April 3, 2020
Greetings VRES Students and Parents!
It has been quite the whirlwind, hasn’t it? Through it all, I continue to be amazed by the resilience of our students and staff. I have been reminded there is no time like the present to reconnect with loved ones and friends to share how much we appreciate and care for one another.
As you already know, we are moving forward with the continuity of learning at VRES! Our teachers are hard at work planning for distance learning and instruction. FCPS has created learning packets that will be mailed weekly to all families beginning this week through the end of the school year. These packets are designed by grade level for students in PK-6. When teacher instruction begins on April 14, teachers may reference these packets as part of their Distance Learning Plan. Parents can opt-out of receiving paper packets by clicking here. Parents may also access learning packets online by visiting FCPS 24-7 Learning. We hope all families will find these resources to be helpful and engaging!
I would like to invite you to our first VRES Touching Base Student and Parent Information Meeting scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2020. I will send out a link via News You Choose a few days prior to the event so you may join the VRES Administrators during the General Information Meeting at 9:00 am. Grade level teams will be sending you a link to join their sessions, as well. So, stay tuned. We look forward to sharing our school plans for Distance Learning at VRES with all of you!
VRES Touching Base Student and Parent Information Meetings:
General Session with the Administrators - 9:00-9:30 am
Prek and Kindergarten- 9:30-10:00 am
Grade 1- 10:00-10:30 am
Grade 2- 10:30-11:00 am
Grade 3- 11:00-11:30 am
Grade 4- 1:00-1:30 pm
Grade 5- 1:30-2:00 pm
Grade 6- 2:00-2:30 pm
I want to thank you for your continuous support during these unprecedented times. We will continue to reach out and communicate with our students and families regularly and do our best to stay connected.
And, I’m happy to share that spring break will continue as scheduled from April 6-13, 2020.
If I can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly.
Missing you,
Ms. Bumbrey
Dear Westfield Pyramid Community:
The Westfield Pyramid Principals wanted to provide you with information about grading and the schedule for distance learning that will begin on April 14. We understand that families have children who are in more than one school in our pyramid and we wanted to put out one piece of information to make things a little bit easier for you to handle.
GRADING
Elementary Students No fourth quarter grades will be assigned to elementary students due to equity issues of access to technology and limited student ability to submit work during distance learning. Elementary students will engage in teacher-led and independent learning. Learning packets will be distributed by mail to all PK-6 students beginning the week of March 30. Literacy and math content will also be made available on FCPS Cable Channel 21.
Middle/High School Students The School Board was briefed that no student work assigned after March 13 will be graded, at the recommendation of VDOE; however, work assigned prior to March 13 will still be accepted up until April 24 in order to be applied in the calculation of students’ third quarter grades. Additionally, it is the intention of FCPS to use maximum flexibility in assessing and evaluating student learning for the remainder of the school year. To that end, middle school and high school students will be assigned a “no mark” for the fourth quarter, with assignments submitted being allowed to positively influence the student’s overall grade for the year based on mastery of learning concepts, in accordance with FCPS grading policy. Only final grades will be shown on transcripts; a “no mark” will not show on a student’s final transcript.
SCHEDULE
Elementary School Students: Teachers will provide an hour of virtual instruction and be available for one hour of “office” time to provide individual and small group support Monday through Thursday. More detailed schedules will be sent by each elementary school by April 3.
Learning Activities • Students will have access to weekly print activities through centrally created and distributed learning packets. • Students will engage with the teacher in virtual chat as detailed in the school schedule. • Video lessons available on cable Channel 21 and through Channel 21 web streaming. • Teachers created activities will be posted in FCPS 24-7 Blackboard to ensure caregiver access. • G Suite and Google Classroom may be used for students to complete activities. • Students should have both off and on screen learning activities.
Middle and High School Students:
Distance learning for students begins on April 14. Students should check their Blackboard accounts for messages and updates from their teachers. All students should be checking the FCPS Gmail account (that ends in @fcpsschools.net) and their Google classrooms regularly. High school teachers are connecting with their students this week. Each teacher will provide the following information prior to April 14:
- Blackboard Collaborate Ultra link
- At the start of each class, students just need to click on the link
- This link will automatically connect them to the classroom
- Office hours times and days
As we transition to this Distance Learning model of instruction, we are also focused on supporting the social and emotional needs of our students. Our Student Services team will be collaborating with our teachers during this transition, but please do not hesitate to reach out to your student’s counselor if you need any assistance.
We are looking forward to beginning this new learning experience with you and to “get back to school.” If you have questions, concerns, or just want to say hello please reach out to us directly.
Be Well and Best Regards,
Liz Bumbrey, Principal, Virginia Run Elementary School
Jenni Coakley, Principal, Cub Run Elementary School
Merrell Dade, Principal, McNair Elementary School
Bob Damato, Principal, Deer Park Elementary School
Melissa Goddin, Principal, Northwest County Elementary School
Jesse Kraft, Principal, Coates Elementary School
Wiatta Padmore, Principal, London Towne Elementary School
Holly Walker, Principal, Floris Elementary School
Amielia Mitchell, Principal, Stone Middle School
Anthony Copeland, Principal, Westfield High School
Internet Access
Unfortunately, there are no mifi devices available in FCPS at this time. If you do not have internet access, you may want to consider the resources available through Fios, Comcast and Cox. Here are the links…
https://nationalverifier.servicenowservices.com/lifeline
https://tinyurl.com/r5gwg3r
https://www.cox.com/residential/internet/connect2compete.html?utm_source=highspeedinternet.com&utm_medium=affiliate&clreqid=a62c3ffe-47f0-4b57-b061-ba3dbaab226a
Join us on a Virtual Viking Helmet Hunt this weekend!
Show your school spirit to the neighborhood by displaying a Viking Helmet outside your home. You can use ours, or make your own! Post in your window, your door, or get creative with some chalk outside. Post photos on twitter using #VREShelmethunt of what you make, or what you find on your next walk!
It’s our first ever VRES Virtual Art Show!
Mrs. Adkins and Mrs. Tuben selected 26 awesome artworks this year to be featured in the annual pyramid show. Since we aren’t able to display them in person, we’ll be posting them on twitter with #VRESartshow2020. Feel free to leave a compliment for the artist as you view their work!
Library News
Dear Readers and Book Lovers,
I’ve been missing having all of you in our school library! The books must be so confused about where we all went! I’m eager to continue to share the latest and greatest happenings in the book world with you via Twitter so follow me at @VaRunLibrary to learn about the amazing things authors and illustrators are doing for us right now and how you can join in on the fun! There are already some exciting things posted there. I’ll also be adding to Blackboard starting April 14th. Click on the VRES Blackboard Library Page and you’ll find great ways to keep reading at home such as links to e-books, information about databases, lessons to stretch your thinking, and read-alouds by me. Check for Blackboard and Twitter updates every week as I’ll be in frequent contact with your teachers to continue to support your learning. Keep reading and hope to see you online soon!
Sincerely, Mrs. Siwert
Save the Date
Something to Look Forward to .......
Back-to-School Celebration (Welcome Walk-morning /School Supply Drop-off and Back-to-School Information-late afternoon/early evening)
VRES Students and Families are invited and encouraged to participate!
Tentative Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020
*This will replace the evening event formerly known as Back-to-School Night.
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