Author: ARLnow.com Sponsor

St. Thomas More Cathedral School Pivots Quickly to eLearning In Face of COVID-19

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
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St. Thomas More Cathedral School (STM) in Arlington moved swiftly and seamlessly to fully instruct students online in PreK to 8th grade amidst the Coronavirus crisis.

With a 1:1 mobile device ratio already in place, students departed school on Friday, March 13 (a previously scheduled early dismissal) with their books, in addition to their iPad, Chromebook or HP touchscreen laptop prepared to learn virtually for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, teachers spent the remainder of that fateful half day in professional development to fortify their Google Classrooms and Seesaw accounts with activities. The foresight of having faculty and students experienced in online educational techniques since its inception has proven fruitful in the first weeks learning at home, particularly since Governor Northam closed Virginia schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 year.

STM students are now learning online with all of their teachers in a modified 4 hour daily classroom schedule that meets and exceeds the Diocese of Arlington requirements for instruction. Students participate live via Google Meet amongst other interactive applications, while the parents support each other in a private Facebook parent group dedicated to the school community.

IT support tickets and even a Virtual Spirit Week have been successfully managed online in this ‘new normal.’ The teachers at STM have long embraced technology for integration into all subject areas.

“Our school has a traditional environment in that we use textbooks daily, still teach cursive and grammar,” shared Principal Cathy Davis of St. Thomas More Cathedral School. “However, we have a progressive philosophy amongst our peers with regards to best practices for instruction, including differentiation and adapting to new ways of doing things.”

Davis added, “my staff is sought out by other schools to train their teachers in how to do this, but it will take them a while to ramp up and catch up to where we sit.” She continued, “our students gain exposure to technology little by little from PreK onward, as developmentally appropriate and when purposeful in lessons. We know that embedding technology into classrooms engages more learners and often reaches them when a text cannot. It also prepares students for high school and beyond.”

Modalities in use for online learning include, but are not limited to: Google Classroom, SeeSaw, Edgenuity, Class Dojo, Kahoot!, EveryDay Mathematics, Reading A-Z, Epic, World Book e-checkout, Spelling CIty, Kahoot, Zaner Bloser Handwriting, Khan Academy, Scratch & Scratch Jr., Loyola-Press and CodeSpark.

Earlier this school year, STM opened a dedicated Design Lab space filled with STEM learning equipment and further opportunities to apply skills in robotics, 3-D printing, green screen technology and more, courtesy of PTO fundraising and events. 

St. Thomas More Cathedral School serves students in PreKindergarten through 8th grade in the Diocese of Arlington, just outside our nation’s capital of Washington, D.C.

Our Mission is to nurture and develop the spiritual, academic, social and emotional promise of each child in accordance with the teaching of the Catholic Church, rooted in Gospel values and led by the examples of the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ. St. Thomas More is recognized as a high-performing U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School since 2006.

Legal Insider: Virginia Passes Bill to Allow Workers to Sue for Unpaid Wages and Damages

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.

By John V. Berry, Esq.

Virginia employees, if House Bill 123 is signed by Governor Ralph Northam or not otherwise acted upon by April 6, 2020, will have new rights to wages that are unlawfully unpaid.

Virginia House Bill 123 has been passed by both the Virginia House and Senate. The new legislation would create a private right of action for collecting unpaid wages in Virginia. House Bill 123 allows employees that have not been paid to sue an employer to recover their pay, in addition to damages.

Details of Employer Damages and Penalties

House Bill 123 permits Virginia employees to bring claims against employers that fail to pay wages and allows them to recover the wages owed, plus 8% interest from the date that the wages were due. Employees can also be awarded triple damages (3 times the amount of unpaid wages), their attorney’s fees and other costs if a court finds that the employer knowingly failed to pay the wages.

In our experience, most employers are aware that they did not pay wages owed to an employee. There is also a $1,000 civil penalty against the employe for a violation.

Example: Under the law, for example, if an employer fails to pay an employee $1,000 that they earned, they could be liable for that amount, plus 8%, potentially 3 times the wages that were not paid, along with attorney’s fees incurred by the employee, and a civil penalty.

The $1,000 that was unpaid could easily become a judgment against the employer for $5,000 to $8,000 by the time damages and fees are included. Then the civil penalty would also need to be added. If a court finds that there is a genuine dispute between an employer and employee, the employer would not be required to pay triple damages.

Criminal Penalties for Employer Apply

There are also criminal law penalties in the new law. Employers could be found guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail, if the wages owed are less than $10,000. Employers are to be considered guilty of a felony, punishable by a prison term of up to five years, if the value of wages owed is at least $10,000 or if the employer previously had been convicted of such a violation.

