 4th Grade paragraph surgeons are busy repairing jumbled paragraphs!
Calendar Reminders
February 28th Halley Schoolwide Spelling Bee, 6-8 pm
February 26th-March 2nd Read Across America Week! (Details below.)
March 12th - 16th March Mathness Week (Details coming Soon!)
March 14th Student Share Fair (5:30-6:30) / Pi Night (6:30-7:30 pm)
March 26th - 30th Spring Break (No school)
Security at Halley
Elementary
We were all shocked and saddened by the events in Parkland,
Florida, last Wednesday.
Understandably, parents across our nation have worries about school
safety and security. Protecting our
Halley Hornets while they are in our care is our highest priority. We wanted to take a moment to share some of
the facets of our security planning.
These include:
Our school crisis
plan, which includes evacuation and parent reunification procedures. It is regularly reviewed and updated.
Threat Assessment
Process: In collaboration with the Youth Violence Project of the Curry
School of Education, University of Virginia, FCPS invites parents and students
12 and older to view training modules on threat assessment. More information is available here: https://www.fcps.edu/node/34614
Trained Staff and Students: At Halley Elementary, our
staff and students prepare and drill all year long on various emergency
procedures. Such exercises include "lockdown drills" for
active-shooter emergencies, and "evacuation drills" for fire
emergencies, as well as tornado preparedness drills. Teachers and staff receive
medical training annually to include CPR and first aid which would be essential
during a crisis.
Skilled Counselors: At Halley, our counselors and
clinical staff are available for students struggling socially and emotionally.
They, along with our teachers, collaborate to help all students become the
well-adjusted adults of tomorrow. They are often the first to spot when a child
may be in crisis and can intervene.
Visitor Vetting: At every school, every visitor must
sign in with identification which is compared to law enforcement databases before
the person is allowed to remain in the building. This extra step can feel
cumbersome for the visitor who’s running late to work or is on a tight
schedule. But it is necessary to maintain the high degree of safety for the
staff and students in our buildings. We also have electronic door access into
the interior of the building.
We remain vigilant in our practices and continue to drill
and prepare for the unthinkable. If your child is confused or frightened
by the recent events, please have them reach out to their counselor or teacher.
Our personnel are trained to help students feel safe.
Here are resources you may find useful if you are having difficulty in
talking with your children about these horrible events.
Talking
to Children about Violence - National Association of School Psychologists
Explaining
the News to Our Kids - Common Sense Media
Remember, safety begins with each of us; staff, students,
and community.
Please: "If you see something, say something." You may also contact
the FCPS Tip Line by phone at 751-423-2020 or by text to 571-418-6870; Keyword
TIP.
Read Across
America is back!
During the week of Monday, February 26th- Friday,
March 2nd, the students and teachers at Halley Elementary will be celebrating
Dr. Seuss’ birthday with our Read Across America Day celebration!
Monday: One, Fish, Two Fish… show off your number sense by
wearing clothes with numbers on them! Don’t have any? Make your own!
Tuesday: If I Ran the Zoo… wear animal themed clothes, or
critter ears!
Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday… wear your wackiest mismatched
clothes! Why can’t stripes go with polka dots?
Thursday: I Can Read… dress up like a character from your
favorite book!
Friday: Cat in the Hat… wear black, white, and red, just
like your favorite cat!
Another goal of our celebration is to encourage parents to
read with their children at home. Why not try turning off the tv & other
electronic devices for a week, and reading instead? Please take the time to
join other parents across the United States and read with your child on the
evening of March 2nd. Even better, make the resolution to read together every
evening!
Happy Reading!
--Tammy Anderson & Brandi Florence
Girls on the Run
Registration for this season’s Girls On the Run will close
on 2/26. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! Practices will be held
before school on Tuesday and Fridays at 8:00 AM beginning March 5. Please note,
girls must have their own transportation. Register by 2/16 at www.gotrnova.org TODAY!
Halley Spelling
Bee Update!
