Dear Families,

We have had another wonderful week of music and celebration. Congratulations to our band teacher, Deni Cunningham, for another wonderful concert and to our band students for displaying and sharing their wonderful talent and music.

We would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to Aparna Vemuru, the PTA and all of the parents who volunteered their time to help us celebrate and honor our fabulous Floris staff.  Your graciousness was felt throughout the building all week. We are extremely thankful to have such a supportive community.

And finally, we would like to thank our 2017-2018 PTA Board for their dedication and support to our school and community and congratulate our incoming PTA Board:

President:                                       Zaya Kuykendall-Bowen

VP Community Affairs:                   Fatima Akhtar

VP2 Community Affairs:                 Vanshi Chilukamarri

VP School Affairs:                          Alifiya Ghadiali

VP School Services & Outreach:  OPEN

Treasurer:                                       Haresh Bhatia

Communications Secretary:           Michele Hyde

Financial Secretary:                        Arpita Mathur

Recording Secretary:                      Jay Wainwright

Now that May has arrived, students in grades 3-6 will be taking the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) Tests beginning May 15th through June 1st.  It will be very helpful if you can avoid appointments which may take your child out of school during this time period.  To help your child to perform at his or her best, ensure he or she has had a good night’s rest, a healthy breakfast and comes to school on time with a positive attitude.

Continuing this year, the Virginia Board of Education is allowing elementary school students who fail SOL tests by a narrow margin (scoring between a 375 and 399) to be retested before the end of the year provided parental permission is obtained.  In grades 3-6, a student’s performance on the SOL does not impact the student’s grade in the class, nor their academic record.  If your child falls in this range, staff members from Floris will be contacting you to see if you believe your student would benefit from a second opportunity to demonstrate proficiency before the end of the school year.

3rd Grade Tests: Coded in red      (2 total days)

Reading 3  May 17th

Math 3  May 25th

4th Grade Tests: Coded in green   (4 total days)

Reading 4 May 16th

Math 4: part 1  May 23rd

Math 4: part 2  May 24th

Virginia Studies 4  May 30th 

5th Grade Tests: Coded in blue     (4 total days)

Reading 5  May 15th

Math 6 (5th Graders), Math 7 (5th Graders)  May 21st

Math 5  May 22nd

Science 5   May 31st

6th Grade Tests: Coded in purple (3 total days)

Reading 6  May 18th

Algebra & Math 8 (Select 6th Graders) May 22nd

Math 6 & Math 7 (6th Graders) May 29th

What are the SOLs? Each year, there are annual assessments, commonly known as SOL tests, to provide information on individual student achievement including those with special needs in grades 3-12 in the subjects of math, English, social studies and science. Not every student in every grade will take every test. In 3-6, the tests will vary by grade. 

How can I help my child with the SOLs? The best thing to do with your child is to prepare them for the testing days in a few simple ways:

· Encourage them to be relaxed and calm

· Have a positive attitude yourself

· Ensure they have a good night's sleep and healthy breakfast

· Be on time to school

· Try to avoid appointments that can be rescheduled like check-ups

· Help students remember important items - glasses, medications

· Let them wear comfortable, familiar clothes

Wishing all the mother’s a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Sincerely,

Gail Porter, Principal and Dave Gerstner, Assistant Principal

Class Placement for 2018-2019

If you have information to share regarding your child’s placement, please email Mrs. Porter at Parent_input@fcps.edu by May 31st.  (Note, there is an underscore after ‘Parent’ and before ‘input’).

Please remember that we do not take requests for specific teachers as we base our decisions on individual student strengths and instructional needs. As a note for you to be aware, grade level assignments for staff are sometimes modified due to late enrollments, unforeseen changes, and other considerations.  Staff assignments are determined at the end of the summer.  Staff members have been directed not to give out information about student placement in order to eliminate last minute surprises when changes have to be made due to staffing issues.

2017-2018 Yearbooks NOW ON SALE!

Order your yearbook today before we sell out.   To place an order, click this link… www.ybpay.com.  The SCHOOL CODE is:  13275718.  Order yours today!

The following is sent from & reflects the views of the Floris PTA

PTA Summer Book Swap – Now through Friday, May 25th

The annual PTA Summer Book Swap is here! Books will be collected from now to May 18, and then the book swap cart will visit classrooms the week of May 21-25. This event is for grades K-6. Bring in your gently used books to donate to the swap. Students can bring in 1-5 books each. Each book they bring in gets them that many swapped books. Students can donate as many extra books as they want, but will only be allowed up to 5 books to take home. Please make sure that the books donated are appropriate for grades K-6. Check out our website for swapping instructions and more info!

Ice Cream Social – Friday, June 1st 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. SAVE THE DATE!

Come one come all to the Floris PTA End-of-the-Year Ice Cream Social! Please join us in the Floris cafeteria and playground to celebrate the end of the school year. Ice cream and toppings will be provided courtesy of the Floris PTA. Bring a chair and relax with friends and neighbors while the children play. All children must be accompanied and supervised by a parent or adult guardian. See you there!

Overtime Athletics Summer Camp – Discount and Donation to PTA

Overtime Athletics is offering Floris families a $50 discount on their summer camps in Herndon, including the Cassel Sports Complex Summer Camp and the St Joseph Basketball Camp. Additionally, Overtime Athletics will donate $10 to Floris PTA for each child who registers! The discount code is FlorisPTA. Thank you Overtime Athletics!

Please Contribute – Friends of Floris

Please consider making a donation to our Friends of Floris fundraiser. Our suggested donation is $80 per student or $150 per family, but any amount is welcome and greatly appreciated! Our goal for this year is $30,000. This will allow us to continue to provide the amazing enrichment and community building opportunities that you have come to expect here at Floris. Please donate now. Thank you!

Amazon Smile – Earn Money for Floris PTA While You Shop

This is the easiest way to raise money to support our kids! Click the link. Shop on Amazon. Done! Bookmark it and use it for all of your Amazon purchases.

Volunteer – Your Gift to the Floris Community

There are so many opportunities here at Floris to get involved and to support your kids. Learn more about what is happening right now. Sign up for future opportunities.

Join Our Mailing List! Stay on top of news and events from your Floris PTA!

2708 Centreville Road, Herndon, VA 20171 | Main Office: 703-561-2900
Attendance: 703-561-2929 | Web | Twitter | Facebook