We are excited to welcome back our students and families to the 2023-24 School Year! We have a variety of opportunities for you to interact with our faculty and staff, as well as learn more about the courses through a Back to School Night website.  

Back to School Events 

At the end of August, we will have the following:

• New student Orientation : Thursday, August 17 from 9-11:45 am.  
  • Please see the linked schedule for more details on our new student orientation.  
• Adapted Curriculum (Cat B) Meet and Greet: Thursday, August 17 from 9-10:00 am
  • Open house and meet-and-greet for all students who access the adapted curriculum (Cat B). You will receive an email invitation with details. For questions email Jasna Koceva, department chair, at [email protected].  
• Back to School Open House: Thursday, August 17 from 1-3 pm
  • All students and families are invited to our Back to School Open House event.  You may tour the building independently and can walk through your class schedule
  • Teachers will be in their classrooms for quick introductions! Please read below for information on when you will learn more about class-specific details through our Back to School Night offerings.
• Friday, August 25 - Cougar Kickoff, 4-6 pm 
  • All students and families are invited to stop by to learn about club and extra-curricular offerings, enjoy some food trucks, and self-guided tours of the building.  This is a great time for us to come together and celebrate the school year ahead!
  • Our first home football game will begin at 7:00pm in the stadium.  Tickets can be purchased for $5.00 in advance or at the gate.  

Back to School Night

We invite you to join us on Wednesday, August 30 for a Back to School Night! For our Back to School Night, we will have two options so that families can select the option that best suits their needs.

Back to School Night Website: In keeping with our tradition since 2019, parents will have access to an informational website that allows you to explore at the time and pace that works best for you. This asynchronous resource will be available to you throughout the school year and will include the same information that will be provided at our in-person Back to School Night. It will be helpful for you to have your child’s schedule available in ParentVUE as a guide to find the relevant staff/class videos.  On this site you will find the following: 

• Principal Welcome message
• Important Information (Required Forms for All Students) 
• School Board Member Videos
• Schoology Learning Tips
• Introductory/Content Area videos from teachers
  • This video will include traditional Back to School Night information including grading policies, course syllabus review, content information, and other course-specific details. This will be the same information shared if you opt to come in person in lieu of accessing the site. 

Back to School Night: For those interested in a traditional in-person Back to School Night, we invite you to join us on the evening of Wednesday, August 30. Parents will have an opportunity to go through their child’s schedule class by class and hear the presentation also shared on the Back to School Night Website. Parking will be limited and we encourage parents to carpool or walk if within walking distance. Outside of parking at Oakton High School, there is also street parking and we have arranged with Marshall Road Elementary School for overflow parking. Please note there will not be a shuttle provided. More specific details will be released closer to the event.

• Calendars and Bell Schedule
• Attendance policies and procedures
• Oakton High School Instagram: oaktonhs  | Twitter: @OaktonHS
• Oakton Athletics website and twitter @oaktonathletics
• Sign up for Oakton High School News and Announcements emails. Mrs. Lane sends the weekly update each Monday at 5:30 pm
  • If you want to sign up for emails from the Activities Office, you can also find that sign up for Oakton High School Athletics

Online Verification Update

Parents can now update information for their child in one easy location. It is crucial that all families review information in ParentVUE to ensure that we have up-to-date contact information and health information to best care for your child. To access the Online Verification Update packet you will log-in to SIS ParentVue and click on the “Online Packets” tab in the upper right hand corner.  If you are accessing via the app on your phone click on the “OLR - Online Packets” button at the top of the screen.  You can access more directions  and details here.  

