September 18, 2019
PTA Meeting
The first PTA meeting of the 2019-2020 school year is on Tuesday, September 24 at 7:00 pm in the VRES Library.
Come find out about all of the Fall Events, after school enrichment and opportunities, and how together we can do so much!
Special Guest Speaker: Amy Peterson, RN
Amy Peterson is a Public Health Nurse with Fairfax County and will be speaking about FCPS policies and protocols when it comes to head lice, hygiene/toileting expectations, cold and flu season and will be answering your questions.
COOKIES AND REFRESHMENTS will be served!
FLE Preview Night
Students in grades K-6 participate in Family Life Education (FLE) instruction through their classroom teacher. Students in Kindergarten through grade three receive instruction in an emotional and social health unit. Students in grades 4-6 receive instruction in a human growth and development unit and an emotional and social health unit.
You are invited to attend an evening opportunity to preview the Family Life Education media and lessons and to talk with school staff about the program. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 6:00 pm at Virginia Run Elementary (15450 Martins Hundred Drive Centreville, VA 20120). All program materials and media for all grade levels will be available for your review at this time.
ADVANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS (AAP) ELEMENTARY CONTINUUM OF SERVICES
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) offers a continuum of advanced academic services for all students in Grades K-8. Learning experiences are designed to develop higher-level thinking through enrichment, acceleration, and extension of the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs). Teachers, administrators, and Advanced Academic Resource Teachers (AARTs) work together to provide the following levels of services. A video showing each level of service in action, as well as information about middle and high school services, are available at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/advanced-academics.
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Critical and Creative Thinking Lessons, Grades K-6 (Level I)
- Because Level I services are for all FCPS students, there is not a screening process.
- Level I services are provided to all students in Kindergarten through Grade 6. Level I services includes teaching students to use critical and creative thinking skills to process content. It also includes periodic opportunities to use advanced academic curriculum throughout the year. Student responses to these lessons are used as part of the identification process for Levels II-IV. Parents may practice the nine strategies during family conversations and activities. Descriptions and videos of the nine critical and creative thinking strategies can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/advanced-academics/critical-and-creative-thinking.
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Differentiated Lessons in Areas of Academic Strength, Grades K-6 (Level II)
- Level II services are available for students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 for students with strength in a specific subject area. The AART collaborates with classroom teachers to provide additional challenges using materials from the AAP Curriculum Framework for Levels II-IV to extend and enrich in the subject area strength. Screening for this level of service occurs for all students in grades K-5 in May and is ongoing throughout the school year. Multiple criteria are used to screen for this level of service and decisions are made at the local school level.
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Part-Time Advanced Academic Programs, Grades 3-6 (Level III)
- Level III services are available for students in Grades 3-6 who are eligible for part-time direct services from the AART. Students are identified by a screening committee at the local school. The AART uses materials from the AAP Curriculum Framework for Levels II-IV in the four core subject areas through either a weekly pull-out class or weekly co-teaching model with the classroom teacher. Screening for this level of service occurs for all students in grades K-5 in May and is ongoing throughout the school year. Multiple criteria are used to screen for this level of service and decisions are made at the local school level.
- Full-Time Advanced Academic Programs, Grades 3-8 (Level IV)
- Level IV services are available for students in Grades 3-8 who are found eligible through a central selection process. Eligible students use curriculum from the AAP Curriculum Framework for Levels II-IV in the four academic subject areas on a full-time basis.
Multiple criteria are reviewed to determine eligibility for all FCPS advanced academic services. The countywide central selection committee determines eligibility for full-time AAP Level IV placement.
Screening for Level IV services occurs during specific screening cycles:
- Fall screening is held for students who are new to FCPS and have been referred
- Spring screening is held for any FCPS-enrolled student who has been referred
Due to the volume of files screened centrally for Level IV services, deadlines are strictly held.
- A referral form may be turned in from the first day of school until the published deadline.
- The referral deadline is October 10, 2019 for students who are new to FCPS and January 9, 2020 for students who are not new to FCPS this school year.
- The referral form is available on the Forms page: https://www.fcps.edu/node/38893
Additional information about the holistic screening process and information used for screening can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/registration/advanced-academics-identification-and-placement/current-fcps-students.
Middle and High School AAP
Additional information about middle and high school services may be found on the Advanced Academic Programs web page:
Elementary Parent Information Meeting
A parent information meeting will be held at Virginia Run on Monday, September 30, 2019 at 7:00pm. The AART will provide information about levels of service and examples at Virginia Run, as well as explain and answer questions.
Ability Testing
In the fall, the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) is administered to all FCPS first grade students and the CogAT- Custom Form is administered to all FCPS second grade students. During the fall testing cycle, the NNAT and/or Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) may be administered to students in Grades 3-6 who do not have an ability test score.
Please do not wait for test scores before submitting a referral for your student in Grades 2-7 as there will be no referrals for Level IV screening accepted past the January 9, 2020 deadline. If you are waiting for test scores and would like your student screened for Level IV, please submit the referral by the published deadline (even if you have not received the test scores for your student).
