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Dear Wakefield Forest Families,
Our staff has been so excited to get to meet you and our students virtually this week. We are super excited to see all of our students on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 8:30 AM for the first day of school. I still get butterflies the night before the first day. Whether it’s virtual or in person, we are so glad that you are a part of our school community. As we get ready to enter this new school year we will all be learning. It will take the collective efforts of all of us to make virtual learning a success. If you need help, the classroom teacher is a great first point of contact.
Every year on the first day I welcome our students back to school. I hope you’ll share this video with them since I don’t get to see them in person:
https://wakefieldforestes.fcps.edu/announcements/principal-prindles-welcome-back-message
We will host a Back to School Night event on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 from 7:00 PM – 8:10 PM. During Back to School Night you will be able to learn more about the virtual classroom experience for this year.
We were very excited to unveil the renovation plans for Wakefield Forest on Wednesday morning. This will be posted on the school website.
We would love to see your first day of school photos next week. You can tweet them to us at @WakefieldForest. Our first WFES spirit day will be College/High School Day Friday, September 18, 2020.
Thank you for your collaboration and grace throughout the spring and summer. I am proud to lead in such an amazing community.
Sharyn Prindle
Principal
Today, September 3, 2020 2:00 PM Student Session Virtual student session for any interested WFES students today at 2:00 pm. Join me here:
https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/f3a0b4d64aad4bb4a6a95aefc8276439
September 3, 2020 – 3:00 PM Family Information Session At this virtual meeting, we will review any updates and answer questions. Join me here:
https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/f3a0b4d64aad4bb4a6a95aefc8276439
September 8, 2020 – First Day of School – School starts at 8:30 AM for all students.
September 15, 2020 – Virtual Back to School Night, 7:00 - 8:10 PM – Teachers will host two virtual sessions. The first session will be longer to accommodate videos from the principal, PTA and school board. The sessions will be 7:00 – 7:30 PM and 7:40 – 8:10 PM.
Band/Strings/Music Exploration Registration for Grades 4-6
All 4th, 5th and 6th graders are required to choose an instrumental music class for the school year.
4th Graders may choose either Strings or Music Exploration.
5th and 6th Graders may choose either Band, Strings or Music Exploration.
Please click on the link below to view video demonstrations of the instruments offered in band and strings.
https://wakefieldforestes.fcps.edu/2020-21-return-school/band-orchestra-registration-2020-21-now-open
Please click on the link below to access the Band/Strings and Music Exploration Registration Form. We have extended the deadline to register to Friday, Sept. 11.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScu1KmLO-K3yyGz7A2qUqVEyhxstpxlb2nNwYqs3utSm0dQsg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Attendance
Attendance will be recorded Monday – Friday. Attendance is expected during all synchronous instruction. However, if your child is not able to attend synchronously, please contact your teacher and the attendance line (see below) to indicate that your student is reviewing the videos and completing work asynchronously. If a student is not in attendance during the day and neither the teacher nor the front office has heard from the parents/guardians, the student will be marked “unverified” and the parent will receive an electronic message to that effect in the evening. If the parent does not contact the school office to update attendance, this will become an unexcused absence. If a student has 3 or more unexcused absences, families will be contacted by counselors or social worker. If a student cannot participate synchronously/asynchronously for the duration of a school day, families should contact the school by submitting the online attendance form on the home page of the WFES website or calling the 24-7 attendance line at 703-503-2323.
Mondays
Each classroom teacher will provide specific details about your child’s schedule. As a school we will host grade level class meetings on Mondays at 8:30 AM. This is an opportunity for students to be mixed up among smaller groups, so they get to know other teachers and students in the grade level. This will be a huge support as we look to transition some students into the school as the year progresses.
Your teacher will be reaching out to you to schedule a time to assess your child throughout the first few weeks of school. Our goal is to get a baseline of where students are performing. This information will be used to develop groups for Mondays and Tuesday – Friday afternoons.
Attendance will be taken on Mondays.
Contact Information
For parents to stay up to date on school news and plans, current contact information is essential. This is especially important because schools will need to regularly notify parents about program changes and opportunities, such as laptop distributions, school supply lists, and other essentials. Once school begins, your school team may need to reach parents about student absences and academic and other concerns.
Parents may update their information through Parent View.
Forms to Submit - Updated from last week
Some of the following forms must be completed and submitted prior to the start of school. You can turn in completed forms at laptop/supply pick up, mail to Wakefield Forest (4011 Iva Lane, Fairfax, VA 22032), or drop them off at school from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m Monday – Friday (school closed on Friday, September 4), or scan and email them to ksholmes@fcps.edu. All forms must be signed and dated. The forms, listed below, can be found here:
https://wakefieldforestes.fcps.edu/2020-21-school-forms
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Digital Resources Parent Consent – required
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Emergency Care Card – required
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Family Life Education (FLE) Opt-Out – optional, complete and return only if you want to opt your child out of FLE (see below)
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Health Information Form – required
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Homeless Student Referral Form – optional
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Military Connected Form – all new families, or only if there has been a change in your military status since last year (for returning families)
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Physical and Immunization Form – required for all incoming kindergarten students, all students new to Fairfax County, or if your student has updated immunizations
Tech Support for Parents and Students
To support families who are working with their children during distance learning, FCPS has launched a new Parent Technology Help Desk, effective Monday, August 24. 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.
Parents or guardians can call this number for basic tech support with parent accounts, help with FCPS student devices and technical assistance with other FCPS applications. If help desk staff members are unable to solve the issue, they will enter a support ticket on behalf of the parent/guardian to escalate the issue to the appropriate FCPS team. Parents who need help in a language other than English can inform the help desk staff when they call of their preferred language, and an interpreter will join in on the call.
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.
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