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Dolphin Strong!
No Matter The Distance!
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Dolphin Families:
We are very busy making our last preparations for the first day of school! We are excited to welcome our students to their virtual Fort Belvoir classrooms on Tuesday, September 8th. The first few days of school are always focused on building routines, classroom expectations, and building relationships. We know that a strong classroom community is the foundation to a successful learning experience for all. Therefore, teachers will spend the first few weeks of school teaching and reteaching routines. They will also spend time facilitating community builder activities which are designed to help students get to know one another.
We also know that the parent-teacher relationship is extremely important – now more than ever before. Should you ever have a question or concern, please reach out to your child’s teacher via email or call the main office and we will have the teacher reach out to you. If you prefer to speak with the teacher on the phone or through a video conference, we can arrange a time for this to happen as well. Please know that our staff will be working with children throughout the day, and it may take them 24-48 business hours to respond to you.
New Family Orientation/All-Campus Parent Q&A
As a reminder, Ms. Pareja and Ms. Chianetta will be online this evening, Wednesday, September 2nd, for both New Family Orientation and our All-Campus Parent Q&A.
5:00-5:45 pm: New Family Orientation
This is an opportunity for families to learn a little about the Fort Belvoir Campus, and is presented as a joint opportunity with Fort Belvoir Primary and Upper Schools. Speakers will include the principals of both schools, the PTO president, Guidance Counselors and more.
https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/16453314a6844926a2681b6f168b2c96
5:45-6:45 pm: All Campus Parent Q and A
This will be an opportunity for all parents on campus to receive a general overview of the start of the virtual school year and to ask any questions they may still have.
https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/16453314a6844926a2681b6f168b2c96
Staffing Changes Could Affect Class-Placement
Our current school enrollment is a bit lower than it has been in past years, as the delayed military transfers are still occurring, and as several families have chosen to go to private schools or to homeschool during the pandemic. Our staffing is based upon our enrollment. Please know that staffing can shift even after class assignments have been announced, due to changes made at the Human Resources level which are based upon our enrollment. Our grade level teams will continue to work and plan together to ensure all students have the support they need.
Consent for Select Digital Resources
At Fort Belvoir Elementary, our teachers will use a variety of digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. You can find our school’s list of the resources that require parental consent here.
Included on this page is also a link to a form where the enrolling parent or guardian will need to indicate whether or not their student is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. This page also provides more information about how FCPS carefully reviews digital resources for approval and why we must request your consent before using certain tools. We encourage you to complete the parental consent for digital resources form as soon as possible, as your child will not be able to use the digital resources until we have received your permission. Please reach out to your child’s teacher or our School Based Technology Specialists Rejane Martinez (Upper School) or Lauren Damico (Primary School) if you have questions or concerns about the digital resources we’ve chosen to use this year.
Please Complete your Health Information Form and Emergency Care Card
The Health Information Form (HIF) (SS/SE -71) and the Emergency Care Information form (SS/SE-3) provide valuable information regarding student health conditions. They help to identify students who may need healthcare support in the educational environment.
Click on this link for step-by-step instructions to update your forms. You can update all of your children at the same time. Update your forms
Remember, you must be registered for your own Parent View account to access weCare. Need to register for a SIS Parent View account, or do you have a question about it? Click here: SIS Parent Account
Tech Support For Families
To support families who are working with their children during distance learning, FCPS has launched a new Parent Technology Help Desk. The help desk can be reached at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS) and will be answered by staff members between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., seven days a week. FCPS has also set up Parent and Student Technology Support portal at https://itweb.fcps.edu/itsupport/ to allow older students and parents/guardians to request technology help directly. When a support request ticket is entered through the portal, it is auto-routed to the TSSpec at the appropriate site to expedite service.
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Band and Strings |
Yes, we are having band/strings this year!
Even through an online format, this is a great experience for your child to learn an instrument and deepen their appreciation of music. Strings is available for students grade 4-6 and band is available to grades 5-6 only.
Dr. Hussell and Mr. Hoffman will be making their way to every class over the next two weeks to talk about the program and demonstrate the different instruments that are available. Unfortunately due to instruction restrictions there will be a reduced amount of instruments available this year. If your child is interested please follow the interest links AFTER they have had Dr. Hussell or Mr. Hoffman to their class to explain the program.
Band Interest Form : https://forms.gle/ZB8cikAq9KE2bbsz9
Strings Interest Form : https://tinyurl.com/FBESOrchestra
Frequently Asked Questions
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Does the school provide the instruments? Students must provide their own instrument, unless they are eligible for the Rental Assistance program. We will provide rental information for instruments following your child’s registration in band/strings.
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What if my child is on free or reduced lunch? If your child is on free or reduced lunch, Fairfax County will provide you with an instrument for a one-time fee of $20 for the school year. (Instruments available through this program are limited to flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, and percussion for band OR violin and viola for strings.)
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Can my child sign up for both band and strings? No, unfortunately because the classes meet at the same time students may only sign up for one.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact us at nhussel@fcps.edu and wphoffman@fcps.edu. Thank you and we are looking forward to a successful year!
Sincerely,
Patrick Hoffman, Strings Director
Dr. Nate Hussell, Band Director
Family Life Education
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms are available online for Elementary (K-6) https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/elementary-family-life-education , Middle School (7-8) https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle-school-academics-7-8/family-life-education-fle, and High School (9-12) https://www.fcps.edu/academics/high-school-academics-9-12/family-life-education-fle. Please fill in the opt-out form and return it to your child’s school prior to Family Life Education instruction.
Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6) , Middle School (7-8) , and High School (9-12). FLE grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in FCPS 24-7 (Blackboard) Parent View https://fcps.blackboard.com/. Account information is available at your local school or online at http://www.fcps.edu/is/instructionaltechnology/247help/parents.shtml. Grade level-specific lessons are also available at the Fairfax County Regional Library in the City of Fairfax (this location does not have media). Grade level-specific lessons and media that is not streamed online are available for review at your child’s school library. Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media online.
Labor Day Weekend
Schools will be closed on Friday, September 4th & Monday, September 7th for the Labor Day Weekend. For more information regarding the SY 20-21 FCPS Calendar, please visit https://www.fcps.edu/calendars/2020-21-standard-school-year-calendar
Please click here for more information regarding Good News Club!
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