Advanced Academic Program Information Meeting
An AAP parent information meeting will be held at Virginia Run on Monday, September 30, 2019. Join our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, Val Sesso, in the library from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm to learn about AAP levels of service and examples at Virginia Run. The meeting is open to all K-6 parents.
A second meeting will be held on November 25 from 8:30 am-9:30 am for parents of students in grades 2-6 who are interested in screening for Level IV AAP services at Bull Run. If you have a child in grade 2-6 and are interested in the center screening process, please attend the meeting in November.
If you have a child in grade 3-6 who entered FCPS during or after January 2019, you are welcome to refer your child for full-time Level IV services. The deadline for referring new students is October 10, 2019. The Parent Information Packet containing the referral form can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/registration/advanced-academics-identification-and-placement/elementary-school/current-fcps . Scroll down to “Full-time Level IV Services” for information and forms.
Please send questions to Val Sesso at vmsesso@fcps.edu or call (703) 988-8937.
Clinic Volunteers Needed for Vision and Hearing Screenings
The vision and hearing screenings for Kindergarten and 3rd grade will be on Wednesday, October 2, 2019. The clinic is looking for volunteers from 9:30-11:30 am for the 3rd grade session and 2:00-4:00 for the Kindergarten session. Please contact Olga Carrillo at ocarrillo@fcps.edu or 703-988-8900 if you are interested in volunteering. No experience required.
Veteran's Day Collage
Every year at Virginia Run, the 4th graders put on a Veteran’s Day assembly to honor our Veterans from every branch of the military. As a way of honoring our Veterans from the Virginia Run community Ms. Berg, Ms. Adkins and Ms. Tuben will be putting together a collage of pictures of Veterans, past and present, to display the week of Veteran’s Day (November 11). This collage will be on display in the main lobby. Feel free to email Ms. Berg (jmberg@fcps.edu) a picture of a Veteran from your family. If you have several Veterans in your family, we welcome multiple pictures. This is for ALL Veterans past and present. If you have a relative who did not return home from their service, please know that we plan to honor these servicemen and women in May for Memorial Day. Please submit all photos to me by Friday, November 1st. If you have any questions please contact Ms. Berg. Thank you!
Walk to School Day
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will participate in International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, in an effort to promote physical activity and reduce traffic congestion and pollution near schools.
Students and employees of Virginia Run ES are encouraged to bike or walk to school and work on October 2. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school.
Social Media Accounts
We encourage you to follow class and school Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram accounts. Social media is a great platform for sharing photos and videos of students participating in learning and celebrating successes. Using social media in a professional capacity allows us to give the Virginia Run parents and community a lens into the amazing learning, collaboration, and creativity that takes place in our building.
If you have any questions about your child being featured in any VRES social media post(s), please let us know.
Fundraiser for Hurricane Victims
Dear Region 5 Communities,
Each of the 32 schools in Region 5 of Fairfax County Public Schools are uniting together to support the humanitarian crisis that has occurred in the Bahamas due to Hurricane Dorian. We have all witnessed the devastation from this deadly storm and we want to be able to help. There is an estimated 18,000 children in crisis and many children have lost everything they own. So we are calling each of our communities to action!
Over the next two weeks, we will be fundraising by using a GoFundMe page. The link is below which also includes a link to a video for more information. All proceeds will go to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Our funds will go to water, shelter, food, clothes, backpacks, books, and other school materials.
Please join Region 5 in making a difference. Any amount can be helpful! The fundraiser will run from Wednesday, September 18th to Friday, October 4th.
Please click this link to go to our GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/sam3qu-hurricane-dorian-relief
Thank you for supporting this cause!
Westfield High School Homecoming Parade
The Westfield HS homecoming parade is Friday, September 20 at 4:45 pm at Stone Middle School. Westfield Pyramid Schools (including Virginia Run) and several local clubs and organizations participate in this event. Please come and support our students and our schools.
The homecoming football game is at 7:00 pm at Westfield High School versus Lake Braddock Secondary School.
Calendar
September 20 – Westfield HS Homecoming Parade, 4:45 pm
September 24 – PTA Meeting, 7:00 pm, Library
September 25 – FLE Preview Night, 6-8 pm, Cafeteria
September 30 – AAP Parent Information Meeting, 7:00 pm, Library
October 2 - Walk to School Day
October 14 – Columbus Day – NO SCHOOL
October 15 – PTA Meeting, 7:00 pm, Library
October 16 – 6th Grade Field Trip – Camp Highroad
October 16 – 4th Grade Field Trip – Gunston Hall
October 23 – 5th Grade Field Trip – Luray Caverns
October 24 – Picture Day
October 25 – Harvest Festival, 5-9 pm
October 25 – Book Fair Family Night, 5-7 pm
October 28 – November 1 – Book Fair, 9:30–3:00 pm, Friday–9:30–12:00 pm
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