Principal’s Corner
Dear Providence Families,
I hope that the start to the new school year has been a
good one for you and your family. Fall is an incredibly exciting time for our
staff because many of us have spent the summer thinking about the year ahead
and eager to meet our new students. I can tell you firsthand that there were
many high-fives, hugs, and handshakes as we greeted each other at Open House,
on the first day of school, and when parents joined us for Back to School
Night. Whenever we are together, it is very clear that Providence is a very
special family of learners.
This is my seventh year as a Providence Panther and my
second year as principal. As I have said before, I can’t imagine loving a
school or a community more than I do ours. I am very fortunate to be principal
at a school with such a dedicated, caring, and warm staff, and with families
who never fail to support their children. I will work to do my part this year
by keeping you updated about happenings at our school, keeping your children
safe, and putting our teachers in a position to challenge your children to the
best students they can be.
I invite you to be our full partners in the education of
your child this year. Our teachers will be in contact with you through weekly
class messages about our work, successes, and challenges. If you somehow do not
receive these messages, please ask your child’s teacher to be sure you are on
our mailing lists. They will also be available to answer questions and share
information about your child by email, phone calls, and conferences. We believe
that if we are able to have open, honest conversations about your child’s
strengths and needs, we can maximize academic and social growth this year.
As a staff, we will focus on creating and offering
opportunity for every child who attends Providence. We will continue our work
toward offering additional advanced academic programs at our school next year
by providing frequent opportunities for creative and critical thinking in every
class. We are also aiming to offer additional academic programs and events
during our winter and spring after school programs. Our teachers will
collaborate with each other to strive for and create memorable learning
activities for our students whenever possible. We are excited about the
learning and work ahead, and we hope to hear from you about our successes and
any concerns you might have throughout the year.
Finally, I want to encourage you to join our outstanding
PTA. Some of the most joyful moments in our school come when we are all
together in our building or on our campus as a Providence family, learning,
playing, and sharing time with each other. The PTA will offer multiple events
this year that will give us the chance to do it again, and I encourage you to
support them by joining and by offering your time as a volunteer when it is
possible. Our diversity is a great strength at PES, and I hope you will always
know that your family is welcome at our school, and being involved with our PTA
is a great opportunity to see that strength in action.
I appreciate the support you show our teachers, the work
you do at home to support your child’s learning, and the wonderful young people
you send to our school each day. I look forward to working with you this year.
Sincerely,
Dan Phillips
Providence Principal
Counselor’s
Corner
Welcome
to the 2017-2018 school year at Providence Elementary School! Sarah Rupp is one
of our full-time counselors working with grades K, 2, 4 & 6 and Bissan
Heise is our full-time counselor working with grades 1, 3, 5 & 6. Our job is to meet the needs of our students
and families in order to help our children be successful and do their best
learning at school.
Why
would a child meet with the counselor?
A
child would meet with the counselor if there are issues that are getting in the
way of his or her learning, such as family changes, grief, friendship problems,
worries, and behavior concerns. The counselor is also available to collaborate
with parents and teachers to provide better support for the child.
What
are some of the services the counselors will offer?
This
year, our counseling program will offer a number of services to meet the needs
of our students and families. Counselors can meet with students for individual
and group counseling. We will also visit the classrooms to talk about different
topics such as bullying, harassment, kindness, conflict resolution, resiliency,
stress management as well as other topics. For more information on the
counseling program at Providence, you may contact your child’s School
Counselor.
We
are already enjoying a wonderful year with your children! If you have any
questions or concerns that we have not addressed, please email us or gives us a
call.
How
can you contact the counselor?
Sarah Rupp Bissan Heise
1, 3, 5, & 6 K, 2, 4, &
6
703-460-4424 703-460-4426
Providence School News:
Providence on Facebook
Follow us at @ProvidenceES
(http:/www.twitter.com/ProvidenceES)
PES Twitter
Follow us at @ProvidenceES
(http:/www.twitter.com/ProvidenceES)
No Cell Phone Usage at Kiss & Ride
At
arrival & dismissal, no driver in our Kiss & Ride lane should be on
their cell phone. This places everyone
in danger. We are working with police to
enforce this rule.
Bicycle Riding to School
Did you know that parents are able to request
that their child ride a bike to school?
We have a form in the office which we provide at your request. If your child has a bike, bike lock, a
helmet, and a safe route to school, you may want to inquire about this. Please see Ms. Donohue in the office for more
information. Bikes are secured on the post near Kiss & Ride.
Usage of Checks
at School
Fairfax County Public Schools gladly accept
checks for payment of various school related purchases and fees. In the
event a check is not honored by the bank, the bank will submit the check
directly to Checkredi Payment Services for collection. Your account will
be debited electronically for the face value amount and charged a fee of $30
per check. If funds are not available, a Checkredi Payment Services
representative may contact you to arrange payment.
Please
include the following information on your check:
Full Name
Street Address
Phone number
Contact
Checkredi Payment Services directly should you have questions about a
returned check @ 1-800-742-2925 or customerservice@checkredi.com .
Advanced Academics
Testing Information
Schools
administer tests to all FCPS students in 1st and 2nd grades according to
timeline below, and to students in 3rd through 7th grades who are missing
ability test scores according to timeline below. Parents or guardians may
request one retest in grades 3 through 7 during the fall testing cycle.
