March 1, 2017
Highlights:
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Read Across America Week Dr. Seuss Spirit Days
- New Parent Coffee This Friday
- Pyramid Art Show (Featuring 50 Laurel Hill Students!) Begins Next Week
- PTA Read-a-Thon Kicks Off Next Week
- International Night Coming Soon
- Kindergarten 2017-2018 Survey
Good evening, Laurel Hill parents and guardians!
Happy March! Weather-wise, it seems to be coming in more like a lamb than a lion, but here at Laurel Hill, we’re doing plenty of roaring this month! It’s the first day of the month, and we’re already wrapped up in big, fun programs, some of which will continue for a couple of weeks. We’ve got some great events planned throughout the month.
Right now, for example, we’re mane-deep in school spirit and reading fun as we celebrate Read Across America Week with a different Dr. Seuss-themed spirit challenge every day. So far this week, we’ve recycled in honor of The Lorax, rolled out the red shirts and blue hair to show our “Thing” spirit, and showcased number sense in One Fish, Two Fish style. Thursday (Dr. Seuss’ actual birthday) we will focus on crazy socks like that favorite fox from Fox in Socks, and on Friday, to cap off the week, we’ll all dress like the Cat in the Hat to honor that classic book. What a fun and educational week!
Reading will continue to take center stage as the PTA rolls out its first Read-a-Thon fundraiser, which will include lots of schoolwide activities designed to promote literacy and a love of reading as well as raise much-needed funds for our school. Please see the information in the PTA section below for details.
Art will be in the spotlight at the annual Pyramid Art Show next week, where 50 of our talented students will have their works on display. We congratulate all of them, and invite all of you to visit the show. You’ll find more information below.
This Friday, March 3, at 9:30 a.m., amid all the spirit and reading fun, we’ll host the first of our two Principal’s Coffees designed just for our new(er) Laurel Hill Lion parents and guardians. Please join us for this informal gathering with the principal and other staff, as well as representatives from the PTA, to learn more about our school and the community. The event will be directed toward new parents, but all parents/guardians are welcome. The second coffee will be held on Thursday, March 16, at 6 p.m. prior to the monthly PTA Meeting.
Looking even further into the month, we’d like you all to mark your calendars for one of our favorite annual events – International Night! It will be held this year on Friday, March 31st, and planning is well under way. Watch next week’s folders for more information on how your family can participate and share your heritage with us!
Have a great week!
~ Mrs. Dalton, Dr. Duling, and Mrs. Smith
Quick Calendar
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Thursday, March 2 & Friday, March 3 – Read Across America Week Spirit Days
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Friday, March 3 – New Parent Coffee, 9:30 a.m.
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Wednesday, March 8 - Sunday, March 12 - South County Pyramid Art Show, Lorton Workhouse Arts Center; Opening Reception – Saturday, March 11, 6 – 8 p.m.
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Thursday, March 16 – New Parent Coffee, 6 p.m.
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Thursday, March 16 – PTA Meeting, 7 p.m.
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Friday, March 17 – SCA Spirit Day – Green Day
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Friday, March 24 – Teacher Work Day – STUDENTS DO NOT REPORT
School News & Notes
New Parent Coffees – Friday, March 3 & Thursday, March 16
Did your family join our school community after the regular back-to-school outreach events at the beginning of the school year? Would you like to learn more about our school and our community? If so, please plan to join us for one of our two upcoming New Parent Coffees this month. These informal sessions will include the chance to meet and hear directly from Principal Janice Dalton; learn more about the school’s curriculum and community; find out about how the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) works and how you can get involved; and meet other new parents. Bring your questions, and we’ll provide the answers! A brief tour of the school for interested parents will also be offered.
We will hold our first New Parent Coffee in the morning this Friday, March 3, at 9:30 a.m. The second one will be held in the evening, directly before the March PTA meeting on Thursday, March 16, from 6 to 7 p.m. All new parents are invited to stay for the PTA meeting that night as well, for attending such meetings is a great way to keep up-to-date on what’s happening at our school and connect with other parents. Please RSVP to Melanie Crosby Hardy, our Parent Liaison, by noon Thursday at macrosby@fcps.edu or 703-551-5308, if you plan to attend.
