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1. Important Dates
January 24 - TJ Essay Writing Administration
January 28 - End of 2nd Quarter, 2 Hour Early Release (all students dismissed at 12:15 PM), No After-School Program
January 29-30 - No School for Students (Staff Development & Teacher Workday)
February 12 - PTA Meeting, 7 PM, Library
February 13 - No After-School Program (all students depart at 2:15 dismissal)
February 16 - No School (Washington's Birthday and Presidents' Day)
February 17 - No School for Students (Teacher Workday)
2. A Note from the Principal
Dear Rocky Run Families-
There are few things more energizing in a middle school than the prediction of a major snow event. The last few days at Rocky Run have been buzzing in anticipation. I'm sure that superstitious students (and teachers) will be wearing pajamas inside out and flushing ice cubes down the toilet to encourage the snow. By FAR, my favorite superstition to remind kids is to do all their homework! That will almost guarantee a snow day, or two, or three....
Looking forward to next week, the second quarter officially ends on Wednesday, January 28 (regardless of snow), which is a two-hour early release. As a celebration for all students (and staff members) we will host team parties that day. Thanks to all the families for sending in donations for food and treats for the students to enjoy. Thursday and Friday are student holidays. The second semester officially starts on Monday, February 2 and will be a gold day. Students will be issued new schedules on that day, because semester electives may change.
Thank you for your continued support and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Peter Kownacki
Principal
Rocky Run Middle School
@pakownacki
3. Action Items for Families
Important Safety Message from Greenbriar West
Dear Greenbriar West ES, Rocky Run MS, and Chantilly HS communities,
I am writing to share an important safety reminder regarding traffic conditions during the morning arrival and afternoon dismissal related to students coming and going from Greenbriar West ES (GBW) property. Recently, we have received several reports of unsafe driving behaviors on GBW property during the drop off / pick-up windows for Thomas Jefferson High School, Rocky Run Middle School, and Chantilly High School. We are proud of GBW’s central location in our Chantilly community and recognize that several crucial walking paths intersect on our GBW property helping to provide safe and easy access to several FCPS students as well as ideal bus stops for other FCPS schools.
As we continue to support this partnership between schools, here are some safety reminders for parents who drop off or pick up students on or near Greenbriar West ES property:
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Do Not Block Fire Lanes: These areas must always remain clear for emergency vehicle access.
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Reduce Your Speed: Please drive slowly and cautiously while on or near any FCPS school properties.
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Exercise Hypervigilance: Be extremely watchful for students using crosswalks. Students can be unpredictable, and high-volume traffic requires our full attention.
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Follow Traffic Patterns: Please be patient and respectful of our staff members who are directing traffic to keep our students safe.
Greenbriar West ES is proud to be a collaborative member of our larger Chantilly community, and we need your help to ensure that every student—from our youngest preschoolers to our local high schoolers—gets to and from school safely each day. Thank you for your cooperation as we work collaboratively as a community to improve the safety of our students, our drivers, and our community.
Sincerely,
Andrew Blount
Principal
Greenbriar West ES
End of Semester Student Celebration- Donations Needed!
All Rocky Run teams will be celebrating the end of the first semester with parties on Wednesday, 1/28. Please consider supporting your student's team by donating snacks for their party. This Sign Up Genius details the snacks that are needed: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D45ADAE2BA6FF2-54490077-snack
Snacks can be sent in with your student or dropped off in the main office by 1/27.
Thank you for your consideration!
Career Day Speakers Needed
Rocky Run's Career Day will take place on Friday March 27, 2026. We need your help to make it a success!
Please use this form to sign-up to share your career or job with Rocky Run students. The event will run from 8:00am-12:00pm, but volunteers do not need to commit for the entire time frame. We will be in touch closer to the date to confirm your available times. Presentations may be to small groups, large groups, on a panel, or in a career cluster fair. At this time please let us know if you are willing and available to present and save the date on your calendar!
Please reach out to Halissa Jacobson at hdjacobson@fcps.edu or Anna Slevin agslevin@fcps.edu if you have questions or would like more information. Thank you!
https://forms.gle/PFk33CVm5xUYK46k7
4. Student Celebrations
December Rams on a Roll
Congratulations to our December Rams on a Roll! These students were recognized by their teams for consistently demonstrating all of our RAISE traits and being Respectful, Accountable, Inclusive, Safe, and Engaged.
7th Grade: Braelyn Banks, Ella Niehoff, Jakob Anderson, Sadie Housenger, Max Sahonero, and Kelsie Bakal
8th Grade: Baxter Blevins, Kamryn Lay, Andrei Garcia, Kaya Magwire, Oliver Shuman, and Luke Schmidt
Congratulations- way to Raise the Ram!
Punctual on Purpose Zero Tardy Winners
Each week, we randomly select one student from each team who had zero tardies during the previous week! This week's PoP winners were:
Meteors: Dylan Santoro
Platinum: Gauri Narayana
Emerald: Mohammad Aziz
Kryptonite: Jack Fairchild
Tiger's Eye: Penelope Howard
Sapphire: Abigail Zhang
RAISE the Ram Card Winners
At Rocky Run, students can earn RAISE the Ram cards for exhibiting our RAISE attributes: Rams are Respectful, Accountable, Inclusive, Safe, and Engaged. At the end of each week, we randomly select one winner from each team.
Congratulations to this week's RAISE the Ram card winners:
Meteors: Avery Kirby (Inclusive)
Platinum: Edward Hansen (Inclusive and Engaged)
Emerald: Nolan Case (Respectful and Accountable)
Kryptonite: Sloan Horwood (Engaged)
Tiger's Eye: Sophia Chung (Engaged)
Sapphire: Aillen Gomez (Safe and Engaged)
Great job Raising The Ram this week!