This update will ask you to verify and/or update the following pertinent information: 

• Family
  • Home Address Verification , Mailing Address Verification 
• Parent/Guardian 
  • Name, Address, Phone Number, Designation of Primary phone number, Email address
• Emergency
  • Add/Delete/Update Emergency Contact information 
• Students (for each student enrolled) 
  • Demographics, Homeless Student Referral, Military Connected Status, Parent/Guardian relationships, Emergency Contact Relationships, Physician Information, Health Insurance Information, FCPS Health Forms (see below), Health Information, Immunization Dates, Internet Access Information 
• Documents
  • In this section you can download, complete and upload the following applicable documents for your student 
  • You can also download the updated Health Information Report and Emergency Care Report for your student.  
    • Authorization for Anaphylaxis Action Plan (SE64) - Required for the administration of epinephrine injection(s) as directed by the licensed prescriber.
    • FCPS Authorization for Virginia Asthma Action Plan (SE65) - Required for the administration of an inhaler as directed by the licensed prescriber.
    • Medication Authorization (SE 63) - Required for the administration of over-the-counter and prescription medication, with the exception of epinephrine and inhaled medication, as directed by the licensed prescriber/parent/guardian.
    • Physician’s Referral for Participation in Physical Education (SE200) - Complete if a modified physical education program is needed
    • Specific Health Care Procedures Authorization (SE 180) - Complete for physical condition(s) for which the specific procedure is to be performed.
• Review/Submit
  • Review documentation and submit for your student’s information to be updated in the FCPS Student Information System.

Student’s Rights and Responsibilities Signature Page 

Every year, FCPS requires parents/guardians to review, sign, and return the SR&R parent/guardian signature page acknowledging awareness of online access to and/or the opportunity to receive a printed copy of the FCPS SR&R Guide for Families. You can complete this requirement through your ParentVue account in a matter of seconds. Upon login to your ParentVue account, you will be prompted immediately to complete the SR&R signature page. Note that your name in the digital signature box must match the parent/guardian’s first and last name in SIS exactly before the signature will be accepted. The prompt will repeat in ParentVue until the signature page has been completed. 

Students will review this year’s SR&R through their Cougar Connect class (3rd period) on Wednesday, August 23. 

Please take a moment to review the FCPS Student Right and Responsibilities at www.fcps.edu/srr and log into ParentVUE to access and complete the SR&R Parent Signature Page. 

If you would rather print out and sign the SR&R signature page, you can access it here. You can either return it to the main office or scan it and email to [email protected].

Parent Digital Tool Permission

Each year, parents need to provide consent for students to access certain resources. Information on which tools are used in FCPS that require parental approval can be found on the FCPS website under “Digital Resources - Parent Consent.” Parents are asked to complete the consent form found on Oakton’s website by Friday, August 25.  

Immunization Requirement (12th graders)

All students entering twelfth grade are required to receive one dose of Meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) administered at age 16 or older, and prior to the beginning of school.  Twelfth grade students cannot begin school in August without proper Meningococcal documentation. 

Read below under "Immunization Requirement" for more information about how to provide the necessary documentation

Every year, FCPS requires parents/guardians to review, sign, and return the SR&R parent/guardian signature page acknowledging awareness of online access to and/or the opportunity to receive a printed copy of the FCPS SR&R Guide for Families. You can complete this requirement through your ParentVue account in a matter of seconds. Upon login to your ParentVue account, you will be prompted immediately to complete the SR&R signature page. Note that your name in the digital signature box must match the parent/guardian’s first and last name in SIS exactly before the signature will be accepted. The prompt will repeat in ParentVue until the signature page has been completed. 

Students will review this year’s SR&R through their Cougar Connect class (3rd period) on Wednesday, August 23. 

Please take a moment to review the FCPS Student Right and Responsibilities at www.fcps.edu/srr and log into ParentVUE to access and complete the SR&R Parent Signature Page. 

