KG March Update #4

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 03/24/2019 06:45 PM EDT

Fun Times at Spring Spectacular!

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School Updates:

Family Engagement Survey:  Kent Gardens’ families will have the opportunity to complete the FCPS Family Engagement Survey. It opens on March 24th through April 12th and our KG families will receive an email with a link.  Share your thoughts on your school’s communications, opportunities to participate, relationships, student success, and more.  Your input will be used to strengthen family engagement and foster a Caring Culture as outlined in the Fairfax County Public Schools Strategic Plan. All responses will be confidential.  There are three ways to participate:

  1. Check your email for an invitation with survey link on March 24th
  2. Request a paper survey from the KG school office after March 24th
  3. Request to complete the online survey at Kent Gardens by stopping by the office

Kindergarten Orientation for 2019-20 school year:  Do you have a rising kindergarten?  Please join us on April 5th at 9:00 a.m. -10:30 a.m. in the Kent Gardens cafeteria. You may register prior to the event by completing the FCPS registration forms and making an appointment with Tracy Dean tadean@fcps.edu prior to the orientation.   https://www.fcps.edu/index.php/registration/kindergarten-registration  Please do have your rising kindergartener come with you to the orientation. In order to collect additional information regarding your child, we request that you complete the following: https://goo.gl/forms/gpVdDTmUBu7vtI592  We look forward to seeing you!   

 

Month of the Military Child: April is designated the month of the military child to thank military children for the sacrifices they make and recognize the unique challenges they face. In order to show our support, FCPS has announced April 10th as Purple Up for Military Kids day. Why purple? Purple represents the blending of the colors of the five branches of our armed forces.  Join us!

 

Technology Updates: 

  • Dreambox Access: All students (K-6) now have access to Dreambox (math) Learning at home.  To access go to the Learning Links page on the Kent Gardens website:  https://kentgardenses.fcps.edu/learning-links  Click the Dreambox icon and have your child login using your child’s FCPS user name and password. 
  • SOL PASS: Students in grade 3-6 have access to SOL pass to practice for the upcoming tests.  From the Learning Links page on the KGES website, select SOL Pass Select Kent Gardens and then enter the password: kgpride. 

SOL Calendar:  Mark your calendars!  Kent Gardens’ students in Grades 3-6 will be taking the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) Tests from May 7 through May 30, 2019.  Testing will begin at 8:50 a.m. on each of these days.  If your student will be absent on a scheduled testing date, please notify his or her classroom teacher.  Make-up tests will be scheduled upon the student’s return, through the end of the testing window.  We will also hold make- up sessions for those who need another opportunity to pass. The Virginia SOL tests measure the extent to which students have learned the content and skills specified in content areas such as writing, reading, mathematics, history/social studies and science. 

It will be very helpful if you can avoid appointments which may take your child out of school during this time period. Also, it will help your child perform his or her best if he or she has had a good night’s rest, a healthy breakfast, and comes to school with a positive attitude.  Dates for each grade level test are shown below or at this link:  https://kentgardenses.fcps.edu/announcements/sol-schedule-spring-2019

Grade 3 – Reading: Tuesday, May 7 and Math: Wednesday, May 15

Grade 4 – Reading: Wednesday, May 8, Math: Monday, May 13, and VA History: Thursday, May 16

Grade 5 – Reading: Thursday, May 9; Math: Tuesday, May 14, and Science: Friday, May 17

Grade 6 – Reading: Friday, May 10 and Math: Monday, May 20

 

14th Annual Special Education Conference will take place on April 6, 2019, at Lake Braddock Secondary School.  Registration is now open for the 2019 Special Education Conference, which will be held Saturday, April 6, from 7:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Lake Braddock Secondary School. The focus of this year’s conference is on building inclusive and post-secondary practices to support the development of 21st century skills and Portrait of a Graduate attributes.  This year’s keynoter is Dr. Mary E. Morningstar, the co-director of Portland State University’s Think College Inclusion Oregon project and a professor in the Graduate School of Education’s Special Education Department.  Dr. Morningstar will be speaking about Moving from Compliance to Quality Transition.

 

2018-19 Kent Gardens Yearbook:  This year’s book will be fabulous!! Online orders only from February 1st until Sunday, March 31, 2019. The cost is $25.00 and can be ordered securely online with a credit card through Scherling Photography.  www.virginia.preorderphotos.com    Access code:  Q28KZ7  Enter the site and click “add to cart” under Kent Gardens Yearbook.  It will appear in your cart at the bottom of the page.

  • Want to order multiple copies? Enter the number of copies in the QTY box, then click outside the box to update the total.
  • Click “Proceed to Checkout” to add student information and payment.
  • Your child’s name will be printed on the cover of their yearbook, please type your child’s name exactly as you want it to appear on the front cover (both first and last name).

Positivity Character Strength –  www.posproject.com The positivity lesson for the week of March 24-30 is Fairness.  Fairness means that you believe that all people have value.  You approach situations with an unbiased mindset and treat everyone with respect.  Fairness is the project of moral judgment – the process by which people determine what is morally right and what is morally wrong.  Individuals with this strength might be described as: respectful, empathetic, just, evenhanded, principled and moral.  www.posproject.com

Upcoming Longfellow Activities: Rising 7th grade parents are invited to attend ‘How to Thrive’ at Longfellow on April 25th from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Learn more about this evening here - https://kentgardenses.fcps.edu/event/how-thrive-longfellow .   In addition, the Jumpstart to Success registration will open on April 1, through the My School Bucks website.  The contact for that program is Riley Barrows (rtbarrows1@fcps.edu).