5. Student Services Updates
Academic Advising for 8th Grade (Rising 9th)
This week, Rocky Run counselors began individual academic advising sessions during Civics classes. If your student has not yet had the opportunity to meet with their counselor, please don’t worry. Every student will have a one-on-one meeting with their counselor between now and February 6 to discuss course selections for next year. You can view your child’s course selections in SIS ParentVUE under Course Requests. Please review our Academic Advising website for additional information.
Virtual Parent Coffee - Recording
On Thursday, January 15, 9:30-10:30 AM Rocky Run Student Services hosted a virtual meeting to present information and answer any questions from parents/caregivers about choosing courses and electives for their child's high school. Here is the Zoom Link Recording.
High School Resources
Current 6th Grade Families (Rising 7th Grade)
We enjoyed meeting our rising 7th grade students and families this week during Rocky Run’s Virtual Curriculum Presentation and In-Person Curriculum Night & Electives Fair. If you were not able to join us, we have lots of resources available to review!
Academic Advising for 7th Grade (Rising 8th Grade) Students
Our Rocky Run counselors will kick off the academic advising process for rising 8th grade students in February.
Between February 3-7, counselors will be visiting every US History 7 class to present important course selection information to 7th graders. We will also go over how to correctly enter course selections in SIS.
Students and parents should then review course selections, enter courses in SIS and prepare questions ahead of individual academic advising sessions.
Starting February 10th and though the 21st, counselors and students will start meeting 1:1 to discuss course selections and confirm all courses are entered correctly in SIS.
Second Semester Student Schedule
Monday, February 2, marks the start of second semester, an exciting time as many students begin new electives. Second semester schedules will be available in StudentVUE and ParentVUE on Thursday, January 29, at 4:00 PM.
Please review your child’s schedule and note their second-period class and room number, as students should report directly to second period on Monday morning (a Gold Day). Second-period locations will also be posted near the cafeteria, and teachers will provide students with a paper copy of their schedule once they arrive in class.
Rocky Run staff will be available throughout the building to assist students who need help locating their classrooms. Please contact your child’s school counselor with any questions regarding schedules.
Second Semester Schedule Change Request
If your student wants to change their semester electives, please remind them to complete the Elective Change Request form. This form will be posted in the Rocky Run MS Student Schoology page with instructions on the week of February 9th.
Students will be required to sit in their currently assigned courses through February 13. At that time, counselors will review the requests and make changes if possible. Please be aware that many classes are at full capacity, and we do not change core classes or PE periods to make elective changes. If we can accommodate a change request, that change is final, and students will be in that elective for the remainder of the year.
Second Quarter Report Cards
The last day of the second quarter is Wednesday, January 28. Students’ second-quarter and first-semester grades will be available in SIS ParentVUE on Thursday, February 5. Paper copies of report cards will be distributed to students during 8th period on Friday, February 6. Please contact your child’s subject-area teacher and/or counselor with any questions regarding grades.
6. Instructional Updates
Library Happenings
This week Ms. Little’s classes and Ms. Harrington’s classes visited the library to create 3D cell models in the Inspiration Studio! After students drew and labeled the parts of the cell on paper, students worked in small groups to create 3D models of the cell using common items such as pom poms, pipe cleaners, legos, and Keva Planks. It is always a memorable event that students still talk about when they get to 8th grade.
7. After School Program Information
After-School Schedule for the week of 1/26
- No after-school on Wednesday, 1/29 - 2 hour early release (all students depart at 12:15 PM)
Current after-school club offerings - More clubs will be added throughout the year so check back frequently.
Review the late bus routes that are posted on the After-School Schoology Course
For now, here are some steps to complete:
- Review this general After-School Information.
- ALL families must complete the After-School Consent Form (via the Parent Digital Consent System). Students cannot stay after until this is submitted. Almost all of our Rocky Run students will stay after at some point this year, so please make sure the form is completed ASAP so your student has the flexibility to participate.
Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell, After-School Program Specialist, at SLCampbell@fcps.edu.
Spring Track & Field
- A student interest meeting will be held in the upcoming weeks (date TBD), but for now, you can get started on the paperwork if your student will be interested in participating. Meeting slides and important dates will be shared with families soon.
- Track & Field Registration Google Form
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Middle School Sports Physical- one page requires a doctor's signature, so do not delay! If your student submitted a sports physical packet for Cross Country or Basketball, that same packet will work for Track & Field. Not sure if you submitted one this year? Email Shannon Campbell to check your student's status.
Rocky Run vs Franklin Annual Basketball Game
 Mark your calendar! Rocky Run will take on Franklin MS in our annual basketball games on Friday, February 27th. The event will take place at Chantilly High School. Doors open at 4:30 PM, staff play at 5:00 PM, girls play at 6:00 PM, and boys play at 7:00 PM. All students must be picked up no later than 8:00 PM. All spectators will be required to purchase a ticket ($5 cash at the door or on MySchoolBucks starting on February 6th). Players will get in for free. Concessions will be available for purchase (cash only). Students must be Rams in Good Standing to attend. More information on that will be sent to students and families soon. We hope to see you there!
8. Community Corner
 Unified Basketball Tournament at Chantilly High School
Join us for a basketball tournament on January 31 from 1pm- 5pm at the Chantilly High School Gym! Rock your purple, pack the stands, and make some noise for inclusion! Concessions and swag available for purchase!
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