Criminal liability now only applies if the nonpayment of wages was willful with the intent to defraud. If signed by the Governor or allowed to become law, the legislation would take effect July 1, 2020.

Contact Us

If you are in need of employment law representation or advice, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or through our contact page to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook or Twitter.

Rethink Energy: An Earth Day We Must Not Forget

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This regularly-scheduled sponsored column is written by the Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy team (AIRE). This county program helps you make smart energy decisions that save you money and leaves a lighter footprint on the environment.

April 22 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. There is something sadly poetic about all of us locked inside during this milestone at the peak of spring.

The pandemic has taken so many lives and left countless others seriously ill. It’s triggered a major economic downturn that may linger beyond medical cures. It’s upended the way we work, learn, shop, eat, travel and connect.

Yet, undeniably, it’s also resulted in clean air on a scale most of us have never seen. Noise pollution from cars and planes has plummeted. Nature seems more vibrant even during a quick walk around the block.

Life can change faster than we imagine. How we adapt is the test.

COVID-19 reminds us that global action is possible to address and mitigate dire threats once they’re acknowledged. It also shows how quickly governments — including Arlington’s — can act given the urgency. The conversation shifts from what should be done to what must be done.

Earthday.org declares that Wednesday’s anniversary “must be a historic moment when citizens of the world rise up in a united call for the creativity, innovation, ambition, and bravery that we need to meet our climate crisis and seize the enormous opportunities of a zero-carbon future.”

We’re experiencing the possibilities of collective action right now.

Working with residents and businesses, the Rethink Energy team remains even more committed to addressing — and defeating — climate change with the help of a carbon-neutral Arlington and similar efforts around the world.

Together let’s keep working toward that healthy and sustainable future. We can do it. There really isn’t a choice.

Some quick steps to take action now.

Happy Earth Day — and many more.

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Looking for a home? There are plenty of houses and condos open for viewing this weekend.

Check out the Arlington Realty website for a full list of homes for sale and open houses in Arlington. Here are a few highlights:

3081 N. Pollard Street
6 BD/5 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Ttr Sotheby’s International Realty
Listed: $2,250,000
Open: Sunday 1-2 p.m.

 

3818 N. Randolph Court
5 BD/5 BA, 2 half bath villa/townhouse
Agent: McEnearney Associates, Inc
Listed: $1,750,000
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 2;30-3 p.m.

 

5012 22nd Street N.
4 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Optime Realty
Listed: $1,100,000
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

1314 S. Glebe Road
3 BD/3 BA, 1 half bath single-family home
Agent: Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $925,000
Open: Sunday 1-2:30 p.m.

 

2001 15th Street N. #1114
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Optime Realty
Listed: $775,000
Open: Virtual Tour/Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

2829 S. Buchanan Street A2
2 BD/2 BA condo
Agent: Ttr Sotheby’s International Realty
Listed: $549,900
Open: Sunday 2-2:30 p.m.

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Andors Real Estate Group.

Alarm bells are ringing across the country — we’re hearing about new construction declining over 20% which represents the biggest monthly decline since 1984.

This is not representative of Arlington’s housing market, however. Transactional volume is down, but the transactions that are occurring are reminiscent of pre COVID-19 times. Abundant showings during the first few days of marketing, resulting in one or more offers for new properties and almost half of the new inventory being absorbed in the first seven days. Most of the homes that don’t sell the first week will sell the second week of marketing.

Companies that support and play an integral role in the real estate industry are getting creative to keep clients and staff safe, and I experienced a first this week — a “curbside settlement.”

KVS Title with many D.C. area locations was up to the challenge. Attorney Joe Moreno, located in KVS’ Arlington office, met us outside, wearing his own PPE and handed us a package through our car window. He stood outside a safe distance away, able to answer questions as we worked through the medium stack of seller-side settlement paperwork. We kept the pen, handed the paperwork back and, voila, settlement complete without stepping foot in an office building!

PICK OF THE WEEK — The Andors Real Estate Group is proud to have Just Listed 2524 S. Fort Scott Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22202 — $995,000. This is a rare opportunity to own a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom brick Cape Cod on coveted Fort Scott Drive. This lovely home is sited up from the street and has an oversized lot, almost 10,000SF. Call me for an appropriately social-distanced tour — (703) 203-1117.

There are currently 232 homes for sale in Arlington. 131 are detached homes, 25 are townhouses/semi-detached, and 76 are condos. Average days on market (DOM) is 55, though median DOM is 29. Both of these numbers crept up from last week, from 51 and 21, respectively. The average days on market this week last year was just 19 days!

