 First Day Smiles at the Villa!
Dear Fairfax Villa Families,
We hope you had a restful, rejuvenating summer with family and friends. 2019-2020 looks to be a wonderful school year at Fairfax Villa and we are excited to kick it off with you!
To help ensure a smooth transition into the first weeks of school, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Tip Sheet for Elementary Parents: Routines and Schedules Start the Year Right
The start of a new school year is exciting. But it usually means kids and parents need to make some adjustments to their schedules.
Plan now to get your family back into an effective school year routine. Here are some ways:
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Define the basics. Make sure your child knows what you expect when school is in session. Set a specific time to do homework. Set limits on screen time. Set aside some time each day for reading.
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Create a chart for the first few weeks of school—until your child's routines become habits. Give him a gold star on days when he does everything without being asked.
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Manage correspondence. The start of the school year means a lot of paper going between home and school. Set up a place where your child can put all the paperwork from school. Sign it and put it back in his book bag to return to school the next day.
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Keep track of schedules. Post a family calendar where everyone will see it. Then have everyone write down their assignments and activities as they are scheduled. This will help you plan ahead. If your child knows a book report is due the day after a late soccer practice, he or she will see that they need to finish the report early.
Copyright 2019, the Parent Institute. See more tip sheets for parents and other family engagement resources.
Important Forms and Information
Yesterday, students brought home a first-day packet containing materials to be reviewed by parents. Included in the packet is your personalized Emergency Care Form that must be signed and returned to school as soon as possible. You will also find in the packet information on the Family Life Education (FLE) program, an optional FLE opt-out form, a permission form for using FCPS-approved websites, and a student insurance application.
Every Day Counts! Absences Add Up!
Parents/Guardians, as we begin another school year, here are some important school attendance reminders:
- Learn the ways to alert your child’s school when your child will be absent.
- We do monitor your child’s attendance daily and will reach you if your child does not arrive at school or class as expected.
- Please continue to contact the school via the attendance line or email if your child will be absent. The school attendance contact information can be found on each school’s web page.
- The calendar for the 2019-20 school year has been posted. Make plans to have your child back at school, ready to learn, starting on August 26!
- More information about FCPS attendance expectations is located here.
Service Dog Notice
We anticipate that a service dog will be coming to school with a child in Ms. McNamee's class for 2019-2020 school year. Service animals are highly trained to perform specific tasks, and generally do not need very much additional supervision or care while they are working. Please talk with your child about this animal. It would be helpful for you to emphasize that the service dog is a working animal whose purpose is to help another student, is not a pet, and should not be petted or fed. The service dog at Fairfax Villa will stay with an adult in a leash. We are pleased to note that there are currently service animals successfully assisting students in other Fairfax County Public Schools.
I understand that you may have concerns regarding your child’s exposure to an animal on school grounds. Please contact Mrs. An via e-mail (kan@fcps.edu) if your child is allergic to dogs or has a fear of dogs that would prevent him or her from possibly coming into contact with the service dog. We believe that a safe school environment is everyone’s right and will work with you regarding your concerns. We are committed to ensuring a positive experience for everyone.
Visitor Procedures
Ensuring the safety and security of Fairfax Villa students and staff is of the utmost importance. Our Visitor Management System requires all visitors to register at each visit in the main office by scanning their driver’s license. Once the visitor is confirmed, a photo is taken and the visitor’s badge is issued. This system registers and records all visitors who enter the school as well as automatically captures visitor information, photo, and visit history. Please wear the printed badge during your stay at Fairfax Villa.
School Hours
Fairfax Villa Elementary will begin at 9:00 a.m. and dismiss at 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Students are expected to be in their classrooms by 9:15 am.
Bus Riders
Bus riders should report to their respective bus stops several minutes earlier than scheduled for the first few days. Please be patient and wait for your bus to arrive and follow all safety regulations.
Medication
If your child needs medication administered during the school year, parents may drop it off in the clinic. Students are not permitted to bring their own medication to school.
