. One student connected the routine to using a bookmark. Dranesville reported that 98% of its kindergarten through sixth-grade students were in attendance that Tuesday.

Reid ended Tuesday’s school visits at Oakton High School, where the boys volleyball team played Herndon High School before a crowd of students, families and other supporters.

On Wednesday morning, Reid met with the Rotary Club at Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern in Herndon. The discussion covered the school system’s role in Fairfax County’s economy, potential business partnerships and the approaching school bond election.

That afternoon, the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee for Twice-Exceptional Programming held its first meeting of the 2025-26 school year at the Gatehouse Administration Center. Members reviewed working agreements, accomplishments from the previous year and the group’s new objectives and tasks. The work supports the academic inclusion and engagement component of the school system’s 2023-30 strategic plan.

The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee met Wednesday night to examine current programs, the effects of previous boundary changes and possible next steps. Members received updates on transportation and students’ proximity to their schools, while plans continued for a more detailed driving-distance study.

A consultant presented findings from committee feedback and demonstrated a tool for measuring the potential effects of boundary changes. Small groups discussed priorities, completing the transportation study and developing possible boundary proposals. The committee’s next meeting was scheduled for October.

On Thursday, Wakefield Forest Elementary School celebrated the opening of its renovated building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The project added classrooms, a library, a music room and a larger cafeteria.

Principal Sharyn Prindle said the improvements allow the entire student body to attend under one roof for the first time in about 20 years. The renovation was funded through voter-approved bond referendums.

Later Thursday, fifth-grade teacher Kylee West of Bailey’s Upper Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences received the FCPS CARES of the Quarter Award and a $500 check from sponsor Cigna.

The CARES program allows families, employees and community members to recognize school workers who have made a significant difference. After nine years as a monthly recognition program spanning six regions and central-office departments, it expanded in partnership with Educate Fairfax to include the quarterly honor.

West was recognized for her compassion, generosity and commitment to students, families and the community.

The school system also held its 2025-26 Family Vision Group kickoff Thursday evening at Lewis High School. Representatives from nearly every school discussed changes for the new academic year and received updates on the strategic plan. The group is intended to strengthen communication between families and schools.

On Friday morning, Reid appeared with Prince George’s County Interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph on WAMU’s “The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi.” They discussed student safety, cellphone rules and concerns about immigration enforcement at the start of the school year.

Reid also addressed the school system’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education. The suit seeks to prevent the department from freezing federal money because of the division’s gender policies.

That evening, Reid attended the varsity football game between Lake Braddock Secondary School and Madison High School. Lake Braddock’s dance team performed at halftime, and members of the school’s DECA club also participated in the event.

On Saturday, the Spanish Cultural Center in Washington hosted the 2025 Bernardo de Gálvez Essay Contest awards ceremony. Spanish Ambassador Ángeles Moreno Bau hosted the event.

Langley High School senior Ryan Minton, president of the school’s World Affairs Club, created the contest to explore the legacy of Bernardo de Gálvez, the Spanish military leader and statesman who helped the American cause during the Revolutionary War.

Seventy-one students entered as the competition’s founding participants and received Pioneer Awards. Six students also earned Gold, Silver or Bronze honors at the middle- and high-school levels.

Later Saturday morning, Timber Lane Elementary School marked its 70th anniversary with a celebration of the students, employees and families who shaped its history. A representative of Fairfax County Supervisor Dalia A. Palchik presented a proclamation recognizing the milestone.

The week also brought the full launch of Tandem, the school division’s new centralized calendar, following a soft launch in August. The tool is now available through the division homepage, its calendars and events page and every school website.

Tandem includes centrally organized events such as community and employee conversations, Family Academy programs and the Family Summit. Professional-learning opportunities were expected to be added later. Users can filter listings, while families with children at multiple schools can combine their events in one calendar.