January 29 Panther Press


Dear Spring Hill Families,

Beginning Monday, February 10th the Panther Press will be distributed every other Monday. The Panther Press is where you will find important information about upcoming events, activities, and general school news. We are happy to provide you with all the information you will need to stay up to date with all of the wonderful activities and events that will be taking place at Spring Hill!

 

Sarah C. Aiello

Proud Principal

Spring Hill Elementary School

 

In this issue:

Lock Down Drill

Progress Reports

Students Rights & Responsibilities

Main Office Protocol

Foreign Language Community Meeting

Kindergarten Registration

Science Fair

FCPS Bus App

Weather Cancellation Procedures

Attendance

5th & 6th Grade Eating Disorder Information

Cooper & Longfellow MS Rising 7th Graders

Quick Links

Calendar Corrections

Calendar


Lock Down Safety Drill

Lock down drill

Every school facility in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has in place crisis management and emergency preparedness plans, designed with the help of the school system’s security planning staff, local law enforcement, and emergency management officials. Plans are regularly reviewed and updated. The plans include procedures to respond to critical incidents, like fire and tornadoes, and we practice these drills regularly. Now, we, along with other Fairfax County schools, have formally added an additional drill, called a lockdown drill.

A lockdown is a well-established procedure designed to protect students and staff members in a case in which there might be threats of violence within a school. During a lockdown, students remain in their classrooms or are escorted to classrooms if they are in the halls, and all interior and exterior doors are closed and locked. Once the facility is rendered safe and students are accounted for, the school is returned to normal operation.  While we have no reason to believe that any threat of violence will arise, it is always best to be prepared. It is important to train students and staff members so that we can effectively implement a lockdown in the event one becomes necessary. Training helps ensure a calmer, more effective lockdown.

To implement this training, our school will conduct a lockdown drill this Wednesday, January 29, 2020 @ 2:45. This drill is generally short, typically lasting no longer than a fire drill. It will be conducted in collaboration with the FCPS Office of Safety and Security.  


Progress Reports

2nd Quarter Progress Reports will be sent home on Monday, February 3rd. Parents can access grades through ParentVue on Saturday, February 1st.


Student Rights & Responsibilities

Students contribute to a quality learning experience by coming to class every day with a positive attitude, personal integrity, and a commitment to making good choices. During the next several weeks, Spring Hill Assistant Principals will provide an SR&R mid-year review for all students.

Parents are essential partners in helping their children learn how to exhibit self-control and respect, make ethical choices, and be accountable for their actions.

Family Guide: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/SRR1920.pdf

2019-2020 Parent Video: Dr. Braband: http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/ssse/ips/equity/srr/


Main Office Safety Protocol

We are always evaluating our practices to ensure the safety of students and staff. Beginning Wednesday, January 29th we are adding a layer of security procedures as you enter through Door 1.

When families/guest ring the bell/buzzer the following steps will take place:

  1. We will engage & welcome you to Spring Hill and ask how we may help you. This procedure is taking the place of just opening the door without any engagement.
  2. Once a guest has communicated their purpose for entering the building (picking-up child, conference, volunteering, etc) they will be welcomed into the building and reminded to check-in at the front office.
  3. Please proceed to the visitor check-in station.

Foreign Language Community Meeting

Please join us on February 11th at 7:00 PM as we continue the discussion and planning to bring a Foreign Language Program to Spring Hill.


Kindergarten Orientation

The planning has begun to welcome the new class of 2033!  Pass along the word across our community that our Kindergarten Orientation will be held on March 3rd 9:00-10:30 AM We invite students and parents in to experience kindergarten. More details to come!


Science Fair:Get Your Geek On!!

Science Fair

Science Fair week!!   Feb 24th

Register Now! @ https://spinghillpto.org/science-fair/ by Feb 21st

Last year's overwhelming participation has driven an expanded program.   Students are encouraged to bring any science related project on Monday    Feb 24th. Presentations are by grade on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons. Recognition and awards are presented on Thurs. evening.

Open to all Spring Hill students, Open to all topics and ideas.

Movie ticket awards for each grade.


FCPS Using the Here Comes the Bus Mobile App

To help you know when your child’s bus is approaching your stop, FCPS is now using the Here Comes the Bus mobile app. Here Comes the Bus is a free school bus tracking app that can simplify morning and afternoon routines for parents and students by giving real-time bus location and text or email notification alerts, helping everybody get to the bus stop on time.

Here Comes the Bus® uses FCPS global positioning system (GPS) data and an easy-to-use customizable map that works on one or multiple devices, such as a tablet or smartphone.

Get detailed instructions on how to get started using the Here Comes the Bus mobile app


Weather Cancellation Procedures

When bad weather or other emergency situations occur, it may be necessary for FCPS to cancel, delay, or close schools early. Parents and students should have a well-communicated plan in place in the event of these emergency situations. Children need to know where to go or what to do if a parent will not be home.

The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority any time a decision must be made regarding school closures and delays during a weather situation. We review information from emergency management and state highway administrators about road conditions, and school personnel also go out and inspect the conditions of roads, sidewalks, and FCPS parking lots and bus lanes.