Breakfast and Lunch
Many students choose to purchase school breakfast and/or lunch daily or once in a while. The school breakfast price is $1.75. The school lunch price, including milk, is $3.25. Milk and juice are also sold separately for $.60. Lunch may be prepaid in advance via MySchoolBucks or with a check made payable to Fairfax Villa Food Service. The credit will be applied to your child’s lunch account. We encourage you to always have some money on your child’s lunch account in case of forgotten lunches. You may also add money to your student’s account at www.myschoolbucks.com. Menus and information about school lunch may be found on the FCPS website, Food and Nutrition Services .
Sincerely,
Dave Gerstner, Principal
KJ An, Assistant Principal
Changes in Dismissal Procedure
Due to continued efforts by the FCPS Office of Safety and Security to keep our students safe and secure, we will no longer be dismissing walkers from the main entrance. All walkers will be dismissed from Door 2. If you are facing the school, Door 2 is to the left of Door 1, our main entrance. If you are a parent meeting a walker, please wait outside Door 2 on the sidewalk. We appreciate your understanding of this change to keep our students and staff safe.
Kiss and Ride
In order for Fairfax Villa staff to ensure a safe environment for all children, we ask that the following drop-off and pick-up procedures be followed by all families. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our children safe!
Coming soon! In place of name cards, we will be distributing Kiss and Ride number card for each family. You will receive a registration at Kiss and Ride during the first week of school.
Morning Drop-Off Procedures
- Drop off begins at 9:00 A.M.
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Please note change: Due to safety concerns and gridlock during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal, parents/guardians will not be permitted to turn left from Santa Clara Drive to enter the Kiss and Ride lot.
- Kiss and Ride cars will line up on the westbound side of Santa Clara – coming from either University Drive or Bellavia Lane. That line will turn right from Santa Clara Drive into the Kiss and Ride Lot.
- When entering the Kiss and Ride line, please do not block the crosswalk. Pull as far forward as possible. School staff will assist you.
- Enter by staff parking lot. Proceed to the rear of the school, turn in the loop.
- As you enter Kiss and Ride loop, remind your child to unbuckle seat belt.
- When entering the parking lot for Kiss and Ride line, please do not block the crosswalk. Pull as far forward as possible. School staff will assist you.
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Do not leave your child if there is no staff member present at Kiss and Ride. You must line up and wait at the starting location until a staff member is in position at Kiss and Ride to receive your child. Otherwise, this creates a dangerous situation where your child is roaming the school grounds unsupervised. There are no exceptions.
- The students may exit their vehicle on the right passenger side only. Left door should always be closed for safety purpose. If, for any reason, your child must exit from the driver side, please escort your child to the sidewalk.
- After dropping off your child, proceed to exit the Kiss and Ride line carefully. Use extreme caution as walkers will be crossing at various times in a designated crosswalk. A staff member will use a stop sign to halt traffic when walkers are present.
 
The following is sent on behalf of the Fairfax Villa ES School PTA. Its content reflects the views of the PTA.
JOIN THE PTA!
Purchase your $10 membership online at fairfaxvilla.memberhub.store and then create an account to have access to our school directory of emails. If you do so before September 1, you will be entered to win an amazing gift basket from Chuy’s restaurant!
FIRST PTA MEETING: WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4
Join us from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in the library before the Kindergarten Back to School night. Drop in when you can for questions and answers with our administrative team and a quick overview of our PTA plans for the year. We’d love to see you there!
GLOW DANCE!
This year, we are celebrating Back To School with our very popular event, the Glow Dance! It will be on Friday, September 6 from 6:30-8:30pm. There is no entry fee and there will be concessions, Rita’s Italian Ice, and TONS of glow items for sale inside the gymnasium. Over in the cafeteria, we invite parents to join a quieter space with coffee and a special presentation: “Welcome to FCPS”. The presentation provides an overview of everything you need to know as a Fairfax Villa and FCPS family.
FALL AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES REGISTRATION
Registration for fall after school activities begins on Thursday. August 29 at 7am. For more information and to register online, please go to https://tinyurl.com/fvesenrichment. Flyers will be going home in student folders.
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