We are so proud of all of our spellers who participated in
our grade level spelling bees earlier this week. They were impressive, one and all! We are excited to welcome back the top four
spellers at each grade level for the
schoolwide bee on Wednesday, February 28th,
from 6-8 pm. All Hornets and
families are invited to attend to cheer on our top spellers this year. They are:
Jayden Clayton, Crystal Cho, Riy Narasimhan, Keagan To, Lala Gabria,
Mariella Allison, Nahom Yared, Gilbert Ryu, Presley Boateng, Gideon Abebe, Anas
Ghedi, Sonia Patel, Armaan Khan, Ethan Custodio, Hunter Anderson, Ammaar Aziz,
Hamdi Tofik, Ethan Pham, Lamar Aljamous, Nicholas Koverman, Zulaikah Khan,
Naomi Johnson, Abigail Merck, and Raphael Osei. Well done, Hornets!
Registration for
Select 2018 Summer Programs Now Open!
Registration for the following FCPS summer-enrichment camps
is now available: Institute for the Arts (IFTA)
• Elementary
Institute for the Arts (E-IFTA)
• STEM Camp
• Tech
Adventure Camp
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
. 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 2017-2018 school
year. These popular programs fill up quickly, so make your plans now!
News from Lorton
Community Action Center (LCAC)
Our Halley Elementary community partner, LCAC, offers both
the VITA (volunteers prepare) and FSA Tax Program (volunteers train the
taxpayer) to help with filing federal returns. Clients do not need to register
in advance.
The program is held on Monday and Wednesday evenings from
6:00 to 8:00 pm. We are also open on Saturdays
from 10:00am until Noon on February 24 and is open for income-qualifying
households. Our last day of operation is
April 16.
This program is offered at LCAC’s Education Center, 9504
Richmond Highway in the Williamsburg Square Shopping Center. For more
information please go to LCAC’s website: http://lortonaction.org
.
Please note: The deadline for filing 2017 federal taxes is
April 17, 2018. For information, please contact Linda Patterson at Linda@LortonAction.org or 703-339-5161, Ext 140.
.
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♥️ Halley PTO is encouraging all to participate in Hearts for
Halley throughout the month of February ♥️
********** Download the donation form HERE!! **********
Any donation amount will be accepted. This PTO fundraiser is
focusing on raising funds that will go toward field trips, new classroom
library books and other significant classroom items. Contributions are tax
deductible allowable by law. This fundraiser is co-sponsored by
Halley’s SCA. Once the contribution is received, look for your name on a
Halley heart located in the school hallway. Donation form will also be
available soon in your child’s Thursday folder.
Just complete the form, attach the donation, place in an envelope and send it
back with your child.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Maida
Piggee, PTO First Vice President at 1stVP@halleypto.com.
________________________________
"Have you donated your two hours of time towards PTO
activities?" It's a great time to start!
Halley Spirit Wear- The PTO is need of a person
to dedicate one hour each week as needed to fill orders that come in from the
PTO box and website. The volunteer would look in the closet inventory for sizes
and styles and place in the teacher’s box in the office with the name of the
student.
We have several events coming up! We are looking for
volunteers who are available with planning and helping at the events. If
you are interested, please let us know!! We can't do this without parents
involvement!
After school programs: We are in need of PTO
member/members who can check in kids before the afternoon school program and
check out kids to their parents after the program.
Teachers Appreciation Week: Parents who are interested
in planning/decorating/setting up for our wonderful
teachers/staff/administration should contact Maida Piggee at 1stvp@halley.com.
Spring Festival: We are looking for numerous
parents who can help us plan/execute our last event of the year.
________________________________
Nominations for Executive Board and Committee Chairs are coming
up!
Do you enjoy planning, being involved at the school,
volunteering? We will have several positions open for executive board and
committee chairs. If you are interested, please let us know! We'd
love to talk with you!!
-
1st Vice President
- Spirit wear
- Hospitality (August before school starts and first day
of school)
- Bingo night
-
Fall FestivalTraining/Shadowing
is available before the next school year!
________________________________
Halley PTO Upcoming Events:
February - Hearts for Halley - POC: Maida Piggee
3/14 - Pi Night - POC: Felicia Breedy
TBD - Bingo Night - POC: Maida Piggee
5/7-5/11 - Teacher Appreciation Week - POC: Maida
Piggee
6/1 - Spring Festival
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