FCPS Career & Transition Services

The January 2026 Middle Transition Matters Newsletter is out now! This monthly resource is designed to support transition instruction and provide practical, ready-to-use guidance.

📘 What’s in this issue?

Ready-to-use lesson sets across four key areas:

🎯 Career Skills – Linking student interests to career clusters

🎓 High School & Beyond – Connecting career interests to postsecondary education options

🛒 Independent Living Skills – Role-playing self-advocacy and grocery choices

🌆 Community Skills – Exploring how interdependent systems solve real-world problems

🔗 Additional Resources

Transition Plan Essentials links

Recorded sessions from the Transition Instruction Cohort to support your practice

👨‍👩‍👧 TRG in Focus: Family Engagement

This section highlights the importance of Family Engagement and includes practical tools like the Transition Tool Kit for Families to support caregivers as partners in the transition process.

From support to success! With guidance from his job coach and hands-on experience at Walgreens, this West Springfield High School student achieved workplace independence and is thriving on the job. So proud!

Employment and Transition Representative, Bonnie Kolbenstetter was recently recognized for her outstanding service to the Lake Braddock community. Thisaward represents the dedication our Career and Transition staff serve our students. Bravo Bonnie!

Congratulations to Julie Paradiso who was nominated by ETR Maureen Szente who won the 2025 Martha Glennan Disability Inclusion and Equality Awards:

Individual Category: Julie Paradiso, MA, CRC, a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with Virginia’s DARS, works tirelessly to promote inclusion for people with disabilities. She helps students explore careers, gain work experience, and succeed in jobs, creating opportunities for independence. Julie’s dedication goes beyond employment—she supports individuals in finding housing, education, and stability. Her work builds a stronger community where people with disabilities can thrive in every part of life, now and in the future.