Manassas City Public Schools
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School may not even be out for the summer, but some in the community are already planning what children will need when they return to class in August.
The Prince William County Community Foundation (PWCCF) is gearing up for its fourth annual Back-to-School Community Event, anticipated to attract as many as 8,000 attendees, a significant increase from last year’s 6,000. This year’s event, scheduled for August 3, 2024, at Unity Reed High School near Manassas, will feature a substantial giveaway of over 3,000 backpacks filled with school supplies, up from 2,500 last year.
Manassas City Public Schools has released recommendations for the 2024-2025 academic calendar. These recommendations focus on optimizing professional development opportunities for teachers while maintaining instructional integrity for students.
Under the guidance of Katy Keegan, Director of Professional Learning, and Dr. Ed Stephenson, Director of Instruction, the division proposes a broad range of professional learning needs across grade levels. For grades K-6, the emphasis is on literacy, including the Science of Reading through Canvas courses, new intervention programs, and individualized reading plans for grades K-3.
Kimberly Jones, a reading support teacher at Baldwin Intermediate School in Manassas, has been named the 2024 Mary V. Bicouvaris Teacher of the Year for the school division. Jones, who has been teaching for 12 years and is in her second year at Manassas City, expressed her gratitude for the recognition.
“Earning this recognition is an incredible honor,” Jones said. “It represents my dedication and hard work in education and validates my passion for teaching and fostering student success.”
The Manassas City School Board and Council held a joint meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, to discuss future plans for the new Jennie Dean Elementary School following the Board’s design approval on Feb. 13, 2024.
Council and board members met to move the process along and hopefully reach an agreement on a Special Use Permit (SUP) the School Board must obtain from the City Council before school construction may begin. Obtaining an SUP will move the decision to approve the designs and construction to the Planning Commission and then the City Council for a vote.
On February 20, 2024, the Manassas City Council will meet to discuss matters regarding education infrastructure and the development of the Jennie Dean Elementary School.
The agenda for the meeting encompassed various topics, including updates on the construction progress of the new Jennie Dean Elementary School. Furthermore, council members deliberated on the current condition of the existing school building and explored potential uses for the former Jennie Dean Elementary School building.
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The Manassas City School Board voted unanimously Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, to approve the plans for Jennie Dean Elementary School, moving it forward to the city’s Planning Commission for further approval and discussion.
This decision comes after months of discussions, planning, and devising an amenable school plan to fit the city’s needs. Previous reporting from Potomac Local News has shown contention between City Council and the School Board about this project, which has focused on other projects.
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The status report given by second-year Principal Gary Morris at the meeting sparked calls to action to improve Standard of Learning scores and the overall school culture.
School Board member Sara Brescia said the unique nature of Metz – having a 50% turnover rate each school year because the school houses only children in 7th and 8th grades – makes building a consistent, positive culture challenging.
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We write to you as individual members of the Manassas City School Board regarding the recent article “Metz Middle scores decline…” and the significant online discussion that ensued.
However, we reject the notion that a high share of ESOL students inevitably condemns Metz to its current level of performance. To move forward, we must thoughtfully and accurately identify the problems facing our middle school, and we firmly believe that our students can achieve at a higher level.