If you would rather print out and sign the SR&R signature page, you can access it here. You can either return it to the main office or scan it and email to @email.  ​​​​​ ​​

• August 17 – Schedules available in StudentVUE and ParentVUE at 6 am
• August 17 – Rising Freshman and New Student Orientation, 9-11:30 am (for students only)
• August 17 – Open house invitation, 1-3 pm
• August 21 – First Day of School! 
• August 25 – Cougar Kickoff 
• August 28-30 – Senior portraits
• August 30 – Back to School Night (specific details to come)
• September 1 – No School 
• September 4 – No School, Labor Day 
• September 5 – Gradebooks available in StudentVUE/ParentVUE
• September 19-20 – Underclassmen Portraits 
• September 22 – Senior Panoramic, Homecoming Game
• September 23 – Homecoming Dance
• September 25 – No School, Yom Kippur
• October 9 – Staff Development Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day 
• October 11 – PSAT (10th-11th Grade)/SAT (12th Grade) Day; No-School 9th grade/non-testers
• October 16-18 – Senior Portraits
• October 20 – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
• November 2 – Underclassmen Portraits Make-up
• November 3 – End of 1st Quarter, 2 hour early release
• November 6-7 – Teacher Workdays – Student Holidays
• November 6 – Winter Sports Begin
• November 22-24 – No School, Thanksgiving Break 
• November 29 – Senior Portraits (Final Opportunity) 

**The entire FCPS school calendar can be accessed here**

We have finalized our master schedule for the upcoming school year. Our staffing decisions and the number of courses offered are based on the classes students selected during the registration period last school year. To maintain the best possible program for our students and one that is most responsive to their educational needs, schedule changes will be limited to space available. 

Timeline for Schedule Changes

• August 3-9: Schedules will be adjusted if there is a school error or summer school adjustment needed.
• August 10-September 8: School counselors will make requested schedule changes based on space availability
• September 11-November 3 (end of 1st quarter grading window): No schedule changes
• After November 6: Any student requesting a schedule change will need to fill out the schedule change request form, with permission from parent, student, teacher, school counselor, and administrator. If approved by the administration, schedule changes will only be processed if there is space available.
• After March 22: There will not be any schedule changes, regardless of space availability.  This date aligns with the last day of the 3rd Quarter.    

For any questions you may have, contact your child’s school counselor.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Office of Transportation Services (OTS) plans to use all available resources to deliver students to and from school safely and on-time. Double backs will be scheduled where needed. Double backs are when a driver delivers one group of students to school and returns to take a second group. This process is followed in the afternoon for the trip home as well. Through your SIS ParentVue account, you can see your child’s transportation assignments and intent on the “Student Info” tab. Transportation assignments for the first day of school, August 21, 2023, will become available on August 10, 2023, and changes may be made up to August 16, 2023.

All parents should access their SIS ParentVue account, to ensure the Transportation Intent for each student is accurate. All parents/guardians should have received an eNotify email message directly from Transportation on August 4, 2023.  That email provided details on the transportation intent process for families.  If adjustments are needed, click on “Edit Information” to make changes to your Transportation Intent. 

All students eligible for transportation services will be provided transportation unless the parent has stated ‘NO’ to the Transportation Intent.

Please contact the transportation office or the Oakton Main Office if you have any questions about accessing your student information.

Late buses will run on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and will start on Wednesday, September 6th and the last day they run will be Thursday, May 30. The late bus schedule will be posted outside of the Security Office and on the Oakton High School page on Schoology; students can also find their bus number on StudentVUE.

Student Arrival and Dismissal

The building will be accessible to students starting at 7:30 am.   

Dismissal is at 2:55 pm.  Students are asked to leave the building at the end of the day unless they are being supervised by an adult. Any student who wishes to stay after school must be in the supervision of a staff member.  

Traffic Patterns at Arrival and Dismissal

All drivers are strongly encouraged to follow all traffic/roadway laws and driving patterns as established. This ensures the safety of all and maximizes the efficiency of our traffic pattern. Please follow all posted signs and directions of staff. The first week of school, traffic is traditionally heavier than normal.  Please allow additional time if you are driving your student to school and/or your student is driving themselves to school.  

Oakton High School strives to maintain positive relationships with our surrounding neighbors. To that end, we ask that everyone respects private property while walking to and from school. In addition, no neighborhoods should be used as kiss-and-ride drop off or pick-up locations.  This practice severely impacts our neighbors and their daily schedules.  