Laurel Hill Artists Will Shine in the Spotlight at Pyramid Art Show, March 8 – 12
The 12th annual South County Pyramid Art Show will be held Wednesday, March 8 through Sunday, March 12, at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton. A whopping 50 Laurel Hill students were selected to display their works of art at this prestigious show. All Laurel Hill lions are invited to come view those works and support the artists at a special Opening Reception on Saturday, March 11, from 6 – 8 p.m. The show will be open the rest of the time from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 12 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Congratulations to all of our selected artists!
Save the Date for International Night – Friday, March 31, 6 to 8 p.m.
Get ready to celebrate our rich, multicultural community at our annual International Night, sponsored by the Laurel Hill PTA. It will be held this year on Friday, March 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. This fun, educational, and entertaining event will feature food, displays, activities, and performances to showcase the diverse cultures and traditions of our Laurel Hill families. Watch next week’s Wednesday folder for details on how your family can participate.
Calling All Kindergarteners!
In today’s Wednesday Folder, you’ll find a copy of the 2017 FCPS Survey of Preschool Children. If you have a child at home who will be joining us at Laurel Hill for kindergarten next year, please fill out that form and send it back to school as soon as possible. If your family doesn’t have a rising kindergartener, please feel free to share the form with neighbors or friends who do. This form is important to us, as it helps us plan our kindergarten staff and classrooms for the coming year.
Attention Fifth Grade Parents: Tdap Booster Required for Sixth Grade
According to Virginia law, all students in the state must receive a booster dose of the Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acellular Pertussis) vaccine prior to entering sixth grade. You must provide documentation to the school before the end of this school year. This documentation can be a copy of your child’s immunization record or a note from the doctor listing the date of his or her most recent Tdap booster shot. If you have questions, please contact our registrar, Gloria Leckner, at 703-551-5300 or gjleckner@fcps.edu.
Registration for Select 2017 Summer Programs Now Open!
Registration for the following FCPS summer enrichment camps is now under way:
- Institute for the Arts (IFTA)
- Elementary Institute for the Arts (E-IFTA)
- STEM Camp
- Tech Adventure Camp
- Lake Braddock Secondary School Extended Day Adult and Community Education (ACE) Enrichment programs.
For general information and links to individual programs and registration visit the FCPS Summer Learning Programs website, https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning-programs. Early-registration discounted tuition is available for IFTA, E-IFTA, STEM Camp, and Tech Adventure Camp through Monday, April 17. Transportation from select schools outside of the Lake Braddock pyramid is included in the tuition for all four camps. Students should register for programs based on the grade they are in during the current 2016 - 17 school year.
Elementary Magnet School Application Deadline Is March 27!
Fairfax County Public Schools will be accepting applications for its elementary magnet school programs beginning February 27. Bailey’s Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences will accept lottery applications for students in grades K-2 in the 2017-18 school year; Bailey’s Upper School for the Arts and Sciences will also be accepting applications for students in grades 3 and 4. Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences will accept lottery applications for students who will enter grades K-6 during the 2017-18 school year. Selection for available magnet school spaces is based on a lottery; registration for the lottery closes on March 27. You can find more information about the magnet school programs and the application lottery on the main FCPS website.
Strengthening the Home-School Connection
PTA Reminders
Thank you to all the students who participated in the STEAM Fair this past Friday. All the students who participated did an amazing job researching, creating, and explaining their projects! Great job!!
Read-a-Thon is coming soon!
On Monday, March 6, the PTA will launch its second big fundraiser of the year – Read-a-Thon – as part of National Reading Month. It will include extra emphasis on reading and special events as well as a fundraising opportunity. More information will be going home soon, but here are some highlights:
What is Read-A-Thon? Read-a-Thon is designed primarily to encourage students to read by means of incentives, challenges, and fun events.
What are the next steps? On March 6, Teachers will distribute students' Read-a-Thon introductory materials and customize their own Read-a-Thon profiles for their classes. Parents will visit the Read-a-Thon website, enter their student's individual Secret Code to ENROLL their child/ren. Students begin to invite sponsors to support their reading efforts. Each profile has tools to invite support via email and text.
For the next two weeks – Monday, March 13, through Monday, March 27 – the whole school will focus on reading, through both dedicating extra time to it and celebrating it at special events.
What counts? We ask that students add an additional 10 minutes each night to the amount they are already required to read. Please go to lhespta.com for more information!
Chipotle Family Spirit Night – Monday, March 13!
