Dear Bailey’s Upper Families,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to Bailey’s Upper #BUpper for the 2020-2021 school year. As the principal, I want you to know it is my mission that at school we provide each child:
- a safe and positive learning environment
- accessible and engaging virtual learning environment
- quality instruction to meet the needs of every child
- supports for nurturing social and emotional development
As we are slated to begin the year virtually, we are committed to ensure each child has a laptop and access to login to learning prior to September 8th. We have set the following laptop distribution dates:
- 3rd Grade August 19th 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00
- 4th Grade August 21st 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00
- 5th Grade August 21st 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00
- Grades 3-5 August 24th 9:00-12:00
- Grades 3-5 August 28th 1:00-4:00
A small amount of MIFI devices are available to families in particular need. If you would like to request a MIFI device, please contact Thomas Hill (tdhill@fcps.edu). If you would like assistance with getting a Cox Internet account available to families who qualify for free and reduced meals, please contact Shayna Sargent (sjsargent@fcps.edu) or Derek Ryan (dgryan@fcps.edu).
Beginning August 27th, you will receive an asynchronous virtual training in your child’s Gmail on how to access virtual classrooms. Following that, your teacher will schedule an individual time for you and your family to meet with the teacher to answer questions and review procedures for learning. On September 2nd, we will have a test at specific times for each class and will follow up with families who encountered difficulties.
We continue to individualize our approach to ensure each child makes progress socially, emotionally, and academically. We continue serving as one of three Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) schools in Fairfax County through a partnership with the Kennedy Center. You will find many of our lessons even virtually are designed to support students in problem solving, using creativity, collaboration, and communication to learn content and life-long skills.
I am honored to have so many of our fabulous teachers returning to Bailey’s Upper and continue our high teacher retention rate. It is also exciting to welcome new teachers to our building. As you get to know them you will find our new staff just like our existing staff bring passion for our work and talents that benefit our students and school as a whole.
Please know I am always open to listening and collaborating with you to solve problems. I take children’s safety and learning very seriously and keep it as a top priority for any decision making. I look forward to seeing all returning students and families, and I am thrilled to welcome all new children and families to our school. Please don’t hesitate to email or call me anytime.
Sincerely,
Marie Lemmon
Principal
Access to Student Information for Parents
The SIS (Student Information System) Parent Account is an online tool parents can use to access information about their child’s attendance, class schedule and performance, discipline incidents, health information, and more. The secure account offers parents the ability to use one username and password login for both the SIS Parent Account. If you registered in the past, your account is still active. If you have not, please create an account https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/student-information-system-sis-fcps/sis-parent-account-registration. If you require assistance please contact Ingrid Hernandez at (703) 503-2702 or ijhernandez@fcps.edu.
Information parents will be able to access includes:
- Attendance
- Health information
- Discipline incidents
In addition, parents will also be able to view school information, including teacher e-mail addresses, the FCPS calendar, and emergency contact information..
Home and School Communication
We have a variety of methods for communication. First and foremost, a weekly News You Choose email will be sent to you each Friday. Keep in Touch will be used for any emergency or timely messages. It will be very important for each family to enroll in the SIS Parent Account online tool.
At Bailey’s Upper, we send home communication folders on Thursdays when we are in person. News and events will be posted on our school website. We will also send short texts via ENotify for any quick or urgent communications.
To follow us on Twitter, visit the Bailey’s Upper ES website, scroll to the bottom of the homepage and click on the “Follow” button.
Registration
Please encourage anyone with a child in grades 3-5 to register prior to school starting. We will not register any new students until after 10am on the first day of school. Additionally, any child registering on the first day, will not begin school until the second day. Again, this is for safety.
School Meals
Again this year we are continuing our initiative where breakfast and lunch is free to all students! Meals will be served from 10 am to 1 pm at Bailey’s Primary ES. We have coordinated with Bailey’s Primary to both offer lunch and family choice from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm each day.
Free and Reduced Meals Applications
Pre-printed applications are mailed to all households the first week of August. A pre-printed application expedites the approval process for you. We have blank applications in our school office. Translated applications are available on the food service website. Despite breakfast and lunch being offered for free to each child, our school needs all eligible families to apply in order for our school to continue receiving Title I funding and other student opportunities such as lower cost instruments and other waived fees. http://www.fcps.edu/fs/food/serve/documents/FRAppFormWLetterInstructions.pdf. If you need any assistance in filling out the necessary forms, please call 703-503-2700 and ask for Ingrid Hernandez, Registrar or Hiba Abdulwahhab, Parent Liaison. They are very excited to help all families with this. Ms. Hernandez can provide assistance in Spanish. Ms. Abdulwahhab can provide assistance in Arabic. Both can support in English.
Attention All BUpper 3rd, 4th, & 5th Graders
Laptop Distribution for grades 3-5 is scheduled to begin next week. All students and families will have an opportunity to pick up a laptop/exchange the one they currently have for a newer model. Headsets with microphones and an external mouse will be available as well.
