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Dear Stenwood Families:
Please help us by reminding students about an upcoming fun event and helping them to dress accordingly. Next Tuesday, January 12th will be our Multicultural Day.
We plan to recognize the awesome diversity that we have at Stenwood by inviting students to dress in a way that represents their cultural heritage. We are so fortunate at Stenwood because we have such diversity amongst our student body. This day will be a day of celebration, and we plan to build further upon this celebration at our whole-school assembly scheduled for January 28th.
I hope you are able to attend our next PTA Meeting, also on January 12th. I have invited Mariam Suqi from the Office of Student Safety and Wellness to come and give a presentation on internet safety. She will be meeting with our fifth and sixth graders during the day and teaching them about internet safety as well.
By the end of December, every grade level had invited parents to visit the classroom
to observe/participate in seeing first-hand all of the great teaching and learning that is occurring during the school day. We shared several pictures from these visits in the December 9th Hive Happenings. For those of you have been able to take advantage of this opportunity, I would love to hear your feedback. Please feel free to email me at Peggy.Dammeyer@fcps.edu. For those who have been unable to attend thus far,
I hope your schedule permits your participation in a future event. The students, staff, and I have really enjoyed having you visit.
I hope you might also be able to attend an informational session that I am hosting on Thursday, January 14th at 8:30-9:15 a.m. in Room 178. You can drop your child off for school, and then join us to learn from Mrs. Parton, our School-Based Technology Specialist, about various online resources available for parents to assist with student learning. We will have coffee and donuts, so please plan to start your day with us by enjoying breakfast at Stenwood and learning about some great online resources.
And lastly, student safety is of utmost importance to us. Please know that we will conduct our second lockdown drill for the year during this month. I always pair the lockdown drill with our fire drills so as to send a calm message to children that this is simply one of our many safety drills that schools conduct over the course of the school year. Our teachers always review procedures in advance with the students so that they are aware that we are participating in a practice exercise.
Sincerely,
Peggy Dammeyer
Principal
Happy New Year!
4th Notice
Advanced Academic Program Level IV Referral Form to the no later than January 15, 2016. No late referrals will be accepted.
ADVANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS: A CONTINUUM OF SERVICES
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Advanced Academic Programs provide challenging learning experiences that are designed to meet the unique learning profile of a broad range of advanced learners. Through a continuum of opportunities, students engage in complex subject matter, preparing them for more challenging and rigorous classes as they advance in grade level. Children identified for FCPS advanced academic services exhibit exceptional performance capability in academic, intellectual, and creative endeavors. In order to meet their needs and develop to their potential, these learners require a differentiated curriculum.
Elementary School Opportunities
Critical and Creative Thinking Lessons, Grades K-6 (Level I)
The first level is provided to all students in grades kindergarten through grade six and consists of model lessons that are designed to teach critical and creative thinking skills. The lessons are modeled in all classrooms by AARTs and the thinking strategies are then used throughout the year by classroom teachers and other teachers who work with students .Student responses to the lessons are also used to collect evidence of advanced academic potential in order to ensure equity and increase access to advanced academic level programs. Parents may also practice these strategies during family conversations and activities. A description of the nine critical and creative thinking strategies can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/level1.shtml.
Differentiated Lessons in Areas of Academic Strength, Grades K-6 (Level II)
The advanced academic resource teacher (AART) collaborates with classroom teachers to provide additional challenge through lessons and resources that extend and enrich the POS.
Part-Time Advanced Academic Programs, Grades 3-6 (Level III)
Students identified by a local school screening committee for part-time advanced academic services Level III are challenged through models and strategies designed to extend and enrich the POS in the four core subject areas.
Full-Time Advanced Academic Placement, Grades 3-8 (Level IV)
Students found eligible for placement in full-time Advanced Academic Programs Level IV through a central selection process receive a highly challenging instructional program in the four core subject areas. Screening for this level of service occurs in the fall for students who are new to FCPS and in the spring for all other students. The referral deadline is October 9, 2015 for students who are new to FCPS and January 15, 2016 for spring screening. Additional information is available in the Parent Information Packet, published on the AAP website, http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap.
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP): Selected Schools,
Grades 6-10
The IBMYP is designed for students ages 11-16. The program helps students develop the knowledge, understanding, attitudes, and skills necessary to participate actively and responsibly in a changing world. The curriculum is supported by the fundamental concepts of intercultural awareness, holistic learning, and communication.
Honors, Grades 7-8
Advanced and/or accelerated classes are available for students in grades 7- 8 through an open enrollment process. Students receive instruction that is differentiated for advanced learners in the four core subjects in one or more areas of academic strength or interest.
SCREENING
Multiple criteria are reviewed to determine eligibility for all FCPS advanced academic services. The local school committee determines student eligibility for part-time school-based services. The countywide central selection committee determines eligibility for full-time AAP Level IV placement.
TESTING
In the spring, the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) is administered to all FCPS first grade students. In the fall, the CogAT- Custom Form is administered to all FCPS second grade students. During the fall testing cycle, the NNAT and/or Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) may be administered to students in grades 3 - 6 who do not have an ability test score. A second grade screening pool is established using the test results from first and second grade testing. Students in the second grade pool are automatically screened for full-time AAP Level IV placement. Parents or guardians may exercise a one-time retest option during the fall testing cycle.
REFERRALS for FULL-TIME ADVANCED ACADEMIC PLACEMENT LEVEL IV (Grades 2–7)
Parents or guardians of students not in the second grade screening pool may initiate the full-time AAP Level IV screening process by completing and submitting an Advanced Academic Program Level IV Referral Form to the local school principal no later than January 15, 2016. No late referrals will be accepted. Second grade students not in the pool and all students in grades 3 - 7 are screened only by referral. Forms are available on the AAP website (http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/forms.shtml) and in the Parent Information Packet available at the local school. Parents or guardians of students who are in the second grade pool will be notified by the school. Students who are not in the second grade pool will not receive notification. The benchmark score used to create the second grade pool will be published on the AAP website mid-January. Please do not wait for test scores before submitting a referral for your student in grades 2-7 as there will be no referrals for level IV screening accepted past the January 15, 2016 deadline. If you are waiting for test scores and would like your student screened for level IV please submit the referral by the published deadline (even if you have not received the test scores for your student).
*For more information, please contact the Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, Caroline Spinelli at crspinelli@fcps.edu
Reading is fun!
 01/12 PTA Meeting 7pm
01/12 Multicultural Day
01/14 CARES Pizza, 11:15am - 11:45am
01/14 Online Resource Informational Session for Parents, 8:30am - 9:15am
01/15 Geography Bee, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
01/15 SCA Spirit Day - Western Day!
01/18 Holiday - Martin Luther King, School Closed
01/19 Student Holiday
01/21 PTA Pizza/Karate Night, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
01/28 Whole - School Assembly, 2:15pm - 3:00pm
01/29 Marshall High School Orchestra Performance, 9:15am - 9:45am
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