Due to the speed of updating, the official @FCPSnews Twitter account (with blue checkmark) is generally the first and fastest mode of communication. Other communication channels will be updated as quickly as possible including email, text, website, other social media, and news stations. Please be aware, due to the large volume of emails sent there will likely be a lag between the FCPS Twitter alert and receipt of an email in your inbox.    

In the case of emergency for a weather-related closing, delay, or early dismissal, the FCPS website will automatically include an alert at the top of each page with the appropriate information. This information will remain posted until normal operations have resumed, or you click "Close This Alert" to remove it. If you have closed the alert, a red exclamation mark will remain to indicate that the alert is still active. 

FCPS tries to make decisions in the evening, taking into account that parents need time to make proper arrangements. But when there is a lot of uncertainty, we wait to get the latest morning forecast. In that case, the superintendent makes the decision of whether to delay or close schools by approximately 4:30 a.m.

FCPS provides information about closings and delays in many ways including:

  • Posted to the FCPS Twitter and Facebook pages.
  • Posted to www.fcps.edu.
  • Email and text messages sent to parents (using the parent contact information listed in weCare@school). 
  • Email sent to employees (using the employee's FCPS email address).
  • Email sent to News You Choose subscribers of Delayed Openings and School Closings.
  • Posted on FCPS cable Channel 21 (Cox Communications, Reston Comcast, and Verizon cable customers only).
  • Area radio and television stations.
  • FCPS has a series of closing conditions to help explain how the weather has affected schools and activities.

For more information, click link below:

https://www.fcps.edu/resources/safety-and-transportation/weather-cancellation-procedures


Attendance

Help Your Child Succeed in School:

Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early

School success goes hand in hand with good attendance!

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
  • Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read.
  • Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
  • Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
  • Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO?

  • Set a regular bed time and morning routine.
  • Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
  • Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots.
  • Introduce your child to her teachers and classmates before school starts to help her transition.
  • Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
  • If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
  • Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.
  • Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

For more on school readiness, visit attendanceworks.org and reachoutandread.org


5th & 6th Grade Families

Eating Disorder Parent Letter and Fact Sheet

In 2013, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law requiring Virginia Public Schools to provide, on an annual basis, parent educational information regarding eating disorders for pupils in grades five through twelve. 

In collaboration with the Fairfax County Health Department, FCPS has developed eating disorder documents with detailed information to be provided to parents and guardians of Fairfax County Public Schools. The letter and fact sheet will be sent home in Thursday Folders. 


Important Dates for Rising 7th Graders

Cooper MS Rising 7th Graders

Cooper MS

Longfellow MS Rising 7th Graders

Longfellow Dates for 6th Graders

Dear parents of rising 7th Graders,

We are approaching that time of year where we begin the process of preparing our Chipmunks to become Lancers at Longfellow Middle School!

Please mark on your calendars for the following dates:

  • Thursday, February 6, 2020: from 6-8PM, Longfellow Middle School will hold a Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night.
  • Friday, March 27, 2020: tentative date for our students to tour Longfellow Middle School (10-12:30). Please avoid any appointments for your student during this time so he/she may attend with their class.
  • Wednesday, May 6, 2020: tentative date for “How to Thrive at Longfellow Middle School”, from 6:30-7:30PM
  • August 4-7. 2020: tentative dates for Jump Start to Success Program, at Longfellow Middle School, from 8:30AM-12:30PM
  • August 18, 2020: tentative date for 7th Grade Open House at Longfellow Middle School, from 3:00PM-6:00PM
  • August 20, 2020: tentative date for 7th Grade Orientation at Longfellow Middle School, 9:00AM-11:00AM

Quick Links


Calendar Corrections

Our Panther folders have some incorrect dates on the calendar that's on the back of the folder.

Please note the following correction:

Tuesday, March 3rd is the student holiday(School Planning Day), not Friday, March 13th.

Sorry for the confusion!


Calendar of Events

Week of Feb 3rd:

Monday, Feb 3: 1st GR FT (All), GM, Center for the Arts, 9:45-11:45 am

Wednesday, Feb 5:  Picture Day: Clubs, Groups and Candids, Lg Pod, 9am-3:15pm

Thursday, Feb 6: Band Winter Concert, Cafeteria, 7:00 pm

 

Week of Feb 10th:

Monday, Feb 10:  1st GR FT (All), GM Center for the Arts, 9:45-11:45 am

Tuesday, Feb 11:  Foreign Language Community Meeting, Cafeteria, 7:00 pm

 

Week of Feb 17th:

Monday, Feb 17: President's Day

Tuesday, Feb 18: 4th GR Orchestra Banjo Concert, Gym, 7:00 pm

 

Week of Feb 24th:

Monday, Feb 24-Friday, Feb 28, Science Fair, Lg Pod

Friday, Feb 28: Red Cross Blood Drive, Parking Lot, 1-6 pm

 

Full 2019-2020 calendar: click here:

https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/19-20-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf