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It is hard to believe it is already the 3rd quarter and we are halfway through this school year. The time sure does fly by fast.
We are starting to see a little spike in the number of students going home sick. It's been a particularly severe flu season this year. Follow these practical tips and reminders from our friends at the Fairfax County Health Department to help prevent you from getting the flu. And, yes, this applies even if you've already had a flu shot! During this peak flu season, please keep your child home if they have symptoms of the flu and/or they are running a fever. Children must be fever free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school so we can keep everyone healthy.
For the 7th year in a row, our wonderful friends and parents affiliated with SYA baseball have volunteered their time to run clinics for our students during all PE classes. They shared their knowledge and passion for the game and we thank them for their time. These volunteer coaches led
our students through stations of hitting, pitching, catching and throwing.
A special thank you to Brian Colella who has led this clinic for all 7 years. Thank you to all the coaches who volunteered: Mike Gambone, Dean
Canestra, Brandon Vickers, Aaron Rosenberg, Mark Wells, Tony Felt, Ben Lorigo,
Ramon Palacios, and Rob Pewett. A special shout out to Uncle Slam for joining us as well. We appreciate the time they gave up from their regular jobs
to join us. If your child is interested in playing baseball this
spring, please visit the SYA website at www.syasports.org. Be sure to click on the picture below to see more baseball action.
Union Mill is excited and proud to
participate in a Centreville pyramid-wide “Focus on Kindness” week from
February 5th through February 9th. Teachers will be
leading discussions with their class on different ways to show kindness towards
others. Classes will also create a ‘Kindness Heart’ where the class will
brainstorm ways they can spread kindness. All students will then sign the heart
to pledge that they will focus on spreading kindness to others. Finally, on Friday,
February 9, all schools in the Centreville pyramid are asking their students
and staff to wear PINK as a visual
reminder that we are all joined together in spreading kindness. Thank you for
your support! #OtherPeopleMatter
Jump Rope for Heart is back!! The event will be held
on Wednesday, February 21, from 6- 7:30pm. Sign in starts at
5:30pm. Jump Rope for Heart is open to all Union Mill families.
Participants will travel from station to station doing different activities
like rock climbing, Pin the Heart on Bart, bean bag toss, and of course,
jumping rope. If you would like to collect online donations for the
American Heart Association, please visit their website at www.heart.org/jump.
Donations will also be accepted at the door. Fundraising is not required
to participate in the Jump Rope for Heart event. Small incentives are available to students who
collect donations but large prizes will be donated to a school with greater needs than Union Mill.
Donating prizes fits perfectly with the motto of Family
Fitness for a Cause, which is the group hosting Jump Rope for Heart.
FF4αC is a group of Union Mill students, parents, and staff who meet every
Monday from 4-5 pm to exercise through play. During the year we also
participate in and organize runs for different charities. Did you know
there are two refrigerators in the cafeteria where students put their unopened
leftover food? Each week, FF4αC takes all of that food to a homeless
shelter. FF4@C always welcomes new friends. You don’t have to make
a yearlong commitment; join us anytime it works in your
schedule. If you have any questions about Jump Rope for Heart or Family
Fitness, please contact Jenny Murray, Dorothy Van Gorder or Mark McCullor.
If
you or your organization would like to participate in Union Mill’s 2nd semester
community flyer distribution, mark March 16, on your calendar. Non-profit
organizations are welcome to participate. All flyers must be approved before
they are distributed. One flyer must be submitted to the Union Mill office by Friday, March 2. After approval, copies must be made for distribution on
March 16. Please call the office at 703-322-8500 for additional
information.
Here are some additional pictures from around the building this week including the 5th Grade Battle of the Books celebration, a visit from King George, and our Watch D.O.G.S.
For the past nine weeks, the Virginia Department of
Health has reported widespread flu activity and Fairfax County continues to see
high levels of influenza activity in our community. Fairfax County Health
Department works very closely with FCPS to monitor and respond to increases in
influenza activity in our school, working with them to track absences and
encourage healthy behaviors to prevent the spread of disease. The Health
Department recommends everyone 6 months of age and older get vaccinated
against influenza, stay home from school and work when sick, use your sleeve to
cover coughs and sneezes, and wash your hands thoroughly after using the
bathroom and before preparing/eating food. Flu vaccine is available
through the Health Department and many other locations in the community. Use
the Flu Vaccine Finder to
locate a provider near you.
Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/ or https://www.cdc.gov/
for more tips on keeping your family healthy.
Magnet School Application and Lottery
Information
The Magnet Program registration window will be open from Thursday,
March 1, 2018 through Monday, April 2, 2018. There has been a change to
the lottery application process, including the need to register at a base
school for students currently not registered within FCPS prior to submitting a
lottery application and a one-time $100 pupil placement application fee for
students accepting invitations to lottery programs. More information can be
found at the following link: https://www.fcps.edu/registration/elementary-magnet-school-lottery.
To learn more about the programs and the registration
process, please plan to attend one of the Parent Informational
Nights:
- Hunters
Woods Elementary, Cafeteria - February 6, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. , snow
date 2/13
- Bailey’s Primary,
Cafeteria - February 5, 2018 at 6:30 p.m., snow date 2/12
- Bailey’s
Upper, Cafeteria - February 8, 2018 at 6:30 p.m., snow
date 2/15
Online Student Transfer Application &
Fees Effective SY 18-19
The Fairfax County School Board approved a student transfer
application processing fee of $100 per student per year. The application
processing fee applies to all student transfer requests (Initial, Renewal and
High School Curricular) based on criteria outlined in Regulation 2230.
The non-refundable application processing fee will apply for transfers
effective at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year and will be integrated
and collected within the online student transfer application. The
application fee is automatically waived through the online application for
students who qualify for the free and
reduced-price meals program and have submitted a Consent to Share Information
for Benefits for Other Programs. Fees are also waived for
parents or guardians who are current FCPS employees and reside in Fairfax
County.
For transfers effective at the beginning of the 2018-19 school
year, the enrolling parent will submit student transfer applications and pay
fees online. The online High School Curricular Student Transfer Application
will open on February 5, 2018. The enrolling parent will access the
online student transfer application on the DSS Student
Transfer website and must have a Student
Information System - SIS Parent Account to submit the request.
More information is on the following website:
https://www.fcps.edu/registration/student-transfers.
Upcoming Events
Friday, February 2
Report Cards go home
PTA Bingo Night
Monday, February 5
Family Fitness 4 a Cause 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Tuesday, February 6
PTA Meeting 7:00 PM
Monday, February 12
5th Grade Beginning Band Concert - 3:00 PM
Wednesday, February 14
2nd Grade Feed the Need Assembly - AM
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