Tales From The Nest

Hello Hawk Nation,

I am truly excited to open the 26’-27’ school year at UMS. I hope your summer was filled with time spent with family, loved ones and friends. Our summers are perfect for our children to build lifelong memories as they recharge their batteries for the upcoming school year.

The excitement is building for your child’s first day of school. We are preparing for their arrival on Wednesday, August 19th. As a reminder, our doors open at 7:30 AM and instruction begins promptly at 8:00 AM. As we know, the UMS car rider line is substantial. The closer you arrive to 7:30, the less traffic you will encounter. Dismissal is at 3:00 PM; please be patient as we welcome new drivers to the car rider line.

As the countdown to school draws near, please start to prepare your child for their first day. Our students will need to be well rested for the energy it takes to focus on seven different classes per day. Proper diet, staying well hydrated and also being well rested play important roles in expecting success at UMS. Chromebooks should be fully charged and ready to go. I urge you to review with your child the new Personal Mobile Device (PMD) Guidelines communicated by FCPS. As noted in the policy, students are prohibited from using a PMD during the academic school day and if brought to school, it must be stored out of sight and either shutdown or in airplane/school mode.

On a final note, the first three days of school will be focused on learning the routine of UMS, setting expectations of behavior and school safety. Please discuss these items with your children to help reinforce the lessons from the first several days back to school. I look forward to seeing you on Thursday, August 27th for the UMS back to school night event.

Go Hawks,

Mr. Kibler

Aug 19th: First Day of School
Aug. 27th: Back To School Night 3:30pm- 5pm

Sept. 7th: No School- Labor Day
Sept. 18th: 2 hr. Early Dismissal (Mid Term)
Sept. 21st: No School
Sept. 25th: 3.5 Hrs Early Dismissal

Click here for FCPS 26-27 School year Calendar

BTSN will be a self-paced opportunity for families to:

• Explore the building
• Meet teachers
• Review and walk your child's schedule

Please bring a printed copy of your child's schedule to help guide your time. There will be no formal presentation, so families are welcome to arrive and participate during BTSN up until 5:00 PM.

We look forward to seeing our families and beginning another great school year together!

All UMS students must follow "off and away" expectations for personal mobile & communication devices from bell to bell.

• Throughout the school day, students must keep cell phones, smart watches, speakers, cameras, and any other personal technology communication devices out of sight and either shutdown/off or in airplane/school mode between the hours of 7:30 AM and 3:00 PM.
• If you have any questions about this policy, please reference the FCPS 2026-2027 student code of conduct.

Students, for now please refrain from using your FCPS-provided Chromebook. FCPS Technology Services will be resetting your device on or around August 19th. Teachers will assist with setting up a new password on the first day of school and review updates on its use. Thank you for your cooperation.

Students should bring their Chromebooks to school on the first day, although they will not be used for instruction the first week. Any student who is new to UMS this year will also receive a Chromebook the first week.

Last year we witnessed a lot of unsafe behavior on electric scooters and bicycles. This included students ignoring staff requests and continuing to ride in front of moving buses and down sidewalks that were being used by pedestrians.

To increase safety for everyone accessing the UMS Campus, we have modified entrance and exit areas based on form of transportation.

Please review the map below for visual support.

Between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. students will use cafeteria entrance shown with a STAR on the map. Once the 8:00 a.m. bell rings all students must come to the front doors located by the flagpole.

Walkers can also access the cafeteria via the portable area doors until 8:00 a.m.

The private road and bus loop shown in Blue are for School Buses and FCPS Maintenance Vehicles only. No students should walk, ride, or be dropped off at any point on the blue access roads.

The Green route is our car rider line. Cars are to enter and exit via Pontius Court and use the loop in front of the school. Friendly staff will greet you in the morning and afternoon, showing you how to navigate the loop.

Students using any type of wheeled transportation must enter via Pontius Court, shown on the map in Red. Bike racks have been relocated to this area of the property. Upon reaching the bike racks students must deposit their wheeled transportation (we highly recommend you lock it up) and then walk for the remainder of the path into the school.

Students who are walking may travel to school via the Yellow paths on either Pontius Court or Campus Drive. Students accessing the paved sidewalk that leads between the YMCA and UMS can enter there by the portables until 8:00 a.m. Students who are coming to school from the YMCA or going to the YMCA after school are to used the paved sidewalk only. Students on scooters or bikes will not be admitted through portable doors.

Lockers at UMS are not assigned to students at the beginning of the school year due to limited use from previous school years (less than 300 last two school years). Beginning week three, more information will be provided to students if they decide to utilize a school assigned locker.

Students are permitted to use reusable plastic or metal bottles which have a secure, spill-proof lid for the purpose of hydrating themselves with water only. They may be refilled via drinking fountains, water coolers, and/or hydration stations (no squeezable sports bottles). Juice, milk, coffee, and/or carbonated drinks (sparkling flavored waters, soda/pop) are not to be consumed outside of the cafeteria.

Fidgets are tools to support student learning and regulation, not toys. A hand-held sized fidget is permitted only if it remains quiet, stays in the student’s hand, and does not draw attention of surrounding students. Fidgets containing liquids such as NeeDoh balls, slime, and/or noisy spinners are not permitted at UMS. IF you have any questions, please contact your child’s guidance counselor for more clarification.

SchoolCash Online is FCPS's online payment system for activities and fees. If you haven't set up an account yet, please do so by visiting the site here.