Make dinner a selfless act by joining us for a fundraiser to support Laurel Hill Elementary! Come in to the Chipotle at 9447 Lorton Market St in Lorton on Monday, March 13, between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. A full 50 percent of your purchase will be donated back to the school!
Be sure to bring the flyer sent home in Wednesday Folders or show it on your smartphone. You must have it to make sure that your purchase counts!
If you place an order online, you must choose the pay in-store option and inform the cashier of your participation before paying. Gift card purchases during fundraisers do not count towards total donated sales, but purchases made with an existing gift card will count.
“What Is Your Story?”: National PTA Reflections Theme for 2016-2017
The National PTA Reflections program is PTA’s cornerstone arts program. It was developed in 1969 by Colorado’s PTA President Mary Lou Anderson to encourage students to explore their talents and express themselves. Since then, the Reflections program has inspired millions of students to reflect on a specific theme and create original artwork. Each year, students in Pre-K through grade 12 are recognized for bringing the theme to life through dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. The 2016-2017 Reflections Program Theme was "What is Your Story?"
Laurel Hill students submitted their artwork to the Laurel Hill PTA for initial judging by a judge not affiliated with Laurel Hill Elementary School. In Virginia, local winning entries advance to the County, District and State PTA Councils. Top entries from each state PTA Reflections contest advance to the National PTA for the final round of judging. The National awards are announced in May.
Participation in arts programs - like the PTA Reflections Program - plays a critical role in students’ success, in school and beyond. All children deserve opportunities to explore and be involved in the arts. Consider the following facts from ArtsEdSearch.org:
- Participation in the Arts can level the playing field for underserved students.
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Participation in the arts develops the whole child.
- Participation in the arts connects families and schools to one another their communities.
Thank you to all of the students from Laurel Hill who submitted artwork. They will be recognized at special ceremony in April. On March 28, 2017, the Fairfax County Council of PTA will recognize Olivia Smith, a sixth-grade student in Ms. Easton’s class, for her Outstanding Interpretation of the National PTA Reflections Theme “What is Your Story?” She won first place for her photograph at Laurel Hill and Fairfax County. We are very proud of Olivia. Her photograph “Each and Every Day,” her story about her passion for soccer, will advance to the District PTA and hopefully to the state and national competitions. Olivia has participated in the Reflections Program since kindergarten.
Other Laurel Hill Elementary students who submitted artwork are as follows:
Simone Chapman - Sixth Grade, Ms. Engineer’s class - Second Place Photograph “Calming Horses” (has participated since kindergarten)
Sharli Fleming - Fifth Grade, Ms. Taylor’s class - First Place Literature (submitted to Fairfax County Council of PTA) “My Story Inspired by Barack Obama”; First Place Visual Arts (submitted to Fairfax County Council of PTA) “Growing from Head”; Second Place Photography “A Collage of My Experiences which have Inspired My Story”
Chimdi Joshua Nzedu - Fourth Grade, Ms. Asghedom’s class - Second Place Visual Arts “Sneakers are Cool”
Owen Chu - Multiage 2nd Grade, Mrs. Morris’ class - First Place Literature “Teleportation Rules”
Tyler Kim - Second Grade, Ms. Chambers’ class - First Place Visual Arts “Family”
Eiana Abuageel - First Grade, Mrs. Sypher’s class - First Place Visual Arts “A Wish”
**NEW** Spring After/Before School Programs
Soccer, Boy's Run Club, Hip Hop and Computer Science are now posted on the PTA website: http://lhespta.com/Page/Programs/EnrichmentPrograms.
International Night Set for Friday, March 31!
Please see the information in the school section above for details.
Mark your calendars for Cinco de Bingo on Friday, May 5!
Basket Bingo is BACK and better than ever! We need donations from families to make this a successful event . Please click on the link to donate items: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e4caba72aa13-lhes.
Save the date for this family-friendly event – Friday, May 5! Your kids will thank you! To keep up with the latest developments please click on their Facebook page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/lhesbingo/
Sixth Grade Activities
The next meeting of the PTA's Sixth Grade Activities Committee will be held Wednesday, March 8, at 7 p.m. in the Laurel Hill Library. All sixth grade parents and guardians are welcome!
Volunteers
Interested in volunteering for the PTA or a specific event? Please contact PTA Volunteers Coordinator Roni Mattocks at Steronica@gmail.com. Help is always needed, and no amount of time is too small.
Upcoming Events
A complete calendar of school events is available on our website.
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