The FCPSOn initiative at Oakton High School provides students with equitable access to meaningful learning experiences and technology to support their learning. Each Oakton student will receive an FCPS-issued Chromebook to access dynamic resources and participate in learning tailored to the student’s individual needs. Loaner Chromebooks will only be available for students whose Chromebooks are in need of repair. 

The mission of FCPSOn is to provide equitable access to technology and to instructional practices that lead to Portrait of a Graduate outcomes for ALL students. 

What are the benefits of using an FCPSOn Device?

Chromebooks will be distributed through students’ 3rd period classes on the 1st day of school. 

For more information specific to Oakton please go to the Oakton website; for more about the FCPSOn initiative in FCPS, please go to the FCPS website.

Students, families, and teachers throughout FCPS and in our school community will use Schoology (pronounced /SKOO-luh-jee/) as our learning management system. Schoology is a learning space that enhances communication, collaboration, and personalized learning for all.

The Oakton all student Schoology page has all sorts of information, including school-wide announcements, tech support links, and the weekly calendar. It also has the morning announcements and general / academic resources. 

The student grade level Schoology pages have information applicable to each specific grade level. This includes announcements and information pertinent to the specific grade level.

The Oakton parent Schoology page has our weekly calendar, resources, and upcoming parent events listed. It also contained course registration information. Parents are also able to access their student class Schoology pages through their parent Schoology account.

Oakton students have an eight period schedule that alternates between burgundy and gold days. On burgundy days, students will attend periods 1, 3, 5, and 7. On gold days, students will attend periods 2, 4, 6, and 8. Third period, also identified as Learning Seminar on students’ schedules, is when we implement Cougar Time and Cougar Connect. More information about these structures can be found below. 

Cougar Time

Cougar Time will take place each burgundy day. This time allows students to receive enrichment and/or remediation with different teachers through a designated return period. Please click here to access our 1st quarter calendar for the rotation schedule; we will continue to provide these calendars each quarter. When you see 3rd period in the rotation, that indicates the students will be in Cougar Connect. 

Cougar Connect

Cougar Connect (formerly known as advisory) will meet periodically as part of the scheduled 3rd period. The purpose of Cougar Connect is three-fold: 

• To help students and staff make connections among each other and the school
• To help students and staff build community and amplify student voice
• To more easily disseminate important Oakton-specific information to students

In a large school such as Oakton, especially amidst a fast-paced culture of achievement and rigor, we want to ensure that students feel connected and informed. Cougar Connect provides students a home base where they can learn about school events, connect with their advisors, build relationships with peers, and practice vital life skills, including social-emotional learning. Cougar Connect aims to strengthen interpersonal relationships at Oakton High School with the end goal of supporting each and every student throughout his or her high school experience. To better achieve this, we have shifted to grade-level Cougar Connect groups. This structure has been deeply embedded at Oakton for many years, and is a part of all county schools’ schedules.

A Cougar Time and Cougar Connect calendar will be provided quarterly. You can access the 1st quarter calendar here.

Teachers will be sharing their course syllabi with their students in the first days of school. In order to make these documents concise and course-specific, Oakton has gathered the in-common language and has posted it on our website under Oakton Common Grading Policy. FCPS made updates to the Grading and Reporting policy, which you can find on the FCPS website, and Oakton’s common grading policy has been updated to reflect FCPS’s changes. Additionally, we added a section on the use of a Rolling Gradebook as all of our classes utilize this type of gradebook. 

The goal of the clinic is to ensure that your child will enjoy a healthy and safe school year. To proactively plan, we ask that parents update the Emergency Care Form through SIS ParentVUE; there is a section for “Current Health Conditions” and “Current Medical Care Details” that will update the health information for the student. 

If you need to drop off medication for your student, please fill out a new medication authorization form.  This is required to be filled out annually.  

Medication can be dropped off at school Wednesday August 16 through Friday August 18 from 9am-4 pm.  Once school begins, medication can be dropped off any school day from 8am-3pm. Please read below for the updated medication guidelines that specify amount and method of medication that can be dropped off. 