Sellers listed some 44 properties for sale this week, down from 60 last week. Buyers ratified 39 contracts, 19 of which were homes that had been on the market one week or less. The median list price of available properties is $­­­1,020,000, while the average is $1,172,599.

Last year for the same week, sellers listed 88 homes and buyers ratified 76 contracts. Those numbers are about double what we’re seeing for this week.

Click here to search currently available Arlington real estate. Call the  Andors Real Estate Group today at (703) 203-1117 to talk more about buying or selling Arlington real estate. Below are eight homes that are new this week that I think you might like to check out.

Listing of the Day: 1563 N. Colonial Terrace, Unit 201

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Address: 1563 N. Colonial Terrace, Unit 201
Neighborhood: Rosslyn | Georgetown Vista
Listed: $409,900
Open: Virtually Open

Welcome to Georgetown Vista unit 201 located in the heart of Rosslyn. This 2 bedroom, 1 bath is arguably one of the best values in Arlington with 750 square feet of living space.

Enter into the living room with refinished wood floors that flow to the dining room. Sliding glass doors open to a balcony with views of Georgetown. The kitchen was renovated in 2014 with high gloss white cabinets and Fisher & Paykel stainless steel appliances. The bathroom was renovated in 2019 with gray subway tiles, a new tub, a new vanity with a marble countertop and “distressed wood” ceramic tile floors. The windows and sliding glass doors were replaced in 2014.

The unit comes with 1 parking permit with a second spot available and an extra storage cage. Georgetown Vista has an enviable location just steps to the Rosslyn Metro, the Key Bridge, Georgetown and so much more!

Listed by:
Shawn Battle
Orange Line Condo | Century 21 Redwood Realty
703-999-8108
[email protected]
OrangeLineCondo.com

Statutes of Liberty: COVID-19’s Impact on U.S. Immigration

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This sponsored column is by James Montana, Esq. and Doran Shemin, Esq., practicing attorneys at Steelyard LLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Arlington, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact James for an appointment.

COVID-19 has changed the way we do business. We’ve ended all client visits at our office, and when green cards arrive, we deliver them in person. We are also doing our part to help out in the community, by volunteering with the Medical Reserve Corps (check out James’ new gear!) and by helping other local businesses apply for Paycheck Protection Program funding.

Immigration is our specialty, though, so we want to provide the latest information here about what parts of the immigration system are operational and which are not. As always, consult your lawyer if you have questions about your own particular circumstances.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is still processing green cards, work permits, asylum applications and other paper-based requests. But the doors are shut to in-person visits. As of March 18, all in-person services, including naturalization interviews, citizenship oath ceremonies and asylum interviews are canceled through May 3.

Application Support Centers, which process applicants’ fingerprints for various benefit applications, are also closed through May 3.  However, the good news for work permit applicants is that if the applicant has previously provided fingerprints, USCIS will use the previously submitted fingerprints to continue to process the application.

USCIS has recognized that during the COVID-19 crisis, it may be more difficult to obtain certain documentation to respond to a request for more evidence or file an appeal.  Therefore, USCIS will accept responses for up to 60 days after the original due date for any response or appeal issued or due between March 1 and May 1.

USCIS also acknowledged that it is safer for clients and attorneys to avoid meeting in person. Normally, USCIS requires wet ink signatures on many applications and petitions. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, USCIS is temporarily accepting scanned or photocopied signatures so attorneys and applicants do not have to hand paperwork back and forth or meet to sign documents.

Customs and Border Protection, along with USCIS, is also assisting foreign travelers. Many people can come to the United States for a period of 90 days without a visa based on the Visa Waiver Program. However, COVID-19 has left many travelers stranded and unable to leave the United States before the 90 days runs out. Customs and Border Protection and USCIS are assisting travelers obtain a “satisfactory departure” and 30-day extension in the hope that the inability to leave does not negatively impact future travel.

The immigration courts have also taken steps to protect the public. All court hearings for immigrants who are not detained have been suspended through May 1 and the courts will reschedule the hearing for a later date. This step is important because on any given morning, about 150 people can pass through a single courtroom for a non-detained hearing.

Further, many courts have standing orders that allow attorneys to appear telephonically without requesting to do so in advance and without filing a motion for hearings involving a detained immigrant. All of the immigration judges at the Baltimore and Arlington Immigration Courts are allowing attorneys to appear telephonically.

