Olde Creek Weekly Update - January 8

Advanced Academics Referral Deadline – Friday, January 12

Resources, timelines, and information about the Advanced Academics programs available to our students is available at this link. The deadline to submit Advanced Academic Level IV Referral forms for second grade students not in the screening pool and students in third through sixth grade is January 12, 2018. Referral forms should be submitted to Karin Coburn, our Advanced Academics Resource Teacher. Due to the tight time frame, 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 12, 2018 deadline.

Additionally, there will be an open house for parents to drop off referral packets and to ask questions regarding the screening process. This session will take place on January 11, 2018 from 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM.

Please contact Karin Coburn (kmcoburn@fcps.edu) with any questions about this process. 

 

Olde Creek Bingo Night on January 19

Be sure to mark your calendars for Bingo Night at Olde Creek on Friday, January 19! Come out for a fun night with the OCES community that is filled with games and prizes. A flyer with more details will be sent home this week in our Friday Folders.

 

Lost & Found – Deadline is January 19

If you think that your child’s missing coat, sweatshirt, sweater, or water bottle might be somewhere at school, please check out the Lost & Found to see if you can find it! The Lost & Found is located in the corner of the cafeteria. Any items unclaimed by Friday, January 19 will be donated to an organization that supports children in need.

 

New Visitor Management System (VMS) starts in January

FCPS is in the process of implementing a new visitor management system.  At Olde Creek Elementary School, we will begin using this new system later this month. It’s fast and simple!  Upon the first visit, visitors will “register” using their driver’s license, DMV identification card, military ID or passport, and have their picture taken by the VMS camera.  Once registered all you need to do for subsequent visits is simply check in by scanning your license/ID.  A temporary photo badge will print automatically, which the visitor will wear while in the building.  Quick & easy!  Once the final installation is complete, we will send out a message letting everyone know the official start date.

 

Technology Purchases

If you purchased a device for your child this holiday season, FCPS wants to help you support your child in the online world.  If the device is internet-enabled, please consider the following tips and resources:

Educate yourself and your children.

Digital citizenship is learning process and your child will need sustained support from parents and teachers. Visit bit.ly/fairfaxdigcit for a fun and interactive parent-child course that can help your family start conversations about navigating the online world.

Establish rules and expectations.

Have you thought about the rules you want to establish with your child for setting up accounts and the privacy settings you expect your child to use?  What are your expectations and how will you monitor your child’s online activities?  Not sure where to start? Try these tip sheets, media agreements, and device contracts.

Help your child monitor and manage their screen time.

It’s easy to spend hours on a device, especially when it is new.  Use these guidelines and strategies to help your children learn to monitor and manage their screen time.

Discuss privacy settings and accounts.

Teach your child to protect their personal information and model the use of privacy settings.  Discuss why these settings are important and teach them how to make privacy setting choices for every app and service they use.  This resource can help you get started.  

Give your child action steps.

Discuss potential situations that may arise before they happen and give your child action steps. Do they know what to they can do if cyber bullied, harassed, or if someone sends them something they don’t want to see? Every difficult situation is an opportunity to help prepare them for life beyond your home. These short parent advice videos, which can be filtered by topic and age, can help you identify action steps you can share with your child.

Teach your child to assess risks and make good choices.

Online communication is public and permanent. Talk with your children regularly and remind them that what they do online can impact future opportunities. Their online reputation can also affect their relationships in the face to face world.