If medication is needed at school or for any after FCPS sponsored activity (field trips, sports, band, drama, chorus, etc.), specific guidelines in accordance with the FCPS Medication Administration Regulation 2102 must be followed. A Medication Authorization form MUST be on file in the Health Room for any medication administered at school OR carried by student. Forms (for epinephrine, inhalers and medications) are available in the School Health Room or online.

Medication Guidelines

To help ensure the safety of our medication administration management in Fairfax County Public Schools we will adhere to these guidelines:

• Any time you drop off or pick up a medication in the health room, a Medication Delivery/Pick Up Form will be completed and signed by both the parent/guardian and the School Health Aide or FCPS staff member. This form will document that all required authorizations are complete, and the number of pills or amount of medication accepted/returned. A copy of the form will be given to the parent/guardian and school administrator.
• Medications received will be verified to ensure the description of the medication on the container/packaging matches the medication in the container.
• All medications must be in the original pharmacy container. Over the counter (OTC) medications must be in an unopened original container. It will no longer be acceptable for parents/guardians to bring in refills from home and place them into the container currently in the health room.
• Only a 30-day supply of medications should be brought to school. No more than 25 tablets or pills of OTC medication should be brought to school.

All requirements outlined in FCPS Regulation 2102, First Aid, Emergency Treatment and Administration of Medication for Students, continue to apply.

Any teacher who requires specific school supplies will provide a list during the first week of school.

Students are not automatically assigned a locker, as we have found that most students do not find a need for them. Should any student wish to sign up for a locker, students can sign up through this locker Google form. If you sign up for a locker, you will be notified by email on Monday, August 28 with more information. Students may request a locker after the start of the school year by seeing Mr. Giambattista, Safety and Security Specialist. 

The Oakton HS cafeteria will sell breakfast and lunch daily.  If your student plans on purchasing food through the cafeteria, please be sure to load money on their meal account or bring cash.  More information on FCPS Food Services (including payment options for meal accounts, daily menus, free and reduced meal programs, etc.) can be reviewed on the FCPS website. 

Information on applying for Free and Reduced Lunch can also be found above under "Additional Forms for Students (Optional)". Eligible families are encouraged to submit the Free and Reduced-Price Meal application before the first day of the 2023-24 school year. More information is on the FCPS website, including forms to apply for Free or Reduced Lunch and Consent to Share Information.

School Counselors

Oakton’s school counselors work directly with students, teachers, and parents to provide students a supportive and caring school experience. Students and parents are encouraged to reach out to their counselor with academic concerns, questions about college and career information, or mental health concerns.

Administrative Team

The Oakton administrative team is here to support all students! 

The Assistant Principals work along with the counselors to support students. The duties for each assistant principal for the 2023-2024 school year are outlined on our website. Please do not hesitate to reach out when you have a question or concern.

In addition to the school counseling team and administrative team, there are a number of additional staff members at Oakton who are here to support students throughout the school year.

These include: Systems of Support Advisor, School Psychologist, School Social Workers, Career Center Specialist, Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, and Family Liaison.

You can find their email addresses and more about what they do on our supports page.

If your student has an IEP, they will be assigned a case manager for the year. The case manager is your first point of contact for any questions or concerns regarding the IEP.

If you have further questions regarding an IEP, you can contact one of the special education department chairs: Shelley Wiederhold (Cat A) at [email protected] or Jasna Koceva (Cat B) at [email protected] 

If your student has a 504 plan, their case manager is their school counselor and any questions or concerns should be directed to them.

Senior portraits

Senior portraits have been scheduled with Victor O’Neill Studios.  Additional senior Portrait opportunities for the Class of 2024 are available on:, August 28-30, 2023, October 16-18, 2023, November 29, 2023 (final opportunity).  Information will be provided to families in advance of each photo session so that you may sign-up for a designated time slot.  