Some courts have also allowed attorneys to file documents via email instead of filing in person or by mail. The Executive Office for Immigration Review has also started sending automated email updates to attorneys registered with the online immigration court portal regarding court closures or delayed openings.

Finally, the Department of State has suspended all routine visa services unless there is a true emergency. However, the Department of State continues to process some H-2 visas, which are largely issued to seasonal agricultural workers, due to the importance of maintaining the food supply chain during this crisis. U.S. citizen services also continue to be available.

Our office recognizes that we are all facing unique challenges in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we appreciate the various agencies’ efforts to flatten the curve. We are also doing our part to keep the community safe while continuing to assist our clients by practicing social distancing measures and adhering to the Virginia stay at home order.

If you or someone you know is concerned about the effect of COVID-19 on their immigration case, we are still here to help. As always, we also welcome any comments and will do our best to respond.

The Loft That Will Change Your World

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/9

Mission Lofts, Fairfax County’s first and only live/work community, brings the style, function and flexibility that you crave but just can’t find.

Each hand crafted one and two-bedroom loft can be your envy inspiring apartment, sun-drenched office or impossible to find combined live/work space. Exposed ceilings, finished concrete floors, huge spaces, tons of parking, countless amenities found nowhere else, all at prices that won’t break the bank?

Yes! In fact, when living and working there, it’s like renting your office and getting the area’s best apartment for free. By focusing completely on your needs, Mission Lofts offers a way of life simply not available elsewhere.

“Try on” our unique floorplans, industrial finishes, massive windows, huge showers, colossal closets and designer appliances. At Mission Lofts, you’re more than a name, you’re a member of the “Mission Club”, our unique platform granting exclusive access to conference spaces, business and fitness centers, clubhouse, abundant services and more.

Not merely somewhere to live or work, Mission lofts is where you truly belong; a community that empowers your ideas and aspirations in unique and beautiful surroundings that elevate all who come.

Visit today for more information.

Small Biz Focus: Three Ways to Be #BizStrongArlVa Every Day

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
1/3

This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

By Alex Held, BizLaunch

Calling out to all our cool quarantine kids, we’re still #BizStrongArlVa and because Arlington loves its small businesses, we wanted to share with you how you can show your favorite small business some love.

On April 10, BizLaunch and the Arlington Restaurant Initiative along with community partners such as the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization, Rosslyn BID, Crystal City BID, Ballston BID and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, kicked off a day long tweet storm highlighting local businesses and providing timely information. Throughout the day residents tagged their favorite local business using the #BizStrongArlVa and small businesses highlighted their products and services, unique ways in which they have pivoted and special hours and pickup or delivery options.

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Just Reduced Properties in Arlington

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Each week, “Just Reduced” spotlights properties in Arlington County whose price have been cut over the previous week. The market summary is crafted by Arlington Realty, Inc. Maximize your real estate investment with the team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6000 today!

Please note: While Arlington Realty, Inc. provides this information for the community, it may not be the listing company of these homes.

Haven’t seen your dream property pop up on our Just Reduced list?

A proactively reduced price shouldn’t deter your aspirations and goals. In many cases, sellers are willing to negotiate on price, even if they aren’t the ones making the first move publicly.

And, in some cases, sellers are willing to budge even more (sometimes much more) from a Just Reduced price to make a sale happen.

The keys of any successful transaction, in terms of getting the most bang for your buck, include strong negotiating skills and a knowledge of the local landscape.

Amid these unprecedented times and a truly unique real estate market, it’s never been more important to have a trusted team by your side to help navigate it all. Equipped with the right tools and expertise, you just may be able to achieve what you once thought wasn’t possible.

When you’re ready to chat, the team at Arlington Realty, Inc. is open ears. And now on to this week’s figures.

As of April 13, there are 147 detached homes, 27 townhouses and 80 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 13 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week:

Please note that this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Arlington Realty, Inc.

Help Arlington Neighbors Weather the COVID-19 Storm

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Our neighbors are hurting and they need your support.

The COVID-19 crisis is creating massive economic and health distress that is putting increased pressure on already stressed medical and social services. Arlington Thrive is the only organization in Arlington County that provides rapid same-day financial support to our neighbors in dire need.

Arlington Thrive has created the Arlington Emergency Relief Fund to address this unprecedented crisis. With your support of the Arlington Emergency Relief Fund, Arlington Thrive will make all the difference. Donations to Arlington Emergency Relief Fund will prevent people from descending into hardship from which they might never recover.

To make a difference and help your neighbors who are in the most dire need today, please donate to the AREF today. Together, with your contributions, Arlington will truly Thrive.

Donate now to Arlington Thrive

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