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Please note: Forestdale families will receive a paper copy of this newsletter along with the bus routes during the week of August 19.
 Welcome Back, Forestdale Falcons!
The school year is just around the corner, and we hope you are ready to meet your new teacher and enjoy time with friends. Teachers and staff are excited to meet you and have planned lots of exciting opportunities for you to learn and grow in the 2019-2020 school year!
The 2019-2020 school year is all about connecting our school with the community. In an effort to bring families together and streamline schedules for families, we are combining Open House with Back-to-School Night into a Forestdale Family Day this year! This new event will still allow families an opportunity to visit classrooms and meet the teacher, but it will also include a portion in which parents can send their children to designated areas in the school so that they can return to the classroom to learn more from the teacher about the expectations for their children in the 2019-2020 school year. Our family day will culminate in a huge family BBQ in the back field.
As a reminder, school starts for all students on Monday, August 26. Friday, August 30 and Monday, September 2 are student holidays. Students return to school on Tuesday, September 3.
It’s going to be great year, Falcons!
Forestdale Family Day schedule is as follows:
School Hours
Grades K-6
First day – August 26
8:50 a.m. – 3:35 p.m. Monday – Friday
Preschool Autism Class (PAC)
First day – August 26
8:50 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Monday & Wednesday
8:50 a.m. – 3:35 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Early Childhood Class-Based (ECCB) Preschool
First day – September 3
Morning Session – 8:50 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Monday – Friday
Afternoon Session – 12:15 – 3:35 p.m. Monday – Friday
Preschool (Formerly FECEP/Head Start)
Preschool Orientation – August 29, 2 p.m.
First day – September 5
8:50 a.m. – 3:35 p.m. Monday – Friday
Students should begin arriving to school at 8:40 a.m. Classes begin promptly, so students should be in their classrooms at 8:50 a.m. to be considered on-time.
Parents are welcome to escort students to their classrooms during the first week of school. Beginning Tuesday, September 3 we will be encouraging independence, and our Falcons will travel to their classrooms without parent assistance. No worries, we will have plenty of staff on hand to help those who need support!
Communicating with Forestdale
On the first day of school, all students will be provided with a parent handbook. Tuck this folder in an important spot; it is a handy guide for important procedures and general student information.
Forestdale works on two master schedules for specials such as physical education, music, art and library to accommodate the numbers of classes per grade-level. For planning purposes, check with your child’s classroom teacher for the class schedule. Additionally, the master schedule will be posted on the school website once school starts.
Parents may contact the classroom teacher by leaving a message with the office staff or by emailing the staff member directly. It is best to always start with the classroom teacher if you have a question or a concern, as they are often the person with the most knowledge regarding your child. Staff email addresses can be found on the school website at https://forestdalees.fcps.edu/.
Your Child’s Health
School health room services, including the administration of medication and modified first aid, are performed by the health room aide. If a child’s condition requires more attention, we will contact you, or if we cannot reach you, those listed on your child’s Emergency Care Form will be called. View, update, and submit your child’s emergency care information via the FCPS 24/7 Learning weCare@school tab. Learn how to create an account for the first time: https://www.fcps.edu/node/30943.
Prescription and most over-the-counter medications at school require strict adult supervision and should not be in the child’s possession. Forms to authorize staff to administer medication are available in the school office and at https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/school-health-services.
Meals at School
Forestdale participates in the Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) Program. BIC is part of a grant that provides all students in the school with a free breakfast daily. Students have the option to decline breakfast if they choose to eat at home, however. Breakfast begins on the first day of school. Breakfast consists of an entrée with a fruit and/or juice. Milk is available.
 Lunch costs $3.25. Milk is included or may be purchased separately. Only one snack item will be available daily for students who wish to supplement their lunch. For further information regarding cafeteria food costs, please visit the following website: http://www.fcps.edu/fs/food/mealprices.shtml. All families will receive a calendar of meal options for the school year in the first day packet to help with planning meals at school. For more information and menu options, go to: http://www.fcps.edu/fs/food/serve/lunchmenus.shtml.
Students can pay cash daily, or parents can use cash or personal checks to make advance payments to their child’s personalized account. FCPS offers My School Bucks at www.myschoolbucks.com. My School Bucks is an online prepayment service that allows parents to pay for meals with a credit or debit card and to check the status of their child’s lunch account. It is important to note that negative balances from last year will be carried over. Please check your child’s lunch account prior to day 1 to ensure he/she has money for lunch. The cafeteria staff will be available during Family Day to accept lunch deposits into your child’s account.
