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October 22 - October 26 - Bus Driver Appreciation Week
October 29 - November 2 - Homecoming Week
October 30 - Parent Coffee - Inaugural Key Center Community Support Group
November 5 - School Planning Day - Students do not attend
November 6 - Teacher Work Day - Students do not attend
November 8 - Parent Coffee - Medicaid Waivers
November 14 - Country Current Band
November 21, 22, 23 - Thanksgiving Holiday
December 6 - Parent Coffee - First Responders/REACH program
December 14 - 3 Hour early release
December 24 - January 4 - Winter Break
DUE: OCTOBER 26
Beginning on October 16th, FCPS asked all families to fill out a Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid.
Many thanks to the families who have already returned this form. We have had a tremendous response and we only need about 15 more! If you have not completed your form yet, please do so and return it to school by Friday, October 26. You are free to mail it or drop it off, if you do not wish to send it in the backpack. If you need another form, just give us a call.
Returning this form is important because information from this survey results in an anticipated $3 million dollars in grant funds each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
For each school-aged child in your household, please complete, sign, date, and return the survey to your child's school. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the box in Section 3. All forms must be signed, dated, and returned by October 26. All results are CONFIDENTIAL.
Learn more by watching this short video featuring Superintendent Scott Brabrand and the U.S. Army Garrison Commander COL Michael Greenberg from Fort Belvoir.
Video link - https://youtu.be/QN_Xup7BgoE
TIME POP!
 Practicing those football skills!
This year, Key Center has a new "Special". Studio teacher, Becky Fernandes, went back to the classroom and teacher Jody Stewart stepped up to create a new Special - Time Pop! Time Pop is looking at 20th century history through the prism of pop culture - music, art, etc. This month, Jody checks in with us to tell us the latest about what's going on in Time Pop!
We have been so busy in Time Pop the past 8 weeks of school, learning all about the decades of the 1910s and the 1920s! We have studied fashion trends, popular music and dances (we even learned the waltz and the Charleston!), exciting inventions like the assembly line and the band-aid, and major events such as World War I and the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The students also had the opportunity to create their very own art deco inspired paintings which were so popular in the 1920s! It was so fun and the students all created masterpieces! We are so excited to be moving on to more fun and interesting decades as we progress through the timeline of pop culture history!!
 This Run Club participant is showing his badge with a sticker for every lap completed.
 Students in Caitlin Myers’ and Ashli Breau’s classes are participating in a weekly Run Club organized by teacher Kelly Altman. In this fun and energetic club, students have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of running and have fun with their peers while getting additional physical activity. The program includes measuring student progress by measuring laps completed with sticker collections (as shown above). Students have really enjoyed collecting stickers and showing them off to teachers and peers.
Another key aspect of the program is helping students learn to self-regulate. After each lap, they are asked to check their breathing, by putting their hand in front of their nose and mouth. They are also asked to check their heart rate by putting their hand on their chest. If their breathing is too labored or their heart rate is too elevated, they use the picture symbols shown at left to indicate that they need to walk for a lap.
Students and staff alike have enjoyed getting outside to participate in this fun physical activity.
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Key Center will hold its annual Homecoming celebration the week of October 29 - November 2. This year's theme is Disney Adventure. The students will be voting on the Homecoming King and Queen and each hallway will prepare a float for the Pep Rally and the Homecoming Ball. Homecoming Spirit Week dress up will follow this schedule:
- Monday - Once Upon a Time: Dress from any decade you love!
- Tuesday - Sleeping Beauty: Bed Head, Pajamas, Cozies
- Wednesday - Any Disney Character!
- Thursday Hall Pride Day - Dress in your hall colors
- Friday: Happily Ever After - Dress your best for the ball!
As a special treat, we always invite some of our alumni to come and participate in the Friday festivities. We are always happy to see them and they always seem happy to come home to Key Center.
Hall Colors:
A Hall - RED
C Hall -Black
D Hall - Blue
Office - White
AKA: S*I*I*P
(School Improvement and Innovation plan)
Last year's self advocacy initiative was so successful, that we have decided to focus on that again this year. Clearly, very little is more important to our students than the ability to advocate for themselves. A new initiative this year is to show a videotape of each student doing something independently to show their parents at their annual IEP. In addition, some of our older students introduce members of their IEP team to their parents at the start of the meeting. You can read more about the Key Center S*I*I*P here.
 Last week, along with the rest of FCPS, Key Center observed Digital Citizenship week. All of our students participated in lessons and activities on going places safely online. The lesson talked about the difference between taking an actual field trip to the National Zoo and a Virtual Field Trip to the San Diego Zoo. The students identified potential hazards in both environments, but paid particular attention to the need to limit one's screen time and what potential threats (computer viruses) might be found online during a virtual field trip.
 Our Key Center community continues to thrive with activity. As you can see, next week, we are holding our annual Homecoming event. We look forward to the Disney Themed week and seeing staff and students participate all week. Look for the flyer sent home in the Wednesday folder for details. Students and staff will enjoy a Pep Rally on Thursday and a Homecoming Dance on Friday.
These experiences build our students' independence so they can both participate in social events and work on their communication and expressive skills- all while having fun as well.
You’ll notice our various school activities in our FACEBOOK postings. I encourage you to continue to stay in touch and ‘opt in’ whenever you can attend an event that may suit your needs. You’ll find a variety of events to help your Key Center student and/or your family as parents. One upcoming event is our next Parent Coffee next Tuesday, see details in this newsletter for more information.
Lastly, thank you to the many families who joined the Key Center School PTA. We thank you for the support. If you did not yet get a chance to do so, it’s never too late and we’ll be sending forms home again soon. The PTA offers a variety of support throughout the year through various financially supported events. Most of the events are for students specifically, yet there are occasional appreciation events for school and bus staff. Our school will continue to offer an enriching atmosphere for students and yet our funding through the PTA greatly helps support the many wonderful experiences we offer all students. Thank you again for continuing to support our PTA in any way you can.
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