Upcoming Dates
October 8 - Fall School Picture Day; 3rd Grade Field Trip
3rd Grade Picture Day will be held on Nov 19th
October 14- Student Holiday, Teacher Workday
October 1th - Pulcinella Restaurant Night 5-9PM
October 18th - PTA Meeting 9AM
October 25th - Family Fun Night - Bingo
Principal's Message
Our school grounds have continually been improved in the past few months with support of FCPS facilities. If you have ventured to our playground before or afterschool you may notice that we have more work that has been completed. Mulch and plantings have been added to the hill coming down to the blacktop, working to combat the erosion on the hill under the beautiful tree. Our children love to play in this area and it will be much safer without the visible root system. New drainage paths have also been put in on the backside of the blacktop area (on the other side of the fence) with a nice thick layer of mulch to stabilize this area.
Last spring our SCA students voted on an improvement they wanted to see in our school. The popular request was to add a new basketball hoop to our blacktop. This summer I was able to obtain a quote for this work and right now it is out of reach of our SCA funds, however, we hope to continue to save and work with our PTA to make this a reality for our students. It will be great to have something our students our working towards with their SCA funds.
In class, students have been diving into curriculum, learning to work together with peers and our kindergarten students have amazed us with how well they are picking up school and classroom routines. Sixth graders have started to work on leadership initiatives such as serving as kindergarten reading buddies, developing ways we can give back to our community and leading our school with "Go Green" initiatives. I look forward to the many ways our sixth grade students will lead our community this school year.
This past week a group of grade level representatives joined a Chesterbrook Constitutional Convention where we discussed what we want for our school and how we can synthesize our grade level rules into school rules that help our community. Students discussed their hopes and dreams for the year as we work together on how we can make that happen. Once we complete the process, I look forward to sharing our Chesterbrook Constitution along with our representatives.
Stacy Kirkpatrick
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Advanced Academic News Reminders & Update
There was a link to the AAP forms that did not work last week. Please use these links for reference. Please use this link to information and forms for advanced academic services.
Dates to Note for Advanced Academic Timelines and Informational Meetings
Thursday, September 26 – Deadline for NNAT or CogAT one-time retake request
Thursday, October 10 – Deadline for Level IV Fall Referrals for new FCPS students 3-6
Monday, December 9 6:00 PM Library - AAP Level IV Referral Process Overview
Thursday, January 9 – Deadline for Level IV Spring Referrals for current FCPS students 2-6
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.
Parents or guardians may exercise a one-time retest option during the fall testing cycle. Please contact the school testing coordinator Dr. Liz Beaty embeaty@fcps.edu no later than Thursday, September 26 to request a one-time retest for either the NNAT or CogAT.
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 Thursday, January 9 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).
Walk to School Day - October 2nd
We invite families to participate in International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 2, in an effort to promote physical activity and reduce traffic congestion and pollution near schools.
Safety is priority! Parents are strongly encouraged to walk a safe route with their children. We are requesting police presence to help with traffic flow.
Thank you to Mrs. Sink for helping to organize our Walk to School day.
Get more information about Walk to School Day.
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Reporting an Absence or Tardy
A copy of our information on processes for absentees, tardies and early release is being sent home in Thursday folders. We love seeing students in classes for morning news and morning meetings. Drop off by 8:45 allows students a few minutes to make it to class on time and feeling relaxed to start their day. The start to the school year has been great and we thank you for getting your students here on time. A reminder that we do not release students between 3:00 - 3:30 as we wrap up instruction and prepare for dismissal. If there is an emergency, we will certainly honor a last minute pickup.
Submit an all day absence or tardy using one of the following methods:
Information Shared from FCPS
Lice Resources for Parents and Guardians
Principals have been asked to share this information with parents to be proactive in supporting our students. This is not shared because we are having active cases of lice.
The beginning of school is a great time to provide information to parents and guardians regarding head lice and its treatment. Although lice do not spread disease, they can be a nuisance and cause great concern in the community.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) have provided several resources for parents and guardians who are interested in learning more about lice. These documents are available in English and several other languages at the following links:
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/schools
Lice: Treatment and Prevention | Fairfax County Public Schools
FCPS Career Switcher Information Session – October 14, 2019
The Office of Talent Acquisition & Management (TAM) will host a Career Switcher Information Session at the Willow Oaks Administrative Center on Monday, October 14, 2019. This event will give military veterans, community members and anyone interested an opportunity to learn how to become a licensed Virginia teacher.
The information session will begin with presentations from the five approved Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) career switcher programs, Educate Virginia, Old Dominion University, Regent University, Shenandoah University and Virginia Commonwealth University. Troops to Teachers will also present their program offerings to our military veteran attendees. A panel of FCPS educators will share valuable information with attendees, followed by an opportunity to network with the six presenters, the FCPS licensure team and the substitute office.
Event Information Monday, October 14, 2019 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Willow Oaks Administrative Center Building 8270 / Room 1000A.
Individuals interested in attending should register here.
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