The senior panoramic picture is scheduled for Friday, September 22, 2023.  This will take place during the school day.  

Underclass pictures

Underclass student pictures will be taken on Tuesday, September 19 and Wednesday, September 20 with make-ups on November 2. 

Picture reminders for all

These pictures will be used for the yearbook and offered for sale to students and parents. Victor O’Neill’s contract with Oakton does serve as a fundraiser for the school and profits from student pictures are used to enhance the instructional program and facility. 

As a reminder, dates and times for picture taking will be announced during morning announcements and posted on our Oakton High School Schoology student page. Senior portrait and underclass picture information will also be emailed to all Oakton students and parents.

This year we will accept parking applications from juniors and seniors. Seniors will be given first priority. If the number of senior applications we receive exceeds the number of available student spaces, we will assign spots based on a lottery system to seniors only. If all seniors who apply receive a space and there are still spots to fill, we will hold a lottery for the juniors that have applied. The application can be found here and hard copies are also available in the main office. If you download the document, it is a fillable form. All applications are due by 3 pm on August 11 and must be submitted to the box in the main office. We will only accept hard copies of the application. If after reading through all of the documents thoroughly you have questions, please email Ms. Landis at [email protected].

Applications and the above information can also be found on our Oakton HS website under announcements for you to access.  

On August 17 during the Open House times, there will be a list posted of students who have received the parking pass. At that time, students may pay for their parking permit and any fees they owe (in two separate checks made out to Oakton High School).  Parking permits not paid for and picked up by August 25, will be reassigned to anyone who did not get a parking permit in the initial lottery.  

Limited free parking is available along Sutton Road on a first-come, first-served basis. Please make note that Sutton Road may not be available due to commuter parking. Students may not park in any of the restricted residential areas surrounding the school.

All students entering twelfth grade are required to receive one dose of Meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) administered at age 16 or older, and prior to the beginning of school.  Twelfth grade students cannot begin school in August without proper Meningococcal documentation. 

Please provide one of the following documents to Oakton High School as soon as possible:

• An updated immunization record showing that the student has received the Meningococcal vaccine at age 16 or older.
• A note on a healthcare provider’s letterhead stating the date the Meningococcal vaccine was given at age 16 or older.
• A healthcare provider’s written statement of a permanent or temporary medical exemption.
• A notarized Religious Exemption Form which is available online at: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/health_medical/certificate_religious_exemption.pdf

Please note families do not need to wait for their students to be entering the 12th grade to provide the requisite immunization documentation.  Families can provide the appropriate records immediately following the immunization following the student’s 16th birthday.  

Immunizations are available from your student's healthcare provider or the Fairfax County Health Department. The Health Department clinic locations and hours are available online or by calling 703-246-2411.

The needed documentation can be provided to the school in one of the following ways: 

1. Scanned and emailed to the school at [email protected] 
2. Mailed to the school, Oakton High School, Attn: Jill Hendelman, 2900 Sutton Road, Vienna, VA 22181
3. Dropped off in the Main Office, Attn: Jill Hendelman

Please contact Jill Hendelman at 703-319-2810 if you have any questions.

SIS ParentVUE is the FCPS secure solution for accessing information about your child's attendance, class performance, demographic data, and link to Schoology. Your username and password is the same for both ParentVUE and Schoology. 

• SIS ParentVUE Account Provides: access to view your child’s student information, including attendance, report cards, class schedules, grade book (for Middle and High School students), course history, discipline, health, and school information. It also enables you to get weekly grade reports. 
• Schoology Parent Account Provides: access to view your child’s courses, groups, assignments, and calendar. Parents can also check messages, adjust their notification settings, and access additional groups or courses if they are enrolled as members.

Need an account? Please visit us during our open houses or by appointment to register for an account.

The Pantry is available to help Oakton High School students and their families in need. We offer non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, and household cleaning supplies.

The Oakton pantry is available to all of our students and their families.

Read here for more information about the Pantry including how to access it as well as volunteer opportunities.