Students eligible for free or reduced-priced meals will continue to receive benefits until Wednesday, October 8, 2019. Applications for free and reduced-price meals must be received and approved as eligible by this due date. Preprinted applications were mailed to homes at the beginning of August. Applications can also be completed and submitted online at https://www.myschoolapps.com. Please remember, it can take up to two weeks to process an application once it is received at the Office of Food and Nutrition Services. Applications for free and reduced meals are mailed directly to families and must be completed and returned each school year. Requests are confidential and should be submitted as soon as possible.
Keeping Your Child Safe
All exterior doors are locked during school hours. To enter the building, go to Entrance #1, push the doorbell, and the front office will remotely unlock the door. Upon entering, please report to the office. To maintain the momentum of instruction, forgotten lunches and materials will be delivered by office staff, or students will be called down to the office to get their forgotten items.
For any change in a child’s typical transportation arrangements, send a note to the teacher indicating the date of the change, the duration of the change, and the reason for the change. Students may not ride a non-designated school bus home with a friend as buses are filled to capacity. For safety, we also ask that students get off at their designated stop only.
If picking up a student before the end of school, provide notice to the teacher and school office whenever possible to avoid confusion for your child. If a student must leave unexpectedly, alert the office at least one hour ahead of time.
During arrival and dismissal, please follow the established rules and travel routes for the safety of all. Parents who wish to drop off or pick up their students will need to use the Kiss & Ride loop or park on the street and walk up to the building using the designated crosswalks. For everyone’s safety, do not walk between cars in the Kiss & Ride loop. We ask that parents follow the established procedures for Kiss & Ride. This will allow you to get your little Falcon as quickly and efficiently as possible and model safe procedures for our students. Just follow the direction of staff at Kiss & Ride. They will let you know what to do.
As a final reminder, taking the bus is the safest way to travel to and from school. If you plan to have your child take the bus during the school year, put him/her on the bus the first day of school. It will help establish the school year routine, and he/she will be learning the rules and expectations along with peers from day one!
Family Life Education Instructional Program Information
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through twelve. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms will be included in your child’s back-to-school/orientation packets and are available online at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-family-life-education-fle. Please fill in the opt-out form and return it to your child’s school prior to Family Life Education instruction.
Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/elementary-family-life-education. Grade level-specific lessons and media are also available for review at Forestdale.
e-Notify
Parents of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students and employees of the school system are automatically enrolled to receive e-Notify Communications. FCPS central offices and schools use this system to communicate emergency, delayed opening and school closing information, attendance, and other essential communications. Contact information from the student information system and the employee databases are uploaded to the e-Notify system. It is important that parents keep their child’s emergency contact information up to date. To update, email Blanca Barrios at bibarrios@fcps.edu, fill out an emergency care card, or log onto weCare@school.
Sign up for News You Choose!
News You Choose is an electronic communication platform that allows community members the ability to select what information they want to receive and how often from individual schools, the School Board office and members, departments, programs, and PTA/PTO and booster organizations. Subscribers can change their settings or unsubscribe at any time.
News You Choose does not replace the essential information FCPS communicates through e-Notify. Parents will continue to receive emergency messages, delayed openings and school closings, attendance messages, low lunch balances, and other critical information sent to the e-mail address listed on their child’s emergency care card.
Forestdale uses News You Choose to distribute the parent newsletter, The Falcon Press, monthly. Make sure we have your current email so that we can send you updates. Or, you can go to https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAEDUFCPS/subscriber/new
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Don’t forget to take a look at us on Twitter! Follow us @ForestdaleES!
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For Your Calendar
August 19
The school office will be closed from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for all staff professional development.
August 21
Kindergarten Playdate, 3-3:45 p.m.
Starting kindergarten this year? Come meet new friends and enjoy a cold treat on the playground with the kindergarten team.
August 23
Forestdale Family Day 2-6 p.m.
Come see your new classroom, meet your teacher, learn about the 2019-2020 school year, and join us for a family BBQ on the field! Class lists will be posted in the school gym. Doors will open at 2:00 p.m. You may enter through door 1 or the gym doors (4 & 5) by the blacktop.
August 26
School Begins
You do not want to miss a minute! The doors open at 8:40 a.m. and school begins promptly at 8:50 a.m. Students will be dismissed at 3:35 p.m.
August 30
Student Holiday, No School
September 2
Labor Day, No School
September 16
Forestdale PTA Meeting, 7 p.m., library
Consider joining the PTA! It’s a great way to support your child and the school. Membership is $10 per family. You can also follow the Forestdale PTA on Twitter.
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