Grades and Dates for the following process are:
Plan to have your child present at the pick-up time and to spend about 15 minutes in our car line, where your child will need to get out of the car at each station.
Families will be asked to drive through our kiss and ride area and continue around our bus loop to stop at each table station where your child will get out of the car to perform the following tasks:
- Prepare to stop at Station 1 to complete a health screener - Upon a safe screener, you will enter the kiss and ride area to continue to Station 2.
- At Station 2 your child will pick up AND log into the new laptop with their NEW PASSWORD.
- Continue to Station 3 where your child will drop off any previous laptop, iPad, or other Bailey’s Upper school items such as library books and patrol belts.
- Continue to Station 4 where your child will get assistance with testing the computer’s audio and logging into their Google Apps account to review/learn how to access their Gmail. Your child’s virtual class links will be sent to this Gmail account.
- You will then continue around to the bus loop around the playground to stop at Station 5 to complete the Beginning of Year Forms.
- At Station 6 school supplies can be picked up on an as needed basis.
- Station 7 will have student materials from last school year that need to be picked up.
We will be providing student art supply kits for ALL of our students. Below is what will be included in the kits. (These are items you may take off of your back to school shopping lists!)
Each Kit Contains:
- Composition book (qty 2, wide rule, 100 sheets)E
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- Crayons (qty 1 box, 24 count)
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- Eraser (qty 1, large pink)
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- Scissors (qty 1, 5” blunt tip stainless)
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- Folders (qty 2, plastic, various colors, with 2 pockets, no prongs)
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- Pencil Pouch (qty 1, soft sided, not pencil box)
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- Glue sticks (qty 2, .21 oz)
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- Dry Erase Marker (qty 1, black)
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- Pencils #2 (qty 1 box, 10 count)
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- Dry Erase Board 8.5x 11 (qty 1)
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- Colored Pencils (qty 1 package, 12 count)
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Breakfast and lunch (both meals can be picked up at the same time) will be available from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Bailey's Primary Elementary School which is located at 6111 Knollwood Drive, Falls Church, Virginia. The food distribution is set up outside. Breakfast and Lunch is free for students 18 years old and younger and $2.00 for adults.
Additional FCPS Grab and Go Updates
FCPS transitioned many of the grab and go meal sites at school locations to curbside service.
View Complete List of Meal Sites and Times: https://www.fcps.edu/news/coronavirus-update-food-resources
Curbside meal pick-up stations are generally located in the bus lanes at the schools or in the kiss and ride area. Look for the canopy tent along with Food and Nutrition Services staff, who will deliver meals directly to vehicles.
Walk-ups are still welcome at all sites. Walkers are asked to use school sidewalks to safely navigate their walk to the pick-up stations.
Breakfast and lunch meals are available together and wherever meals are being distributed.
As a reminder, it is important to follow social distancing guidelines. Be sure to stand a minimum of 6 feet apart from others and practice regular hand washing, including prior to leaving a residence to pick-up meals, upon returning home, and before consuming food.
Vaccines are still required to enroll in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) even though all students will start the year with virtual learning.
Fairfax County Health Department is offering community childhood vaccination clinics plus expanded hours to provide the Tdap vaccine at three clinics.
Vaccination clinics will be held:
- Monday, August 17, 2 to 6 p.m., London Towne Elementary, 6100 Stone Rd. Centreville
- Thursday, August 20, 2 to 6 p.m., Annandale District Office, 7611 Little River Tnpk, #400E, Annandale.
- Saturday, August 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mount Vernon District Office, 8350 Richmond Hwy, #233, Alexandria.
- Thursday, September 3, 2 to 6 p.m., First Baptist Church of Springfield, 7300 Gary St., Springfield.
- Saturday, September 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., location to be announced.
Tdap vaccines will be administered at clinics through August 28 at one of three locations. More information is available online.
Childhood vaccines protect children against potentially life-threatening illnesses such as polio, measles, whooping cough, and chicken pox. Students entering seventh grade and transfer students need a booster dose of the Tdap vaccine.
The Health Department follows strict safety protocols in its community vaccination clinics to limit exposure to patients. Only a select number of appointments per site will be available to protect families. Visitors age 2 and older are required to wear face coverings that cover the nose and mouth; temperature checks will be conducted at entrances; visitors will be required to stay 6 feet apart, and partitions will separate vaccination stations.
Parents can schedule an appointment by calling 703-246-6010, TTY 711. Complete information is available on the Health Department website.
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
Friendly Reminders
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Wednesday, August 19th - Laptop Distributions for 3rd grade
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Friday, August 21st - Laptop Distributions for 4th and 5th Grades
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Monday, August 24th- Laptop Distributions for Grades 3-5
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Friday, August 28th- Laptop Distributions for Grades 3-5
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Tuesday, September 8th- First Day of School For Students (Online)
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