Students must be enrolled in and attending FCPS in order to be tested. An
ability test score is required for the screening process. The deadline for
requesting the one time retest is September 30, 2017.
For testing dates and screening information, click here.
For further
information visit the Advanced Academic Programs website: http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/index.shtml or Contact Mr. Borhauer with your
questions. (703) 460-4467; alborhauer@fcps.edu
Advanced Academics
Program
Parent Information
Meetings
Fairfax County
Advanced Academics Programs Overview
Tuesday, September 19, 2017 7:00-8:00 PM
Providence Café
This meeting will discuss the Fairfax County’s Levels of
Service, Testing, Referral and Screening processes. This meeting is most beneficial
for parents:
·
That are new to Fairfax,
·
That have children in 1st and 2nd grade
·
That have children 3rd grade and above that are
considering referring their child for AAP screening in the spring.
·
Parents in 6th Grade wanting to hear
about the new Lanier AAP Program.
Providence
Elementary Advanced Academic Programs
Wednesday, September 20, 2017 7:00-8:00 PM
Providence Library
This meeting is for parents that have children in the
Providence Advanced Academics Level III and Young Scholars programs. We will
discuss the high points of the past year and the ideas and concepts for
2017-2018.
Comfort Inn &
Metro Church
A special thanks to two amazing Community Partners who
were a big help to some of our Providence Students this year! The management of Comfort
Inn, located at the intersection of Fairfax Boulevard and Jermantown Road
collected and filled 35 back packs for our students this year, while Pastor
Jeremy Burroughs of the Metro Church on
Pickets road and his congregation collected another 20 backpacks for us. We appreciate the support from our neighbors,
and thank you for making the return school a little easier for some of our
students
City of Fairfax Schools News:
City News & Updates
We advise subscribing to the City Schools’
online newsletter, Close Up, at www.cityoffairfaxschools.org. The City
of Fairfax also has an app as well as can be followed on Twitter
@CityofFairfaxVA City Superintendent,
Dr. Phyllis Pajardo, also tweets news and info.
You can follow her at @drphyllpajardo
Fairfax City
School Board
All regular school board meetings are
televised and held at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall on the first Monday of each month
(unless there is a holiday—then meetings are held the second Monday). All meetings are open to the public. Agendas are posted at www.fairfaxva.gov.
Technology:
Bring Your Own
Device Program (BYOD): October 2, 2017
BYOD throughout Fairfax County Public Schools is now an automated process and
no stickers will be issued. The Acceptable Use Policy in the Student Rights and
Responsibilities now includes permission for BYOD, eliminating the need to send
in a signed BYOD permission slip. However, when your student brings his/her
device to school, he/she will need to meet with a member of the school's tech
team for assistance accessing the school's wireless network. For more
information click HERE.
Kindergarten through 6th grade students should
FIRST check with their teacher(s) if they are interested in bringing in their
own devices, as each teacher will be able to advise them about when and how
they might use personal devices in class. Once the device is brought in, the
student will need to see a member of our school's tech team to assist with
getting onto the FCPS. Mrs. Shelton and Mr. Rueffert are located in room 107.
PTA News
& Announcements
Spirit Wear Sale
Our Spirit Wear online store will be
open until Friday, September 18th.
Please place your order before then.
Orders should be delivered by the 2nd week of October. Check out our new Tie Dye Tee!
http://www.pes.cwspiritwear.com/
PTA Outdoor Movie Night - Friday, October 6th
(Rain date Oct. 27) Join us under the stars on the big, outdoor
movie screen. Bring dinner and picnic on the PES lawn, enjoy the free
movie and free popcorn. Glow sticks will be for sale while they last. Lawn
opens at 6:30 pm, movie starts when it gets dark about 7:15 pm. Movie
title TBD.
Join the PTA
What is PTA? Why join PTA? The number one reason to join the Parent
Teacher Association is to benefit your child. In doing so, you also help
your school. But there are many more PTA advantages:
-
Get Connected. There’s no better way to know what’s happening in your
school.
-
Tap into a Network. PTA functions are opportunities to meet other parents,
teachers and administrators, building rapport and discussing issues that
are on your mind. You can share ideas, concerns, and experiences.
-
Watch Yourself Grow. By
volunteering with your PTA, you put your skills and hobbies to use for a
noble cause—your child and all children in the community.
-
Speak Up.
PTA can be a way for you to more effectively suggest change at your
child’s school.
-
Witness Improvement. By
getting involved at your child’s school you’ll be part of the solution,
helping make positive changes. Local PTAs play an important role by
fundraising for classroom materials, social events and more.
-
Be a Role Model.
By becoming a PTA member,
you’ll be demonstrating to your child the importance you place on
education.
We
understand time is a parent’s most precious commodity so we don’t want to waste
yours. Sign up to get the PTA emails and
we’ll let you know what’s going on and what volunteer time is needed. Whatever your schedule is like – even if you
only have 30 minutes to spare once a year – you’ll find opportunities to
help: days, evenings, or even the
occasional Saturday. PTA members aren’t
required to attend the monthly PTA meetings but we would love to see you
there.
Join
today!
http://ptaprovidence.org/about-the-pta/join-the-pta/
School
Calendar
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